The Little Theatre
| Address: | 240 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604, USA |
| Phone: | +1 585-258-0400 |
| Site: | thelittle.org |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
PA
Paul Cicotta
The Little Theater is the cultural center for independent, and foreign films. They are a host to a variety of festivals such as the High Falls Film Festival, and Greentopia. Every-time my friends want to go to a movie at the Little, I start off whining and complaining. In the end when the movie is over with, I end up leaving as a HUGE FAN. The outside, and inside have a complete vintage look to seeing movies back in the 1950s. Inside the theater, there is the Little Cafe hosted by the neighboring Javas. I love having a nice brewed coffee from Javas before seeing a movie at The Little. I also saw a homemade fudge brownie on the shelf, and had to gobble it up. It was warm, rich, huge, gooey, and delicious. For $5.00, the brownie and coffee deal is the WAY TO GO. The main theater is big, with ample seating for everyone. My only complaint was there are no seat beverage holders for my freshly brewed coffee. The movies I saw that evening were a part of the Greentopia Film Festival. The Greentopia Film Festival was about watching local directors making films about spirited documentary discussion. A lot of these films took place around the Rochester area. The screening I saw at The Little was Shortopia: New Visions/New Voices. These were a collection of Short Films put together for one screening. One of the producers of the short films was Alex Freeman, who was in the theater audience. This dynamic individual can see through a multitude of cultures, environments, and life. His creative insight, with a remarkable "cool free" attitude make him a special human being in the world around us. I learned in the film Preserves about the oil pipeline bursting in Ecuador, and it the effects to the tribes around it. In Fungiphilia Rising, we got to see an insight into the mushroom culture. This includes the growing of shrooms, and the experiences some individuals have while eating them. Finally, in Hopped Upstate we learned about the creation of hops for beer. It was interesting to see how in Upstate NY the "hop" movement is economically on the rise. This experience continued after the film, as the Rochester Young Professionals hosted the Post Screening Social at Roc Brewing Company. Overall: Vintage Cool, Javas Coffee, Fudge Brownie, Festivals, Independent Films, Cheap Ticket Prices, and one heck of a Movie Selection to talk about with your friends after....I will be back.
RA
Ralph Strickland
Save the trouble, go to Regal Sandhills Cinema 16. Went to see Kung-Fu Panda 3 at 7:10 p.m. tonight. About two-thirds through it, we lost the video. After a minute or two, they stopped the audio. Waited a few minutes more, they restarted the audio. A few minutes beyond that, they restarted the entire film (with the upcoming movie trailers)... and in all this, no staff person, no technician, no employee, no volunteer attempted to communicate this to the patrons in the downstairs theater. They didnt have the courtesy to cut the lights on for the patrons while the screen was off. I want to spend my dollars local - but at least Sandhills communicates and recompenses their patrons when technical difficulties arise. FYI - other patrons overheard me wanting to get a refund and advised against it - stating that the Little Theatre does NOT issue refunds, instead they give you a voucher for a piece of candy - if true, thats ludicrous. We left when the movie re-started.
RY
Ryan Jenq
Anyone who considers themselves an avid movie-goer or cinephile should avoid this place that is constantly pampered with their position as a community based venue for events. I dont understand why The Little has received such rave reviews, as they manage to do everything right except project the film properly and provide a suitable viewing environment. Packed theaters are often met with film reels that are out of focus, lack detail, constant scratches, bad sound systems and/or heavy vignetting. Yet, audiences continue to return with seemingly no recognition of the blaring problems that occur here. You pay money for the service of a film screening and you should not expect anything less than quality. The only time I didnt have an issue was because the film was a digital projection. One of the worst theaters in Rochester with more respect for a community than an actual form. An insult to anyones intelligence.
J
J Christy Wareham
I fell in love with The Little soon after moving to the region, though it was an hours drive to get there from home, the selection of titles drew me like a moth to a flame. The only thing I never liked was having to choose one film over the others. Along with the pleasure of consistently excellent art on the screen, this place gives me hope. When I scan through popular cinema listings and despair, I can always click on The Littles website and be revived. Then theres their wonderful cafe with its simple but delightfully varied menu that always offers something I know Ill enjoy. An entree, a shared salad and a glass of pretty respectable wine, and for not much of a hit to my wallet, my date and I have been graciously prepared for an evenings entertainment. If it were to get any better, Im not sure I could stand it.
SI
Sikandar Imran
I will give the Little five stars just because coming here is a "classic" and "cozy" feeling that you cant beat. I wont compare it to the big wigs like Regal and AMC because the reason I come here is when I want to escape the typical "cinema" experience that big companies have created. The Little is local, runs independent movies and has enthusiastic staff which feels like a local family. The concessions and movies are cheaper. The pop corn is excellent! The seats are not as comfortable as I would like but the positives outweigh any negatives. They play special shows of classic older movies at times which I have been hoping to go to but havent been able to yet. Parking can be tricky on busy weekends but I havent had major problems. Will continue to enjoy and support The Little.
PA
Paul Ipolito
Save your time and money by skipping "The Exception". We should have made an exception and walked by the box office. The thin plot is stretched to its limit by horrible acting and a Himmler character that the Three Stooges or Monty Python would have rejected as too over the top. Of course the other Nazi bad guys all were outfitted in the requisite black-leather topcoats. The only more obvious clue would have been to have "NAZI" stitched across the back. The best part was watching Christopher Plummer chew carpet like a madman through the entire film. He saved our evening by turning it into a comedy. We were grateful for his presence.
CA
Cassandra Kelly
Been a member for several years. Always an eclectic choice of films weekly. Love the new monthly art house film series, and Mondo Movies on Friday Nights. This place, along with The Cinema has the best popcorn, with REAL butter and various seasonings for toppings. Also some great bakery items ( carrot cake and Nanaimo bars are faves ) along with cafe items and coffee you can enjoy in the movie. Only drawback is that sometimes the live music in the cafe is so loud it can be heard in theater 2, which has spoiled a couple movies for me. Luckily, none of the 4 other theaters have this problem.
TR
Trish Harding
We very much enjoy the choice of movies and the cafe food is good. However, every time there is cooking going on in the cafe, the ventilation is so poor that smoky, burning air not only permeates the seating area of the cafe but also the adjoining theater(s) and makes for a very unpleasant experience. We usually leave there with smoky smelling hair and clothes. If a movie we like is showing at another venue we invariably choose that venue over The Little. We had considered being members, but do not attend enough because of the inadequate ventilation.
