You Gotta Have Art Moviegoers can find offbeat, independent cinema in central Maine

Let’s face it, if you want to find entertainment in Maine besides the television, you’re probably going to have to travel some miles through pine trees and over potholes to find it. And for fans of independent, artsy or offbeat cinema, the mileage can be significant.

The fact is that those critically acclaimed but slightly left-of-Hollywood films – which can range anywhere from the most obscure independent or foreign films to many of the year’s Oscar darlings such as “Monster,” “21 Grams” and “Lost in Translation” – often don’t make it to the screens of most major cinemas this far north, with stiff competition for limited screen space against celluloid behemoths such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix,” which draw crowds and cash.

But with some patience and a little bit of travel these films can be found, as central and Down East Maine have some fine, small independent theaters.

“If there’s a good independent film that you know won’t make it [to Bangor], an hour’s drive is nothing,” says Adam Kuykendall, Winterport resident and one of the many film enthusiasts who regularly makes the long drive to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, a theater that specializes in showing art, foreign and independent films as well as hosting the Maine International Film Festival each year.

But why make the drive when eventually these films might be available at the local video store on VHS or DVD?

“When a film comes out, you feel like you should see it as it was intended to be seen – on the big screen,” says Kuykendall, who most recently traveled to Railroad Square to see “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” a film with an Academy Award nomination for best cinematography.

However, showing smaller, more artistically centered films that lack a certain broad appeal can be risky. Oftentimes, films that create a small stir of critical buzz after screenings in major cities like New York or Los Angeles, just don’t attract audiences in Maine.

“I know the movies I won’t have an audience for, so I won’t bring them,” explains Chris Vincenty, who owns and operates Reel Pizza Cinerama in Bar Harbor with his wife, Lisa Burton. “But by working with my audience, part of my job is to educate them and expose them to new things, and I’m up to challenging my audience on a continuous basis all the time. If there’s something I think is a challenge, I bring it. If I get 40 people for it, that’s good. And some shows that are considered ‘art films’ I’ll show and sell out an entire house out for a week. It all depends on how much of a broad appeal the show has.”

Known as much for its unique atmosphere as it is for its diverse film programming, Reel Pizza features a mix of arts, foreign and independent films alongside more popular, mainstream and family films.

Like the Railroad Square Cinema, Reel Pizza’s audience of cinephiles is drawn from a wide geographic area, including Bangor, Blue Hill and Orono. The theater’s mailing list includes more than 2,000 names. “We cover quite an area,” Vincenty says. “People will travel because they won’t see this anywhere else.”

A 20-year veteran of the movie exhibition business in Bar Harbor, Vincenty credits the continuing success of Reel Pizza to knowing his customers and using their input to program the films they want see.

“That’s what we try to do, we try to bring stuff I know my audience will enjoy. Sometimes I’ll read a review and say ‘this is it, this one definitely!’ Other times you’re like ‘man this looks like a great film, but I know I won’t have an audience for it, but I really should show it because that’s part of my job, to expose people to stuff they would not normally see.’ It’s a challenge, it’s a balancing act on how you do that and make money at the same time.”

Movie Showings

. “Something’s Gotta Give,” 6:30 and 9 p.m. Feb. 27-28, 2 p.m. Feb. 29, Alamo Theatre, Main Street, Bucksport. 469-0924, www.alamotheatre.com.www.alamotheatre.org.

. “50 First Dates,” 7 and 9 p.m., “Bad Santa” 9:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Wednesday, 1 p.m. matinee Saturday; “Monster,” 6:55 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 1 p.m. matinee Sunday; “The Passion of the Christ,” 6:45 and 9:20 p.m., 6:45 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 12:45 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27-March 4, Colonial Theatre, 163 High St., Belfast. 338-1930, www.colonialtheatre.com.

. “The Barbarian Invasions,” 5, 7 and 9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees at 1 and 3 p.m.; “Something’s Gotta Give,” 7:10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.; “House of Sand and Fog,” 4:50 and 9:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees at 12:10; “Monster,” 7:20 and 9:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.; “The Company,” 5:10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees at 12:50 p.m., Feb. 27-March 4, Railroad Square Cinema, 17 Railroad Square, Waterville. 873-6526, www.rail

roadsquarecinema.com.

. “Cold Mountain,” Feb. 27-March 4, 7 p.m., 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sunday matinee at 3 p.m., Bayview Street Cinema, 10 Bayview St., Camden. 236-8722,www.bay

viewcinema.com.

. “21 Grams,” Feb. 27-March 1; 6 and 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Monday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “In America,” Feb. 27-March 4: 5:30 and 8 p.m. nightly, 2 p.m. Sunday. No evening shows Sunday, Feb. 29, Reel Pizza Cinerama, 33 Kennebec Place, Bar Harbor. 288-3811.

. “Veronica Guerin,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23-29, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25, “Lost in Translation,” 7:30 p.m. March 1-7, 2 and 7:30 p.m. March 3. Grand Auditorium, Main Street, Ellsworth. 667-9500, www.grandonline.org.