Short Cuts

Birth of a(n Alamo) Nation Dept.: Rumors of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's supersecret plan for global domination via an unstoppable army of automaton Crispin Hellion Glovers have been scotched in favor of the more traditional avenue of franchising -- just two weeks after the local theatre chain's online announcement of a new venue at the Lake Creek Festival Mall, a second celluloid bombshell dropped with the news that a fourth Alamo will be opening in Houston (the Alamo West Oaks). Both theatres are scheduled to open in late May. "We had been considering some level of expansion for quite a while," said Tim League, who co-owns the nascent chain with wife Karrie, "and we had thought about Houston a number of times, but the right opportunity hadn't arrived." That changed, said League, when a "father and son" team from H-Town hit them up with the proposition to open a franchise-based Alamo down southways. "We've got them up and running, we've given them all of our systems, our programming assistance, and we've overseen the construction of the building," adds League. Both the Lakeline and the Houston venues are slated for more mainstream fare than the Alamo Downtown, which has made a national name for itself via an eclectic and unique mix of programming that focuses on specialized screenings such as the recent Udo Kier weekend and last Sunday's premiere of cult actor/director/author Crispin Hellion Glover's Willard remake (see left). When asked if this sudden burst of expansion means eventual Alamos outside of the Lone Star State, League says it's possible, adding, "We're going to see how the whole process goes with Houston before we take over the rest of the free world."