Image by Gisela Clarke

I don’t go to the cinema very often but when I do I prefer to visit a smaller cinema. Less people, more space, more atmosphere makes going to see a movie much more enjoyable. There are a couple of quite small cinemas in Amsterdam but Cinecenter is one of my favorites. Here they have a good selection of mainstream as well as art-house movies, and it’s never too busy.

Also the bar is a good place to have a drink before and/or after a movie.

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Cinecenter | Cinemas | Ticket € 8,00
Lijnbaansgracht 236 | Center | +31206236615
Check website for program

Image by Martin Sollmann

OT301 is generally an alternative cultural center: up-to-date underground music, alternative, experimental, on the edge. An independent movie and theater venue, and any kinds of activities: courses from self-defense to salsa, but all with the understated punk attitude. OT301 also houses Subbacultcha-events (check out: www.subbacultcha.nl) like the event I attended the other day: Modern Witch performed some dark experimental electronic tunes around her mystical moody voice. Well, for my taste it was a bit too dark, but she managed to balance that out with some pretty good danceable rhythms.

You get the idea: experimental, that’s what this place is about. No wonder that OT 301 is run by an artist initiative (EHBK), working closely together with Steim, the internationally recognized center of development in the electronic performing arts. You may call it avantgarde but the focus of OT301 is to provide an alternative to the mainstream commercial culture, be it in being experimental, be it in being politically radical.

A fun thing to try out: take part in Tuesday’s ping-pong bar. In the bar and the concert hall 4 ping-pong tables wait for potential competitors. They play a fun system on the table in the bar room: as many as possible walk around the table, hit the ball when it’s their turn, and when they loose the ball they have to leave the table until only two competitors are left.  Try it, it’s fun, and it’s free….

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OT301 | Art & culture, Cinemas, Music, Restaurants (Vegan)
Overtoom 301 | West
Tue, Thu & Sun 18:00 – 01:00, Fri 18:00 – 03:00

Image by G.J. Broens

As being one of five projects of the Kriterion family, Studio/K is the biggest and the most remarkable one among them. The cultural centre opened its doors five years ago at Timorplein in the up and coming Suriname area. Fifty students work here fifteen hours a week, being responsible for every part of the management temselves, making it more then just a student job. The popularity of the place is unfortunately a bit limited to students and yuppies, but the easy atmosphere, also known at its fellow Kriterion projects ‘Skek and Bioscoop Kriterion, definitely makes up for it.

The activities of Studio/K are threefold: first of all Studio/K is a theatre. In two of the rooms they show, besides the famous blockbusters, a lot of arthouse, Dutch and classic movies. One of these rooms and another room are used for theatre performances, workshops and meetings. Besides, you can rent the different rooms for private use, group courses or other activities. Furthermore, Studio/K has a bar-restaurant where they serve breakfast/lunch from 11:00 to 16:00 and dinner from 18:00 to 22:00 (student discount on ‘weekly dishes’ on Monday till Wednesday). Lastly, Studio/K serves as a club, organizing (theme) parties with music varying from jazz to oldschool techno.

Studio/K is a great place to spend your afternoon and/or evening, as it has a bunch to offer under one roof. One warning though: once you’re in, be sure to keep track of time and money. For me, both are gone before I realize.

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Studio/K | Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters, Restaurants | Meals from € 12.50
Timorplein 62 | East | +31206920422
Sun – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00/04:00

Image by Martin Sollmann

Melkweg (dutch for milky way) – do I need to say anything about it? All the major cities have one, or maybe a few, temples of pop culture, and here in Amsterdam it’s the Paradiso and the Melkweg. Needless to say more, it’s not a secret tip, but still it’s a good place. Concerts of internationally renowned bands, independent or cult cinema, dance parties, festivals, exhibitions, just about anything cool happens in the Melkweg.

I went to the Melkweg when I moved to Amsterdam more than one and a half decades ago, and still the programming is good enough to drag me in once in a while, be it for the stage events, be it for the film selection, exhibition, dance event, you name it.

The Nordic Gold Festival the other day was a three-day-event with films, dance, performance and music from Finnland. I kind of like Scandinavian pop music. LCMDF was the name of the band that was playing when I popped in. Dreamy, yet pretty fresh pop music, with a touch of 80′s. Some Anne Clark, or Siouxie and the Banshees in it. Those Scandinavian pop bands have something refreshing with them, something between alternative and pop – something pretty individual.

There is a cafe/restaurant (entry on the backside of the complex, in the Marnixstraat) if you are passing by during the day and only want to sniff some air of pop culture, or check out on the exhibition space (also from that side).

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Melkweg | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music | Party & membership € 14
Lijnbaansgracht 234a | Center | +31205318181
Ticket offlice from 16:30 daily (check website for program)

Image by Madelien Schippers

When I’m up for a good film, the first thing I do is check the film program of this small, intimate cinema located at the Haarlemmerdijk.

The Movies was built in 1912 and is the oldest cinema still in operation in Amsterdam. If you don’t know this place, you could just pass it without knowing there is a cinema behind the four small houses. When you enter the venue you will quickly imagine yourself back in time, due to the classic art deco interior.

The film program mostly consists of art house films, but they do screen some quality Hollywood blockbusters as well. Films are shown in their original language with Dutch subtitles in one of the four (small) cinemas. I’m not a big fan of those colossal modern theatres so I rather enjoy a film in a more intimate atmosphere I find at The Movies.

The theatre is accompanied by a café and a cosy restaurant. The restaurant is established in an old 17th century building where the menu is inspired by the French kitchen. Also check out their website, because from Sunday till Thursday they offer some special movie dinners including a ticket. So if you like to have dinner before the movie or discuss the movie afterwards with some drinks, they will serve you well here!

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The Movies | Cinemas | Ticket € 9
Haarlemmerdijk 161 | Center | +31206386016
12:00 – 01:00 daily