Sneak peek

First look video: Inside the new Sundance Cinemas, everything's "green" andluxurious

There's a lot of work to be done before Sundance Cinemas opens to the public on the day before Thanksgiving, but the new theater complex in Bayou Place promises Houstonians a unique moviegoing experience.

Dodging workers busily laboring to get the space finished in the next three weeks, President and CEO Paul S. Richardson and executive vice president of marketing Nancy Klasky Gribler led a small group of reporters on a tour Wednesday, while listing the ways the new theater complex, owned by Robert Redford's Sundance Group, will be different.

The configuration of the former Angelika Film Center is the same, with a large, high-ceilinged lobby, a long hallway bisecting the space and eight theaters. But the Sundance officials promise when it is finished the new theater complex in downtown Houston will look nothing like its predecessor.

In a new twist for many Houston moviegoers, all seats to every show are reserved at Sundance, so patrons select their seats when buying tickets. Richardson believes Houstonians will take to the new system just as moviegoers have at Sundance's other complexes in San Francisco and Madison, Wis.

The first thing a moviegoer who remembers the Angelika, which closed abruptly in fall 2010 after a dispute with landlord The Cordish Companies, will notice is that the ticket windows facing Texas Avenue are covered up. Instead, moviegoers can purchase tickets from a new box office located inside to the right upon entering the lobby or several ticket kiosks to the left.

Another alternative: Richardson is hoping that many moviegoers will have already purchased their tickets and picked out their seat online at home before arriving at the theater with a printed-out copy.

In a new twist for many Houston moviegoers, all seats to every show are reserved at Sundance, so patrons select their seats when buying tickets. Richardson believes Houstonians will take to the new system just as moviegoers have at Sundance's other complexes in San Francisco and Madison, Wis.

"Our customers lead busy lives. They need all the conveniences we can give them," said Richardson, who attended the University of Houston in the '70s and was a longtime executive with Landmark Theatres, which owns the River Oaks Theatre.

The new lobby, bathed in rust and green colors, has the feel of an outdoor pavilion, with a wooden trellis and oak tables, a large bar area, called the Sundance Bar, and an art gallery that will highlight the work of rotating Houston artists. The bar will feature beer and wine and extensive food offerings that can be carried into the theater.

"The food will be fresh, not fried," said Richardson. (That may be a first for Texas.)

There is also a more traditional concession stand offering soda and popcorn, along with such goodies as Good Pop frozen treats, Michael's Cookie Bar sweets, Pete's coffee and tea, Dublin Dr. Pepper and Saint Arnold's root beer.

The long hallway leading to individual theaters is lined with columns made of cypress wood and alcoves that will feature furniture from the Sundance catalogue, so patrons can sit and discuss a movie if they so choose.

The lobby box office also has a woodsy feeling. Vice president of development and construction Dale Friddell, who lives in Conroe, cut down a large oak tree in his yard that had been weakened by Hurricane Ike and killed by this summer's drought to secure the wood for the box office.

"Only one sawmill in Texas was big enough to cut it," Richardson said. "So we have a beautiful box office with a homemade table. It's the kind of thing we do that no one else does."

The total number of seats in the complex has been reduced from just over 1,600 in the old Angelika to around 1,000 in the new Sundance. The new stadium seats are roomier, with a small table between every other seat. The sound system in each theater has been enhanced and extensive renovations have been made to comply with changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act since the Angelika opened in 1997.

"We lost 40 percent of the seats but we made everything more luxurious," Richardson said.

The ticket pricing system will be different too, with higher prices during more popular times. The basic matinee price on weekdays is $7.50, with a $10.50 basic price for evening shows, plus an added "amenity fee" ranging from $1 for Friday and Saturday matinees to $3 on Friday and Saturday nights, so that prices can range up to $13.50 at peak times. (There are discounts for students and senior citizens.)

The amenity fee makes up for lost revenue because Sundance never runs those annoying ads before a movie begins, Richardson said.

In keeping with Redford's environmental awareness, the theater was built with recycled materials wherever possible (seat backs are made from recycled plastic, for example). Theatergoers will be encouraged to place their glass products and plastic bottles in specially marked recycling bins. Wine and beer will be served in glasswear and not plastic. And glasses for 3-D movies will be washed and reused. "Throwing things away is not the Sundance way," said Friddell.

Parking will remain free, with validation. Sundance will set up a specially marked express line inside the theater for quick validation.

As for the movies, they'll be a mix of popular hits that have cultural significance and small, independent films that won't be found anywhere else in Houston. There will also be events like the monthly CultureMap Night at the Movies, hosted by Joe Leydon.

Prior to the Nov. 23 opening, Sundance will host two nights of special preview benefits. The Nov. 21 preview will benefit the Houston Cinema Arts Society and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Film Department. The Nov. 22 preview will benefit the Montrose Counseling Center and the Galveston Bay Foundation. Tickets are $25 each night; all proceeds with go to the groups being honored. At the Nov. 22 preview, Jamie Redford (Robert Redford's son) will show clips from his new film, The River Red.

Movie Review

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

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer

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.

---

Queer is now playing in theaters.

Loading...