Houston's Entertainment (River Oaks, Cool: lease, movie theaters, live)

[Oildog]

Sad. I enjoyed going to the Angelika, but only went about 4x a year. I guess thats part of the problem.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

The Alabama Theater sign? No theater though, hasn't been in decades, it is a book store.

Actually, it's not a bookstore anymore, and it can be converted back into what it was before with a little work.

[bamba_boy]

I think the biggest problem with Angelika was parking. Most folks are already struggling to pay for $9-10 tickets for each family member, then to have to park blocks away or in a "scary" underground parking lot (scary at least for suburbanites who never go downtown) and pay another $10 or so just made it impossible to support a theater. The folks that are already downtown that could have gone there easily are mostly non-artsy business types who flee for SugarLand or The Woodlands at 5:00 PM sharp.

[Oildog]

The underground parking was reimbursed by the theater if you showed your ticket. But I'm not sure if that was widely known.

[stoneclaw]

It is a shame and a loss. Maybe that might make way for a regular Box Office Movie Theater downtown that more people will frequent.

[westres1]

Did the artsy theater in Greenway Plaza close?
If so that leaves only River Oaks...maybe this will keep it alive and safe from the wrecking ball.

[glorplaxy]

Another blow to Houston's culture. Thanks! Now we can all see why we get that bad reputation of being a cultural wasteland and understand it better, too.

[zedster]

This is why when I turned 18 about 20 years ago I packed my bags and ran from Houston as fast as my feet could take me!

That said, in the days when there was no Angelika, and the River Oaks was still a truly independent cinema, the film cycles at the MFAH were an alternative. Of course, they're generally older films, but if you ever get tired of watching the same old Hollywood fair and feel like leaving your 65º air-conditioned house, it apparently still exists:

MFAH / Films / Now Playing

[pach84]

Originally Posted by jfre81

"There's nothing to do here, so let's sit at home and do nothing on the Internet....oh wait, turns out we did have a few things to do and one of them isn't around anymore."

Especially for Houstonians who average over 5 posts a day for years. Sheer boredom. You'd figure their family and friends would be enough to keep them busy--let alone work or school.

It goes to show that Houston is boring at times and for some, most of the time. If you know the city and are aware of all the happenings in the city, why are they on CD all the time? Man, you have to feel sorry for these people.

[westres1]

Just because this theater closed does not mean the city lacks culture... We still have one of the finest Ballet Companies in the Country,theater,symphany,outdoor free concerts and plays,tons of live music venues,major sporting events,museums galore, a zoo,beautiful parks with lots of activities. Sometimes there are so many things going on in town I dont know which to pick!