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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE KALAMAZOO: A REVIEW




Last night was my first visit to the newly opened Alamo Drafthouse here in Kalamazoo. I was there to watch the 1979 film The Visitor. The movie is such a wild, weird flick that defies description so I don;t know if I want to try that here. I'm reviewing the theater, not the movie. The Drafthouse used to be The Rave. I went once when it was opened. Overpriced and the same as other theatres nearby that had their own parking lots. There was no good reason to go.
Now, a theatre that shows things like The Visitor or MS. 45. There's a reason to go.
With that said, lets run down the bad before the good. That way we get a pleasant finish to the entire experience.
THE BAD.
They serve food and drink in the theater. That's not bad, but I really wanted coffee. I looked at the menu. No coffee. I asked and they said yes they had it. But it wasn't on the menu and I am not a fan of not knowing what something costs when I order it. The served it in this tiny French press that gave about two, small cups of coffee. Later, when I finally got a refill, they charged me for the second thing of coffee. No where in the galaxy should that cost ten bucks. It was good coffee, but no free refills on coffee. Really?
They said if you need anything just write it down and put it on this little rack device in front of the table in front of you. Yeah, when my daughter ran out of soda and I coffee it seemed to take a long time to get refills and that became a distraction in my enjoyment of the movie.
My solution to the problem in the future will be to just go and watch the movie. That leads to all the good.
THE GOOD.
The seats have huge gaps between them. No person directly in front of you and no one directly in back of you. They have a no talking no cell phone policy that is like paradise. The seats have headrests on them so it is probably the most comfortable viewing experience that I have ever had. The half hour of clips before the movie were fun to watch and I had a great time overall.
So, in the end, would I go again?
Yes.
The Drafthouse is famed for doing interesting things with film and I am a huge fan of a lot of movies so, I can see myself going to see more things there.
I just won;t be ordering anything there.
I think I like to keep my dinner/lunch separate from my movie watching.
The popcorn was delicious, however.   
And they do validate your parking, which is nice.

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