springtime on the rooftop

Houston's rooftop cinema unveils new spring lineup full of hot hits and cool themed nights

Rooftop Cinema Club Houston night skyline

Get ready for themed nights, special tributes, and even dog-friendly screenings on the rooftop.

Photo by Rooftop Cinema Club Houston

Spring in Houston finds locals looking to the al fresco life, as they jam pack venues offering sunny patios and cool rooftop views. Now, one of the Bayou City’s hottest rooftop spots has returned, offering a fresh new lineup of 2020 events.

Rooftop Cinema Club, the popular social/outdoor theater experience that mixes fun flicks and skyline views of Uptown (1700 Post Oak Blvd. in BLVD Place), kicks off its spring lineup on March 18 with a beloved Texas classic and Houston favorite, Urban Cowboy, at the height of rodeo season.

Doors won’t officially open till then, but fans can still grab advance tickets when they go on sale online at noon, Wednesday, February 19.

New for 2020, guests can plan their outdoor cinema experience up to three months in advance with films scheduled seasonally versus monthly.

Tickets start at $17 per person for a one-person lounge seat. A single person seat paired with bottomless popcorn is $20. Tickets for couples or anyone looking for a roomier love seat, plus bottomless popcorn, are $24 per person.

Here are some highlights of Rooftop’s spring season:

Fans can vote for and come dressed as their favorite character to celebrate their most-loved Tarantino film on his birthday on March 27
Monthly themed nights starring J-Lo, with Selena (for Selena’s birthday) on April 16 and Hustlers on May 21
Wooftop’s dog-friendly screening returns on April 11 with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Honoring Kobe Bryant with Love & Basketball screening on May 1, including charity donation to Mamba Sports Foundation
Special prom-themed night on May 2 with American Pie (dressing up is not required, but prom attire is highly encouraged)
A special Mother’s Day screening of Steel Magnolias on May 10

Doors open at 6:30 pm and films begin around sunset at 8 pm. Here are the spring movie listings.

March 18 – Urban Cowboy
March 19 – Selena
March 20 – Do the Right Thing
March 21 – Poetic Justice
March 22 – Pretty Woman
March 25 – Grease
March 26 – Harriet
March 27 – Fan Choice: Quentin Tarantino film (T.B.D.)
March 28 – Menace II Society
March 28 – Miss Congeniality
March 30 – Troop Beverly Hills
March 31 – Pretty in Pink
April 1 – Sweet Home Alabama
April 2 – When Harry Met Sally
April 3 – Runaway Bride
April 4 – Love Jones
April 5 – The Princess Bride
April 6 – Cry Baby
April 7 – Pure Country
April 8 – Rodger's And Hammerstein's Cinderella
April 9 – Parasite
April 10 – Romeo + Juliet
April 11 – Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Dog-friendly)
April 12 – The Notebook
April 13 – The Sandlot
April 14 – Clueless
April 15 – Grease (Sing-A-Long)
April 16 – Selena
April 17 – There's Something About Mary
April 18 – Empire Records
April 19 – Jerry Maguire
April 20 – Dazed and Confused
April 21 – Brown Sugar
April 22 – Anchorman
April 23 – The Time Traveler's Wife
April 24 – Dirty Dancing (Open captions)
April 25 – House Party 2
April 26 – Fried Green Tomatoes
April 27 – Stand by Me
April 28 – Friday
April 29 – The Best Man
April 30 – Pretty Woman
May 1 – Love and Basketball
May 2 – American Pie
May 3 – Pulp Fiction
May 4 – Easy A
May 5 – Pan's Labyrinth
May 6 – Back to The Future
May 7 – Soul Food
May 8 – Dirty Dancing
May 9 – Mean Girls
May 10 – Steel Magnolias
May 11 – Now and Then
May 12 – Selena
May 13 – The Wood
May 14 – The Breakfast Club
May 15 – Bridesmaids
May 16 – Grease
May 17 – Moulin Rouge
May 18 – Superbad
May 19 – Fight Club
May 20 – 10 Things I Hate About You (Open captions)
May 21 – Hustlers
May 22 – Crazy, Stupid, Love
May 23 – New Jack City
May 24 – Jurassic Park
May 25 – Save The Last Dance
May 26 – Love & Basketball
May 27 – Dirty Dancing
May 28 – Breakfast At Tiffany's
May 29 – The Big Lebowski
May 30 – Romy And Michele's High School Reunion
May 31 – The Princess Bride

movies

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

movies film

springtime on the rooftop

Houston's rooftop cinema unveils new spring lineup full of hot hits and cool themed nights

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

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