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The Best Little Moviehouse in Texas (Which Is In The Magnited States of America)

By Seth Freilich | Posted Under Videos | Comments (30)

alamo-drafthouse.jpg

This past weekend, I saw two movies on consecutive days and was reminded that you never know what the hell you’re going to get with your movie-going experience. In one instance, for X-Men: First Class, I was in a massive chain theater packed with a relatively young crowd there to see a big summer tentpole flick. The other was The Tree of Life which, as you might expect, was in a much smaller (though no less full) indie theater with an older and presumably more cinephiley crowd.

Now if I were to tell you that one theater had several assholes trying their best to ruin the movie experience, you’d be smart to bet on X-Men and I’d be happy to take your money. The crowd there was perfect. The Tree of Life theater, however, had several loud sumbitches who wouldn’t shut up or stop digging through large plastic bags to find shit to stuff in their pieholes, not to mention at least two cell phones going off, and a few text messagers. I spent half the time wanting to punch someone, and I don’t think that’s exactly the emotion Malick was trying to evoke. Point being, each and every time you go to the theater, you’re rolling the dice as you never know if you’re going to get one of those good movie theater experiences or one of the bad ones.

Unless you live in Austin, Texas. Because if you live there, you’ve got the Alamo Drafthouse chain, and I hate you for it. If you’ve ever read our South by Southwest coverage, you’ve heard just about every critic who writes for this site blather on lovingly about the Alamo Drafthouse. Run by Tim League, these theaters are things of beauty, as Long and company actually care about film and the moviegoing experience. Yes, they serve food (shockingly good food considering the large menu and how quickly they’re able to whip up their wares). And yes, they serve booze. But it’s more than that, from the fun decor, to the cool screening and events, to the always entertaining PSAs they run before their films reminding you that you should not be talking or texting.

And they’ve got a fantastic new PSA. As Tim Long wrote about on his blog yesterday, a story which has been widely publicized since then (well, “widely” among the film blogosphere anyways), they are more than willing to kick your ass out for texting:

Recently, we had a situation where a customer persisted in texting in the theater despite two warnings to stop. Our policy at that point is to eject the customer without a refund, which is exactly what went down that night. Luckily, this former patron was so incensed at being kicked out, she quickly called the office and left us the raw ingredients for our latest “Don’t Talk or Text” PSA.

And, well, this is just amazing (NSFW at a high volume, as there are vulgarities a-plenty):

I’ve watched this thing at least five times and just can’t get enough.

Tim buddy, if you’re reading this, I know there are growing rumors that you’re going to open an LA theater now that you’re into film distribution. Please make it happen, sir. I’m happy to invest. Or if nothing else, I can at least promise to bring all my friends and that we’ll all become regular patrons.









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Comments

I read this story this morning in The Guardian. Loved it. Especially the "you're welcome" at the end.

Posted by: PaddyDog at June 7, 2011 10:37 AM

Found out there's an Alamo (Winchester, VA) about 100 miles from me, & I'll be only 40 miles from it when I'm away for a wedding in a few weeks. I feel like a pilgrimage is appropriate.

Posted by: the new transported man at June 7, 2011 10:42 AM

I go to Austin several times a year, and I always make it a point to go to one of the Alamo Drafthouses. It's just a fantastic atmosphere, and the food is damn good -- the grilled cheese sandwich is probably my favorite.

Here in DFW, we've got the Studio Movie Grill and MovieTavern, both of which are fine, but neither have the laid back, martini sipping cool of the Alamo. Also, when you're in Texas, and especially at Alamo, you should only be drinking Shiner Bock.

Posted by: RobP at June 7, 2011 10:44 AM

Best drunk dial. Ever.

Posted by: beet salad at June 7, 2011 10:51 AM

You're free to text in a theater? Cause I thought every single theater in the country had an announcement before the movie started saying don't talk or text. Am I mistaken? Did I imagine variations of that message popping up for years in theaters? It's as reliable as the "don't pirate video tapes" PSA on VHS rentals.

Good on the Drafthouse for turning this into publicity and publicly shaming this self-absorbed little snit.

Posted by: Robert at June 7, 2011 10:54 AM

Ah, the entitlement and self-centered-ness of society today. It drives me batty.

Good on the Alamo Drafthouse!

Posted by: tamatha at June 7, 2011 11:00 AM

This makes me so sad we don't have an Alamo Drafthouse. Our theaters (Goodrich) are absolute garbage. They don't enforce jack shit, don't care that the volume is too low, picture too dim, etc. It tends to be a miserable, distracting experience. So I don't go. We are making an exception for X-Men First Class so I'm hopeful it won't be a terrible screening.

But this video is awesome. People that check their cels during movies should be battered to the ground. There is NOTHING more distracting than that bright screen and if you are so important you have to be tied in even during a 2 hour movie, then you probably shouldn't be in a movie theater in the first place.

Posted by: TylerDFC at June 7, 2011 11:02 AM

After all, it's not a reglear theater.

That they used the intro of "Shut up and let me go" in this film makes me love it even more!

Posted by: Mo at June 7, 2011 11:05 AM

One of my favorite 'Mo PSA's was the old lady saying, "I don't shive a git, shut up".

The Alamo makes it tolerable to live through the brutal summers of Austin.

Posted by: Stella at June 7, 2011 11:06 AM

Well, I'm torn... on the one hand serving booze in a theatre seems like a recipe for drunken morons...

But that was a fantastic ad. That's classic. A chain that genuinely cares about the moviegoing experience is a thing of beauty.

Treasure that, because while I do make the occasional whispered comment to my friends or family I really dislike disruptive people.

One thing a small canadian chain of theatres (Rainbow Cinemas) does that I really approve of is "movies for mommies", where they do early matinees once or twice a week specifically for mothers taking babies to a movie, usually one for the adults rather than the kids.

Posted by: Wintermute at June 7, 2011 11:10 AM

So glad I got to go to one when at SXSW this year, made me so happy.

Posted by: Melody Be at June 7, 2011 11:11 AM

The Alamo Drafthouse is the thing I miss most about Texas (well, if I'm honest, there are a lot of things I miss most, but it's definitely one of them). Real food, good beer, the Best Cookies Ever (at the 6th st one), courteous moviegoers (mostly), and awesome events? It's enough to make a girl see Grown Ups in theaters.

Posted by: esme at June 7, 2011 11:15 AM

Also very cool, they just did this:
http://drafthouse.com/series/texasfilms/austin

Screenings of some movies made in and about Texas. They left out my personal favorite... Fandango.

Posted by: MRod at June 7, 2011 11:27 AM

That is wonderful and makes me hate everyone who is able to experience such a place. My local theater smells like shame and baby piss. People are loud and bring their toddlers and let them run free in the aisles. I hope this stupid voicemail lady gets this video emailed to her a thousand times a day. I guarantee when you were texting in every other theater in Austin, you were bugging the shit out of people, bitch.

Posted by: Paultera at June 7, 2011 11:32 AM

"I wasn't aware I wasn't allowed to text in a movie theater."

*gunshot rings out*

Posted by: admin at June 7, 2011 11:38 AM

That is so, so very nice.

Also, turning
regular into reglear
is the opposite of turning
nuclear into nucular.

It's like the differential and integral calculus of being unable to speak English.

Posted by: Laredo at June 7, 2011 11:56 AM

I LOVE Alamo Draft House!!! It's the only theater I've ever been in where a room full of drunks are actually respectful towards each other. Never left completely sober and never once had a problem with anyone else watching the movie!

Also, for about forty minutes before the movie starts you are treated with a never-ending stream of videos, mostly of drunks falling down in spectacularly stupid ways, which always goes over great in a room full of buzzed people. The best part, if someone is a douche, you just write it down on a food order sheet and the manager gives the douche one chance to behave before they are ejected.

Fantastic theater!

Posted by: tracey8051 at June 7, 2011 12:26 PM

Got to go lots to the Alamo Drafthouses in Houston. Awesome places. Laid back, no drama, everyone was cool.

Wish they were in more places

Posted by: Fredo at June 7, 2011 12:51 PM

Yeah, they're completely serious about the No Talking Or Texting thing, thank goodness. And no little kids allowed except for a couple of morning screenings total during the week. Plus they serve falafel and queso and peach cobbler.

Posted by: Sarah at June 7, 2011 1:10 PM

You learn something new everyday. I live just outside of Austin in a small town named Manor. I mean I’ve heard of the Alamo Drafthouse, but I just thought it was some kind of high dollar movie house for those fancy pants sophisticates.

Posted by: Pookie at June 7, 2011 2:44 PM

I used to live about 1 mile from the Alamo Village. Now I live in Houston. *sob*

Posted by: Peachfish at June 7, 2011 2:52 PM

"My local theater smells like shame and baby piss"
Paultera you win the internet. I read that three times and it cracks me up everytime.
I love that no texting policy. I went to see Bridesmaids this past weekend and as soon the movie started the lady in front of me whips out her phone and starts texting! Why she want to do me like that, hasn't she heard that black people got high blood pressure, and that shit doesn't help!

Posted by: TheBlackMenace at June 7, 2011 3:37 PM

as someone from Austin, I love the drafthouse and boy do they LOVE their rules. For the 2-3 minutes you are drilled about no talking, texting, tweeting, or blinking it begins to feel a little like a militarized state, especially with the one last ominous written warning on the screen with horror movie-esque cello music.
I get it dudes, you rule and people are rude when they make with the noise and lights. I like it best when they stick with the humorous warnings.

Posted by: Allison at June 7, 2011 3:42 PM

@Wintermute - Alamo does the adults-only, kids matinee thing too.

@Pookie - C'mon Manor's not THAT far away. Come into town once or twice a year. ;-P (And for the rest of y'all, that's pronounced MAY-nor. Don't ask me why.)

Posted by: NateS1973 at June 7, 2011 3:44 PM

Before moving to Austin, I just couldn't have known that fucking Alamo Drafthouse might be the thing to keep me here.

I'm seriously spoiled, especially by the fact that there are 4 Drafthouses in Austin. Regular theaters make me sad now, and I only end up going to a single non-Drafthouse place in the Arboretum because they show foreign films and random indie stuff that no one else in town does.

Also, good on Alamo Lake Creek (2 miles from my first apartment here) for finally syncing up their menu with the other ones.

Anyway one of my favorite things about them (besides the real food and booze) is their stance on talking and phones. Makes me happy. And I love their promos.

Posted by: MyySharona at June 7, 2011 3:54 PM

I knew this would turn up here, today!

So glad I live two miles from a Drafthouse.

Posted by: lubeg at June 7, 2011 4:29 PM

LOVE this.

Posted by: TWoPFan at June 7, 2011 7:43 PM

Fuckin' Hollywood and Carmike.

Fuckin' Warner for shutting down.

Fuckin' Alamo for being too far away.

*weeps copious tears*

Posted by: , at June 8, 2011 10:23 AM

My first experience with the Alamo was just a few months after the original opened on Colorado. My friend lived close to downtown so we walked from his apartment to the Alamo to see "Shaft." We bought our tickets and were handed a 40 oz. of Olde English. The movie was great, the crowd was fun, and we stumbled back to his apartment truly buzzed. Love at first sight. I believe the next movie we saw there was "Superfly." So very many good times at the Alamo. I really hated it when the original moved over to Sixth Street; it's a nice venue but I had a special place in my heart for the original theater. Now I live close enough to the one on S. Lamar to make grabbing a cab there a reasonable price. And there's a great Tex-Mex place in the same parking lot, so if you want to get some margaritas on before the movie there's no driving in between. I've lived in Austin all my life and if I ever move, it will only be to another city with an Alamo Drafthouse. Not Houston though, never Houston.

Posted by: janetfaust at June 9, 2011 3:07 PM

This is neither here nor there, but I have a Micheal J. Nelson autograph of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame that is made out to "the best little whorehouse in Texas". Aka me.

Posted by: googergieger at June 9, 2011 7:39 PM