Laemmle NoHo 7 Feels Like Home

It’s the first Monday of 2012 and I’m sitting in a big, cushy leather seat with my legs stretched out in front of me. My friends, husband and I are enjoying our day off in this dim-lit room, and yet we don’t feel guilty about not hitting the beach and soaking up the sun.

We’re in one of the smaller, stadium-style auditoriums at the new for the 12:10 showing of The Artist, but the cozy theater seats feel as if we’re in my living room (albeit with 20 other strangers). The house is not even half-full, and even with the pre-show chatter the crowd is considerably tame. In our late ’20s, the four of us are the youngest people in the room, which must be relaxing for anyone who’d prefer not dealing with 8-year-olds tall enough to kick the back of their chair.

We had bought our tickets online only two hours before showtime and headed to the theater from my Valley Village apartment at 11:45 a.m. At the advice of one Patch reader on my , I parked at the structure off Weddington Street, where theater parking is $2 for three hours.  I'm sure I could've found free parking off a side street, but my group and I were eager to find seats lest the holiday would bring a big crowd.

Ten minutes after leaving my front door, driving to the theater and parking my car, I'm settled into my prime center seat with 15 minutes to spare before the previews (granted, it was Monday afternoon) — a near-impossible feat at larger theaters. At $9 per matinee bargain price ticket, not even the mandatory overpriced concessions provided any reason to complain. The last time I paid anything less than the current fare at Burbank’s AMC 16 or the Arclight Hollywood ($12.50 and $14, respectively) was at the Cinemark Century 8, where it seems you get what you pay for at $5.50 per ticket.

When we arrive at the art house cinemas, the bright, open lobby is airy and inviting, with oversized vintage movie posters lining the walls. There are no long lines, hassles or stampeding crowds. The air is quiet and calm, and I'm not sure if it's because the brand-new theater is waiting for its regulars to trickle in or if the mainstream blockbuster crowd just isn't interested in these independent gems.

As we're sitting in the 130-seater auditorium #5, the house lights are turned down, leaving the aisle safety lights to illuminate the faces of soon-to-return cinemagoers. I think back to before I stepped into the theater when I was contemplating the Premiere Card, but I wanted to know for sure that this place was "the one."

As the movie reel rolled, my review was in: I'd be getting that money-saving Premiere Card after all. Finally, the NoHo Arts District and its residents .

The Laemmle NoHo 7 is located at 5240 Lankershim Boulevard in the NoHo Arts District. General admission tickets are $11, and bargain-priced tickets are $8 for children under 12 and seniors; for the general public, the bargain price applies Mondays to Fridays before 6 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays before 2 p.m.