An Assortment of Silver Screens

If the more than 40 films released this summer do not suit your tastes or your budgets. Cambridge moviehouses offer a broad selection of films ranging from recent imports to double features of movies that like aging wines improve with the years but get a little more grainy.

The newly remodeled Harvard Square Theater whose new entrance is on Church St. might not be terribly comfortable, but the daily changing double features are worth the hunched over back and smooshed knees. For people who might or might not want to bring a date to. X-rated movies like "Emmanuelle," cult films such as "Eating Raoul," and occasionally concert-films featuring groups like the Who are often shown at the witching hour.

Such sleazy or musically related flick can also occasionally be seen at the Orson Welles, which is located next to Chi-Chi's on Mass Ave towards Central Square. The Orson Welles' three screens cater to all types of movie tastes. Foreign films that have just made it to Boston, American documentaries or other low-budget, low-key movies that wouldn't make it to any other movie house are typical fare.

The Galeria movie house located at the ground floor of the Galeria shopping mall on JFK St, usually gets a first run foreign film that might not make it to the Orson Welles for a few months. The movies appearing on the Galeria's one screen change frequently and on occasion first-run American films make take a curtain call.

The movies at the Brattle Theater on Brattle St. on the way to the Loeb Theatre often overstay their welcome. "Diva," for example, stayed for more than three months but the films shown are definitely top-shelf foreign delights.

The Brattle Theatre is running two special movie series this summer. Playing through July is a "hunk" extravaganza with a different double feature every other night of favorite leading men such as Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Errol Flynn. In August, on a more serious note, will be an Ingmar Bergman series with the director's potpourri of films, including the Magic Flute and Persona. For a consistent series of famous golden oldies, the Brattle Theater will provide enjoyable film entertainment for the entire summer.

For those moviegoers whose film needs cannot be fully sated in Cambridge. Boston movie houses should fulfill your cinematic appetites. The Nickelodeon Theatres can be reached by the Green Line and show the most recently released foreign films as well as minor-league American movies. The theater is a worth a trip if just to sample its fancy snacks of homemade brownies and exotic fruit juices.

The Sack chain of movie theaters has a virtual monopoly of all first-run American films in Boston. The theaters are spaced out all throughout the city and show all the major releases from Hollywood. The theaters are all not accessible for disabled viewers so call each theater to check out the facilities. All Sack theaters, however, are easily accessible by the T.

And for those movie junkies whose budgets cannot afford to attend the inflated prices in Boston and Cambridge, do not fret--the Summer School will offer different second and third-run movie for reasonable prices each weekend. But also you have to bring your own popcorn.