"Patrons should expect the same strange blend of art-house, foreign, cult, weird programming that [the Burton Theatre] had been honing," Else says. "That program was continually evolving as we got a better sense of our audience, and will continue to evolve in our new home."

Both Friedman and Landy reiterate that the Cass City Cinema's purpose is to be community-driven, which they described as choosing certain types of programming relative to the local area as well as keeping the cost affordable.

To them, the standard $5 admission coupled with the presentation of the classic theater itself is one way of offering a pleasant experience. 

And yes. The billiards table is still in the men's bathroom.

Coming up at 

Cass City Cinema

Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 12-15: Take Shelter Jeff Nichols's 2012 Oscar contender starring Michael Shannon (FBI agent Agent Nelson Van Alden on Boardwalk Empire) and Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life, Help). 

Thursday-Sunday Jan. 19-22: Crumb Terry Zwigoff's 1994 doc about trailblazing comic-book writer-artist oddball Robert Crumb and his family. To coincide, Cass City Cinema hosts "Crumb Universe," which includes guest appearances from Carl Lundgren and Gary Grimshaw.

Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 26-29: The Skin I Live In Winning Pedro Almodóvar film about an obsessive plastic surgeon starring Antonio Banderas. 

Coming in February: Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975 with an art opening of '60s black political art. Also, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.

Cass City Cinema, 3420 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-281-8301; casscitycinema.com.

> Email Ryan Felton