Chris M.
Yelp
The Moxie is a little island of culture in the heart of the cinematic wasteland that is Springfield, Missouri. Or at least it is at the moment.
Until the Moxie came along, there was nowhere at all to see art films, independent films, the occasional Miyazaki animé, documentaries, and things like that. Over thirty cinema screens in this town, and they were all either mass-market or second-run.
But then came the Moxie, and to my surprise they have managed not only to sustain themselves, but to afford to move into a new location in October! Through a series of short films on their website, they show where they are moving, and give an idea of what the new theater's layout will be.
Modern movies come on at least two reels. Therefore, in most modern theaters, two or more projectors work to show a movie in tandem--the second one coming on as the first one stops. The Moxie only has the one film projector, projectors being expensive--so there is a ten-minute intermission in the middle of each movie as they change reels.
This may seem a little strange at first, but it actually works in the Moxie's favor. It's nice to be able to take a "bathroom break" in the middle of the movie and not have to worry about lasting all the way through the full length of the film. (It will be nice when they are in their new location and have more than two toilets for the whole theater, however!)
The Moxie's "cinebar" sells some alcoholic beverages in addition to soft drinks. The prices are a little high, but movie concession prices always are--and I actually feel better about shelling out for overpriced food and drink from the Moxie since I know I'm supporting "the little guy" instead of a soulless chain megaplex. (Of course, the downside to this is that, unlike at those megaplexes, my conscience genuinely pangs me when I consider trying to sneak stuff in!) Also, the Cinebar is the only place in town I know of where I can obtain Fitz's root beer from St. Louis, which is some of the best root beer ever made.
There are only a few downsides to the place, that are why it doesn't get the fifth star from me. First of all, the seats it currently has are really uncomfortable. Apparently they came from some old live theater somewhere, and there's a lot of history to them and stuff, but I don't care--they're just a pain to sit on, and they don't have holders for drinks. I expect they'll probably be moving to the small auditorium in the Moxie's new digs, as I don't think they would want to waste their investment in them. I hope the chairs they get for their larger auditorium are more comfortable.
Another minor annoyance is that the floor of their current auditorium is flat, not sloping forward. This makes it a bit more likely that the head of the person in front of you will be in your way, and also that you'll have to look up a bit more to see the screen than you would in another movie house.
And finally, they don't show enough of the kind of "art" films that I would be interested in seeing. There really needs to be more Hong Kong action stuff and animé in order for me to find a reason to attend more regularly.
I will revisit the Moxie with a new review once they have moved to their new digs. Hopefully they will be successful in growing their audience after the move.
I am slightly worried in light of the new mega-megaplex being built by Park Central Square. Will having all those additional screens mean some of the existing megaplexes will be able to devote screens to more art films and steal the Moxie's raison d'etre? Or will some of the existing 'plexes just go out of business or switch over to second-run and the balance remain the same? Time will tell.