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Couple Wants to Give Back to River Bend with Portable Outdoor Movies

By on June 19, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Producers

, – For Jay and Stephanie Sinclair, extending audiences the opportunity to view classic movies on a 30-foot-wide outdoor screen is a “positive” for the community.

The couple recently bought a portable Outdoor Cinema available to rent to businesses and neighborhoods. Audiences will be able to attend any Outdoor Cinema event free of charge, thanks to the host who can either pay for the rental or fund-raise at the event.

“We were hoping to bring some entertainment to the community,” said co-owner Stephanie Sinclair. “We want to provide something to do on the weekend. We’re from the area, born and raised here. We want to see something positive happen.”

Outdoor Cinema is available for music and video concerts, video game tournaments, street and festival fairs, block parties and major sporting events, but the main gig is showing “family-friendly” movies in parks or local businesses’ parking lots.

One example is “Horton Hears a Who,” which the Sinclairs screened June 13, at Evangelical Church in Godfrey. The couple’s first event was not sponsored and 70 people attended.

The idea for an outdoor theater came about five years ago when Stephanie’s husband, Jay, a full-time Sprint employee, attended an Anheuser-Busch screening in which a theater screen of similar size was used.

Since they first started booking events in March, they have received numerous calls to book the Outdoor Cinema. Liberty Bank, Raging Rivers and Piasa Winery are among the contenders.

“People will call us to book events,” she said, “I just got an e-mail from Raging Rivers the other day, possibly something special for season ticket holders.”

What really got the idea on the fast track was that the portable movie screen was really popular in places around the country and that it would entail involving the community. There are many people who are excited to see classic movies up on the big screen again, said Sinclair.

“I have heard people saying, ‘This is really cool. We’re going to tell everyone we know about it,’” she said, “We have also had a lot of people talk about the sound quality being exactly like it is in the theater.”

The big screen showings can accommodate up to 1,000 people and the Sinclairs are hoping to pack their events through the year.

When asked why they felt they needed to give back to the community, the stay-at-home mom responded, “I have a social degree; maybe that has something to do with it. We just want to see our family together. We want to see it grow.”

Their next event will be a showing of “E.T.” at dusk today at Garfield Park in Alton and will be hosted and sponsored by the Y.W.C.A. of Alton.

In addition, upcoming events include the Alton High School class of ’98 hosting a showing of “The Goonies” at the Evangelical Church in Godfrey on June 27 and Liberty Bank’s Grand Opening on July 12, with the movie “Surf’s Up.”

For more information visit www.outdoorcinemaevents.com.

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Novato, California: Free Outdoor Movies Set for Downtown Marin

By on June 19, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

A series of free downtown outdoor movies will begin Friday night, sponsored by Continental Jewelers and the Downtown Business Association.The outdoor movies will be projected on a 30-foot inflatable movie screen and will be presented eight consecutive Friday evenings on Sherman Avenue.

Beginning at 5 p.m. each Friday, there will be music, games for children and a raffle for “red carpet seating.” The outdoor movies will begin 15 minutes after sunset, or approximately 8:30 p.m.

During the outdoor movies, concessions will feature freshly popped popcorn. Glow necklaces will be sold by the association. Candy and other treats will be available from Powell’s Sweet Shoppe around the corner on Grant Avenue.

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Hoquiam, Washington: Comcast Outdoor Cinema Presents Movies on a 40-foot Inflatable Screen

By on June 19, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Yearning for the days of drive-in movie theaters?

is offering the next best thing.

Comcast Outdoor Cinema returns to the Grays Harbor community July 19, offering a free evening of live music and an outdoor movie on the grass inside the stadium. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics are allowed. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from the Hoquiam Parks Department.

It will be the seventh year of the Comcast Outdoor Cinema in Hoquiam.

Now showing on the 40-foot inflatable outdoor movie screen is “Surf’s Up”. Doors open at 6 p.m., entertainment starts at 7:30. General admission seating.

For more information, go to www.comcastoutdoorcinema.com or call Hoquiam Parks at 360-532-5700

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Cottage Grove, Minnesota: Outdoor Movie at River Oaks Golf Course

By on June 19, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Outdoor Movie on the River Oaks Golf Course — The movie, “Shrek the Third,” will be shown on a 25-foot by 14-foot inflatable movie screen at 9 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at River Oaks Golf Course, . If you go, take lawn chairs and blankets. Snacks will be available for purchase.

Admission to the outdoor movie is $2 per person.

The ticket office opens at 7:30 p.m., but tickets can be purchased in advance at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena, 8020 80th Street. For details, call (651) 458-3400.

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Maui, Hawaii: Outdoor Film Festival Opens With a Breeze on Maui

By on June 18, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Maui, Hawaii Outdoor Movie and Film Festival A diverse blend of island-style ease and Hollywood power-brokering highlighted the opening reception of the Film Festival Wednesday night on a lawn of the Fairmont Kea Lani. Bluetooth earpieces might be more ubiquitous than aloha shirts in this crowd, but the relaxed atmosphere and stunning setting seemed to facilitate networking.

Following the reception, “Bottle Shock,” a favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, opened the impressive lineup of films at the outdoor Celestial Cinema on the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course. The heartwarming movie about wine intrigued the approximately 3,000 attendees. “Young @ Heart,” a story about a chorus with an average age of 82 that sings songs by the Clash, Coldplay and Sonic Youth, followed.

Festival director Barry Rivers said he expected about 20,000 people to attend the various films and food events, which run through Sunday at multiple venues on Maui.

Bottle Shock,” the movie based on a true story about the emergence of wines on the world scene in 1976, opened the Maui Film Festival Wednesday night, an honor the filmmakers welcomed.

“This is the best location to screen your movie,” said director Randy Miller, who participated in the festival two years ago with “Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School,” starring Marisa Tomei and John Goodman. “You’ve got the clouds floating overhead, the outdoor movie screen is really bright and the sound is good. You hear about these types of festivals in Europe, but not here. It’s pretty cool.”

The nostalgic “Bottle Shock” dazzled about 3,000 moviegoers – an eclectic mix of Maui residents carrying their own beach chairs and a Hollywood crowd renting theirs for $5 – at the open-air Celestial Cinema, on a 50-foot wide outdoor movie screen perched on a grassy knoll of the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course.

Miller, who reworked an existing script with his wife and partner, Jody Savin, said the sweeping aerial shots of California’s wine country were meant to be viewed in such a setting. “This movie premiered at Sundance in a library on not a great screen,” he said. Its appearance on Maui proved a gratifying follow-up before the film goes into wide release in August.

But no matter what the venue, “it’s a crowd pleaser,” said producer Todd Harris. Indeed, Alan Rickman’s stellar performance in the sophisticated yet warm comedy- drama supplements the fascination of delving into the lives of pioneering vintners.

An elegant outdoor reception preceded the screening on the lawn overlooking the ocean at the Fairmont Kea Lani. Producers, directors, writers and film enthusiasts mingled with actors Dennis Quaid and Virginia Madsen over black-bean opah, fried rice with shrimp, sushi and Ocean Vodka rose martinis before shuttles whisked them to the Celestial Cinema up the road.

About 20,000 people will pass through the outdoor movie festival, which runs through Sunday and is in its ninth year at Wailea. Festival director Barry Rivers indicated that finding the right movies proved even more challenging than in years past. “I’m a cinematic archaeologist,” he chuckled, “and I conducted a more thorough archaeological dig.”

The search for excellent films never ends. But the intensity of the hunt grows exponentially after Sundance in January. In fact, Rivers’ annual two-week pilgrimage to turned into six weeks this year.

While he may work hard to select the right films, he never has trouble getting celebrities (though he prefers the word “luminaries”) to accept his invitation to attend the event and receive awards for their artistic contributions.

state film commissioner Donne Dawson said the festival is a chance to showcase the islands and the Act 88 tax incentives available for films shot here. “It’s clearly recognized by the industry as a heavy-hitting festival,” she said. “It’s bringing the type of film-industry folks that we need to have making movies in .”

Festival attendee N. Bird Runningwater, associate director of Native American and Indigenous Initiatives at the Sundance Institute, predicts an increasingly bounteous future for the Maui Film Festival. “I’m very interested in the development of Native Hawaiian stories,” he said. “I think there are going to be some amazing developments with the intersection of film and the revitalization of the Hawaiian language. I know Hawaii serves as a backdrop for a lot of other projects, but I believe that Hawaii will be presenting more of its own films.”

Runningwater focused in particular on tonight’s outdoor screening of local filmmaker Brett Wagner’s “Chief,” about a Samoan chief who flees to Hawaii after the death of his daughter, only to rediscover himself. “Chief” precedes “Captain Abu Raed,” the first full-length feature out of Jordan and a much anticipated film in the impressive lineup.

“To be able to have such an intimate look inside that country is awesome,” Dawson said of “Abu Raed.” “And for it to be paired with our Hawaii Nei ‘Chief’ … I couldn’t be happier.”

Katherine Nichols

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Shore Flicks Revives Drive-In Movie Experience in New Jersey

By on June 18, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Producers

Shore Flicks Outdoor Movies and Guitar Hero – Outdoor movies at the local drive-in theater were once a celebrated tradition in , and one that T.J. and Heather Brustowicz hope to revive with their business, Shore Flicks.

With 16 and 40 foot inflatable movie screens complete with outdoor projection and sound systems available for outdoor events, the Brustowiczes are looking forward to their first full season and are currently booking dates

“Rather than go back to work, we thought, what can we come up with ourselves?” Brustowicz said. “We did some research and found a company that manufactured these inflatable screens. So we went from the idea in May to our first outdoor movie event in August, the Tinton Falls Community Day.”

The Brustowiczes did some research and found the -based Open Air Cinema as a vendor of the inflatable movie screens, made of strong PVC (polyvinyl chloride) fabric and able to withstand winds of up to 25 mph.

After deciding to move forward with Shore Flicks, the Brustowiczes invested more than $60,000 to start the business. While T.J. holds down another job, Heather has taken on the management of Shore Flicks full time.

Following the soft launch in the summer of 2007, the Brustowiczes hope to reach even more audiences for the 2008 season, and have already booked a number of events for their two inflatable blow-up movie screens.

Brustowicz said that Shore Flicks had booked about 30 outdoor events with the 16-foot inflatable screen and nearly a dozen with the big 40-foot inflatable screen, which he said could reach an audience of 3,000.

“It’s about the size of a swimming pool, about three stories high” Brustowicz said. “It is very impressive.”

One of the events that Shore Flicks has booked for this season is a celebration in to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the drive-in theater.

The drive-in was invented on June 6, 1933, in Camden, according to Brustowicz. He explained that while there had once been more than 40 drive-ins in the state, Hazlet’s Route 35 was the last when it closed down in 1991. Though one drive-in theater opened elsewhere in the state in recent years, Brustowicz said that the once popular tradition has dwindled.

For that reason, Shore Flicks hopes to mark this anniversary with numerous outdoor movie events throughout the Jersey Shore, and perhaps even create a drive-in of their own, Brustowicz said.

“That’s one of the inspirations for us, too, to recapture that,” he said.

Some fun events for the new business included last year’s mini “drive-in” for their daughter’s second birthday, which allowed tykes to roll up on their mini-wheels to enjoy a drive-in movie birthday party.

Shore Flicks kicked off the open air movie season a few weeks ago at Beauty Ball 2008, a cancer fundraiser held on an estate in Colts Neck.

“According to the organizers, our 16-foot inflatable screen ‘made the event,’ ” Brustowicz said.

The outdoor movie screen was for a silent auction during the event, displaying the logos of sponsors and afterward Shore Flicks had a camera set up so that dancers could see themselves on the big screen.

“With community or charity events, we want to help them bring added value to their sponsors,” Brustowicz said. “It’s a little added value to put commercials up on the screen and maybe a little incentive for them to help out at the event.”

He explained that Shore Flicks provides the inflatable screen, outdoor projector, sound system, DVD players/game systems, even power if necessary and that staff will set up equipment and be on hand throughout the event, promptly breaking down after the show.

“The screens are perfect for backyards and block parties. We had a block party last year where everyone played guitar hero before watching a movie.”

From backyards to beaches, Brustowicz said that the screens can be used for events from poolside movies or neighborhood video game tournaments, to community fundraisers and charitable events.

“We have a lot of fun events on tap, including various charity bookings,” Brustowicz said, adding that Shore Flicks offers a reduced rate for fundraisers.

For a single event, Shore Flicks charges $700 for the 16-foot screen and $2,700 for the 40-foot inflatable movie screen. For a series of at least four events, the rates are $600 per event and $2,500 per event, respectively.

“We’re hoping that we kept our prices reasonable,” he said. “We’re not out to make a killing. We want to make this accessible to people.”

Another benefit, according to Brustowicz, is the convenience of having an outdoor movie business on the Jersey Shore. Shore Flicks is booked for an outdoor movie night at Pier Village in Long Branch, which had previously used a company from Massachusetts to show movies.

“We’re looking forward to having a lot of fun and taking the business to other parts of the state,” Brustowicz said, citing bookings in Union and Metuchen. “But our focus obviously is right here at home.”

He added that Shore Flicks is now in full swing for the summer season and that the outlook is good for the future.

“It’s a fun little business,” Brustowicz said. “The fun thing about it, too, is that you can see the movies you’ve been watching for the last 20 years, on a big screen, and it looks awesome.”

He added that the movies looked great on both inflatable screens, as they used some very powerful outdoor projectors.

“The best time to show them is about 20 minutes after sunset,” Brustowicz said. “It looks so sharp. The sound and picture are terrific.”

He added that while people are free to show any movie they wish in their own backyard, public showings require a film license. Shore Flicks will help customers through that process, which Brustowicz said is akin to a more expensive version of Netflix, allowing a temporary right to show a certain film.

He added that they would gauge this summer on how they might grow, perhaps adding a second 16-foot inflatable screen or a 25-foot inflatable screen to their stock.

“It depends on where things go this year, and on where demand seems to be,” Brustowicz said. “We hope for another good year, and that we continue to grow.’

He added that the outdoor movies draw people in, and make them want to be a part of events.

“It’s going to be a fun summer,” Brustowicz said. “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing ‘Shrek’ a lot this summer.”

To see Shore Flicks’ screens in action, some upcoming outdoor movie events that are open to the public include the Pier Village Movies Under the Stars series in Long Branch, an autism fundraiser with the Lakewood Blue Claws at First Energy Park on July 16, and other events in Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Wall and Spring Lake.

More information about Shore Flicks and upcoming events can be found at www.shoreflicks.com.

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Salt Lake City, Utah: Free Outdoor Movies in the Park are a Hit

By on June 15, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Outdoor Movies in Salt Lake City, UtahTake a nice spread of lawn, add some blankets, popcorn and a slew of movie goers and what have you got?

“Friday Night Flicks,” of course.

Sponsored by the Corporation, television station CW30, and Clear Channel Radio stations, “Friday Night Flicks,” now in its third year, is more than just a night out – it’s a free night out. And that’s something to write home about.

“Free is always great,” says Tyler Curtis, City Events Manager for the Salt Lake City Corporation. “Babies are in strollers, college students bring their dates, even grandmas and grandpas run the gamut.”

And because various movies show at seven different city parks throughout the summer, Curtis said every person in the neighborhood “gets a chance to see it close by their home. They can get out with their neighbor.”

“The movie is kind of secondary at that point,” he continues. First and foremost is neighbors “hanging out.”

Last year, Salt Lake City Corporation banded with CW30. They were playing their own movies every Friday night at the State Fairgrounds and doing well. Monday evenings for the Salt Lake City Corporation was less attended and so the two groups struck up an agreement: continue to have the Friday night shows, but rotate them at various Salt Lake City parks.

Today, folks young and old can get more than a taste of movies such as the “Bee Movie,” “Evan Almighty,” and “Nacho Libre,” to name just a few. And they can see them at the Utah State Fairgrounds, Fairmont Park and Rotary Glen Park, respectively; though there is a slim chance the movie might be rained out.

The first year, when the movie nights were every other Monday, two shows were canceled and re-scheduled due to rain and wind. Last year, there were no Friday rainouts and this year there are no plans for re-scheduling a rained out performance though “anything could change,” says Curtis.

“We will be showing a movie every week this year, the same as last year,” he said. “In the past, the movies were every other week with room to re-schedule.”

All Friday movies are shown on a large inflatable screen. For food, Little Caesar’s will sell pizzas for $5, and free popcorn for movie goers will be provided by the Salt Lake City Corporation.

“We usually go through 250 to 300 bags of popcorn,” says the corporation’s Event Supervisor Cynthia Stringham. Last year, “Friday Night Flicks” brought in roughly 400 members of the community, and she admits she gets a kick out of the people who attend.

“People cheer for the heroes and boo for the villain. It really is a fun way for the community to get involved. It’s a nice, relaxing event.”

This year, for the first time, the community was able to vote online for their favorite movies. The winners? “Goonies,” “The Muppet Movie,” and “Shrek the Third.”

Prior to this year the Salt Lake district council chose the movies.

“We wanted to get the public involved,” Stringham said.


2008 Friday Night Flicks

EVAN ALMIGHTY
June 20
Fairmont Park
900 E. 2361 South
Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman
Rated PG; 90 minutes; 2007

SHREK THE THIRD
June 27
Jordan Park
900 W. 1000 South
Voices by, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas
Rated PG; 92 minutes; 2007

CHARLOTTE’S WEB
July 11
Liberty Park
600 E. 1000 South
Voices by: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey
Rated G; 113 minutes; 2006

NACHO LIBRE
July 18
Rotary Glen Park
2770 E. 800 South
Jack Black, Efrin Ramirez, Moises Arias
Rated PG; 100 minutes; 2006

THE MUPPET MOVIE
July 25
Lindsay Gardens
9th Avenue and M Street
Voices of Jim Henson and Frank Oz
Rated G; 94 minutes; 1979

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CineBox Inflatable Movie Screen Makes its Hollywood Debut on the Learning Channel

By on June 14, 2008 in Open Air Cinema

Inflatable Screen: Your Place or MineOpen Air Cinema is no stranger to the entertainment industry in , . For years we have been screening films and projecting movies in Hollywood, Culver City, Burbank and other entertainment hotspots. But today marks a first. In a curious reversal of roles one of our inflatable movie screens has become the star!

The Learning Channel contacted Open Air Cinema to introduce us to their first venture into the game show genre. Your Place or Mine is a new series that pits two families against each other for a chance to win newly furnished rooms for their homes. Each time a family answers a question correctly, they can either pick a furnished room for their home or ‘steal’ a roomful of furniture out of the other family’s home. Viewers watch as movers frantically shuffle and redecorate these homes throughout the game. ‘Your Place or Mine’ is hosted by Cameron Mathison who plays Ryan Lavery on All My Children, while Diane Mizota, who appeared in Austin Powers: Goldmember and Memoirs of a Geisha, supervises the remodeling of the homes.

So how, in the midst of all this reshuffling of home appliances, does an Open Air Screen become a star? Well, we are sworn to secrecy, but you can tune in to Your Place or Mine on Saturday nights at 6/5c to witness firsthand our debut on the tube.

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Walnut Creek, California: Outdoor Movies Under the Stars

By on June 13, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Outdoor Movies in Walnut Creek, CaliforniaIf you ever sit around the projector with an Open Air Cinema Technician you may hear a few of the many ‘war-stories’ that they pack around with them. You might hear about the tech who was rescued by 2-dozen bikini-clad women after falling in a swimming pool while attempting to float an inflatable movie screen in a swimming pool. Or you might hear about the three techs that were pelted with camping gear as they tried to hold down a 50-foot movie screen in the middle of a sandstorm. Believe it or not, nearly everything in the venue – except the inflatable screen – was flung far into the Nevada desert.

In sharing tall-tales from Open Air Cinema events, veteran technicians will inevitably share a story or two about Movies Under the Stars in the city of , …the ‘Rite of Passage’ for every Open Air technician.

Walnut Creek has been sponsoring Movies Under the Stars since 2003. In that time the free outdoor cinema event has become the premiere family activity for local Walnut Creek residents. The experienced organizers know very well how they want their monthly outdoor movie events to unfold. And they pull out all the stops!

An evening under the stars in Walnut Creek, California usually involves a mix of live folk bands, hula dancers in grass skirts, spotlights and MCs in sparkling jackets. And to complicate matters, it is all staged in the middle of the Heather Farm Park baseball field, a venue feared by every technician who has ever had the misfortune of setting up on a baseball diamond. So, to pull off a Walnut Creek show without a hiccup is the ultimate challenge for a seasoned technician; the ultimate test of an Open Air Cinema Technician’s skill and prowess.

Today that challenge falls on us.

We arrived on site early to assure that we would have plenty of time to set up the Open Air Elite 40×22.5 System. We met our contact, who came loaded with a cooler full of cold drinks to buffer us from the heavy California sun. We laid down a large plastic tarp and rolled out the screen which is always transported in a tight roll. Once the stakes, ropes and screen were secured we turned on the blowers. After flipping on the blowers the screen billowed and began to rise. With two technicians holding the front ropes, and one technician watching the back ropes we simply guided the inflatable screen upwards as it lifted itself into place. Its remarkable to see such a large screen go up so easily and safely.

With the screen fully upright, we began setting up the chain of Mackie speakers, three on both sides of the screens we noticed a potential problem with the generator. Fortunately, we had a spare generator on hand and plenty of time to troubleshoot. We eventually got the main generator rolling, and kept the backup generator close to serve as a standby. However, it wasn’t needed as the main generator served us well the rest of the evening.

As the other two techs set up the audio, I went to the projection mound to set up the projector and the mixing console. At this point I was given a schedule of the event so that I could begin to map out the varous transitions. We would be projecting a Powerpoint presentation from a laptop and then making a fade to a 55 second DVD introduction. In the meantime, the spotlight would light up the MC (in his sparkling jacket) upon the stage. After the intro, we were to fade straight to the feature.

As twilight approached, over 2,500 people had laid their blankets out on the lawn in anticipation of the movie. Everything was set to go. We got the cue, and began the fades. And….SHOWTIME!

Another entertaining outdoor movie night in Walnut Creek with Movies Under the Stars, and no bikini-rescue team required.

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Premiere Mobile Cinema Brings Outdoor Movies to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana

By on June 12, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Producers

Premiere Mobile CinemaPremiere Mobile Cinema bought its first system in 2007 and has since built a successful business that has brought events and movie memories to thousands of people! Currently based in , owner Denver DeGregario is a musician who traveled the east and west coast for years and noticed inflatable movies screens while in different cities and events throughout the country. After seeing a screen on vacation in Mexico, he made the decision to buy a CB-16 Pro Model from Open Air Cinema. He put on a few events and things started to snowball! He received requests for larger screens and more shows, put up his website, and started doing events in the Ohio, and areas. He went on to purchase an E-25 System C-12 Screen, and will soon be purchasing an E-40 System to help PMC continue to meet the needs of their customers. He now works full time for PMC doing events and building his business. When asked about his experience working with OAC he says, “Brandon, Ryan, and Christian have all been phenomenal to work with, even when I call them just to shoot the breeze. I researched before purchasing, and I have been very happy with the product and service, and everyone genuinely caring and happy to work with.”

Denver brings the experience, positive attitude and aggressive work tactics that have been key to his success in his first year of business. He has a great vision of bringing outdoor movies to people and making his ideas work for him. Working with Denver has been a joy, and we look forward to continuing our great business relationship with Premier Mobile Cinema!

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Crawford, Texas: George Bush on a 50 Foot Inflatable Movie Screen

By on June 12, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Crawford, Texas Outdoor Movie ScreenFor years, folks took for granted the pleasures of small-town life: unlocked doors, little traffic and a tranquility interrupted only by high school football games or passing train horns.

Then came George W. Bush.

So did tourists, eager to buy T-shirts and bobblehead dolls from the souvenir shops that filled once-empty storefronts. And the U.S. Secret Service, throngs of media and thousands of chanting, banner-carrying war protesters also descended on the one-stoplight town.

Documentary filmmaker David Modigliani‘s ‘Crawford‘ tells what happened to the community and its 700 residents after then-governor Bush bought a 650-hectare ranch early in his presidential campaign in 1999.

“Generally speaking, there was this excitement, enchantment and economic boon that came with his moving to town,” Modigliani said. “By the end of the film there’s a sense of disillusionment, being tired of the attention and feeling like the novelty has worn off.”

Already shown at several film festivals, it will make its debut June 8 on a 50 foot outdoor movie screen at the football field, since the town has no movie theater. Tickets are $5 for residents, $10 for everyone else.

Modigliani, who moved to Austin several years ago after receiving a writing fellowship, said he decided to make the documentary – his first feature-length film – after learning that Bush didn’t grow up in Crawford.

“I wanted to do a film indicting Bush for this political stagecraft, using this town as a prop,” Modigliani said. “But I found something much more compelling, which was the people of Crawford: their stories, their journeys, their arcs. The film became about them.”

High school teacher Misti Turbeville, whose progressive views increasingly make her feel like an outsider here, theorizes that the ranch purchase was a public-relations ploy. In one scene, her students discuss why Bush would choose Crawford: to give him a heroic cowboy image or because small-town folks are viewed as having good morals, they say.

Another featured resident is Rev. Mike Murphy, pastor of First Baptist Church, who says not all of his members may have voted for Bush, but 99.9 per cent probably did.

Modigliani filmed in Crawford from 2004 through last fall, also using news footage and residents’ home videos – such as when the school band played at Bush’s first inauguration.

“I kept thinking that we were finished shooting the film and things kept happening,” Modigliani said.

Among them was the war protest led by Cindy Sheehan, the woman who went to Crawford during Bush’s August 2005 vacation and demanded to talk to him about the war that claimed her soldier son’s life. The monthlong protest drew more than 10,000 people, many who set up camp in ditches off the two-lane road leading to the ranch.

Sheehan also sparked counter protests by Bush supporters, including locals who not only vehemently opposed her message but also were tired of the traffic and noise. The documentary shows resident Ricky Smith riding through town on a horse with “Cindy go home” written on its hindquarters.

“Fifty years ago, she’da been hung for treason,” Smith says in the film.

The documentary pokes fun at the national media’s portrayal of the town, revealing that television reporters doing stand-ups in front of a hay bale and barn were actually beside Crawford’s school, several kilometres from the ranch.

But there are darker moments as well, such as the struggles of those who don’t support the president in a town where the spotlight is now on residents’ political views.

And it features Bush supporter Norma Nelson Crow, who grew up in Crawford and was excited to return and open a gift shop after the initial economic prosperity. But declining sales forced her to close the store in late 2006.

Modigliani said he believes he portrayed residents accurately, not as caricatures, and is eager to see the town’s reaction. Murphy and others featured prominently in the film have already seen it.

“We’re a diverse community … and we’re all in this together,” said the Baptist minister. “I think that was portrayed in this film.”

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It's 2Cool: The Coolest Outdoor Movie Products in New England

By on June 11, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Producers

Its2Cool Outdoor MoviesMike McDonough is the real deal. He has established himself and his outdoor cinema company It’s 2Cool as one of the country’s top event production companies. It’s 2Cool has provided outdoor movie systems to one of the largest and most high-profile events in America – the Tribecca Film Festival. He has a keen eye for quality and innovation that has kept him at the top of his game for over 6 years. Mike got started in the outdoor movie industry after his experience in the entertainment business and his love of old style drive-in movies collided, causing what he calls “a perfect fit”. As far as his experience goes working with Open Air Cinema, he says, “It’s awesome! I’ve worked with Stuart (Farmer) and Sean (Rainer) for many years – they are great guys.”

Not only is Mike a first-class outdoor movie event producer but he is also a first-class individual. Anyone who meets Mike comes away with two things: a newly acquired thick Boston accent, and a new friend. A business man, a family man, and a crowd pleaser, Mike is a very valuable asset to the outdoor movie community through his meticulous open air event productions, innovation and service.

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Simi Valley, California: Free Outdoor Movie Series in Simi Valley

By on June 6, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

A series of free outdoor movie will be shown on an inflatable outdoor movie screen at:

Town Center
1555 Simi Town Center Way
Simi Valley, CA

For more information about these events visit www.rsrpd.org or www.simivalleytc.com

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Los Angeles, California: Henry Rollins Hosts Outdoor Movie Series

By on June 5, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

CineMOCA Outdoor Movies“Underground Forces,” a collection of the videos from 1977 to 1984, will be shown at the kickoff event of CineMOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s new outdoor screening series at the canopied plaza outside the Geffen Contemporary. Black Flag’s former frontman Henry Rollins will play old-school punk songs from his iPod — hey, the man doesn’t want to risk injury to his vinyl — that he’s selected especially for the night.

“I’m not one for looking backward,” Rollins says. “But I wanted to do this for Joe and Jackie. . . . They had the visionary sense to realize that these shows meant something bigger than all of us.”

The CineMOCA series, taking place on six consecutive Saturday evenings, this weekend to July 12, marks a new direction for the museum.

“It’s MOCA’s version of the drive-in movie theater,” Suzanne Isken, the museum’s director of education, says. “It’s something that’s been lost, that feeling you have as a kid watching a movie outdoors. We wanted to get back to that fun, fresh atmosphere while complementing our exhibitions.”

After the Target screening (in conjunction with the Getty’s “ Video” exhibition) and a night of Lawrence Weiner films on June 14, the series continues with films chosen by contemporary artists such as Edward Ruscha, Larry Clark, Edgar Arceneaux and Amy Adler.

“It fascinates me that Ed Ruscha picked ‘The Ox-Bow Incident,’ ” Isken says. The acclaimed drifter drama takes place in Montana in the 1880s; Ruscha is from Omaha, a fact he parodied in a western-style photograph with artist Joe Goode. “It says something about his work that we could never get from anything else.”

Target’s nascent footage is also a throwback to pre-MTV, pre-digital video times. Rollins, who frequently crashed at Target Studios in San Francisco’s Mission District, remembers Rees and company filming an early Black Flag performance, before Rollins had adapted his trademark stage uniform.

“It took me awhile to figure out that if you wear jeans onstage, those are also your pajamas, and now they are completely soaked in sweat.” By ’84 or ’85, Rollins says, he only performed wearing athletic shorts “that I could wring out after the show.”

CINEMOCA

WHERE: Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave.

WHEN: CineMOCA series: every Saturday through July 12

Source: LA Times

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Colorado Springs, Colorado: Free Summer Movies at America the Beautiful Park

By on June 5, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Every Thursday evening in June, you can join U.S. Olympians, U.S. Olympic hopefuls and elite athletes for fun activities, interactive demonstrations, autographs, and sports-themed movies on a giant inflatable movie screen.

The 3rd annual Free Summer Movie Nights take place at America the Beautiful Park downtown on Thursdays (June 5, 12, 19 and 26). Activities start at 7 p.m. and the outdoor movies start after the sun goes down.

Bring your picnic blanket and chairs. Go to www.SpringsGov.com for more details.

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