Venturing to "Another Earth"

Today I went to the Broadway Center Cinemas for the very first time.  This theater specializes in what I would call independent or art films.  Since this is the only place to see some of these movies (they don't run in the local multiplexes), we ventured to downtown Salt Lake City on a Saturday afternoon.  We were lucky and got a parking space right across the street from the theater (angled parking with a meter).  On weekends, parking is free and there is no time limit, so it was perfect.  There is a public parking lot just east of the movie theater entrance as well.

Poster for "Another Earth"

The Broadway Centre Cinema is now run by the Salt Lake Film Society which offers a wide variety of films.  I actually found several playing there that I would like to see, so I will hopefully be making a return trip very soon.  The day we went was a birthday celebration for the organization, and we even got free cake.  With free parking, free cake, and a movie that didn't leave your ears ringing, it was definitely a pleasant experience.

This theater is old, so the seats are not the huge, padded, rocking ones you may be used to.  Nor is there stadium seating.  Still, if you grew up going to the movies in these old-school theaters, it really isn't a problem.

I didn't try the snack bar (except for the free cake), but there are more varied offerings here than popcorn and soda.

"Another Earth" begins with a tragic accident in which a bright young student accepted into MIT crashes her car into the vehicle of a talented music composer/professor and his family.  The events that follow take place literally under another earth that has appeared in the sky and is several times larger than the moon.  Subtly in the background, scientists try to make contact with "Earth 2" while Rhoda (the student) and John (the professor) try to move on through their lives with little success.  Rhoda applies to win a trip to Earth 2, and in the meantime, her life and John's intersect and connect.  Besides all of the things Rhoda and John are trying to work through, there are interesting ideas here.  If you existed in another parallel universe, or on another earth, do you think your life would be the same?  Would you be a better version of yourself?  The characters in this movie discuss what they would say to themselves if they ran into another version of them.  What would you say to yourself?

It was great to see a movie where you didn't need earplugs or 3-D glasses.  If you want to see quieter films that make you think, this is a great venue.