The Ten Best Boutique Cinemas in Auckland

It is a well-known fact that the cinema provides an excellent escape from even the harshest winter as well as a reprieve from the mid year crawl.  But if you're tired of the carbon copy design of mainstream cinemas, or the clichés and formulaic plots of the films they play, fear not. Auckland has an absolute wealth of boutique cinemas playing all sorts wonderful art-house films, and we have gone out to find you the ten best.

To help you navigate your way through Auckland's cultural-cinema-landscape we have divided art-house films into two distinct categories, which we have given the (tongue-in-cheek) labels light art-house, and hardcore art-house. The light art-house movies are the kind that you could take your grandparents to see; melodrama films, which are often bio-pics or period pieces. Hardcore art-house films are more challenging - to the viewer or to the conventions of cinema. This category consists of obscure foreign films, heavy intellectual cinema, and experimental films such as cutting-edge thrillers.

We have ranked them on style, ambiance, cosiness, and (most importantly) on how likely you are to see great cinema when you see a film there.

Monterey

Monterey is charming in a tea-cups and doilies type of way. Going there on a wintry Saturday to see Nobel was very comforting - despite the drive being a bit of a mission in the wind and rain. Monterey offers both a few mainstream films and light art-house cinema. It's history spans 80 years, over which time they have serviced their community with space and facilities for films, theatre and some infamous parties.

The space is very practical, with 5 small cinemas, yet less inherently soulful and charming than the other cinemas on this list. The seats are comfortable with plenty of legroom and have space on their little side tables to put down wine glass or a cup of coffee.

The film itself was enjoyable, a biopic about Christina Noble, who Time Magazine called 'One of the fifty most inspiring people of our time'. It proved to be a fascinating story, although it wasn't a very well crafted film.

Waiheke Community Cinema

Waiheke is a cute little single-screen community cinema with seating cobbled together from old couches in their theatre. While it is not posh by any stretch of the imagination, it's huge on the charm factor. They manage to fit in an impressively wide range of light art-house, hardcore art-house and mainstream films, despite only having two to four film screenings daily.

It was fun going to see Boychoir here; walking into the cinema through the little sheltered market area at the top of Oneroa village and past the public library you get the warm and inviting feeling of walking into a community space. Arriving early enough to snuggle into one of the couches in the front row is a strategy I would recommend to anyone else seeing a film here. The film was enjoyable with a lot of very beautiful singing - although the narrative was extremely formulaic, making it quite predictable.

One area that Waiheke Island Community Cinema loses points in accessibility, being that it is a ferry ride away from most Aucklanders. However Waiheke is a great option for a winter escape from the mainland, with regular ferries form the CBD, and a bunch of winter-friendly indoor activities such as wine tasting and art galleries and plenty of great accommodation available.

The Capitol

The ambiance and décor of The Capitol reflects a downsized version of its grand history, which trumps Monterey at over 90 years. In the 70's it was Auckland's largest suburban cinema. These days the single-screen cinema is a snug and sumptuous space, painted deep purple with chandeliers and gold trimming.

The cinema is located up a flight of stairs from Dominion Road and plays a small selection - only two at any given time - of both light and hardcore art-house movies. Going to see That Sugar Film at the Capitol was a pleasure. Arriving a few minutes early was no problem as the little foyer has plenty of soft couches to sit on and chat before the movie - in fact there is a good chance you'll end up chatting to the staff who are all bonafide movie-geeks. While the space is not quite big enough to describe it as a cafe, the menu comes close with deli sandwiches, Atomic coffee and a nice range of beers and wines.

The film is a Supersize Me style documentary that looks at the impact of sugar on our health and society. It was entertaining and informative while at times also being a little bit childish.

The Lido

The Lido is the sister cinema to The Capitol, and has a similar ambiance set in a larger space, with two screens and more films playing. Matching the colour scheme of The Capitol, purple and gold decorates the theatres while he foyer is blue and yellow with decorative lights and lamps. Films on offer here tend to fall into the light art-house category.

Visiting The Lido to watch The Woman in Gold was a comfortable reprieve on a rainy Friday afternoon. The staff were friendly and helpful and a fine range of treats are available including Rush Munro ice-cream, espresso coffee, wine, beer and all the usual confectionery, although no popcorn here.

Inside the theatre the seats are spacious although not as comfortable as the other cinemas on this list - which starts to show after you've been sitting down for an hour and a half. The Woman in Gold was enjoyable, though the narrative became a little repetitive and at times the dialogue was wooden. Afterwards we settled into one of their many luxurious couches and chatted about the film.

Bridgeway Cinema

Northcote's Bridgeway Cinema has both a truly lovely ambiance, and an excellent range of great films that fall into both the light and hardcore art-house camps. It has a similarly up market vibe to The Capitol and The Lido, with more session times and a wider selection of films.

At the Bridgeway I went to see Andrei Zvyagintsev's Russian minimalist political drama Laviathon, which was as heart breaking as it was beautifully made. The seats were great, the same design as at Monterey (with plenty of room to put down my glass of wine). The film was stunningly good, a rich and tragic story accompanied with beautiful images of small town Russia.

While the Bridgeway has class, great films and three screens, like many of the cinemas it is a bit understaffed. Unlike the other cinemas we went to however, this actually affected the quality of the movie going experience when the door to the cinema was left open for the first 10 minutes of the movie, letting the chatter of people going into a different theatre drift in.

Rialto Cinema

Tucked into a little mall off Broadway, The Rialto Cinema Newmarket is the perfect venue for filmgoers looking for a well-curated selection of films to be enjoyed in comfort and style. Rialto plays host to an array of interesting films year round, as well as being a venue for a diverse range of exciting events such as The Auckland International Film Festival, and the African Film Festival NZ. Rialto has 7 screens – the most of any cinema on this list – so if you like to just show up to a cinema and go along to whatever is playing, this would be the best option for you.

We went to see the widely acclaimed horror It Follows, premier feature from director David Robert Mitchell, which had us on the edge of our seats from start to finish. While Rialto feel more like an upmarket Event Cinema than any of the other theatres on this list, this cinema has all the trimmings to make your movie going experience pleasurable; great facilities, delicious food and drink including Kapiti ice-cream and a selection of New Zealand wines. In the theatre you'll find large comfy seats and reasonably large screens.

If you are a fan of the horror genre we would suggest you see It Follows; it is a masterful piece of suspense and terror. However, if horror is not your thing, other films worth seeing which are currently playing at the Rialto include the brilliant British period drama Testament of Youth, and Russian political drama Leviathan.

Hollywood

Located out in Avondale with only one-movie theatre and bucket loads of charm, The Hollywood Cinema is the perfect escape from the cold winters day. They play a small but very good selection of light art-house cinema. Originally opened in 1915, The Hollywood Cinema is runner-up for the title of longest running movie theatre on this list.

I went to see the British period film Testament of Youth theatrical début from director James Kent. It's a bit of a cliché, but walking into this cinema really does feel like stepping back in time. The little box office and foyer is all dark wood and carpet, and a charming older gentleman runs the desk. Tickets are cheap, costing just $13, even on a Sunday night.

Walking up the stairs took us to our seats in the balcony, which looks down at (by independent cinema standards) a massive screen. The seats were on the smaller side, but very comfortable and the auditorium was toasty-warm. Testament of Youth is, quite simply a perfect film; it is beautifully made with stunning and thoughtful cinematography, wonderful performances and eloquent, compelling writing.

Academy Cinemas (best price)

Downstairs from the Auckland Central Library, the Academy Cinema is a cosy little cave in the heart of the city, where truly wonderful films are on offer every day of the week.

The Academy Cinemas stands out for its selection of films, for two main reasons: The Academy plays a great deal of classic films, such as every Indiana Jones ever made this month. Also, the selection of modern films played at the academy is wide and varied with a range of both light and hardcore art-house cinema on offer. Its also the best on price, with all films on a Wednesday costing just $5, and the rest of the week just $10.

I went on one of the nights that the Academy was hosting the 48hours Film Festival screenings. Being a Saturday night we grabbed a Stoke from their bar, which also offers Champagne and cocktails. 48hours is just one of the many film festivals that gets part hosted by the Academy Cinema. There were of course a few bung notes in the hour, but the majority of the films stood up as decent short films in their own right. The highlight of the evening was the Auckland finalists from our session Peru with the musical Hard to Read.

The Vic

This beautiful old art deco cinema is truly part of what makes Devonport special, as it is the first thing you see when you arrive at the main shops in Devonport. This cinema is the oldest functional, purpose built cinema in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally built in 1912 and remodelled in 1930 to play 'talkies', this cinema is a historical landmark for Auckland.

The film that we went to see Mr. Hulot's Holiday was a part of the theatre's retrospective to French new-wave filmmaker Jacques Tati recently hosted by The Vic.  Entering the foyer at The Vic you're met with a sea of royal blue carpet, which runs up the centre of the staircase to cinemas 2 and 3, and mirrors along the wall lined with movie posters. On the other side of the foyer you'll find the till area which sells a wide range of goodies, from wine to Jaffas. If you're a film-going traditionalist you'll be glad to know that fresh pop-corn is available here. The film was charming and funny, although it lacked a sense of purpose and this made the film drag a little towards the end.

The Vic plays an impressively diverse range of films, and at any given time can be expected to have a few doco's, a bunch of family films, the biggest blockbusters of the moment and a great range of light and hardcore art-house films up in the mix. Each theatre has the original art deco frills around the edges, which adds to the charm of the experience. Seats are unallocated and each theatre has a uniquely optimum viewing position - I would recommend arriving a little early to find it.

The Civic

This one may seem like a bit of a cheat, as the Civic is so much more than 'just' a cinema - however, the Civic was actually purpose built in 1929 as a 'movie palace'. Anyone who has been there would understand this title; the décor (while a little garish) is most certainly regal. The fact that the Civic is not exclusively a cinema is actually one of the reasons that it is the best place in Auckland to see great cinema: 'Ordinary' films don't play at the Civic, there must be a special reason for films to play there - such as greatness.

We went to see one such film at the Civic, Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey. The auditorium is spectacular, with the night sky painted on the ceiling, lions frozen mid-prowl along the walls, and a glitzy scene of flamencos flirting on the curtain. The film is a science-fiction masterpiece, and seeing it played in such a grand style was quite simply a great privilege.

Films play intermittently throughout the year with various film festivals and classic film screenings that are held at the Civic. From the 16^th of July to the 2^nd of August the Civic is one of the major venues to play host to The 2015 New Zealand International Film Festival. This is one of many important film events that get hosted by the Civic. Also, throughout the year the Civic has screenings of classic movies by important filmmakers, (such as Stanley Kubrick's 2001).

Keep you're eyes out for our guide to the Auckland International Film Festival, as we'll be letting you know about a the best films that will be playing at the Civic and a bunch of these other wonderful spots in Auckland.