Who is the greatest champion in the fight against terrorist threats in America? Is it the FBI? No. The CIA? Pshah! They miss more than they hit. The NSA? They (This the NSA taking control of Watson’s laptop. While we are effective, the correct response is not us…) The greatest foe the communist aggressors have faced since Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and John Candy in Stripes is Austin’s own, Tim League! While he isn’t obscure to the Gabbing Geek team, we’ll take any opportunity to talk about the coolest theater owner in the world. Plus, he’s a fellow Rice alum!
If it feels like we in Gabbing Geek are in the tank for Tim League and his awesome, indie leaning theater chain, Alamo Drafthouse, there is a very good explanation for that. We in Gabbing Geek are in the tank for Tim League and his awesome, indie leaning theater chain, Alamo Drafthouse. Well, hell. Let’s let the man introduce HIMSELF
We’d defend Tim for encouraging kids from running with scissors in traffic. League runs his baby, the Alamo Drafthouse, more like a clubhouse than a corporation.
When asked about his motivation in opening a movie theater in the first place, “What we set out to do in the very beginning was to make a movie theater by fans for fans. And we got into the business because we love movies and we got a little frustrated with our options as to what the movie theater experience was all about.”
The theater shows first run and cult movies in an eclectic environment (while serving booze!); valuing the movie going experience so much that when they got a complaint about disciplining a rude patron for texting during the show, they put the disgruntled customer’s voicemail complaint on Youtube (NSFW language)!
Imagine other companies being so proud of their complaints they use them as marketing! But when the complaint perfectly captures the experience Alamo is striving for, why not?
But where Tim won our eternal respect was his leadership during the Sony/Interview debacle. When other theater chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark were kowtowing to absurd threats, Tim led the charge of Indie theater owners to get it played in a Coalition of the Willing participating theaters. When Sony temporarily pulled the Interview, Alamo decided to run Team America in its place. Take THAT Communists!
We were already big fans before his foray into international diplomacy! Look we’d like to say it was his battle with Communist North Korea, but a man who regularly hosts a Clue Quote-a-long knows that Communism was just a red herring! The guy is just cool!
Gabbing Geek 