This week, we have a vital scoop on how New York’s independent movie theaters are responding to the prospect of reopening their doors. Learn how they’ve kept afloat throughout the yearlong lockdown, and how their business has already drastically changed. We’ve also covered films about gambling addiction, QAnon, retirees having misadventures, and more. Enjoy!

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Governor Cuomo’s announcement late last month that New York City movie theaters would be allowed to reopen beginning March 5 took many film programmers completely by surprise. In an in-depth survey of how the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the city’s repertory cinemas, Steve Macfarlane talks to workers at Anthology Film Archives, Film Forum, the Quad, and more.

The Villages constitutes the fastest-growing, most extravagant retirement community in the US. Director Lance Oppenheim followed several of its residents for his documentary Some Kind of Heaven. Fellow filmmaker Sophy Romvari talks to Oppenheim about putting together the movie, and how some Villages residents think it’s “fake news.”

For this week’s streaming roundup, I highlighted some films based on DC Comics titles that aren’t about superheroes.

MoMA’s annual Doc Fortnight festival is currently underway. Make sure not to miss Cycle ∞, a terrific program of Indigenous shorts and other works curated by the filmmaking collective COUSIN.

Kyle Kallgren has embarked upon an epic three-part video about the classic sci-fi satire Starship Troopers. He’s kicked things off with a look at the life of Robert Heinlein, the influential author of the book the film was based on. This is shaping up to be one of the best, most ambitious video essays of the year.

Until theaters are safe again, be well!