Sunshine Cinema has come a long way since Yiddish vaudeville—its main feature in 1909 when it originally opened as the Houston Hippodrome. In 1945, this home of shtick kicks closed down to become a warehouse until art collector/visionary Tim Nye spearheaded a $12 million renovation, renaming it “Sunshine” in 1996. Now after ten years, more than half of the five restored auditoriums feature stadium seating and the latest state-of-the-art sound technology, including one screen with Dolby Digital EX. It is presently the Lower East Side’s premier destination for both indie and art house films, drawing film buffs from all over the island to see such revelries as a midnight showing of Ghostbusters, the latest Gondry dreamscape, a 2001: Space Odyssey re-release or John Waters tribute. Equipped with an espresso bar, vegan cookies, caramel popcorn, 10 different popcorn seasonings, Swiss chocolate and more, even concessions have received a modern-day makeover.