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Sunday, November 14, 2010

The Lyric Cinema Cafe - the Only Independent Movie Theater in Fort Collins, Colorado


Profile: Independent Movie Theater in Fort Collins, Colorado story for Yahoo! Movies.

The Lyric Cinema Café. 300 E. Mountain Ave. Fort Collins, Colorado. (970) 493-0893. lyriccinemacafe.com

Independent feature films, delicious tapas, relaxing atmosphere, and beer and wine are all available at the Lyric Cinema Cafe.

The Lyric Cinema Café holds the title of sole independent movie theater in all of Northern Colorado, making fantastic movies available without the hour-long drive to Denver or Boulder.

Opened in the spring of 2007, the quaint two-screen movie theater was born from a renovated clothing store, among several other former business ventures, on the corner of Walnut and Mountain in downtown Fort Collins.

While you wait for the movie to start there are plenty of things to do, whether on the delightful patio or inside among the movie memorabilia. They have a giant belt massager, the “exercise machine” from the ‘50s, just like the one my grandma swears by for her aching muscles and back spasms. Using the Lyric’s massager is hilarious for anyone watching, and surprisingly relaxing for the user. They also have board games to entertain and café tables to enjoy snacks as you people watch.

Owner and self-proclaimed movie snob Ben Mozer keeps the fun vibe alive by sending out a weekly e-newsletter that is full of sarcasm and relevant information, personal strife, and funny anecdotes.

The Lyric Cinema Café serves up home-cooked tapas and bubble tea – yum! tapioca balls! – along with more typical movie theater fare like popcorn, sodas, and candy. They also serve beer, wine, and sangria that you can bring into the cozy theaters with you. Each of the two theaters is equipped with a few couches and rows of vintage movie theater flip-seat chairs.

It is tiny, and the food and drinks can take time to prepare, so don’t show up right before the movie and then be in a rush to get into the theater. It is a local, independent theater with a limited budget and staff, not a huge multiplex. The more respect and patience that patrons have inside the Lyric, the better the atmosphere is for everyone.

Couples, college students, and even mom, pop and the grandparents can enjoy themselves at The Lyric Cinema Café. Kids even have their own free matinees – at varying times and dates – and daily (except Sunday) cartoons from 10-noon with $5 all-you-can-eat cereal. A different free “Owner’s Pick” is picked each week and is shown on Wednesday nights at 9:30 pm. Each month, the Lyric hosts a book and movie club where they show the movie adaptation of the selected book on the fourth Tuesday at 6 pm for free, with discussion following.

Every movie I’ve seen at The Lyric Cinema Café was interesting, beautiful, hilarious, or captivating. From the funny “The Ten,” to the shocking “Teeth,” to the breath-taking “Into the Wild,” to the visually stunning “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” each movie has taken me on a different journey.

The ads shown before the movies are local, giving Fort Collins’ finest businesses a great opportunity to get their names out to a great mix of film-goers. They also rent out the space for parties and get-togethers. Free water and cheap beers during New West Fest, the TriMedia Film Festival, Local Filmmakers Night on November 4th; there’s always something to love going on at the Lyric. Even a simple date night at the Lyric can bring excitement, novelty and discovery to any relationship.

Check out their website http://www.lyriccinemacafe.com/ for more information about the Lyric Cinema Café, titles currently showing, ticket prices and upcoming features.

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