Alas, Angelika: Theater's abrupt closure leaves void

By Joe Dwyer     9/2/10 7:00pm

Last Sunday, to the surprise of many Houstonians, the Angelika Film Center downtown simply didn't open for business. Would-be moviegoers were greeted by an empty box office, brown paper covering the glass front doors and a short note that began with, "We regret to inform you that the Angelika Film Center closed today," taped to the inside of the ticket booth window.I first saw the news on Twitter that morning, then disbelievingly did a quick Google search and found a CultureMap Houston article that confirmed the worst. Suddenly remembering that I work for the Thresher, I grabbed my camera and took the METRORail downtown to see what I could find out. I also needed to snap some photos for my Digital Photography class, so I was killing two birds with one stone.

Turns out there wasn't much to learn that afternoon, just a handful of employees busy taping up more signs and covering the windows from the inside. The one employee I spoke with declined to comment and instead gave me the business card for Jo Ellen Brantferger, the regional publicity director for the Angelika Film Center. A call to her office Monday afternoon unsurprisingly went unanswered, but the Angelika has since released a statement that read, "To be perfectly clear, the reason for the closure of the Angelika Film Center in Houston was that it received a thirty day lease termination notice from its landlord, Bayou Place Limited Partnership, an affiliate of the Cordish Company."

The statement goes on to say that, as of Monday, "Angelika management began actively pursuing alternative cinema locations in Houston so that it can continue the Angelika tradition of bringing the best specialty films available to Houston film lovers."

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Many new students might not see what the big deal is all about with the closure of the Angelika, but many, many upperclassmen at Rice - especially those without cars - relied on the Angelika to get their cinema fix whenever a new blockbuster or interesting indie flick came out. The movies were just a short ride away on the rail, and don't forget Cheap Date Nights - those blessed Monday nights at the Angelika with discounted tickets and free popcorn.

What made the Angelika great was its mix of offerings. Where Edwards Greenway Palace only plays the latest Hollywood offerings and River Oaks Theatre and Aurora Picture Show showcase primarily independent or art films, the Angelika struck a balance between the two, making it an extremely appealing place for students like us to catch a flick, no matter how big or how small its budget or release was.

In the meantime, while the Angelika searches for a place to settle down again, it's still possible to get to the movies without a car. It's less than ideal (and close to impossible to do for late-night showings), but one can take the rail from Rice to Wheeler station and take the #25 Richmond bus all the way down to Weslayan Street, then walk the block to get to Edwards. I found that this works best on weekday afternoons for showings around 1 or 2 p.m. - depending on how long the movie is, you can be back on campus in time for dinner. Just skip your afternoon lab; it's not like Orgo is important anyway.

Another solution that's closer to home is our very own Rice Cinema. Yes, believe it or not, we have our very own theater on campus. Whip out that campus map you haven't looked at since O-Week and sure enough, located right across the street from the Rice University Police Department, you'll find the Rice Media Center, with the purple "Cinema" sign hanging in the window.

Most screenings at the Rice Cinema are actually free for Rice students, and while you aren't likely to find the latest Nicholas Sparks snore-fest there, what you will find is the most diverse and international selection of films on any screen in Houston, all playing in Dolby Surround Sound and sometimes featuring talks or discussions by the director or people involved with the film following the screening.

If you have a free evening this semester, check the movie schedule on film.rice.edu and catch a movie at the Rice Cinema. The big screening for this month is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sept. 10-11 at 7 p.m.

And to the folks who, two years ago, sat through four reels of Monty Python and the Holy Grail only to have me burn a hole through the fifth one and end the movie early, my apologies.

Joe Dwyer is a Wiess College senior and Thresher A&E editor.

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