There are three independent theaters in Denver, all operated by Landmark Theaters: The Mayan on Broadway, the Esquire on 6th, and the Chez Artiste on Colorado Boulevard.  Between those three you’re always able to find a complete rotation of current indy films on any given night.

I was pleased to find a brand new independent theater just blocks from my front door: The locally owned Neighborhood Flix takes indy film to a new level of service with modern design and an in-house restaurant. They’re located in the Lowenstein Theatre complex, an old theater on Colfax that that was renovated one year ago and now home to the new Tattered Cover Bookstore and Twist and Shout independent records.

This evening I visited with co-owner Melodie and my friend Mark who came on board as the bar/beverage manager.  Neighborhood Flix is an upscale independent theater. Their three theaters are of moderate size with comfortable seats and modern acoustics. They were also kind enough to give me a tour of all three theaters:  The “Premiere Cinema” is the largest with 189 seats, followed by the “Screening Room” at 163, and “The Bistro” which seats 94.  “The Bistro” will feature love seats in the rear to allow hushed food and drink service during the shows.

The Flix Cafe serves a complete lunch and dinner menu with fresh salads and hand tossed pizzas. The attached garage provides easy parking, and the shared courtyard/patio with Tattered Cover makes it a wonderful place to sit when meeting friends. Think of how many times you’ve met friends for dinner and abruptly terminated your meal so you could arrive in time to get good seats. I welcome a place like this where I can enjoy dinner, have some drinks, and retire to a plush theater just steps away.

Showtimes here. Online at Neighborhoodflix.com  or flixonthefax.com From their site:

Neighborhood Flix is a premiere multi-screen independent cinema and café with the ambiance of a neighborhood bistro. The Neighborhood Flix facility has a setting much like an exclusive studio screening room with upscale amenities and state-of-the-art projection & sound equipment. Independent, foreign, documentary and classic films are the forte of our establishment and this is accomplished in a comfortable, innovative and intimate environment with a contemporary and superb café operating separate and in concert with our cinemas.

The Flix Café offers health conscious & vegetarian entrees. In addition to traditional movie snacks like candy, nachos and popcorn our menu features appetizers, salads, gourmet finger foods, personal pizzas, hamburgers, and other exquisite and carefully prepared dishes. Our bar serves mixed drinks, beer, wine, juice, soda and gourmet coffees and teas. The Flix Café has a seating capacity for 80 guests and in the style of a sports bar displays independent, classic and documentary films as ambiance on projection screens throughout the Café. A separate destination, The Flix Café is specifically designed to be a gathering place where people can meet, create, discuss, critique and enjoy all that is cinema.

James Van Dellen