OCEAN ISLE – The future is here for cinephiles- finally. I haven’t been a major fan of the digital conversion of movie theaters since you’re just paying to watch a big TV. Unlike HBO, you pay to see the same ads that run on TBS except at a size too big to ignore. The digital projection revolution hasn’t been that impressive.
Mostly the DLP transition seemed a great way to kill 35mm film. What major studio doesn’t see the bright side of not paying $3,000 to strike 35mm prints of their latest blockbuster? That’s a $12 million savings for a movie opening on 4,000 screens. The studios aren’t passing the savings onto you in the ticket prices. Easily impressed people are amazed that digital projection has allowed “live” shows and sporting events in the theaters. They’re overjoyed at Oprah, Ira Glass, Glenn Beck and Michael J. Nelson during one night only events. But that isn’t a new of a concept. Back in the Sixties they had Closed Circuit events run in movie theaters including a Beatles concert and heavyweight boxing title fights. Basically you’re just part of a pay-per-view that makes all the guests in the room chip into the kitty without the “but I brought the Dean’s Dip” cheapskate making you eat his share. The digital revolution wasn’t that futuristic and exciting. Then I received a Facebook invitation to see Iron Sky for a one time screening at a nearby theater. The future finally went wow.
Why was this screening of Iron Sky more “cinema of the future” than the upcoming Riff Trax Live Birdemic on October 25? Because the viewers had to make Iron Sky happen. Riff Trax has already been scheduled to screen in over a hundred theaters across the USA. Iron Sky wasn’t going to run on a Thursday night in my neighborhood unless enough people bought advance tickets. What made this Iron Sky revolutionary was the simple fact that a curious viewer can set up a screening of the greatest film ever made about Nazis on the dark side of the Moon attacking President Sarah Palin.
How is this possible? How can a simple movie fan book a movie and rent a movie theater without an intimate knowledge of theatrical exhibition or several hundred dollars in advance? The folks at Tugg.com has simplified the process. They have a catalog of over 600 films varying from small documentaries to older blockbusters in their catalog. They also have deals with theaters capable of receiving the digital copy of the film. According to Tugg’s instructions, all you need to do is pick the film, select the nearest theater to you and schedule a date. My local screening of Iron Sky took place on a Thursday night. This is a slow night for ticket sales so the theater manager doesn’t mind a crowd showing up. Even with 15 screens, nearly all of the cars in the parking lot belonged to folks eager the special screening. This is easily a boon for theater owners wanted a reason to pour golden flavoring on the popcorn.
The hard work comes immediately after you set up the screening. You need to find enough people in your area not merely curious about seeing the movie, but ready to buy their ticket in advance. Can you locate 50 or more kindred cinema souls by working your Facebook and Twitter connections. You can always beg a writer at your local Examiner to give the screening a plug. You’ll learn to network on message boards. The good part is that Tugg provides a page for your screening that includes a countdown clock and total board of how many tickets still need to be sold to lock down the screening. This means that others who want to see the film will pester their friends to make the movie happen. A pal made his own Facebook event page to wrangle up more people including me. After I found out about Iron Sky, I pestered other people to get tickets. I wanted to see the Nazis on the moon invade.
As the promoter of a screening, there’s a chance to make a little profit on a screening if a huge crowd arrives. But the big picture for a fan of cinema isn’t making a few bucks. The true passion is to not lose your shirt. If the screening fails for lack of pre-sold tickets, you’re not stuck with a fat bill from the film’s distributor and the theater’s owner. Nothing can be more horrifying than an empty theater as your four-walled movie plays on the big screen. Back in the days of 35mm, you’d be on the hook for the cost of the projectionist inspecting, building and undoing the print besides turning on the projector. Their rate resembled the mechanic rebuilding your thingamagicator. Plus you’d be on the hook for UPS overnighting the print back to the distributor. You ever price overnighting 60 pounds via UPS? A failed four-wall event could cost you four figures. It’s easier to deal with dejection when your bank account doesn’t take a hard hit. If the screening is canceled, nobody gets charged for their tickets so your friends won’t think you’ve scammed them. This is what makes Tugg.com really revolutionary in the world of film exhibition. It’s win-win even in a losing situation.
If you have dreams of starting your own film society or being the next Sid Grauman, Tugg.com seems to be the best way to test the waters of exhibition. Is there truly enough of an audience eager to see titles that have more internet buzz than promotional dollars? Do you have the social skills to unite a crowd for one big screening every so often? Can you create a sense of cinematic community in your area? The good part of Tugg is the audience feels a part of the process since they didn’t merely buy a ticket. They contribute to bringing the film to the theater. Nobody is a passive consumer in this process.
Was it worth it to see Iron Sky on the big screen with a crowd? Oh yes. The film delivers on the premise of Nazis on the Moon attacking the Earth. This isn’t a lame SyFy original filmed in an alley between warehouses. The film smartly casts Udo Kier (Story of O) as the top Nazi. The film is full of hot women, pounding action, big explosions and just a touch of romance in an absurd concept. The comedy pours off the screen including Christopher Kirby as an astronaut shot into space for Sarah Palin’s “Black to Moon” re-election gimmick. They also pay tribute to the Hitler meme. You can wait for the Blu-ray and watch it at home, but the movie cries out for an audience to join you in laughs and gasps.
I’m really thankful that Tugg.com and the digital cinema revolution have made it possible for a one night screening of films without consequences. No longer do you have to beg your local theater owner to book a title. Now you can make it happen if you have the skills and the right kind of friends.
YOU’RE NOT THAT COOL OF PARENTS
Often I joke about taking my three year old daughter to see Cinema Overdrive screenings at the Colony Theater. Who doesn’t want to treat their preschooler to Silent Night, Deadly Night? But I’d rather wait till she’s a little older so such an experience can scar her for life like when my folks took me at age six to see Come Back, Charleston Blue. The movie poster made the film seem more like a slapstick comedy instead of a slight comedy dominated by the ghost of a heroin dealing pimp razorblading people in Harlem.
I didn’t take the kid to see Iron Sky. She likes Hogan’s Heroes. But I figured the Sarah Palin depiction might be too scary. Entering the theater, I was surprised to see a young geeky couple had brought their little ones. The two kids appeared to be under six or so. They seemed to want to be the cool parents which is cool by me.
After an hour of Nazi violence including people getting shot, tortured and injected with needles, there was a clothed heavy foreplay scene. The couple grabbed their kids and rushed them out of the theater. After the romance was over, they brought the kids back to their seats just in time to watch a guy get shot in the face.
I don’t have an issue with parents bringing their kids to an R-rated film. But how can a parent view a scene of passion as too much for their little eyes, but a bullet between the eyes is fully acceptable? When you bring a kid to an R-rated film, you’re all in or you’re all out. Otherwise you need to spring for a sitter. If you’re going to be the cool parent, you can’t give them the idea that passion is more dangerous than violence. It’s a bad message to scar them with bullets while shielding them from open mouth kisses. You’ve lost your cool parents status – mysterious couple with kids.
I won’t be taking my daughter to see the upcoming Cinema Overdrive screening of David Cronenberg’s The Brood (Sept 12 at the Colony Theater in Raleigh) since she ought to see Scanners first.
NOT READY FOR FOOTBALL
Why is the NFL Network pushing its schedule with a Brooklyn Douchebag? What part of overgrown manchild with scraggly beard wearing a “vintage” three piece suit screams football? Cause seems like that type of guy would be more hot to see some futbol. Wouldn’t this guy spend his Sunday afternoons writing to HBO for the return of Bored to Death and pricing tiny hats?
ROGER CORMAN CORNER
As the Roger Corman’s Cult Classics series comes to an end, a few of the lesser titles are being offered directly from Shout! Factory’s website. These are not Manufacture on Demand DVDs.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics: Naked Angels is a classic biker flick that used to scare grandma when they played at the drive-in. The Angels are furious that the Las Vegas Hotdoggers put their leader in the hospital. This must hurt even more that Mother (Michael Green) was beaten senseless by a gang with such a weak name as the Hotdoggers. At least it wasn’t the Reno Ball Hogs. Mother has to prove he’s really back in the gang so he can take back leadership and his old lady (Jennifer Gan). Mother’s a bit of a hothead. The big fear is that the gang will implode before they make it to Las Vegas to rumble with the Hotdoggers. This was the first of several biker movies with Angel in the title that Corman produced and later put out through New World.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics: Sweet Kill was also released as The Arousers. This was Curtis Hanson’s first film before he’d move up the food chain with L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys. This film is completely twisted. Former teen heartthrob Tab Hunter (Damn Yankees) plays a man with sexual issues. Instead of getting the little blue pill, Hunter discovers a more drastic solution. He accidentally kills a woman and get hard. This leads to him tempting women into his bedroom so he can murder them and get laid. It’s like Curtis Hanson missed his true calling of being John Waters’ rival. Oddly enough Tab Hunter would go on to star in John Waters’ Polyester. Tab Hunter understood how to play off is image in messed up cinema. They should remake this film with Justin Timberlake.
You can order both films from http://www.shoutfactorystore.com.
POWER RANGERS THEN AND NOW
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Vol. 1 brings back the joy of geeking out in 1993. When the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers landed on Fox Kids, a semi-Japanese action show wasn’t that alien of a concept. In the mid-70s, the geek kids embraced afternoon screenings of Japan’s Ultraman and Space Giants. Kids eagerly awaited Godzilla and Gamera weeks on their UHF stations. Superheroes fighting rubber suit monsters was a beloved art form. MMPR did a little bit more of a twist to the show than merely dubbing. Saban took rubber suited monster footage and fights from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger and shot new parts using American teens. This hybrid series worked well enough for the kids who quickly gobbled up anything Power Rangers oriented. Season 1, Vol. 1 contains the first 30 episodes. Rita Repulsa gets released from her moon prison when clueless astronauts open the lid. She’s ready to attack the earth with her monster creations. Her rival Zordon must come to Earth to choose 5 kids that can transform into the Power Rangers. They are each given a different color and a dinosaur attack ship (although a saber-toothed tuger isn’t a dinosaur). Halfway through this collection, a sixth kid gets to become the Green Power Ranger in “Green with Evil.” Contrary to the hype, the real stars of the show are Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy). They are the normal goofballs whose only super power is to transform into comic relief before the plot got too serious. They were adorable in their hijinks as they stalked the Youth Center and Juice Bar. They knew the Pink (Amy Jo Johnson) and Yellow (Thuy Trang) needed to hook up with them. They were the real saviors of Angel Grove.
Power Rangers Super Samurai: The Super Powered Black Box Volume 1 and Power Rangers Super Samurai: Super Showdown Volume 2 features 8 episodes of the newest incarnation of the Power Rangers. Power Rangers Super Samurai currently airs on Nickelodeon. Volume 1 opens with “Super Samurai.” The Rangers are still battling Master Xandred and the Nighlok monsters from Power Rangers Samurai. What makes them Super Samurai? Antonio and Mentor Ji unlock the black box which gives them Super Mode. They look even more colorful than the previous series when they go into battle. There’s an amazing warmth to the show thanks to its New Zealand location. Each volume has four episodes of major battles. What matters most is that Bulk is back! Paul Schrier now has to mentor Skull as they hone their non-existent Power Ranger skills. Bulk is the world’s oldest teenager now that Dick Clark is dead. Amazing to think that nearly 20 years after the original show debuted, the Power Rangers are still saving the world from rubber suited monsters.
DVD SHELF
Stallone 3-Film Collector’s Set brings together Sylvester Stallone’s biggest action character, his dramatic comeback and an obscure title. Rambo: First Blood was a bit of a sleeper hit in 1982. Sly played the frustrated Vietnam vet John Rambo. He’s roaming America in search of meaning and direction in his life. The small town he enters doesn’t like his kind and they’re not afraid to show it. They messed with the wrong long haired stranger as he destroys their little town, the National Guard and the United Nations. Their only hope is if his only army mentor Richard Crenna can calm him down. Who can really stop a tornado pushed too far? His return as the character in Rambo: First Blood Part II was a pure badass move. But for this film, he’s rather peaceful until pushed to the edge. There’s a commentary from Stallone and deleted scenes.
I have no memory of Lock Up being released in 1989. Maybe it just blurred with Tango & Cash. The prison flick sticks Stallone behind bars while warden Donald Sutherland (Hunger Games) tries to break his will to live. Danny Trejo is an inmate. Is Danny Trejo really 68 years old? The big bonus is a vintage behind the scenes featurette. Copland made him a bit more unassuming. He’s the sheriff of a small New Jersey town filled with NYPD cops. He has a quiet job with the streets filled with LEO. All is good until an NYPD scandal seeps across the river. Can Stallone stand up to the dozens of badges that he idolizes? This is the director’s cut. Stallone proved that like his roles in Rocky and First Blood that he can touch the soul of a character when given the right direction and not merely play a cartoony tough guy. He can be a thespian and not just a pumped up star. Two out of the three films here justify why Stallone can’t be written off as just an action superstar. The collection comes in both Blu-ray and DVD.
Astonishing X-Men: Torn is the Marvel Knights animation adaptation of the third story arc written by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and drawn by John Cassady. It picks up where Dangerous left off with Emma Frost unsure if she wants to remain with the X-Men. She’s getting a serious offer to be a part of the new Hellfire Club. She sees too much weakness amongst the X-Men including her failed relationship with Cyclops. He’s too insecure to be her lover. Is she using her telepath powers to make Kitty Pride imagine that Professor X took away her baby. What is she really looking for? To complicate things even more, there’s an issue with aliens in Breakworld. What makes the Marvel Knights titles work is that they animate Cassady’s original art and base the script directly on Whedon’s dialogue balloons. It’s like reading the comic book without worrying about smudging the pages.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Final Season wraps up the 10th season of the Saturday morning cartoon version of the show. In a world where the average Saturday morning series lasted one year, TMNT went on for a decade. These are the final 8 episodes that aired in the summer of 1996. Order up some pizza to munch while devouring in the final adventures of the Heroes in a half shell. The main focus of the battles is against Lord Dregg and his creepy buddies. Can Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael survive the end? Oscar winner Fred Wolf did a fine job of bringing these cult legends to animated life. Do prefer this version of TMNTs to the CGI adaptation. The episodes include the original CBS Saturday morning introduction.
Adventures of Tintin : Season Three wraps up the animated adaptation of the classic European comic strip adventure. The animated series from early ’90s used Herge’s original comic strip panels to inspire the action. I prefer the cartoons to the CGI grafted plot films from Peter Jackson and Spielberg that overplay the action to make it more cinematic. Seven books are included in this final season. “The Red Sea Sharks” uncovers human smuggling while rebels want to kill the local Emir. “The Seven Crystal Balls” murders members of an expedition. Each body comes with a smashed crystal ball. “Prisoners of the Sun” continues the action in Peru. The truth about the smashed crystal balls is explained. “The Castafiore Emerald” brings back the annoying opera singer. Is Captain Haddock really going to marry her? “Destination Moon” and “Explorers on the Moon” sends Tintin upward. Snowy the dog gets to bar on the lunar surface. “Tintin in America” has the pesky reporter battle Al Capone. The original comic was published in 1932 when Al Capone might not have been happy at being depicted in a comic book. “The three comic books not animated were Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in the Congo and Tintin and Alph-Art. The first two because they were a rather two offensive and Alpha-Art was unfinished. The Adventures of Tintin is a fine edition to your animation collection.
Perry Mason Season 7, Volume 1 shocked TV viewers in 1963 with the most unthinkable of outcomes: Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) finally lost a case to Hamilton Burger (William Talman). “The Case of the Deadly Verdict” pops Mason’s six seasons of making Burger his whipping boy. How could this have happened? Mason can’t rest with this black mark on his record. He must find the real killer and spring his client from death row. He’s not scoffing this off as “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” He needs a rematch to prove his legal manhood. “The Case of the Nebulous Nephew” scams two elderly people by their young relative in a scheme involving Ivan Dixon (Hogan’s Heroes). “The Case of the Shifty Shoebox” exposes a killer when Billy Mumy (Lost In Space) opens the lid to the murder weapon. “The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito” disguises Perry as an old prospector. Can he fool Strother Martin (The Wild Bunch)? “The Case of the Decadent Dean” blows the lid off a shady prep school. “The Case of the Reluctant Model” points the finger at a fake Gauguin painting and a dead art dealer in the shower. “The Case of the Floating Stones” features James Hong (Kung Fu Panda). “The Case of the Bouncing Boomerang” places Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper on Gilligan’s Island) in the middle of property scam. “The Case of the Accosted Accountant” busts Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man) for murdering his father-in-law. He was promising to expose the old man for bad business activities. The 15 cases here are fine, but it’s hard not to overcome the shock of Perry Mason getting nailed with a Guilty verdict. Only McKayla Maroney can relate to Mason’s butt plant. Volume 2 comes out on Oct. 23.
The Streets of San Francisco Season 4 Volume 1 & 2 brings to an end to the time Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) spent with Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden). Why? Because right after the season ended, Michael Douglas won the Best Picture Oscar for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. How can he track down killers when he had to juggle studio meetings? But at least he gave one final season to roaming around Fisherman’s Wharf with Malden. “Poisoned Snow” turns ugly quick when a female undercover agent gets shot to death when a deal goes bad. Her partner (Clu Gulager) wants revenge on the dealer. What he doesn’t know is his son’s got problems. The troubled teen is none other than Mark Hamill pre-Star Wars. “No Place to Hide” forces the wives of prisoners to deal drugs on the outside. There are nasty consequences to the wives if they say no. Charles Napier (Squidbillies) gets drawn into the scheme. “Men Will Die” targets Michael Parks (Kill Bill) for death by an aggressive anti-rape organization. “School of Fear” has a teacher snap against violent students. He takes them hostage. One of the students Is future Sweathog Robert Hegyes. “Murder By Proxy” has the triple threat of Sorrell Brooke (Dukes of Hazzard), John Ritter (Three’s Company) and Gordon Jump (WKRP). A land developer might be depreciating the neighborhood to buy up houses on the cheap by paying for criminals to visit after dark. “Dead Air” hints that Larry Hagman is a talk radio host able to kill female listeners. He did kill a liver. Volume 2 starts with “Spooks For Sale.” Tom Selleck (Magnum P.I.) might have killed a night watchman. “Police Buff” presents Bill Bixby (The Incredible Hulk) as a cop wannabe who loves to listen to the police scanner. He answers a call and brings the law on his own tail. “The Honorable Profession” makes Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) a fake doctor and a real witness to a robbery. The finale for Douglas is “Alien Country.” A. Martinez gets a job in the city and shortly thereafter becomes a suspect in the death of an immigration officer. The show would go on for a final season with the arrival of Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) as the new rookie learning from Mike. Douglas would return as a San Francisco cop in Basic Instinct. You can get both volumes bundled together for a lower price. Season Five arrives on Oct. 30 to wrap up the show.
You’ve Got A Friend brings the charm of John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard) to the slower wheeled action of Soap Box Derby cars. Dylan McLaughlin is recently orphaned and moves in with is uncle and aunt up in New Mexico. He focuses his talent on creating a great soap box car, but he needs help. He finds it in the reclusive Schneider. The two bond while woodworking and pushing the speed of wood. His uncle doesn’t like Schneider so there’s the resistance. It’s a nice and inspirational tale for anyone making a car for this year’s Kerwood Derby. It’s good to see Schneider working with a kid that isn’t going to become Superman.
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