Four art house theaters, one weekend, 35mm and a sing-along

Four independent theaters within forty minutes of each other, and all of them have something worth the drive this weekend. The Colonial is running a sing-along and a cult classic on Friday, the Hiway pulls out a 35mm print Saturday night, and Ambler and Doylestown each have a Sunday matinee that pairs with a walk through town. These are the kind of screenings that only happen at nonprofit art houses.

• The Colonial Theatre

  Phoenixville

  Friday: The Greatest Showman sing-along, lyrics on screen and permission to sing them. The 1903 movie palace where The Blob attacked the audience in 1957, still packing three screens with indie, classic, cult, and horror films. "These folks care about movies," John says on Google.

• The Colonial Theatre

  Phoenixville

  Friday: Battle Royale (2000), the Japanese cult picture The Hunger Games spent years being compared to. Violent, funny, and genuinely strange, in the Cult Cinema slot.

• Hiway Theater

  Jenkintown
  

  Saturday 9:45pm: Streets of Fire, Walter Hill's rock and roll fable projected from an actual 35mm print. The Hiway still runs film, which is reason enough on its own.

• Ambler Theater

  Ambler

  Sunday 12:30pm: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the National Theatre Live stage capture, a midday repeat for anyone who missed the Tuesday showing. The 1928 movie house on Butler Avenue, first-run indies and repertory picks. "A love note to Cinema," Sean says on Google.

• County Theater

  Doylestown
  

  Sunday 1:15pm: Leonardo: The Works, a high-resolution survey of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings. Pairs neatly with a walk through town. The art-deco nonprofit cinema on State Street since 1938, with cheap tickets and real butter.

More field notes

• A brewery in a Victorian house, and eleven more out here · Twelve breweries, eleven towns, and not a chain among them.
• Ten cheesesteaks worth the trip, one served at 3 a.m. · A shipyard namesake in Phoenixville, a 3 a.m. post-bar stop in Doylestown, and a Lansdale steak sandwich that comes with fries on top.
• Nine antique shops out here, one funds a shelter · A pickers' spot in Quakertown, a cottage in Ambler, and a thrift shop where every dollar funds a shelter.
• Eleven coffee shops that beat driving into the city · Four decades of organic roasting, a two-day cold brew with chicory, and a latte that tastes like French Toast.
• Montgomery County trivia: eight bars and a 1919 tavern · From a distillery tasting room to a four-generation tavern, the bars keeping quiz night alive across six towns.
• Twelve ice cream stops, one of them run by teenagers · A 1912 soda fountain, a teen-run popup, and a creamery that pasteurizes its own base. The scoop is good out here.
• Every field note