Hidden in Norfolk:

The Naro Expanded Cinema

By Matthew Buckwalter

Are you sick and tired of the multiplex movie theaters that only play one, huge, mindless blockbusters? Not able to find that one movie at your local video store that came out in the forties or fifties? If you have answered yes to either of these questions, then the Naro Expanded Cinema may be for you. This wonderful little theater and video store should be on the top of every cinephile's list of places to go.

Located on Colley Avenue in Norfolk, the Naro is a small, one-screen theater that usually plays movies that have received a small release such as foreign films, documentaries and indie films. Occasionally, the Naro plays some of the bigger movies like Sin City, Million Dollar Baby, and The Aviator.  Older movies and cult hits from years gone by also find their way to the Naro's flickering screen, a favorite of mine that was recently shown being Evil Dead II.

The Naro has the feel of a theater not affected by time. As you first see the Naro, you notice its old style marquee that tells you what movies are playing today.  As you walk under the marquee you notice the lone ticket booth sitting between the doors on either side. A feeling of going back in time starts to heighten after you get your ticket and enter the lobby. As soon as you give your ticket to the ticket taker, you start to notice posters for older movies and movies newly born onto the screen. Are you in need of refreshment and a snack for this journey? Look no farther than the concession stand right in front of you, waiting to quench any thirst or hunger you may have during the movie. After your quest for sustenance is complete, you have a choice to make, the balcony or not the balcony. When was the last time you had a chance to experience a movie while sitting in a balcony? It is definitely an experience that is worth trying out. It makes you feel like a god watching the antics of your minions. As you sit down in anticipation, the house lights start to dim, the curtains start to part, and in no time at all the screen comes to life.

After watching the movie you have been dying to see since last year, that the big theaters would never play in a million years, you would think there would be nothing else to do but go home. Well, my friends, you are wrong about that. Just right next door to the theater is the Naro?s video rental store, full of videos that you thought never existed. Upon entering the video store, all you can see is wall after wall filled with videos. They have a section for every genre and then some. While the DVDs are just arranged by title, there is much more extensive organization for the VHS tapes. Finding a movie is made easier because of the way the movies are classified, and if you still have trouble finding anything, the employees are happy to help. The VHS movies are broken down into the standard genres: foreign, horror, mystery, drama, comedy, cult classics and so on. Within those genres, the movies are broken down even more. In the foreign section, they are broken down by country and inside those sections they have directors with numerous movies grouped together. In the American movie section, the movies are split up by decade and then by genre. If you are looking for that film that has been out of print for years and has never been released on DVD, you have a good chance that the Naro may have a copy on VHS. They even have movies that have been imported and have not been released in the US yet, such as Haute Tension and Night Watch. You could spend hour upon hour searching their catalog and not discover a tenth of the treasure that is in the Naro.

If you are a cinephile or just a person who enjoys a movie now and again, the Naro is the place to catch some really great movies. Some of these movies you may never have heard of otherwise. The Naro is a great place to catch a flick or to rent that video you have been looking for and couldn't find in your conventional video stores.

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