sizzlin' cinema
Forget Lois: Angelika Film Center is Houston's newest hothouse flower with noa/c on two screens
If you're going to see a movie at the Angelika Film Center, you'd better dress for hot weather.
Moviegoers hoping to see the French film, Father of My Children (which got a good review from CultureMap contributor David Theis), this weekend were surprised to discover there is no air-conditioning. Two screens showing Father and alternating between Cyrus and Restrepo, as well as the lobby, are without air. The other screens are functioning normally.
The theater continues to show the films on the two air conditioned-less screens, charging filmgoers the regular price. One CultureMapper who really wanted to see Father stuck it out for a late Saturday afternoon showing. She gave the movie a glowing review but not the surroundings.
"The temperature seemed to be around 80 or so in there. I was among about five people who decided to see it anyway. I'm glad I did. The film is absolutely fabulous. I asked an employee why the theater showing "Le pere" doesn't have any a/c, and he said that marketing had made the decision because it was 'the lowest-grossing film.' It's really too bad, because most people - especially couples - obviously aren't going to deliberately choose to sit in a hot theater for at least an hour and a half to watch a certain film, especially on a Saturday night, even if it is the most intelligent, thought-provoking film in town - which, in my opinion, it is," she said.
On Sunday, an Angelika employee reached by telephone said screen No. 5, showing Father, and screen No. 8, showing Restrepo, continued without air conditioning. When asked when it would be repaired he replied, "No time soon."
The air-conditioning is working fine in the other six screens showing Salt, Solitary Man, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Inception and Agora, he said.
