DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Winning the hearts of movie lovers in an age of endless streaming options and high-def home theater might be hard these days, but the folks at Alamo Drafthouse L.A. think they've got it covered.

Located at The Bloc in DTLA, the Texas-based theater chain threw L.A. cinephiles a grand opening party to whet their appetite for the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema brand of movie-going experience. 

Anam Syed is very passionate about movies, and as marketing director for Alamo Drafthouse L.A., she says she has found a community of fellow cinephiles. 

“For cinema lovers, by cinema lovers,” is how Syed described Alamo Drafthouse L.A.

“The thing that we offer is experience. Once you walk around and you see it’s just immediately like this big, interactive overload of all things movies for film fans, for film lovers, for everybody.” 

State-of-the-art presentation in both digital and 35 mm are only the beginning. There is plenty of movie tie-in merchandise, ample artisanal food and drink, and an 80’s throwback video game arcade area known as the “Video Vortex.”

There is even a free video rental section and the staff is more than happy to chat about movies and make recommendations. 

Here, movies are put on a pedestal and a strict distraction-free/no cell phone policy is enforced at all times. Even the waiters who serve patrons in-theater are trained to be invisible. 

“The 'server ninjas' is what we like to call them,” said Syed. “And they stealthily pick [your order] up, and then bring [the food] back to you.“

If you're thirsty, there are 48 varieties of beer on tap and movie-themed cocktails, like the “True Grit”--which is an amalgamated homage to Jeff Bridge’s Big Lebowski and True Grit roles (ie. a white Russian made with bourbon)--are a playful way to get some pre-show drinking done. 

Cara Mandel is one of tonight's guests and a self-confessed film geek. She said she loves Alamo for creating a clubhouse feel for movie lovers. 

“This Drafthouse is legit,” said Mandel. “I will say, it's a very different vibe than [the Alamo Drafthouse] in Austin, but in a very cool, L.A. way. They kind of took the ethos of the L.A. scene and melded it with the ethos of the Drafthouse brand. It's definitely a place for film lovers. But, also, if you just want to hang out and play board games, you can.”

I asked if the theater’s zero-tolerance policy for in-theaters cell phone usage was a hard sell. 

“People were like, ‘Oh, you're never going to get people in L.A. to stay off their phones,” said Syed. “But people are actually very excited to not be on their phones.”

While the Alamo Drafthouse L.A. has only been open a short while, it is already a welcome addition to DTLA’s growing community of die-hard movie fans.