Best Of Award

Best Indie Movie Theater

Castro Theatre

Once all the hysteria had died down after the Castro's firing of its longtime director of programming, Anita Monga, and replacing her with the owner's wife, Karen Nasser, we realized that the theater remains impressive. And we're grateful for that. Gone are the fears that this beautiful, historic spot would start showing Ice Age: The Meltdown five times a day. The family-owned movie house still screens some of the finest and most unusual films in the city. From a hefty number of film festivals (the Famous Femmes Fatales is particularly noteworthy) to a showing of the awful but fun-to-watch Barbra Streisand vehicle A Star Is Born (her ill-advised 'fro is worth the price of admission alone), the Castro remains one-of-a-kind. The best part: The mighty Wurlitzer organ still plays before each and every show, then dramatically descends below the stage just as the lights go down.