A new Alamo Drafthouse has just opened in North Austin (22nd July, 2013). Why does Cinapse care? Because Film is our religion and the Alamo as such is our Church. This new location, the biggest ever addition to the Alamo family is also of special note as it will host the upcoming Fantastic Fest 2013 Film Festival, due to its usual home on S. Lamar still undergoing renovations. Local press were treated to a tour of the new cinema by Tim League (Alamo CEO and Founder), resplendent in a blue suit, and the Lakeline management team.
Lakeline was officially opened with a traditional sabering of a champagne bottle just after City Council Member Mike Martinez presented a proclamation, on behalf of the City of Austin, declaring July 22nd to be “Alamo Drafthouse Day.”
We started the tour in the lobby where they had adopted Planet of the Apes as a theme in the decor, original theatrical and Mondo (the Alamo’s art division) movie posters adorned the walls, but the centerpiece should be familiar to movie fans as the ‘Lawgiver’ statue from the 1968 classic. Not the actual one, but it is a replica made by special effects wizard/actor/director Greg Nicotero, who purchased the original mold and cast two from it — the other resides in his backyard apparently.
We then wandered through service routes to the upstairs kitchen. If you’re a regular at the Alamo you may be familiar with the sight of servers crossing the lobby with the food for patrons. Well, not anymore. This new Alamo features a ‘kitchen-up’ design: the food is prepared above/behind the theaters and then servers enter like food and beer ninjas through stealth doors at the rear of the theater. It was also said there are new ovens which will cook freshly prepared pizzas in 3.5 minutes. Now we just need the ‘Up in Smoke’d’ back on the menu to test that claim. We entered through one of these passages into Theater 4, a huge theater but with only 140 seats, intended to ensure no ‘bad seat’ in the house. We watched a new ‘Don’t talk and text PSA’ featuring the illustrious Lee Leffingwell, Mayor of Austin. Suffice to say it was as funny as you’d expect, but I won’t spoil it with any more details.
At the old South Lamar location, Fantastic Fest attendees were treated to the delights of The Highball, a place I still raise a glass in memory of. Well here at Lakeline we have a new iteration (the first being in Denver, Colorado) of the Alamo bar concept, Glass Half Full. A beautiful interior with a spacious outdoor patio. The bar (setup by beverage director Bill Norris) has 32 draft beers (around 90% from local Texas breweries) as well as a cocktail menu featuring drinks drawing from these local flavors, such as making a syrup from the local 512 Pecan Porter. It is quite nice, already feeling comfy to sit and take a drink in, and available whether you’re taking in a movie or not.
So let’s run through some specifics; ~36,000 square feet in size, capacity for 944 people, 10 screens, the largest seats 142 the smallest 34, each equipped with Sony 4K digital, 2 with features for RealD 3D and one screen able to support 35mm film! They carry over the usual Alamo traditions including no talking/texting/late admittance, reserved seating, table/drinks service.
I’m happy to report that what we have, for Austinites and Fantastic Festers, is another great addition to the Drafthouse family. With its lower ceilings it has a more cosy, warm, yet luxurious feel that I know some locals feel is missing from the Slaughter Lane location. Yes the benches are missing, replaced by those tables that, while more easily accessible, do not lend to that community feel we all know and love at the Ritz or other older locations. With regards to Fantastic Fest, its a bit out of the way, certainly for people hoping to go to and from Downtown. Being blunt, it totally sucks for people coming from down South. But with a hotel within the same complex and several things nearby including an HEB Plus, Panera Bread, and a Twin Liquors (ahem…) as well as a whole host of other amenities, it’s actually a pretty good locations for the Fest. It’s no S Lamar, but it’s far superior in its location and feel than Slaughter lane for such a event. Look for a Cinapse article closer to September where we will provide some more insights and tips on coming into town for the Festival. If anyone has any specific questions about it, leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them. One last note on the Fest, Tim League confirmed programming info was coming soon and the old events would all transfer to the new location, so anything you were worried about missing, it’ll still go ahead. This includes the debates where the current idea is to assemble the boxing ring and grandstand arena in front of the cinema. I have my badge bought already and from what I have seen feel reassured the venue will do the traditions and debauchery of Fantastic Fest proud.
Alamo Drafthouse is an entertainment brand comprised of the acclaimed cinema-eatery chain, the largest genre film festival in the United States and a collectible art gallery. Named “the best theater ever” by Time Magazine, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of offbeat cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. The Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including the launch of Drafthouse Films, a new film distribution label and plans to extend its theaters and unique programming philosophy to additional markets across the United States. More information about Alamo Drafthouse franchise opportunities are available on the official website www.drafthouse.com.
