While Bill Gates spends his Microsoft billions eradicating diseases and improving America’s education system, Paul Allen spends his on professional sports teams, science-fiction memorabilia, and making the finest movie theater money can buy. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. rescued and remodeled The Cinerama in 1999, and, after a second round of renovations in 2010, his investment (or expenditure, depending on your point of view) seems worth every penny. The screen—one of only three in the world still capable of accommodating the old-fashioned triple-projection “Cinerama” format—is roughly as wide as a mega-yacht, the stadium seating steeper than any at CenturyLink Field, and the popcorn and snacks cheaper than Microsoft stock in the ’80s. The theater hosts midnight showings of all the major blockbusters, and also screens classics that appeal to hard-core movie buffs. Gates might be busy cementing his legacy as the most generous philanthropist in history, but Allen’s eccentric style of giving back deserves similar admiration from Seattle cinephiles. KEEGAN HAMILTON 2100 Fourth Ave., 448-6680, cinerama.com