Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Comes To St. Louis
Plus, non-spoiler reviews of M. Night Shyamalan's latest!
As theatrical moviegoing has declined and changed over the last several years, many theater chains have elevated their offerings to make the cinema a special high-end experience for movie lovers. Perhaps no nationwide chain has done this better than Alamo Drafthouse. Late in 2022, Alamo finally opened a location in St. Louis, so you know Do You Like Apples had to check it out. While we’ve been to the new Alamo a few times already, we ventured out together to a Monday night screening of M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin this week. Here are our thoughts on the Alamo experience, as well as non-spoiler mini-reviews of the film.
Ambience and design
Drew: Each Alamo location has a theme and absurdist comedy was chosen for St. Louis. Cinephiles can wander the halls outside of the theater rooms marveling at the posters for comedy classics like The Big Lebowski, The Blues Brothers, and Beetlejuice, including sick foreign-language posters for National Lampoon’s Vacation, Airplane!, and more. This theme and design creates an accessible and fun-loving atmosphere for just about any movie lover. It made me want to seek out the absurd comedies that I haven’t seen yet. Plus, there are clever little easter eggs like the The Shining-inspired entryway rug!
Theater experience
Billy: We were lucky enough to see our movie in “The Big Show” theater. The state-of-the-art theater is full of recliners with the biggest screen and best sound. Alamo being Alamo means that there are waiters walking around taking orders for their amazing drink selection and premier theater food. What could be a distraction fades into the background quickly and the staff is doing everything possible as to not interrupt the movie.
Food and drink
Drew: It’s not called a drafthouse for nothing. Right after you walk in, you see the impressive, gleaming bar area called “The Meaning of Bar” (a Monty Python reference). The wall under the bar is adorned with random and obscure VHS covers. With about 30 beers on tap, there’s a brew for everyone, including about half from local breweries. They also have excellent specialty cocktails (I recommend the Italian 75, which paired well with a screening of Babylon), wine, boozy shakes, and more. Alamo also has movie-inspired menu items, such as the Royale with Cheese (Pulp Fiction) and limited-time food and drink options for new movies like the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
If you don’t have time for a drink at the bar, the nice thing about Alamo is that you can order directly from your seat by writing down your order and pushing a button. A server will come by to grab your ticket and then bring you your food and/or drink. I haven’t tried any of the food yet, but it looks (and smells) delicious. The menu prices are not necessarily higher than other theater chains, but be prepared to pay a small extra tax (for servers and kitchen staff) on top of a normal tip.
Programming and features
Billy: Alamo Drafthouse is trying its damndest to make the movie theater experience elite. Offering the big box office smashes without forcing out indie, foreign, and classic movie showings. For example, that same day we saw Knock at the Cabin, there was an offering of Triangle of Sadness, Infinity Pool, or Boyz in the Hood. Every night of the week seems to have similar options with an impressive knack for catering to all interests. Will be back again and just want to see it all!
Mini-reviews (no spoilers): Knock at the Cabin
Drew: I’ve been really fascinated by this stage of M. Night Shyamalan’s career, where he makes modestly budgeted and very contained thrillers. With Knock at the Cabin, the former wunderkind filmmaker delivers one of his better efforts in this home-invasion suspense story with apocalyptic implications. Shyamalan has always had a preternatural feel for how to move the camera and frame a shot, but you can really see his decades of experience honing this skill used to unsettling and purposeful effect in a remote cabin thriller like this. And his casting is on point here as well, which is often what separates good and bad Shyamalan. Dave Bautista’s size and sensitivity is deployed tremendously, and Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge are convincing and outstanding as the central couple. The third act problems that plague other promising Shyamalan films (like 2021’s Old) don’t rear their ugly head this time. Instead, we get an emotionally satisfying conclusion to an earnest story about building and protecting a family, unthinkable sacrifice, and extraordinary acts of love by ordinary people. - 3.5 / 5 Apples
READ: Director Spotlight: M. Night Shyamalan
Billy: M. Night loves to reveal tragedy in the form of a newscast. Works amazing in Signs, horrible in The Happening, and fine in this. That is just a snapshot of what makes him such a polarizing filmmaker. Sticks to what he knows and likes for better or worse. What do I like? The way he rocks me to sleep with the way he moves the camera. He is one of the most obvious proponents of using the camera to enhance the story. Varying results, but always is trying to make a scene more gripping with his tricks. What I don’t like? The way he creates such a large variance for how the performances land. Dave Bautista knocks it out of the park and is consistent in this world. What could have been too striking of a figure in this play-like story is immersed naturally into its environment. Whereas Nikki Amuka-Bird as Sabrina is either subject to lesser dialogue that is inhibiting her performance or can’t deliver the often caricaturistic nature of Shyamalan’s writing habits convincingly. I will be in the theater every time for a Shyamalan movie and thankfully this is one of his better ones. Top 5 M. Night. 3 / 5 Apples