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Monday, 6/23/97 Best little movie houses in Westwood What the village has to offer in the way of cupholders, leg room and student discounts

By Aimee Phan Daily Bruin Staff Westwood is something of a mecca for moviegoers. UCLA students have a giant selection of theaters to choose from on Friday and Saturday nights, from multiplexes to classy, old-fashioned single-screen movie houses. A new freshman or transfer student may be overwhelmed by the many cinematic choices in Westwood. Here is a comprehensive (though somewhat subjective) review of most of the theaters within walking distance of UCLA. First, here are a few tips for the novice moviegoers, who have yet to encounter the uglier aspects of seeing a movie here. If you have done your fair share of Westwood cinema viewing, then skip this section. You already know this stuff. 1. Always, always, always bring your student ID. I learned the hard way that no matter how much begging, cajoling and threatening you do, the ticket seller will make you pay the full price of a ticket. Even if you show them your schoolbooks in your backpack, unless you have that damn ID, you will pay full price. And $8 is ridiculous for a movie, especially when you know that others are paying only $5 or $6 . 2. If the movie is coming out that weekend, you must go at least an hour early. Buy the tickets and then go hang out at the Coffee Bean or wherever until the movie starts. 3. Keep your ticket stub. The ushers mean it when they tell you this. Especially in Westwood. The moment you throw that stub on the floor or in the trash, the ushers will hunt you down. Even if they saw you only five minutes before, they will conveniently suffer from amnesia. Don't give them the satisfaction. Hold on to that stub! 4. If you can, on the weekends, try to go to the latest showing of the movie. It's filled with more students and much more fun. I saw "Scream" in this type of environment. And a movie as scary as "Scream" is much more exciting when you're not the only one hiding under your seat. Fear is always better with company. 5. You probably know this from any movie experience, but I will tell you anyway: Bring a sweatshirt. Theaters like to freeze their customers and not everyone you sit next to is willing to snuggle with you for warmth. So those were my tips on avoiding an unfortunate movie experience. Now, on to the best (and worst) theaters. And there are so many to cover! What I consider to be the best movie theater must fulfill the following criteria: 1. Cupholders. They are essential. I don't understand why some theaters still haven't upgraded. Where are we supposed to put our drinks? In our laps? We are not animals. 2. Sound system. The sound should be everywhere. When there is a loud boom or crash in the film, the audience will be able to hear it ringing in their ears five minutes later. 3. Seats. New seats are good! They are so wide and soft. High seats with a little cushion-pillow thingy that lets you lean your head back are a plus. Ahh. Very nice for a tired neck. Some feel more comfortable than my bed. 4. Leg room. There is nothing worse than a person trying to squeeze by while you're sitting and enjoying the movie 5. The size of the movie screen. The bigger the better. 6. Customer service. The ticket takers, concession people and ushers do affect the theater experience. Rude people will inevitably taint the experience and leave you bitter. 7. Parking. This doesn't affect most of the sorry freshmen without cars. For those lucky and spoiled enough to own a vehicle, some theaters do offer parking validations which otherwise runs to about $3. Now that you know the criteria for choosing a theater, we can pass out awards. But before continuing there must be a reminder. The most important factor is the movie itself - rules really don't apply if you're intent on seeing a certain movie. Even though the theater is beautiful and luxurious and offers excellent service (like the Pacific Crest), if they're showing a crappy movie (like Pacific Crest unfortunately does), there's no way you'll go just for the cool interior. With that out of the way, here are the awards: Best theater all-around: Mann National. It's freakin' huge. And you get to go up this really cool staircase to get to it. The service is always excellent when I go and the sound and screen are top-notch. Prettiest interior: Pacific Crest. For those of you who like cool visuals before the movie starts, the Crest offers a black-light mural of Hollywood and glow-in-the-dark stars that shoot across the ceiling. Best place to spot a movie star: Mann Bruin and Mann Village. A lot of glam movie premieres happen in these beautiful, old-fashioned single screen theaters (like "Ransom," "Sleepers" and "Batman and Robin.") These two are also very close to Diddy Reise cookies, a delicious post-movie treat. Most cramped movie theater: Mann Regent. Sitting in one of their seats I noticed that it fit my legs perfectly. But I am only 5 feet tall, which means most of you will find these seats quite unsuitable for leg-stretching. Worst customer service: Mann Westwood. The ticket taker was very rude and condescending to me. But the fact that this theater has seven screens redeems it. Hopefully, that certain ticket taker has learned to leave her bitterness and resentment against life elsewhere. Best customer service: UA Westwood. The concession workers were very nice and helpful when I was there. Since I used to work in a movie theater, I know how annoying customers can get and these concession people treated everyone with respect and sincerity. And their student discount is one of the cheapest in Westwood, $5.25. Most nostalgic theater: Mann Plaza. This recently remodeled theater offers late night showings of old, classic films on weekends at 12:30 a.m. Great for insomniacs and old movie buffs. PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin The Fox Theater in Westwood lures audiences to "Batman and Robin." Previous Daily Bruin Story Finding the next Tarantino at Laemmlie's Sunset 5 theater, October 11, 1996

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