CUI at Queens Comfort
Dec. 4, 2015 By Michael Florio
Astoria residents can gather for a boozy movie screening with an all-you-can-eat buffet at Queens Comfort this month.
Cinema Under the Influence, a Queens-based group that combines movie screenings and drinking into one event, will show “Home Alone” alongside an all-you-can-eat buffet and endless spiked cider.
The group will host the screening at Queens Comfort, located at 40-09 30th Ave., on Dec. 14. There will be a screening at 6 p.m. and another at 9 p.m.
“Home Alone” tells the story of an eight-year-old boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, who is left at home while his family goes on a Christmas vacation. The group decided to host this event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular 90s comedy, according to Benham Jones, founding member and curator with Cinema Under the Influence.
“Not only is it the anniversary, but it is a movie we all [Cinema Under the Influence] loved as kids,” he said. “Plus, it is a movie you can enjoy with friends while eating and drinking.”
Each screening can hold up to 48 people. Jones expects both screenings to sell out. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased online here.
The all-you-can-eat buffet menu is still being drawn up but will likely include a mac and cheese dish, “spaghetti ‘n meatball tacos” and donuts, according to Brian Rowe, manager at Queens Comfort.
The Astoria ice cream shop Sweet Janes, located at 27-17 24th Ave., will provide ice cream for the event.
Each ticket will get entered into a raffle, with prizes including comic books, a custom made clock and gift certificates to local businesses and restaurants, according to Rowe.
Jones founded Cinema Under the Influence a year ago along with three friends, including Rowe, Jon Hogan and Brian Essman. The group has hosted 12 cinema screenings at venues throughout Queens, including Queens Comfort.
