Laemmle Playhouse 7

Customer service is so poor at this theater. Workers need to get some training on smiling and being attentive to their customers. Put your phones down and do your jobs!

My «go to» theater, since I love indie films. Great location/​setting next to Vroman’s book store in Pasadena. Parking behind Vromans but be careful as they don’t allow theater parking and have been known to mark tires.

So happy this place is in Pasadena! Features many independent and international films! Was able to see Beast and Boy from Japan and looking forward to more films being shown here. :) A hidden gem of Pasadena.

One of my favorite theaters for years. Clean, comfortable, and low key. Parking is not too bad, and between the pizza joint and Vroman’s Bookstore, there are plenty of distractions if you’re waiting. Essentially art-​house and repertory theater, they do show mainstream fair if it is indepedent-​ish.

This theatre is excellent. All the latest documentaries and Indy films. They have great snacks including locally made gelato. The staff are nice and it’s next door to an amazing local bookstore, Vroman’s. I drive to Pasadena just to go to this theatre.

LOVE!
I love this place. We came here for the first time last week, and I am so enamored by all the independent movies that they are showing. The movie we saw was amazing.
Even though this theatre is old, the upkept is very well done. It’s clean and very polished inside. I also like their art in the hallways.

Went here for the late night showing with friends of Japanese Studio Chizu’s the Boy and the Beast! This theater has always been a great and nearby location for independent films and the occasional foreign release-​! I especially like coming here to catch the Oscar nominations for short animation when the Oscars roll around! Unfortunately, they don’t keep their films up for long– before you know it, POOF, it’s gone! So check on their site frequently as they change them often. Other than that, the staff are friendly and the concessions are pretty standard in pricing. Come by and check something not so mainstream, you might enjoy it!

The theatre is clean — which is extremely important to me. I love their selection of indie films. The seats are not very comfortable (minus 1-​star), which is a bummer. However, the seats are clean unlike the theatre at the Americana in Glendale, which has food caked all of over their seats.
I’m still looking for a theatre that has comfy and clean seats, but for all Indie films, I will be coming here!

Great little theater in the heart of DT Pasadena and pretty much on par with the other Laemmle’s I’ve been to in terms of cleanliness and presentation. Besides that one time the lady next to me ate her popcorn with her mouth wide open, kernel by kernel with the rhythm of a factory machine, during a screening of Carol, a quiet, pensive drama, I’ve had great experiences here. Best to park in the city lot just up the street on Union for a dollar an hour. Other surrounding parking lots will charge at least $ 5 and metered parking is difficult unless it’s late.

This is such a cute movie theater! The fact that it is independent makes it better! Came here for the first time to watch the film «Brooklyn» (it was a very good film). The prices are moderate, staff is very friendly! In love with this cinema, definitely coming back again! Everyone should come here and enjoy a film some day.

One of the only places to see art house and indie movies on the East Side, that otherwise mostly play in Santa Monica or Fairfax. They have free tap water. I read that sometimes it’s cucumber water which I would love, but when I’ve been, it’s been plain tap. It’s kind of an old-​school theater but it’s clean, no bad smells when I’ve been there, bathrooms are clean, I can see the screen. Also, they have original art on the walls which is a nice touch.
It’s also just across the street from delightful Vroman’s books.

– FRAUD ALERT — for Laemmle web site!
Don’t purchase tickets online or use credit cards at the concession stands either. Cash only!

Coolhause ice cream sandwiches for $ 5. Free nacho cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapeño popcorn flavor toppings that you can self serve and pour over your popcorn with as heavy a hand as you’d like. Free refills on large popcorn and reasonably priced sodas, coffee and snacks.
Super cool and hip independent films. Unpretentious theater with unpretentious staff. This place rocks.

Laemmle theatres fill an important niche in appealing to a more discriminating viewing audience who are tired of paying top dollars for movies cranked out by mainstream Hollywood studios that are many times vacuous, trite, monotonous, dulling the mind & the senses. Laemmle presents movies, foreign & domestic, that are stimulating, mind provoking, absorbing, avant-​garde. Also to put the frosting on the cake, in the lobby of the theatre they sell amazing Gelati from Gelateria Bulgarini which is my favorite along w/​Carmela’s.
I have seen movies about R. Crumb, cartoonist, who created Fritz the Cat among other works. Motorcycle Diaries, a story about Che Guevara based on his own diary showing how Che slowly became radicalized against extreme poverty & exploitation of the indigenous peoples in Latin America.
What finally made me write a review was my viewing «Washoku» which literarly means Japanese Cuisine. Since I am a food enthusiast fascinated by the history, traditions, philosophy, customs, ingredients, cooking techniques, etc. about food, Washoku unfolded for me, the rich evolution of Japanese food especially in California & the U.S. in general such as the first Sushi Restaurant which was Kawafuku & followed shortly by Eigiku restaurant in Little Tokyo, DTLA in the early 1960’s.
From there, Sushi, Sake (sah keh) which is an integral part of pairing with Sushi & Sashimi slowly spread to the point I have eaten Sushi in Paris, Reykjavik, Stuttgart, etc. At Thrir Frakkar restaurant in Reykjavik, I ordered slices of raw Hval/​whale, and the kindly waitress proudly brought the dish calling it «Soo See» & w/​a smile presented me w/​Hashi/​chopsticks & Sho-​yu/​soy sauce. It dawned on me what she was saying was «Sushi» although technically it was Sashimi since it had not Sushi rice which is scented w/​Japanese rice vinegar.
After seeing Washoku, those of us who reserved ahead had gourmet Washoku at Maison Akira on Green Street which is well known for French Nouvelle Cuisine with flourishes of Japanese. For this special occasion, Chef Akira made an all Japanese meal that touched upon Kyoto, which is the home of Haute Cuisine Japonaise since it was the capital Japan for over 1200 years until the mid 19^th century.
Anyway, as can be seen, Laemmle does arouse the brain and jog the memory into making so many connections whether they are intellectual, emotional, sensual, etc. 5 Unilocal stars when compared to the many dreary movies coming out of conventional Hollywood productions.

I guess three stars isn’t really fair,
because truth be told
it’s more a self-​evaluation and self-​critique
than an examination of all the categories
that make theaters wonderful.
The place is clean,
the popcorn is good,
the A/​C is on full-​blast,
they’ve got trailers,
and I love arthouse cinema.
The problem
is that every time I go here, I end up seeing a movie about
old people
and old people dying.
Again, don’t get me wrong,
I love seeing old people
and old people dying,
I just think having a glut of movies about that topic
is catering too much to the people who live within a three block radius,
who are mainly old people,
and old people dying.
If I go back and see
that there are no depressing
old people movies,
I will update my review,
but I have a feeling that won’t happen
until the fat lady sings,
or the old people dying,
die.

First time here at this location but I’ve been to the one in West Hollywood but now closed. The theater is nice and pretty big. Lots of coffee places around and bookstores as well. My friend and I saw the movie Goodnight Mommy and it was limited and was only playing here. If you want to see great independent movies, come to Laemmle. I’ll come again to this theater for sure. Maybe next time with a hot date… wink ;-).

They have the weirdest feature selections, nothing like what you can get from a local AMC. Since it was a random spontaneous day, the only showing I could catch is a movie called «The Pheonix». It was a drama of course. Very sad drama if I may add. I felt completely unutterly crushed emotionally. I had to take a moment to catch my breath and recollect.
The theatre is aged with flavors. There are oil and acrylic paintings in the hallways, interesting art work. They could really use some cleaning in the restroom, otherwise I would be generous with the rating.
The theatre chairs are older, but comfortable enough to enough oneself needless to say, but not so comfortable that people can raise their dirty socks 3 feet in the air. Watching movie should be an event, to dress up for, to be excited about. Otherwise one could well be adequately lounging in their pajamas on their couch in the vicinity of their own apartment.
Unfortunately, «The Prophet», the title I wish to see was only showing in the morning. Was still a pleasant experience. Parking is behind the venue for $ 1 per hour or $ 5 all day. Ticket pricing is $ 12.

Very cool funky theatre. Lots of indie films. I like the choices of flicks. One of my favorite movies now I would have never discovered if it wasn’t for this theater– I came back I watch it about 8 – 9 times until they didn’t have it anymore but they played it for a while. Have art for sell in the hallway. Very cool place. Park at target if you go :)

This place is a quiet gem in Pasadena. The selection they offer is much needed, breaking away from the rigid structure of the main stream cinema houses. They market themselves as an independent theater. You can find a lot of foreign films here that are more difficult to find in theaters. It’s generally very quiet and friendly in here. The seating is standard, looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while, but it’s comfortable.
Sunday is student day, and the prices are great, only a buck for popcorn so be sure to take advantage. I believe it’s $ 7 for the ticket, normally $ 11 without a student ID.
Real chill place to duck your head into and catch a feature.

A theater for a more mature audience.
This is one of the seven theaters owned by Laemmie and this theater plays mostly non-​mainstream indie /​foreign movies. Nothing really special about their concession stand, but their popcorn ($ 4 for small and $ 5.5 for large) and fountain drinks ($ 3.5 for small and $ 4.5 for large) are still cheaper than Regal Cinemas and AMC.
There’s no «designated» parking lot for this theater. Your best bet is the public parking lot located at the intersection of El Molino Ave /​E. Union St ($ 1 per hour up to maximum of $ 5 — if you pay $ 5, then it becomes a full day parking pass until 2 AM, coins and credit /​debit cards only — no dollar bills).
3.5-stars for the overall experience, but the unique movie selection make this a I-​got-​no-​other-​choice-​except-​to-​come-​here theater.