Best of Boston

When this 91-year-old movie house honored Francis Ford Coppola with its prestigious Coolidge Award this past April, the legendary film director transformed a simple post-screening Q&A into a sprawling two-hour whiteboard lecture, complete with improv exercises. That’s exactly the kind of chaotic yet inspired moment that makes this Brookline theater so special. After a 14,000-square-foot expansion, the cinephilic institution hosts cult-favorite midnight movies, showcases 70 mm screenings, and pairs critically acclaimed films with genuine expertise. Case in point: Enlisting Harvard sleep and dreams guru Robert Stickgold to introduce Mulholland Drive with a discussion of his research—like Coppola, brilliant and bonkers.