My newest favorite thing to do in Vancouver, is watching “classic” movies at the Empire Theatre on Granville. The company has brought us Empire Fan Favorites, which takes place in cities across Canada.

They have been purchasing the rights to play older movies on the big screen, and I first noticed them last summer. As I walked home from work one day, I saw they were advertising Ghostbusters on the big screen on a Sunday night. It was my friend Jen’s and my tv/movie night (we hang out every Sunday) but we couldn’t pass at the movie night, especially when the price was SO right. $10 including movie, popcorn and beverage, or $7 for the movie alone. We had such an awesome time. They made pins with the Ghostbusters logo on it, had a raffle in support of a local charity, and gave out prizes for ghostbusters trivia. It was totally fun. I’d never seen the movie on the big screen, only on video on a normal (small by our standards now) tv. The audience was a mix of people, most of whom had seen the movie before, so nobody complained at jokes made about the movie or comments made by the audience.

Since then, they’ve played both Ghostbusters I & II at Halloween, Pulp Fiction, Home Alone at Christmas, the Princess Bride in February, and last Friday, The Breakfast Club. I love these movies. These are staples, most of which I’ve only seen on the small screen. For April, they are taking suggestions, both at their facebook page and in their twitter account. It seems the east coast seems to be doing these far more frequently, almost every week in some cities. Here in Vancouver, its once a month, and there’s always a sponsored charity involved. For the price, and the fun of watching some older movies along with some really yummy popcorn and some fun people, this is one of my new favorite things to do in Vancouver, and if you see the opportunity in Vancouver, or in any other of the cities near you, I highly recommend it.

For the record, I would like to recommend Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Labrynth, When Harry Met Sally, and The Original Star Wars Trilogy.