If Only I’d Thought of This: King’s County Cinema Night at Ortine

Let’s be realistic for a moment–it’s rare that all the elements of a side project come together successfully.  Normally, what seems like a great idea after a few glasses of wine reveals itself as an okay idea that requires a lot of work the morning after.  I’ve had my fair share of them.  Underground supper club hostess. Yoga teacher.  Street portrait artist.  Bachelorette party planner. All I have to show for these side project ideas is a notebook full of side project ideas…

That’s why it’s heartening to attend the King’s County Cinema Society events at Ortine.  The movies they show in the cafe’s garden are clearly born out of side project idea with legs.  The group, founded by Tobias Arturi and Nick Shimkin, is dedicated to bringing NYC everything from Hollywood classics to obscure shorts without the hefty Film Forum price tag (yes, for me, twelve bucks is plenty hefty).

As their name suggests, they screen at a variety of spots around King’s County (you can see the whole schedule at their website www.kingscountycinemasociety.org). But, since (as our name suggests) this is a blog concerning all things Prospect Heights, we’ll focus on Ortine here.

Every Tuesday, they set up a projector in Ortine’s garden.  This works to everyone’s advantage for a couple of reasons. First of all, the garden is an utter delight with little cafe tables and a cherry tree.  More importantly, though, you don’t have to feel guilty ordering a beer–you didn’t sign away those twelve dollars to the box office cine-geek at film forum.  Order a snack while your at it.  Ortine’s Mediterranean   plate piled high with homemade hummus, pita chips and house-cured pickles, shames the Greek restaurant nearby.

Besides being a cost-effective, tasty way to enjoy a movie on Tuesday night, the King’s County Cinema boys have tailored their movie offerings to the location.  Each film perfectly reflects the quirky, romantic atmosphere that prevails in the garden.  In the past month, we’ve seen Alfred Hitchock’s Notorious, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Princess Bride and wished we were on a date a little bit the whole time.

The bottom line? Check it out, have a drink, order a sandwich and relax–their successful side project idea has already done all of the work for you.