We stopped by the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on Monday for a 4:55 p.m. showing of “Darkest Hour,” the film about Winston Churchill in May of 1940, when, as newly appointed prime minister, he rallied the nation to fight against Hitler’s Germany.
As fans of all things Churchill (and Gary Oldman, whose performance as the prime minister may earn him an Oscar), we wanted to see the film a second time. But mostly we wanted to delight for the last time in the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, which are slated to close on Jan. 28.
We commented recently on the greatness of the theater, which seems like a rarity nowadays: a movie theater for people who love movies.
The passing of the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas will follow by roughly a month the death of their founder, Dan Talbot, the film distributor and impresario who, together with his wife, Toby, opened the place in 1981.
Texting and talking tend to case as soon as the lights dim for the previews. That, plus terrific movies and a snack bar that features carrot cake, ricotta cheesecake, banana bread and coffee, and you can imagine why a moviegoer might start to miss the place.
Inside the theater, about a quarter full at that hour, we found a seat at far right, one row from the rear. An instrumental version of “Somewhere” from “West Side Story” played over the speakers. With the temperature outside on Broadway about 22, we appreciated the coffee as we awaited the previews.