Fantastic Fest 2014

Fantastic Fest 2014 Venue Guide

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Since Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and The Highball just reopened, I figured it was a good time to revisit the Slackerwood listings for these venues for Fantastic Fest.

As you probably already know, Fantastic Fest screenings take place almost entirely at Alamo South Lamar. Some of the events are in the theaters, some are in The Highball, and a couple may be offsite (I don't know where Fantastic Debates is this year, for example).

I've also included The Marchesa since MondoCon will take place there over the weekend. Shuttle buses are available to drive attendees of both fests back and forth between the two venues. It's not a short ride: 7-8 miles (depending on your route) and around 20 minutes if there's no traffic.

Alamo Drafthouse -- South Lamar

Address: 
1120 South Lamar Blvd., Austin TX 78701
Phone: 
512-476-1320

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Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar reopened in August 2014 after a major remodeling of the strip mall in which it was located -- which is currently a giant mass of construction surrounding the theater. However, the Drafthouse and its adjoining parking garage are completely done and available. Alamo South Lamar is a popular location for many local film festivals.

Right now, the rest of the development is still under construction. The theater and bar look great but they're surrounded by a lot of chain-link fence and during the day, large machinery.

Pros: It's an Alamo Drafthouse, so the audience is generally well behaved (put up a flag if it's not). And of course you can enjoy food and a variety of beverages with your movie. Seating is reserved.

Cons: It's popular, so order your tickets online if you can. The garage can get really warm -- Don jokes that it's the oven for the theater's kitchen. The outdoor patio is gone, and there's really nowhere comfortable to sit outside the theater.

Screens and Capacity: Nine theaters with stadium seating, varying in size from 46 seats to 198, all with Sony 4K digital but still capable of showing 35mm films (#1 and #2 seat 46, #3: 63, #4 and 5: 198, #6 and #9: 126, #7 and #8: 86).

Parking: Park in the adjacent garage, which you can (and should) access from Treadwell. If it's full, be careful about parking in the neighborhood -- most of the streets are now permit-parking only.

Distance: You can't walk to downtown movie theaters (or bars) unless you're into serious hiking, but you can take a bus or find a friendly Austinite with a car. A cab from the theater to downtown isn't expensive, but taxis are unlikely to hang around, so be prepared to phone. Make sure the cab service has your name so they won't drive off with some other film geek.

On-site dining options: South Lamar has a full bar and dinner menu, with a brunch option early on weekends and special occasions. You can view the regular menu and current specials on the South Lamar menu. Whether you're vegan or need more meat on your fries, you can always try hacking the menu.

Nearby dining options: The Highball is immediately adjacent to the theater -- in fact, there's a door connecting them now. You can get small plates and a few entrees. Other nearby options:

  • Walking distance: Luke's Inside Out trailer right across the street for griddled sandwiches; Verts for cheap and filling kepabs (German sandwiches with kebab fillings); Odd Duck for fancy-ish small plates; Uchi for trendy spendy sushi.
  • A short drive: Kerbey Lane is open 24 hours and has great pancakes and burgers; Barton Springs has a whole row of restaurants including Green Mesquite (bbq), Chuy's (Tex-Mex) and Shady Grove (chili cheese fries!); the flagship Whole Foods at Lamar and 6th has a lot of prepared foods available, including made-to-order sandwiches, and is a great stop for vegetarians and vegans. And if all fails, there's always Taco Cabana.

Coffee (and wireless) break: About two blocks further south down Lamar (away from downtown), you'll find a Starbucks in a strip mall across the street from Saxon Pub. Further than a walk, drive north to Barton Springs Road, then turn right to Austin Java.

[Photo credit: Alamo South Lamar by Mike Saulters, all rights reserved.]

Marchesa Hall and Theatre

Address: 
6226 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin TX 78752
Phone: 
(512) 454-2000

Marchesa exterior and marquee

The Marchesa, near Highland Mall in central Austin, is a single-screen theater where Austin Film Society hosts most of their screenings. There's also space for other events, so you can still catch movies here while Blue Genie is going on, for example. Old-school Austinites will recognize the location as the old Lincoln Village theater. The theater shows both digital and 35mm prints. AFS has done a superb job of decorating the lobby area with movie posters and sleeves from soundtrack albums.

Pros: The location is fairly central and not difficult for most Austinites to reach. It's a nice theater experience -- not plushy and fancy, but fairly comfortable and intimate. The lobby is spacious and terrific for socializing before and after, with drinks and snacks available (fairly affordable by theater standards).

Cons: For film festivals, the one difficulty is that it's not downtown, and hard to get to without a car/taxi. The seats aren't on much of a rise so short people may want to favor the aisles (it's better than the Paramount, though, in terms of rise). You may get annoyed by the parking lot.

Screens and capacity: This single-screen theater seats 278.

Parking: Parking is free. There's a parking lot around the theater with plenty of parking, but be warned that it's tightly set up and, well, weird. Park off to the side near adjacent buildings for a little less stress.

Distance: It's about 5 miles away from downtown Austin. If you've got a bicycle, you could take MetroRail from ACC to the Highland Mall station and cycle over to the theater, but it's too far for a walk.

On-site food options: Concessions are available, including a full bar.

Nearby dining options: The best restaurant nearby may be Quality Seafood on Airport just south of Koenig. Another good nearby option is the Arpeggio Grill on Airport going toward N. Lamar.

[Photo courtesy of Austin Film Society.]

The Highball

Address: 
1120 South Lamar Blvd., Austin TX 78701
Phone: 
(512) 383-8309

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The Highball is owned by Alamo Drafthouse founders Tim and Karrie League, and features a very Alamo/Austin slate of entertainment options, including karaoke. It also includes a snack and dinner menu and a full bar. The bar is adjacent to Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, and was recently moved/rebuilt. (The old bowling alley materials serve as the flooring for the new bar, as you can see above.)

Strictly speaking, The Highball rarely shows movies, but is frequently used for afterparties for films shown at Alamo South Lamar, film fundraisers, movie trivia events and other movie-themed parties. It also hosts many Fantastic Fest events.

Pros: It's connected to Alamo South Lamar, and a nice place to get a pre-movie or post-movie drink, snack or full meal. You can even bring your drink into the theater. The themed karaoke rooms look amazing.

Cons: The Highball can get very crowded during dinnertime and late at night, and it's very difficult to hear people sitting next to you.

Parking: Park in the adjacent garage, which you can (and should) access from Treadwell. It's fairly spacious. If you absolutely must park on the street near the theater, be respectful of the neighborhood.

Distance: You can't walk to downtown movie theaters from here unless you're into serious hiking, but you can take a bus or find a friendly Austinite with a car. A cab from the theater to downtown isn't expensive, but they're unlikely to hang around the parking lot, so be prepared to phone.

On-side food and beverages: The Highball has a snazzy cocktail menu as well as a number of beers on tap, some small plates and appetizers and a few entrees. The small plates and entrees are often a little lighter and healthier than the Alamo Drafthouse selections.

Nearby dining options: See the Alamo South Lamar listing for a list of places to eat both in walking distance and a short drive away.

Coffee (and wireless) break: About two blocks further south down Lamar (away from downtown), you'll find a Starbucks in a strip mall across the street from Saxon Pub, next to A-OK Chinese. Further than a walk, drive north to Barton Springs Road, then turn right to Austin Java.

[Photo credit: "The Highball" by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Used under blanket permission agreement.]

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