There seem to be two scents associated with discount theaters — Lysol and vomit. The Academy Theater on Colorado Boulevard has neither, although years ago, in its Academy 6 incarnation, its lobby did betray disinfectant accents. The Academy has always been a treat for the thrifty cineaste, especially now, in these hard times, when dreamers and film geeks are finding themselves without work. Two bucks gets you into a matinee screening of one of eight first-run movies (well, maybe first-run-plus a few weeks). My wife and I had been dying to see Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell but had somehow missed it in its initial run. Yet here it awaited us one afternoon — and had we chosen an evening screening, admission would've only been $3 per ticket. The Academy may not have that fresh-popcorn smell of the arty Laemmle Playhouse 7 up the street, and the staff may sometimes be a little too slow to crank up the air conditioning in the summer, but the place offers a thoughtfully mixed repertoire of blockbuster and art fare. 1003 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 229-9400.