Moviegoing in a Pandemic

Alamo Drafthouse lifts the curtain on highly anticipated reopening date in Dallas

Keanu Reeves, William Sadler, and Alex Winter in Bill & Ted Face the Music

Alamo Drafthouse will put on free screenings of Bill & Ted Face the Music as part of its reopening plans.

Photo by Patti Perret/Orion Pictures

Alamo Drafthouse will open almost half of its 41 theaters nationwide starting Friday, August 21, including the Lake Highlands location in Dallas, with special evening screenings on August 20.

The Cedars and Richardson locations will open shortly thereafter on August 24, followed by North Richland Hills and Denton on August 25, and Las Colinas on August 26.

One of the first new films on deck will be Bill & Ted Face the Music, which is scheduled to open on August 28. Tickets are now on sale for that film, as well as The New Mutants (opening August 28). The theater will soon offer tickets for Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which is scheduled to open on September 3.

The reopening will also feature two repertory programs: Making Up for Lost Time, featuring movies like Inception, Back to the Future, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Donnie Darko, and Edge of Tomorrow; and Masks!, a cheeky acknowledgment of our current reality, featuring movies like Batman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Set It Off, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Mask of Zorro, and The Silence of the Lambs.

If you'd rather not share a theater with anyone you don't know, Alamo recently launched “Your Own Private Alamo,” an option to rent a personal theater starting at $150. More information can be found at drafthouse.com/personal-theater. Alamo will also continue to offer films for rental or purchase at home through Alamo On Demand, including Bill & Ted Face the Music.

In a post published on June 24, Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League laid out the movie theater chain's plans to keep moviegoers and staff safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, promising to enact policies that will make the locations “safer than a supermarket.”

"We intend to make it so that you can leave your car, make it to your seat, enjoy your food and drinks, and be able to leave having never come within six feet of another person other than when your order is delivered," said League in the post.

The measures Alamo is putting into place include sanitizing chairs and tables with an electrostatic fogger and disinfectant between screenings; limited capacity at each screening, with at least two buffer seats between groups; a face mask requirement for all staff and guests (masks will be provided for free if needed); and all online ordering of tickets and food.

Unlike normal operations, anyone who wants to order food must do so online when they purchase their tickets. Drink and popcorn refills will be done via the usual order card system, but otherwise, interactions with staff will be kept to a minimum.

Fans can go to drafthouse.com/welcomeback for full information on Alamo Drafthouse's reopening plans.

movies

Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife