Love those movies? Enjoy the experience of the crowd and the big screen?
Enjoy large theaters with plenty of room, a selection of screens and comfortable seating?
One of the most interesting upscale theaters in North Raleigh is “The Movies at Brier Creek”. Just off Highway 70 near the junction of I540, this theater is a bit on the pretentious side.
Built in the Brier Creek Shopping Center, which is located across from the Brier Creek development, it bills itself as an upscale movie theater. For the most part it lives up to the billing. It always has an excellent selection of first run movies on its screens. It is clean and well designed with reasonable theaters to show the movies in.
As an upscale theater, it seems to lack the daring of some of the smaller theaters. It only shows those movies produced by smaller film companies after they have proven themselves worthy by running for a period at the two – four screen independent theaters.
The seating is true stadium style with seats that you either love or hate. You know the ones where the back goes backward and the seat slides a bit forward. They are very nice seats, but I prefer the ones that you don’t slouch into. My wife and daughter think they are extremely comfortable.
Movies at Brier Creek
8611 Brier Creek Pkwy
Raleigh, NC 27617
(919) 484-9994
One film currently playing there is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe based on a story written by CS Lewis.
I loved this movie as did all of those who have read the story. If you were one of those who has never read the story or doesn’t like it when the heroes are children, this is not the movie for you.
It is both a story of youthful imagination and a story that is an allegory for the situation in England during the Second World War.
I suggest reading the book before seeing the movie. The movie is very well done but in the time available to the director couldn’t provide all the background needed to follow the story well.
Many of the religious (Christian and Catholic) bookstores are offering special pricing on the Chronicles of Narnia to coincide with the movie’s release. I suspect that if you belong to a Protestant or Catholic church you may find an opportunity to have book club meetings discussing the religious undertones of the book and the movie.
The second theater that is a really nice upscale theater is the “Movies at North Hills 14”. They let you know in the name that you can expect to find fourteen theater screens, and they don’t disappoint you. This is a new theater built on what used to be the North Hills Mall parking lot. Most of the Mall was raised (or should I say lowered) to make way for new stores and theaters. Most of the parking is underground. The journey from the parking to the theater is eased by two convenient sets of escalators, making the walk from most parking spots to the theater a short one.
The theater itself is very modern looking and convenient to a number of small restaurants. The restaurants are literally outside the theaters doors.
When you enter the theater you will notice that it is divided with half the screens to the left and half to the right. The concession stand is in the middle making it convenient to all theater screens.
The theaters themselves are true stadium seating, with the seats that lean back and the seat bottom slides out a bit. These are not my favorite type os seating though they are comfortable and clean. I prefer a bit more back support, but that’s what happens when some of us add a few years. It is really nice first run theater with no surprises.
The director, Stephen Gaghan, did a fantastic job of putting together a complex set of parallel stories that define the state of affairs in the Middle East and Washington, DC. For some if not most of the movie goers it was difficult to follow the multiple threads. This was of course one of the basic truths the movie was attempting to reveal.
The movie showed the problem as a maze made up not just by simple greed and oil but also by good intentions and mistaken beliefs. It, like The Graduate, may be a great source for college discussions for years.
The audience was silent throughout the whole movie. It was the quietest I have heard a full theater be in quite a while. This is not a movie for those who are squeamish. It is most definitely not a date night movie.
The best upscale theater, in my view, is the Raleigh Grand at the corner of Glenwood Avenue (hwy 70) and Lynn Road.
This theater sparkles with life every weekend. It is so popular that cars are parked in the nearby shopping center and along the streets during peak hours. It has better pricing that the other upscale theaters and is well located near Glenwood Avenue and a world of delicious restaurants.
The original stadium seating that came to Raleigh started here and it is still the best. The seats a very comfortable and don’t require that you slouch to watch the movie. It seems everyone prefers the middle about halfway up.
In addition to handicap seating, this theater has listening devices as part of its offerings making this a very accessible theater. Consolidated theaters has gone the extra mile to make this a fantastic theater.
The theater is very modern and is kept clean and tidy. The shows here are all first run movies. The price for a movie and for popcorn has traditionally been lower than the other two theaters, making this a better buy on Date Night.
Raleigh Grand (part of Consolidated Theaters)
4840 Grove Barton Road,
Raleigh, NC, 27613
(919) 676-3456 (film)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, directed by Mike Newell, is an excellent show to take in at this theater. The screen is always unimpeded, allowing one to see every little thing that is going on in this dark tail of wizardry and fantasy.
This particular showing of Harry Potter is not for those too young to handle violence and death. It is a dark tale in many, many ways.
For those who have followed the young wizard’s movies, this is a refreshing growing up movie focusing on changes in the relationships between the young wizard and the world around him.
Watching Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) try to save Hermione (Emma Watson) from the fate that has befallen her and HogWarts was a great pleasure. I won’t spoil the ending but there should be another movie.
