A Vision of the Perfect Movie Theater

There are dozens of movie theaters around the Washington area, but none of them offer quite the same combination of features as Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge, which is in the Dupont Circle area of the city. From the long, narrow bar area to the red-carpet scarlet of the lobby to the two theaters that run an eclectic collection of art, indie, foreign and classic films, it's a gem for area film lovers.

I've wanted to visit Visions for a long time, but it took a gift certificate from some good friends to finally get me there. I went specifically to see Bus 174, an excellent documentary from Brazil, which I enjoyed while drinking a Harp.

The theater offers much more than your average concession stand. There is certainly popcorn, movie candy and soda for purists but the options also include a selection of tapas from the Meditteranean, the Middle East and India; a full bar; a wide range of coffee, tea and smoothie drinks; and juices.

Movies are shown in one of two theaters, which are both long and quite narrow. There is also a balcony with table seating that has a view of some of the movies, but check the schedule for availability.

The lounge, Bar Noir, offers two happy hours daily, from 5 to 7 p.m. and from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and live DJs perform on Friday and Saturday nights. Drinks include designer martinis named after famous movie stars, including the garbo (vodka, splash of Lillet, orange twist) and the bergman (vodka, chambord, peach schnapps, cherry). At $5 apiece, these martinis are a bargain in a city filled with high-price cocktail hangouts.

The theater often hosts special events, the next of which will be New Films From Germany, which will be held from January 15-22. Highlights include the Washington premiere of Oskar Roehler's Angst and the American premiere of Jan Schutte's Supertex.

The theater offers a midnight movie on Friday and Saturday nights, and has been running the indie hit Donnie Darko for awhile. The movie costs $5 on Friday nights, but on Saturday nights, $10 gets you into the movie and offers you all-you-can-drink from a keg of beer until it floats.

Visions is located at 1927 Florida Avenue, NW in Washington, DC. It is approximately a three-block walk from the north exit of the Dupont Circle Metro station on the Red Line. For more information or for movie listings, visit http://www.visionsdc.com or call 202-667-0090.

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