The revivals of Humphrey Bogart classics during Harvard’s exam period long ago put the Brattle Theater (40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617/876-6837, www.brattlefilm.org) on the map. It sill runs Bogey marathons along with foreign films, New Wave cinema, and more recent independent fare in a delightfully shabby Harvard Square theater. Film directors regularly show up to introduce shows.

Also in Cambridge, Kendall Cinemas (1 Kendall Sq., Cambridge, 617/499-1996, www.landmarktheatres.com) shows first-run art-house and foreign films in a well-appointed theater serving espresso at the candy counter.

The large, art deco Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617/734-2500, www.coolidge.org) anchors its neighborhood with a gorgeous space for second-run and cult movies, as well as concerts and lectures by best-selling authors. It also has a smaller video screening room for DV (digital video) films and local work.

Free films, tending towards the classics, are shown in the Rabb Lecture Hall of the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston St., 617/536-5400, www.bpl.org), usually on Mondays.

During the summer, Free Friday Flicks (617/787-7200, www.wbz1030.com) brings family-friendly blockbusters outdoors to the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.

The Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., 617/369-3306, www.mfa.org) also regularly screens contemporary foreign films and movies relating to current art exhibitions.