Robert Luke - The Austinot

Gallery Black Lagoon Is Home to Art and Yoga

June 10, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Gallery Black Lagoon at 4301 Guadalupe

Since at least the 1960s, Hyde Park has been considered Austin’s hip and cool neighborhood.

Lately, whenever I plan a Friday night, consider my options, and notice what’s going on in Hyde Park, I start to wonder why it’s not considered the Arts District. Being just north of “the Drag,” this neighborhood houses many wine bars and art galleries. Among one of those galleries is the really cool Gallery Black Lagoon.

For those who remember The Movie Store, that space has since been purchased by Gallery Black Lagoon owners Singer Mayberry and her husband, David Lujan. After almost four years of growth, the gallery offers yoga classes, monthly gallery opening shows, and even services for artists featured in shows. [Read more…]

Now Playing: Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

May 27, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Marquee at The Paramount Theatre

For the past 99 years, Austinites have enjoyed having The Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue. When it first opened in 1915, it was called The Majestic Theatre.

When I was a kid, The Paramount presented a lot of kid-friendly plays that my parents and elementary school took me to all the time. I had always heard that it “used to” be a movie theater. What I didn’t understand then was that the venue hosted many types of shows, including plays, musical acts, cinema, and even Vaudeville in its early days.

One of the earliest memories I have of the theater was when my dad took me to see the entire Star Wars trilogy in one sitting. Today, The Paramount Theatre continues to show classic cinema favorites through its Paramount Summer Classic Film Series, allowing other Austinites to make memories of their own. [Read more…]

Date Night with Austin Lyric Opera

May 13, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Austin Lyric Opera at The Long Center

The Long Center has been home to many types of events in Austin. Many of you may have visited for a live music show, play or even stand-up comedy.

The largest auditorium at The Long Center, the Michael and Susan Dell Hall, also hosts performances by Austin Lyric Opera.

Earlier this month, Austin Lyric Opera put on Gaetano Donizetti’s romantic comedy, Elixir of Love. It’s a story about a simple peasant, Nemorino, who tries to win the affection of the beautiful Adina by drinking the “elixir of love.” In actuality, this elixir is a cheap wine Nemorino purchased from a fake, traveling doctor. This hilarious comedy starred Austin Lyric Opera’s Sara Gartland, Rene Barbera, and Kelly Markgraf.

Nemorino declares his love for Adina

[Read more…]

Diverse Film Screenings and Events Held at Marchesa Hall and Theatre

May 2, 2014 by Robert Luke 1 Comment

The exterior of Marchesa Hall and Theatre

As a native Austinite, I have a lot of memories of going to the Lincoln Village Theater when I was a kid. The last movie I remember seeing in that theater’s era was Star Trek First Contact in 1997.

Austin has changed in a lot of different ways since then. Within that time, the shopping center has been purchased by private owners and rebranded as The Linc. The movie theater in particular is now called The Marchesa Hall and Theatre.

When you walk into The Marchesa, it’s like walking into a movie museum. The walls are decorated with old film posters, as well as record covers of vintage soundtracks. Partnered with the Austin Film Society, this venue has a 280-seat theater, equipped with Dolby surround sound and projectors for both 35MM and the currently used DCP. While these specs are pretty standard for a multiplex, they’re more unique for [Read more…]

Mondo Gallery Creates Limited Edition Posters for Cinephiles

April 3, 2014 by Robert Luke 2 Comments

Mondo gallery creates limited edition film posters that sell out online in less than a minute

This guest blog article is by Robert Luke.

Austin is notorious for being a movie town. Any given week, a TV or film production is happening somewhere in town. Additionally, between all of the film festivals, Austin Film Society, and Alamo Drafthouse, there is always a fun movie event to attend, whether you’re a hardcore cinephile or an average moviegoer.

Alamo Drafthouse has had such an impact on the film-watching community that there are multiple people who claim they moved to Austin just because of the Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest. Mondo Gallery is yet another local phenomenon that has spawned from Austin’s love of film.

Originally, back when Alamo Drafthouse was located on Colorado Street (where Haven currently resides), before the move to South Lamar, it had a small t-shirt stand called Mondo Tees. During that time, Mondo Tees began to sell creative, licensed posters to various film screenings, creating a rabid fan base among movie collectors and graphic design enthusiasts. [Read more…]

Emerald Tavern: Part Tabletop Gaming Hangout, Part Beer and Coffee Bar

February 6, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Emerald Tavern is located at 9012 Research Blvd.

In the last few years, the North Cross area of town has become more and more exciting and lively. One of the newest additions to the neighborhood is Emerald Tavern. It’s not just another coffee shop and bar because it’s also a store and hangout for tabletop gamers.

Opened in October 2013, Emerald Tavern features a unique and relaxing atmosphere for gamers and anyone else who wants to sit down and have a drink. Owners Marshall Geyer and Erich Weidner “really wanted to recreate something that we do every weekend that we love: games, beer, food, coffee. Something we would do with our friends,” explained Geyer. “There are a lot of game stores in town. There are a lot of places to go drink in town. But there aren’t a lot of places that are friendly to do both at the same time.”

The atmosphere at Emerald Tavern is quite comforting as you walk in. It’s decorated in an English tavern style with a beer selection to your left and a game selection to your right, while being audibly blanketed with music from your favorite film and video game scores. [Read more…]

Costumed Figures Appear This Weekend for Austin Comic Con 2013

November 18, 2013 by Robert Luke 1 Comment

Batman has returned to Austin Comic Con

This guest article is by Robert Luke.

There are probably few people out there who never once fantasized about beaming into space, flying through the air, or at least wearing a cool superhero outfit.

This weekend you can fulfill at least one of those goals at Wizard World’s Austin Comic Con, which will be taking place November 22-24th at the Austin Convention Center. The three-day event is guaranteed to be awesome, celebrating not just comic books, but pop culture in general.

For those who have never been to a comic book convention before, you can have so much fun getting a chance to meet some of your favorite pop culture stars, checking out some of the vendors’ tables, or just people-watching. [Read more…]

Guide to the 20th Annual Austin Film Festival, Starting This Week

October 22, 2013 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Austin Film Festival screening at The Paramount

October is upon us! Fall is in the air and maybe, just maybe, you can comfortably wear a jacket at night. Most of the world looks forward to the end of October because of Halloween. But in Austin, many of us look forward to the Austin Film Festival!

The Austin Film Festival is an annual film festival and conference that occurs at the end of October at different theaters and venues in downtown Austin. Currently in its 20th year, the event specializes in being the festival for screenwriters. Not only does Austin Film Festival feature many different films from around the world, it also hosts extremely memorable panels, as well as pitch competitions. So if you’re a budding screenwriter (like me) or if you happen to have that one script hiding under your seat, this is the festival to go to. [Read more…]

A Fantastic Time at Austin’s Fantastic Fest

October 4, 2013 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Fantastic Fest is home to lovers of science fiction, cult and horror films (Photo credit: Jack Plunkett)

This guest blog article is by Robert Luke.

The newest Alamo Drafthouse location lies past the northwest, intersecting highways that precede the Lakeline area. Last week, that theater hosted the infamous Fantastic Fest. For the uninitiated, Fantastic Fest is an annual, ten-day film festival specializing in acclaimed science fiction, cult, and horror films from all over the world.

But the films are only half the fun. When the film geeks, movie stars and film makers are not sitting in a theater, the entire site is one insane, geeky party, featuring debates (with boxing matches), karaoke, and dunking tanks. [Read more…]

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