Yes, there are more movies to talk about (and festivals)
September 22, 2006, 6:55 am
Filed under:
AL,
art,
B'ham social events,
Batman,
Birmingham Alabama,
Birmingham Jaycees,
Birmingham, AL,
Independent Film,
large-scale urban game,
Movies,
New York,
Sidewalk,
street festivals,
technology,
urban reversi
We’ve already mentioned all the cinematic options available to locals and visitors (hello!) alike in town this weekend. Well, there are two more things to point out this morning. First of all, it luckily did not get cold until late last night, so those that were able to make it out to Movies by Moonlight enjoyed great weather and a great treat: Napoleon Dynamite. The winner of the viewer’s choice vote was announced as well; this film will be shown in October as the last feature of this year’s series. And the winner was quite appropriate indeed when you think about it…The Empire Strikes Back! Early reports are saying that costumes will be encouraged, just in time for Halloween. The Birmingham Jaycees will also have a table at next month’s event, giving away two tickets to the return of their Haunted House in Lakeview. The house will provide funds to do community service activities through 2007 and the end of 2006 for the civic organization.
“Dynamite’s” producer is also brought this year’s opening film for Sidewalk to fruition. If you have a chance to get a ticket and can’t get in to see Batman Begins at McWane, check out The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang tonight at the Alabama Theatre. (Don’t forget Urban Reversi tomorrow morning! They’re meeting at the Harbert Center) They had a great time running the game last weekend in Williamsburg.
You might also want to check out the competitive film slate using the button off to the left.
You many also notice a venue along 3rd Avenue North that has a slightly more localized flare. The Cakewalk Film Festival makes its appearance this weekend in downtown Birmingham. This festival also hopes to do more to help local filmmakers, as is Sidewalk’s primary goal. We’ll have to wait and see what the effect of having two festivals at the same time will have on downtown… wait a sec… we’ll actually have four festivals going on at the same time. Let’s not forget about the Greek Festival on Southside and the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival primarily located at the Carver Theater. It’s getting more like NYC all the time (better to have too many options than too few).
A visit to the House that Ruth built, after lunch.
Cheers.
The Ticker: Films fill the fall air with dreams this weekend in the Magic City
September 21, 2006, 6:13 am
Filed under:
AL,
art,
B'ham social events,
Batman,
Birmingham Alabama,
Birmingham, AL,
Cities,
imax,
Independent Film,
McWane Center,
Movies,
Napoleon Dynamite,
outdoor films,
Sidewalk,
Superman,
The Polar Express,
The Ticker,
urban issues
The day back from a trip is always quite long, providing insight into your world in a truer way. You almost feel like an outsider during the first 36-48 hours while you return to normal. Luckily, there are several things to do this weekend to assist with that transition.
Napoleon Dynamite in Linn Park
First of all, there will be a crowd of people watching Napoleon Dynamite in Linn Park as part of Movies by Moonlight this evening. It will be a chilly one, so bring out a blanket (or two) for the film. This will also be the last chance to vote for the viewer’s choice film to be shown in October. I’m hoping some of you will vote for Monty Python and The Holy Grail (I can hope, can’t I?). The film starts at 7:15 p.m. since the sun’s setting earlier now, meaning that you’ll get home early to rest up for the rest of the action.
Friday begins the Caped Crusader’s engagement at McWane Center
We posted in May about McWane Center’s announcements of additional amenities for the community, including WiFi access and feature length films to be shown on the domed IMAX screen. Click here to read that particular post. I’d like to thank Tim Ritchie, president of McWane Center, for providing the current list of films that will grace our domed screen downtown during the next few months (and for visiting the blog):
Batman Begins – through October 29
Superman Returns – early November through December 9
The Polar Express – end of November through the holiday season
It’s a great venue with providing a great additional activity to residents of the region, as we’ve mentioned before. The more we come out and support it, the more that may stem from it. Films run Thursday – Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. Click here to check back and learn more about the various offerings and exhibits.
Oh yeah, there’s Sidewalk too!
Of course, there’s a film festival taking place in town this weekend; Sidewalk starts its 8th year of bringing indie film to the Magic City. We’ve got a listing posted providing links to the competitive film and documentary films, complete with trailers when possible. If you haven’t checked it out yet and plan on going to the festival, it may help you figure out how to best determine your viewing schedule. Wade Kwon also has a series of reviews available on his site. You’ll want to visit the Sidewalk website for all of the latest information about the festival. Maybe we’ll run into each other as we escape the daily grind through the hum of the film projector.
And don’t forget about the film series at Safari Cup Coffee this evening if you’d rather stay a little warmer. Click here to view the film schedule and offerings. Click here and follow the jump to read the original post.
More stuff from NYC this afternoon!
Cheers.
The Ramble: “Hey Kids! What time is it?”
August 2, 2006, 8:06 am
Filed under:
"All Things Considered",
80s cartoons,
Batman,
Birmingham, AL,
Dick Tracy,
He-Man,
Howdy Doody,
News Media (as source & subject),
NPR,
people,
Sesame Street,
Smurfs,
Superman,
Television,
The Rambles,
The Shadow,
transformers,
voltron,
YCDTOTV
While driving back from Chicago, I listened intently to a few NPR stories. This is after I listened to the all news network from Chicago for the first 4 hours of the trip and tried to keep up with the baseball trades taking before Monday’s deadline on ESPN Radio. I’d zoned out somewhere near the Illinois/Kentucky border after having my picture taken with Superman in Metropolis… (I’ll post it down at the bottom). I don’t listen to All Things Considered as much as I did those last years in New York or as much as I did in Savannah. But one of the stories on Monday intrigued me:
For Toddlers, a World Laden with Advertising, NPR – All Things Considered, July 31, 2006
I was somewhat perplexed as I listened to the story. BTW, there is a link to the audio version of this story on the page. As the report unfolded, it sounded as though the problem was just being brought to light, that the issue was a new concern for parents with very young children. I kept waiting for someone to make the point that this is not really a “new” phenomenon. Aggressive marketing when I was younger led to a collection of toys between my brother and I throughout childhood that included Smurfs, MASK, The Transformers, Voltron, He-Man, Sesame Street… you get the picture. The toys were not the only things marketed to us. Breakfast cereals, bed sheet sets, Halloween costumes, canned foods… all of these things were peddled to us in the form of half hour “commercials” as entertainment aimed at children. (Oh yeah, I can’t leave out the green slime that Nickelodeon sold in stores thanks to You Can’t Do That on Television and Double Dare).
Those that claim that it was different in the good old days are quick to forget the marketing tactics of Dick Tracy, The Shadow, Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, Batman. BTW – click here to see who they’ve gotten to play the Joker in the next Batman movie! Movies, radio and television have influenced us to buy lunch boxes, decoder rings and listen intently from week to week since their marketing potential was realized. With the growth of new media, there may be additional outlets for young people to get locked into these trances, but all forms of communication have long held a grip on the American conscience and its consuming ways.
The piece asked if parents were concerned and if they would be interested in changing marketing junk food as a way to measure their support of additional limitations on other forms of marketing to children. It should not be surprising that many parents did not want to change the system. It will and should be a concern about what children are exposed to at a young age. However, it should be the responsibility of the parent to monitor what their children watch on television. Based on the survey of parents quoted at the end of the audio file, most of them seem to agree with that point. Maybe they want to relive their childhood every once in a while themselves.
Before I forget, here’s a picture of me and one of the most popular icons in American history.
I’m the guy on the left. 🙂
Cheers.