Orlando Lens
By Nicholas Ware
There are many places to see a first-run mainstream film in the Orlando area. The vast majority are posh, staid Regal or AMC multiplexes that offer the comforts of stadium seating, expensive drinks and snacks, and even beer and wine.
There is nothing wrong with these theaters.
They are interchangeable in nature, but perfectly suited for the ordinary filmgoer. They have the expected double-digit standard ticket price for an evening show, and the expected amenities.
However, those who are willing to go a little bit out of the way will find that Winter Park's Aloma Cinema Grill (2155 Aloma Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32792) offers an alternate experience that gives a little more sense of community, a bit of a throwback to an earlier age of movie-going, and a pretty great bargain.
I am neither a young man nor an old man, but I have fond (even nostalgic) memories of a particular theater in my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama called the Twin Oaks 4. Before I was born, the Twin Oaks 4 was the most advance theater in the area, but as I grew up Carmike, the national chain that ran it, opened two 8-screen and one 16-screen theaters in other parts of town, and the Twin Oaks 4 became a dumping ground for movies that appealed mostly to teenage boys, families, and minority audiences, while blockbusters were placed in much larger, much more impressive spots.
To give you a sense, some of the classics I remember seeing at the 4 are Timecop, Speed, and Sister Act 2.
Twin Oaks wasn't top of the line, but I loved it. The audiences were warm, the seats were comfortable, and the experience was unpretentious, nonjudgmental and cozy.
The modern multiplex, in its efforts to standardize, has become increasingly institutional with efficiency the model that has overtaken enjoyment. The Aloma Cinema Grill brings back all the same positive feelings I had watching schlock at the Twin Oaks 4, but updates the experience by offering pub food, bigger films, and very reasonable ticket prices.
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I have not been a resident of Orlando long, only three and a half years, and had never been to the previous 2-screen Aloma Cinema Drafthouse version of the theater, which was likely named after the Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse chain that has helped popularize independent dinner-and-a-movie theaters since the late-90s.
However, as a regular visitor to the 3-screen update, I can say that if you want to see a new Hollywood film in Central Florida, there's no better deal than the Aloma's $4 first-show-of-the-day early bird matinee.
A $4 first-run film in a comfortable theater is a rarity not only these days but this century. Seeing Fast Five for under five bucks, guilt-free? Sign me up!
While I don't often partake in the food at Aloma, the times I have had a lunch there I've found it compares favorably with standard sports bar food though the portions are more subdued. The staff that wait on your theater tables are incredibly well-trained and disciplined, and do an excellent job of taking orders, bringing grub, and delivering the check without disturbing your viewing or the viewing of others. (Don't forget to tip them no matter what you order... they deserve it and I'm sure they need it.)
However, the best part of the Aloma Cinema Grill is the ineffable. It's genuinely fun to see a movie there, whether it's Wreck-It Ralph with a room full of tykes at midday on a Saturday or Skyfall with the blue-hairs on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Every trip I've had has been mercilessly free of texting bros, chattering teens, or six-year-olds-in-R-rated-films.
The programming schedule hits as many of the big titles as possible while balancing genres; the current line-up has an action film, a comedy, and a family film. The premises are clean with an 80s-throwback vibe, and the screens are appropriately sized for their rooms.
The sound is loud and crisp without being violent, and the 20-minute ads-before-the-ads that come standard at the big corporate chains are nowhere to be found. The Aloma Cinema Grill will never blow you away with the latest technology or the most luxurious confines, but it offers something that is increasingly rare: a fun, affordable mainstream movie-going experience.
Images from the Aloma Cinema Grill Yelp Page
There is nothing wrong with these theaters.
They are interchangeable in nature, but perfectly suited for the ordinary filmgoer. They have the expected double-digit standard ticket price for an evening show, and the expected amenities.
However, those who are willing to go a little bit out of the way will find that Winter Park's Aloma Cinema Grill (2155 Aloma Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32792) offers an alternate experience that gives a little more sense of community, a bit of a throwback to an earlier age of movie-going, and a pretty great bargain.
I am neither a young man nor an old man, but I have fond (even nostalgic) memories of a particular theater in my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama called the Twin Oaks 4. Before I was born, the Twin Oaks 4 was the most advance theater in the area, but as I grew up Carmike, the national chain that ran it, opened two 8-screen and one 16-screen theaters in other parts of town, and the Twin Oaks 4 became a dumping ground for movies that appealed mostly to teenage boys, families, and minority audiences, while blockbusters were placed in much larger, much more impressive spots.
To give you a sense, some of the classics I remember seeing at the 4 are Timecop, Speed, and Sister Act 2.
Twin Oaks wasn't top of the line, but I loved it. The audiences were warm, the seats were comfortable, and the experience was unpretentious, nonjudgmental and cozy.
The modern multiplex, in its efforts to standardize, has become increasingly institutional with efficiency the model that has overtaken enjoyment. The Aloma Cinema Grill brings back all the same positive feelings I had watching schlock at the Twin Oaks 4, but updates the experience by offering pub food, bigger films, and very reasonable ticket prices.
.jpg)
However, as a regular visitor to the 3-screen update, I can say that if you want to see a new Hollywood film in Central Florida, there's no better deal than the Aloma's $4 first-show-of-the-day early bird matinee.
A $4 first-run film in a comfortable theater is a rarity not only these days but this century. Seeing Fast Five for under five bucks, guilt-free? Sign me up!
While I don't often partake in the food at Aloma, the times I have had a lunch there I've found it compares favorably with standard sports bar food though the portions are more subdued. The staff that wait on your theater tables are incredibly well-trained and disciplined, and do an excellent job of taking orders, bringing grub, and delivering the check without disturbing your viewing or the viewing of others. (Don't forget to tip them no matter what you order... they deserve it and I'm sure they need it.)
However, the best part of the Aloma Cinema Grill is the ineffable. It's genuinely fun to see a movie there, whether it's Wreck-It Ralph with a room full of tykes at midday on a Saturday or Skyfall with the blue-hairs on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Every trip I've had has been mercilessly free of texting bros, chattering teens, or six-year-olds-in-R-rated-films.
The programming schedule hits as many of the big titles as possible while balancing genres; the current line-up has an action film, a comedy, and a family film. The premises are clean with an 80s-throwback vibe, and the screens are appropriately sized for their rooms.
The sound is loud and crisp without being violent, and the 20-minute ads-before-the-ads that come standard at the big corporate chains are nowhere to be found. The Aloma Cinema Grill will never blow you away with the latest technology or the most luxurious confines, but it offers something that is increasingly rare: a fun, affordable mainstream movie-going experience.
Images from the Aloma Cinema Grill Yelp Page