Angelika Film Center Closes, Movie Pickings Get Even Slimmer

This is no use now

Anyone trying to take in a movie at the downtown Angelika this weekend got a surprise -- it's shuttered.

The doors and windows were blocked with brown paper, and a note informed moviegoers the place was gone, baby, gone.

"After 13 years of continuous service to the Houston community, the Angelika's lease has been terminated by the Angelika's landlord, Bayou Place Limited Partnership, an affiliate of the Cordish Company," the note said.

The Angelika has been home to many movies that otherwise would not get seen in Houston, indies and foreign films that didn't get picked up by the River Oaks Theater.

It also was the scene of a huge Sex and the City party when that first film opened, as we discovered to our horror when we attended a different movie there that night.

The Angelika's note said nothing about opening up elsewhere in Houston.

"The management and staff of the Angelika Film Center have enjoyed being an important part of Houston's Theater District and we leave Bayou Place with the greatest appreciation to all those who have supported the Angelika for so many years," it said.

Greenway Plaza closed a few years ago, and the River Oaks is fighting a losing battle to keep from being turned into an Abercrombie & Fitch or something like that. There's the MFAH, of course, and Domy Books shows films, but it's still a big loss.