Best Cinevations

Dobie Theatre

One of the last of the independent movie theatres, Dobie is the only commercial, off-campus venue that's still programmed locally rather than by a national theatre chain. Owner/manager Scott Dinger not only schedules a broad range of popular and offbeat fare, but he also maintains a theatre that seeks out ways to innovate the movie-going experience. It begins with the sofa-lined lobby, the rotating local art displays on the walls, and the unique selection of concession stand goodies. Beyond these are more subtle things, like this year's successful creation of Cafe Cinema, a Sunday morning public preview screening with coffee and croissants included in the admission cost. Special festival programming has long had a home at the Dobie: witness the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the Brazen Images Women's Festival, and one-off events like the recent Drive-In series and numerous Austin Film Society screenings. Moreover, the theatre has always been a friend to experimental projects like Dick Price's silent movie presentations with live, original accompaniments, or screening Slacker back when it was just a local project without a distributor or national reputation. For all that Dobie does, we can think of no better term than "cinevative."