Best Movie Theater

This lovely movie palace -- really, it has to be described that way -- is an antique in a city that doesn't normally cherish old things. Built in 1939, it's the only theater in town that's gotten its very own mayoral proclamation. (River Oaks Theatre Day was March 26, 2000, in case you forgot to celebrate.) Its memorable red art deco marquee lights up the West Gray strip, and its three theaters show the current hits as well as underground art-house features and foreign films you won't find anyplace else. If you're looking for something even more offbeat, check the place out on weekends at midnight, when everything from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink to Spike and Mike's Twisted Festival of Animationgraces the silver screen. When you toss in the stellar snack bar and the fact that River Oaks hosts Houston's annual Academy Awards-watching party, there's simply no way any other theater can compete.