at the drive-in

Rooftop Cinema Club's newest drive-in theater revs up in EaDo

Formerly in Sawyer Yards, Rooftop Cinema Club's drive-in motors to EaDo.

Photo courtesy of Rooftop Cinema Club

Since the Drive-in at Sawyer Yards put the brakes on its operation in November, fans of the buzzy movie experience have wondered where the movie experience would pop up next.

Now, Rooftop Cinema Club, which owns and operates the drive-in, has revealed its new location. The Drive-In at EaDo will, as the name implies, be held in East Downtown with screenings starting December 5 at 2300 Runnels St. The Rooftop operation will take over for another well-known drive-in, Space City Shows.

With December serving as a preview of the new venue, movie-goers can take advantage of soft-launch pricing throughout the month, starting with a weekend of drive-in favorites and holiday classics such as Love Actually, Home Alone, and Last Holiday. Renovations will be completed in January, according to a press release.

Tickets for the December screenings are on sale now online.

Movies will be projected onto a 40-foot screen facing rows of cars parked 10 feet apart. The audio will be broadcast over an FM radio signal. Guests can purchase concessions, food, and beverages completely contact-free through their mobile devices, including from local food trucks The Burger Joint and El Patio. Restrooms and sanitation solutions will be available on site, and staff will be in masks, per a release.

Soft-launch prices range from $18–27 per vehicle, depending on occupancy and screening day. Children three and under will not count as vehicle occupants. Parking spots are first-come-first-serve, and guests will be escorted by ushers once they arrive. Attendees will be required to wear masks when not in their car.

Soft-launch ticket prices are:

Weekend (Friday – Sunday)
The Movie Buddy $22 – reserves one vehicle for up to two guests
The Movie Squad $27 – reserves one vehicle for three or more guests

Weekday (Monday – Thursday)
The Movie Buddy $18 – reserves one vehicle for up to two guests
The Movie Squad $24 – reserves one vehicle for three or more guests

Meanwhile, Community Screenings at the EaDo location will take place during the second screening every Sunday. Tickets will cost only $5 per vehicle, regardless of occupancy. Ticket proceeds will benefit the Houston Food Bank. Guests will also find a donation box onsite to drop off any food items for the food bank.

Here is the screening lineup for December:

December 5:Love Actually

December 6: Home Alone; Last Holiday

December 7:The Wiz; Die Hard

December 8:Elf; National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

December 9: CLOSED

December 10:The Nightmare Before Christmas; Home Alone

December 11:The Polar Express; Friday After Next

December 12:How the Grinch Stole Christmas; National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

December 13:A Christmas Story; Bridget Jones Diary

December 14:Home Alone; The Best Man Holiday

December 15:Elf; Love Actually

December 16:The Grinch; Die Hard

December 17:The Nightmare Before Christmas; A Madea Christmas

December 18:Home Alone; Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

December 19:The Polar Express; The Holiday

December 20:It's A Wonderful Life; The Night Before

December 21:Elf; Elf

December 22:Elf; Elf

December 23:Elf; Elf

December 24: CLOSED

December 25: CLOSED

December 26:Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone; Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

December 27:Happy Feet; Dumb and Dumber

December 28:Frozen; Friday

December 29:Spider-Man: Far from Home; Guardians of The Galaxy

December 30:Coco; Jurassic Park

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.

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