New Beverly Cinema

Over the past century, this Central L.A. venue has done stints as a candy store, a vaudeville stage, a nightclub and a porno theater before landing on its current iteration as a single-screen revival house with a love of 35mm and a penchant for grindhouse fare. What it lacks in architectural flourish, it makes up for in affordability and curation. Oh yeah, and it’s owned and programmed by a certain Quentin Tarantino (who’s since also purchased the Vista Theater). Already a longtime benefactor, the filmmaker stepped in and saved the theater from redevelopment in 2007. He’s been screening rare prints of classics and obscure, dusted-off B-movies ever since, often pulling them from his personal collection. It’s the coolest vanity project in cinema.

Become a true L.A. cinephile and attend a Friday midnight screening of a Tarantino-directed flick or perhaps one of the monthly grindhouse double features—you might even catch some legendary filmmakers in attendance. Just make sure to follow the strict “no cellphone” rule (the theater will throw you out at best and call the cops at worst if you don’t), and be sure to arrive early for a curated pre-show of shorts, cartoons or vintage trailers.