Movie News

Drive-in movie concept sets up shop on grassy East Dallas field off US-75

They'll open with Grease and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Photo courtesy of Rooftop Cinema Club

A drive-in company with three locations in Texas is coming to Dallas. Called Rooftop Cinema Club, it'll set up an outdoor theater in East Dallas, at 2999 N. Carroll Ave.

According to a release, the Dallas location is called Drive-In at The Central — it's off US-75, where the ACS building used to be before it got imploded in 2015 — and will open August 25. The schedule of films and tickets are available Thursday, August 13.

This will be the company's fourth drive-in theater to open in Texas since March, following locations in Houston and San Antonio.

Rooftop Cinema Club started as a single rooftop in London in 2011 and has now three venues in the UK, plus venues in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, and Houston. The rooftop venues have it pretty good, with state-of-the-art projectors, personal headphones, deck chairs, and blankets.

The Texas drive-ins are not on rooftops. Owner-founder Gerry Cottle says in a statement that they're reviving the tradition of the drive-in to accommodate the desire for socially distanced entertainment. There are more in the works for other U.S. cities.

"The return of this great American institution continues to grow in popularity as we've seen at our other Texas drive-ins," Cottle says. "[These] aren't week-long pop-ups, they are here to stay as long as people need this as a safe escape during this uncertain time."

Hmm, so maybe it'll be month-long pop-ups.

They'll host two screenings per night, seven nights a week, and all ages are welcome.

They'll debut with Grease and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and continue with a mix of modern and classic films geared towards family, friends, or date night.

Family-friendly flicks such as Frozen II and The Sandlot will screen first at around 8 pm. The second screening of the night begins at 11 pm with films such as A Star is Born, Love Jones, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Tickets are as follows:

8 pm: $28 or $35 per vehicle, regardless of occupancy, depending on parking preference – either closer or further from the screen.
10:30-11 pm: $22 and $28, Sunday-Thursday, and $28 or $35 Friday-Saturday, also depending on parking preference.

You can bring your own snacks and drinks, or order concessions, food, and drinks from Rooftop Cinema Club or on-site food truck partners. All orders are made online and guests will be notified for pick up, to avoid time outside their cars. Concession items will include popcorn, candy, and soda.

Cars will enter the venue off North Carroll Avenue, where they’ll greet a 52-foot movie screen, and be ushered to a 10-foot by 15-foot parking space. All vehicles are spaced up to 10 feet apart. Audio can be picked up through local FM stereo in the car, or guests can bring a portable radio.

Safety rules include requirements to follow your usher's directions on where to park, and to watch the movie from within your vehicle, truck bed, or hatchback. Lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and other seating outside the vehicle are not allowed at this time.

Masks, face coverings, and social distancing are required anytime you step outside your car for any reason, whether it's using the restroom or buying snacks.

The schedule of films through September 6 is as follows:

August 25: Grease, Raiders of The Lost Ark
August 26: Sonic The Hedgehog, A Star Is Born
August 27: Selena, Dazed and Confused
August 28: Dirty Dancing, Friday
August 29: Jurassic Park, A Nightmare on Elm Street
August 30: The Little Mermaid, Pulp Fiction
August 31: Frozen II (Community Screening), Love Jones
September 1: Toy Story 4, Poetic Justice
September 2: Shrek, Bohemian Rhapsody
September 3: The Greatest Showman, Grease
September 4: The Lion King (2019), Friday
September 5: Jurassic Park, Texas Chainsaw Massacre
September 6: The Sandlot, Joker

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film 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.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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