August 2024 Monthly Adventures Series
The Paramount Theater in Downtown Austin hosts an annual Summer Classic Film Series where they show classic movies across a variety of genres all summer long. It's a surprisingly affordable and unique experience watching classic movies in an historic theater. With a mix of movies for all types of audiences, this is the perfect summertime activity to enjoy indoors either solo or with others.
Background
I love the experience of going to a movie theater more than actually watching the movie. It's fun to see what makes each movie theater stand out from others. Food, customer service, available screenings, screen size, and chair comfort are just some of the components that I pay attention to when visiting a movie theater for the first time. The Paramount Theater is a place that I had passed by a lot through the years and sort of knew what it was about, but I hadn't taken the time to visit until this month. I knew about the Paramount Theater Summer Classic Film Series because one year they were showing Casablanca (1942) and I considered going. I decided that I was going to make time to finally visit the Paramount Theater and went to a screening of Set It Off (1996) on 35MM on a Tuesday night after work.
Getting to The Paramount Theater and Parking
The Paramount Theater is located in the heart of Downtown Austin, so that means parking is limited. Rideshare, taxi or bus are recommended transportation methods for getting to the Paramount Theater. If you have to drive or prefer to drive (I drove myself there), you can park in a garage that's about a block away. The team at the Paramount Theater worked out a special deal with the owners of the parking garage so that theater-goers can purchase a $5 parking voucher from the box office or the bar! Parking that cheap in the downtown area is hard to come by which makes this is a great deal!
Note: That parking garage has a very low clearance and is very narrow. I strongly suggest only using the parking garage if you have a more compact vehicle.
Paramount Theater Summer Classic Film Series Experience
Walking up to the Paramount Theater is quite the eye-catching moment. The classic theater sign hangs off the side of the building with bright light bulbs and an old school marquee with a box office out front. Upon entering the Paramount Theater, there is a security team doing bag checks as you walk into the lobby and to see the deep red carpet. To the left, there is a small table with merch for sale which included posters for the Summer Classic Film Series. On the right side of the lobby is a small bar with snacks and drinks available for purchase. I ordered a small popcorn, a bottle of sweet tea, and a $5 parking voucher. In total, I spent about $15 on those items. Plus my $12 movie ticket, I spent less than $30 on this movie theater experience!
As I walked into the theater, I was greeted by the staff working the event that evening and they gave me a sheet with the Set It Off film notes that were written by Christina L. Bryant from the Paramount & State Theaters. The Paramount Theater has an open seating policy, so arriving early is recommended by the theater. I didn't arrive super early, but I got there early enough to find a cozy spot to settle into with a few minutes to spare before the movie was set to start.
The audience was small and a few more people trickled in soon after I found a seat. I took in the view of the theater with its beautiful red curtains on stage and balcony seating above -- like the kind you would imagine in an old theater. After quickly reading through the film notes, one of the Paramount Theater staff walked onto the stage to briefly introduce the film. He summarized details from the show notes, provided additional context on the significance of this Blassic film, and read some reviews to highlight how some movie critics really didn't know how to critique Set It Off. After the movie was introduced, it was time to roll the tape!
Wrap-Up
Anyone that has watched Set It Off (1996) before may be wondering why I would watching a rather sad movie on a Tuesday night alone. I opted for Set It Off because I wanted to support the Paramount Theater showing a Black movie during the Summer Classic Film Series. I had seen the movie in the past and knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Like I said, I'm more interested in the experience of being at a movie theater than solely focusing on watching the movie. However, Set It Off is a good movie and the soundtrack is amazing! It covers a lot topics and spotlights a variety of real-life issues through the characters and the cast just makes everything feel authentic. I'm not a movie critic by any means and I don't try to be, but Set It Off is a movie that I would recommend!
There's still time to check out the Paramount Theater 50th Annual Summer Classic Film Series. They have movies running through Labor Day weekend. Take a look at the schedule, pick a movie to go see, and enjoy! On to my next adventure!
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