Category: film

April 07, 2008

Another VisArt falls

"My" VisArt-- the one on MLK next to the mega-teeter, is reportedly selling off all their stock and closing doors.

SON OF A BITCH. i really rent there regularly! well, i did. not anymore i guess.

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)

Category: film

February 21, 2008

more brief movie recaps

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)

Category: film

February 20, 2008

movies and metallic sweat

i've been watching a lot of movies. for posterity (or my own memory) here are my brief evaluations of what i've seen this week:

Tonight it's Oscars catch-up time: MM is coming over to watch some combination of Michael Clayton, Eastern Promises, or Across the Universe. We both saw ATU in the theater but loved it and want to see it again.

:|:

very odd experience on monday and tuesday of feeling like i was sweating chrome all day. decided to stop taking the vitamin supplements i had started. that sensation is gone today so.. yeah. i won't do that again.

Posted by spacegrrl at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

Category: film

November 02, 2007

Durham Screen Savers

Just ran across this: DurhamScreenSavers.org. Although there seems to be no mission statement obvious on the site, I believe the idea is to try to bring the Starlite Drive-In back, or something.

The Starlite is currently for sale, for just under 1.2 mil. Full deets here.

Posted by spacegrrl at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

Category: film

August 09, 2007

Cameras and projectors

I've accumulated many cameras and projectors over the years. It would be a stretch to say that I need, much less have any use for, most of them. Some of them have emotional significance but I am trying not to dwell on that too much as I decide which ones to get rid of.

still cameras:

Still cameras

video camcorders:

camcorders

8mm and Super-8 movie cameras:

8mm and Super-8 movie cameras

8mm and Super-8 projectors:

8mm and Super-8 projectors

My grandfather's 8mm projector

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:19 PM | Comments (3)

Category: film

January 08, 2007

auto mechanics and little miss sunshine

i finally saw this movie the other night. i downloaded the soundtrack while the end credits were rolling, and i can't stop listening to it. i loved the movie itself; the humor is dark, but not bleak, and in the end it's sweet and heartwarming in a completely non-gross way.

but here's a question for any car nerds who may be reading this: if a manual transmission vehicle-- a vw bus, for instance-- loses first and second, would you really need to be rolling to start it? i mean, you could start it, and you could probably get moving in third if you really tried. i know, because i couldn't find first in my van when first got it, and i started in third several times.

i mean the whole device of having everyone push the van is great for the story and provides a very charming visual, but methinks the, er, physics of the situation is a little inaccurate.

Posted by spacegrrl at 12:57 AM | Comments (2)

Category: film

November 06, 2006

things to be less happy about

i watched eyes wide shut tonight. god, i forgot how creepy that movie is.

i need a chaser. unicorn chasers don't really do it for me. an Alias re-run will do.

Posted by spacegrrl at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)

Category: film

September 06, 2005

Herbie at the drive-in!

I mentioned to the Starlite folks that if they booked the new Herbie movie, I'd promote it to every VW club I could find in the area. Initially they told me that they only book first-runs... but they changed their mind and booked Herbie anyway!

This Saturday, September 10th, I'm encouraging all local VW folks to come out in force for the screening.

If you know anyone with a VW who might be up for this, tell them to git on out there!

Of course, Friends of VW's are also quite welcome. You know who you are!

Check out the fab new Starlite web site for lots of details.

Posted by spacegrrl at 06:21 PM | Comments (4)

Category: film

August 28, 2005

vintage arcade games at the starlite

This completely slipped my mind until yesterday afternoon. The video store is gone from the Starlite, and the back room has been filled with vintage arcade games. I spotted ms. pac man; didn't go in to see what else was there.

now we just need to convince him to carry loco-pops!

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

Category: film

August 24, 2005

the sort of choice you don't wanna have to make

like sophie choosing which of her children will die.
like choosing between chocolate and raspberry.
like only getting to have butter OR cream cheese on your bagel.

awesome coffeehouse show vs. VIP night at the starlite. this friday.

the starlite pretty much wins; after all, it is the starlite. and who knows, maybe the rosebuds won't go on until after i get out of the starlite.

but hey. the starlite is really happening. really really. like, this saturday you all who did not get VIP invites can go out there and see "The Dukes of Hazzard" if you want. Which you probably don't...

my man on the inside says the new screen looks great. and notes:

"we were using the 1972 cult classic 'Super Fly' to test
the screen - It's a print that Bob G. had lying around!"

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:08 AM | Comments (3)

Category: film

August 20, 2005

movie: The Witches

I find movies about witches strangely comforting. I'm not sure why; maybe because they often take place in the fall, and are also often on the lighter side of the horror genre.

witches.jpg Hocus Pocus is, oddly, my favorite example of this. Bell, Book and Candle is pretty high on the list.

Recently I did a little digging around on Netflix and unearthed The Witches. It looked campy and 60's and promising.

What I didn't know until I watched it was... it's a Hammer film. I'm actually not always all that into Hammer films, but I was heartened. And, as it turned out, not disappointed.

I think if I ever own a movie theater, I'll have to run a series on Creepy English Villages. Open each installment with an episode of The Prisoner, then launch into something like The Witches, or maybe The Wicker Man. I'm not sure why this is, but English villages seem to be inherently creepy. (Although I think The Wicker Man actually takes place in the Hebrides, which are in Scotland, not England. Close enough.)

In addition to some glorious over-acting by Joan Fontaine, this movie boasts inappropriate modern dance moves by the scruffy villagers, a surprisingly, surrealy creepy effect involving a cat in cloth bag, plot holes you could drive a herd of sheep through, and a hat with lit candles, worn by the head witch.

I want one of those candle hats. That would be cool.

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:06 PM | Comments (2)

Category: film

August 17, 2005

whoa.

Just saw a preview for Linklatter's movie rendition of PK Dick's A Scanner Darkly.

It's rotoscoped, like Waking Life was, except that the rotoscoping effects are much, much better. Very, very, very cool-- I cannot wait.

Posted by spacegrrl at 08:48 PM | Comments (2)

Category: film

August 11, 2005

link this!

Hey bloggers-- there's a new Starlite Drive-In web site, starlite-drivein.com.

If you'd like, please link to it on your blog-- that will really help their google rankings!

They are saying a planned opening date of Saturday, August 27th now.

(Note, i was not involved in the making of this site.)

Posted by spacegrrl at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Category: film

August 02, 2005

Starlite update

"We can rebuild him. We have the technology. Better . . . stronger . . . faster."

I received an update about the Starlite this morning, my first in a while.

The material that was applied to the screen this weekend turned out not to be suitable for projection. Bob received some bad advice. it will be removed and used to build the back of the screen.

The correct material has been determined and a small amount put up yesterday. Apparently, it reflects beautifully. The new surface is scheduled to be applied next Monday, and Bob has a tentative date of Saturday, August 13th to re-open to the public.

Somewhere along the line, Bob decided to go with corrugated metal rather than plywood. The old screen was made of plywood, but a metal surface will be far more durable and will look a heck of a lot better.

Posted by spacegrrl at 07:27 AM | Comments (3)

Category: film

July 30, 2005

Plywood sighted

Just got a call from one of my agents in the field-- he reports that the screen at the Starlite is now mostly covered in plywood. This is a dramatic change from one week ago, when I drove by and saw new cross-members on the telephone poles, but no plywood on the screen or fence. He says there are lots of people and equipment out there working.

So we may be having a movie outdoors this summer, yet.

Posted by spacegrrl at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

Category: film

July 17, 2005

i'm on top of all the new stuff

in the last 24 hours, saw charlie and the chocolate factory and just completed my reading of... you know, that book. it took longer than three hours.

i also ate, slept, showered, perfumed, cooked, tended the feline in various ways, ran errands, finally completed my bit of the creative postcard exchange, worked out dividers for my perfume tins, set foot in starlu for the first time (and left quickly), and drank beer at jo and joe's. completely not in that order.

i suppose tomorrow i had better get serious and stop having fun and stuff. if i don't complete the playlist manager, i'll have a revolt on my hands. and that van isn't going to sand itself... the grass isn't going to mow itself (this time)... herbs won't weed themselves... etc.

:|:

oh, what did i think of the movie and the book? gee, i dunno. i'm going to need a few days to digest it all.

Posted by spacegrrl at 01:31 AM | Comments (4)

Category: film

May 05, 2005

"This tremendous thing has happened between us."

what could be more perfect than watching 'a room with a view' on a rainy evening!

george emerson remains one of my all-time biggest film crushes; he's always grabbing helena bonham carter and kissing her inappropriately, or giving her looks or sending her secret messages that she pretends not to like, all while she is falling in love with him.

well, that, and he's almost the only person in the film who sees things as they really are. and he's a feminist. a male victorian feminist.

and hot. yes, very, very hot.

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:41 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

April 30, 2005

jump around!

last night before the hitchiker's guide movie, there was an unusually long series of previews, including two that made me want to jump out of my seat and squeal like a little girl.

first there was the new tim burton animated feature, the corpse bride. given that 'the nightmare before christmas' is one of my all-time favorite films, you can imagine. i am very excited about this movie and i can't stand that i have to wait til fall! but it will be so great in the fall. ohboy.

the second Very Exciting Preview was for 'Serenity', the new joss whedon film. you know, JOSSS! it's based on his short-lived tv series, 'firefly', which didn't pick up a big cult audience like buffy, but should have-- man, it was a great series. and it looks like the movie is going to kick ass. it was all i could do to remain seated.

happily, those next to me were excited about these movies, too, so i didn't feel too dumb expressing some of my feelings on the matter :)

i thought it rather odd, though, that they didn't show this preview. i guess burton only gets one slot.

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:21 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

April 23, 2005

your basic nightmare.

"thin. pretty. big tits. your basic nightmare." –marie, "when harry met sally"

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

February 17, 2005

i care about every pixel!

i do. i really do. i just don't have the time or the mental fortitude to give every pixel the care it deserves.

but i'm in love with the UI i'm designing right now.

:|:

went to see "ocean's twelve" tonight. decided i could not hack a serious and heartwrenching oscar nominated film with the girls so i struck out on my own.

daaaaaaamn! i didn't expect it to be so good! it was almost worth the insane amount of money i paid to see it.

i really, really love a pure heist film. not one that ends up with dead people, one that focuses on the strategy, the twists.

i think if i were going to make a movie, i'd try to make a heist film. once, sarah, shayne and i watched an allyson hannigan movie that we thought was going to be a heist film, but turned out to be short on heist and long on heroin use and violence. when it was over, someone said, "hell WE could do a better heist!"

it would be perfect really. shayne is a great planner. sarah is a great marksman. and me, well, i'm the wheel (wo)man, of course :)

i don't actually want to commit a crime; not that i have any great sympathy for rich people and insurance companies, i just don't want to wind up in jail.

oh well. it's fun to think about.

Posted by spacegrrl at 12:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

February 15, 2005

passing a frozen torch

over a decade ago, i took a super-8 filmmaking class at NCSU. i worked very hard in my class and completed one film successfully. i started a second film, the final class project. all of the film i shot came back black. i never made that film.

since then i have had a lot of super-8 film in my freezer, i guess left over from the class. i have moved it with me from place to place over the years.

anyway, i decided it was time to give it up, so tonight i gave it to a filmmaker friend of mine in the hopes that he'll find an interesting use for it. i assume that since it has been frozen and thawed multiple times, it could produce some odd results.

a long time ago i wanted to be a filmmaker, so it was hard to give that film away. i think the only thing that made it ok was giving it to someone who will make good use of it and who has done many nice things for me in the past.

Posted by spacegrrl at 07:20 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

February 06, 2005

movie worth mentioning: Simply Irresistable

On the surface of it, this is just a fluffly romantic comedy. And, actually, that's pretty much all it is, through and through. I originally watched it because it stars Sarah Michelle Gellar.

However, I find it has certain merits that not all fluffy romantic comedies have:

1) The clothes. Re-watching it today, I noticed for the first time that SMG's wardrobe is done by Todd Oldham, which helps explain the many beautiful yet eccentric outfits she wears. There is one early in the film that literally made me gasp, even though i have seen it many times before.

2) The food. I really do have a thing for movies with good food in them (see previous entry about 'Dead Like Me'.) I first remember experiencing this while watching Babette's Feast. After watching that movie I cooked up a storm. The food in this film is both beautiful, and looks as if it would be delicious. The restaurant featured is adorable and I love imagining myself cooking in it. Sometimes, I make up restaurant menus in my head... I know restaurants are more work than I'd want to do, and I'm not really a good enough cook, but it's fun to imagine what the menus would be if I had my own restaurant. You can believe that there would always be an excellent vegetarian option!

Perhaps my restaurant would be something like, "food for your inner child", since the foods I like the best are the kinds of foods kids like-- grilled cheese, french fries, that sort of thing.

Posted by spacegrrl at 09:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

December 19, 2004

bad buffy cast movies

so my old buffy-watching crew had the brilliant idea that we should kill the time between the end of buffy and the release of the firefly movie by getting together and watching movies that the buffy cast has been in.

i decided to geek out and pull together a listing. of course, eliza dushku has actually been in some good movies, but the rest of them have basically been in a lot of stinkers. at the end of the evening, someone said, "i wonder how sarah michelle gellar feels about leaving the series for stuff like this ?"

we settled on rip it off, scooby doo 2, and i'm with lucy.

'rip it off' is pretty rank. in fact, it's almost a textbook of bad movie writing techniques, with a decent amount of completely gratuitous prurient content-- tit close-up, fucking, male full frontal, and a guy jerking off while driving a muscle car all in the first two scenes. i decided that alyson hannigan was preparing for season six of buffy in this role; her character is a lesbian heroin addict whose lover is killed at the end. and we were surprised to discover her hubby, alexis densiof, bungling the role of one of the russian thugs. he really has the worst russian accent ever and laughter-inspiring sideburns. sarah also pointed out that this movie featured an oddly oversized spatula, which appeared to be part of the decor of the russian thugs' kitchen. however, we were disappointed that during the psychedelic heroin-taking scene, no one claimed that alyson hannigan tasted like strawberries. otherwise, that scene could have been pulled directly from buffy season six.

'scooby doo 2' was a step up-- we first intended to watch only scenes, so we could see SMG in the role of daphne, but got caught up in the... plot? and wound up watching the whole thing. another surprise in this one, seth green, also a buffy cast member, as velma's geek love interest. not exactly reprising his role as oz, but drawing from it anyway. it was cute. the set design was great-- lots of crazy hanna-barbara colors and the scooby gang had a supercool mod pad. interestingly, something in this movie was proclaimed to taste like strawberries-- i think it was a bizarre chemical concoction laced with "randomonium" which brought monsters to life. oops, i gave away part of the "plot". sorry. also, this movie featured an oversized wagon wheel. weird.

finally, we watched 'i'm with lucy', featuring only one buffy cast member, david boreanaz. our expectations for this movie were low and we didn't plan to watch the whole thing, but it actually turned out to be the best of the three. nothing oversized, nothing that tasted like strawberries, nothing gratuitous and it featured an actual plot and good writing. and it even had henry thomas. you know, the kid from ET?

:|:

i think simply irresistible remains my favorite buffy cast movie, although bring it on ranks right up there (go peyton reed!). and there's a lot to be said for american pie and cruel intentions (which is gratuitous, but in just the right way).

Posted by spacegrrl at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Category: film

December 13, 2004

flickerrr

flicker tonight with il rossi.

most brilliant: bill weaver brandishing a knife and yelling, "YA THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF FUCKIN' GAME? DO YA? YA DO? YA THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF FUCKIN' GAME?" over and over and over and over again. and again.

least brilliant: a girl who carefully explained that her film was shot on a back lot at a big hollywood studio at a summer film camp, on 16mm and edited in final cut pro. which for the ill-informed is an extremely swanky setup for a flicker film.

technology does not make you imaginative.

Posted by spacegrrl at 11:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

December 03, 2004

Starlite Drive-In 2005 Season Passes

The poles for the new screen at the Starlite are going up (see photos here) and the process of building the new screen appears to be well under way.

The Starlite folks are offering season passes for 2005. Basically it's $100 for 12 carloads of people. So pack the van full of hippies and head to the drive in! And if you buy one before the VIP night that they're planning to celebrate the re-opening of the theater, you get to go to the VIP night, too.

You have to go to the Starlite on a Saturday from 8am-3pm to get one. Or you can email them to set up a different time. Complete details are on the web site, but of course.

Posted by spacegrrl at 08:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 26, 2004

starlite fundraiser, part 1

i'd like to point everyone to the pictures i took at the car show today. much to our surprise-- they put our bugs in the car show! we think it was a mistake, but both our bugs are modded-- and we later added a limited edition snap orange to our little lineup-- so we didn't look all that out of place. we were a shoe-in with the 10-year-old girls, anyway.

i'll be heading out to the rock show at ooh la latte soon-- and carla says she's going to recruit me to work at the fundraising table. which is fine, i actually enjoy that kind of stuff. keeps me from standing around like a dork which is what i normally do at rock shows.

Posted by spacegrrl at 05:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 21, 2004

a helpful suggestion

we should just ask bob not to re-open the theater, because people undoubtedly have unprotected sex during the movies. closing the theater could really impact HIV rates in durham!

(that's sarcasm. you got that, right?)

Posted by spacegrrl at 11:11 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 16, 2004

old starlite photos

this is pretty cool. the dude who is helping me with the web site extracted these from the starlite folks the other night and scanned them in. old pics of the starlite from the 1960's, when it appears to have been temporarily derelict.

Posted by spacegrrl at 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 12, 2004

as the starlite turns

i didn't really mean to spend all day yesterday working on starlite stuff, but i did.

well, i did also fit in a good morning's sleep, a trip to goodwill with tons of crap (with a stop at nice price along the way that left me $5 and one vw friend richer-- the dude in the store wanted to talk about the westy), a nap, and three decent meals that did not originate from fast food restaurants. so i can't complain.

went to ooh la latte to work on the starlite site; it was time to move it forward a little. my latte was subsidized neatly by my trip to nice price. as always i can work well there, even despite annoying people well within my range of hearing making comments on how "sad" it is that people "drag the internet with them everywhere" (in reference to a comment his companion made about how cool it was that people had laptops with them).

in the late afternoon i went out to the starlite to help carla with some e-mail management issues. bob's place is like this huge hangout scene for all these people, and carla and i got to talking, so i wound up staying for a while.

there's also all this soap operatic stuff going on in the starlite fundraising crowd which i guess i won't air out here in public. it's fascinating though i have to say...

anyway. so when i got there, robin's daughter sam, who worked at the starlite, and her best friend were... playing with handcuffs. good clean family fun! and then robin started telling me about what good friends those two are, since they were little, and how they still sit on each other's laps. "Anyone who didn't know them would think they were... you know." everyone laughed and the young dude said, "Friends with benefits." sam's friend said, "really? that happens? with two women?"

i started thinking about it later, and i can't remember a particular moment when i learned that "that happens with two women", or with two men for that matter. odd.

without recounting the whole story behind this, i would like to mention that bob is the kind of guy who, when he has lost his partner of 28 years, his father, and his business in the space of one year, will give you his favorite pen just because you said you liked it. and when you refuse he will insist until it becomes too embarassing to refuse any more and you have to take it. that's the kind of guy he is.

i went home and proceeded to work on the starlite site until 1am, missing chicks rock entirely, which was not at all my intent. i really bogged down and slowed down on my work pace in the evening. there's still more yet to do, and i feel it's not as nice of an overall composition as what sarah originally came up with, but i do feel that i've done a good job of taking the look and the style she gave me and staying consistent with it as i've added more graphical elements.

which is to say, the page is different now.

donations through the page are slowing down and only netted about $1500. if anyone can think of a way we could promote the site that we're not, please let me know.

Posted by spacegrrl at 02:23 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 06, 2004

How can you help the starlite?

It doesn't take money, or even much time. You can simply BLOG THIS:

SaveOurStarlite.org

yes, the site is ready for prime time! two words: plywood sponsorship!

hugebig thanks to joe and phil for having already done this!!

Posted by spacegrrl at 04:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 03, 2004

"I wish I had a dollar for every child conceived in that back row."

heraldsun.com: Wish list sparks renewal drive for fire-ravaged Starlite Drive-in

if nothing else, read that last paragraph.

they're linking out to the saveourstarlite.org site, which isn't really ready for prime-time, but prime-time is here so we're as ready as we can be :)

it'll have an online donation link just as soon as some banking stuff gets straightened out, and a more stylish look and feel is also on the way.

Posted by spacegrrl at 03:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

September 02, 2004

adventures at the starlite, part 1

the first of many, i am sure!

i went out to the starlite last night and met bob, carla, robin, and of course blackie, the biggest german shepherd i have ever seen.

i flew my car show idea by them and they had no objections and basically told me to go for it. i also offered to create a web site and they gave me the go ahead on that.

there were a bunch of other folks around, too, all women, clearing some metal bars out of the ashes of the screen.

we sat up in bob's front yard which is right next to the screen. he told me that he had to live for five days without power before he could get it restored, and that whoever had done the work to restore it-- not sure if it was an electrician or duke power or both-- had overcharged him. but he found a member of his mason's lodge who is an electrician who will do the rest of the work for a reasonable rate. i think he hopes to have power to the theater building soon.

the best news of the day seemed to be that a contracting company, siteworx contracting, has agreed to come out this morning and clear the debris-- for free! they are donating their time, manpower, and equipment to clear this stuff off and haul it to the dump.

:|:

i noticed that carla's jetta was a TDI, so of course i had to mention it. i told her that both my bug and my van (which i'd driven out there) were diesels. and of course, i couldn't help but say, "i know a great mechanic if you need someplace to take your TDI!" and she turned to me and said, "Oh, I do all my work myself, I'm in auto mechanics school."

Now, keep in mind that this is a young woman in her early twenties, dressed to the nines including dainty little kitten heels, who sells Avon. I was surprised, and completely delighted.

:|:

after we'd finished discussing fundraising business, i went down and took a few pictures of the screen to put on the site. then i hopped in the van and went through the usual little procedure-- seatbelt, cycle glowplugs, pull out cold start knob. turn key.

nothing.

now, usually, the van starts up instantly. it starts better than the bug. this is one way in which the van has been completely reliable-- up until now.

i tried it again a few more times. absolutely nothing, no cranking of the starter motor, not even really a click.

so i grabbed carla, and pretty soon everyone's standing around my open engine compartment scratching their heads. i broke out the voltmeter and proved that the battery was fine, but since no one knew what the hell to do they said, "let's jump it anyway, it can't hurt". so we did. of course that did nothing.

now the van was parked on an incline, nose down. my first instinct was that that was causing a problem, but i had no rational explanation for it. i didn't bring it up, but someone else did. so it was decided that they'd push me up to a level spot. and they did.

all the women that is. bob and the other guy who had arrived by that time stood around and watched five women push my van up the hill. i can't even begin to tell you how much i wish i had pictures of this, both from my perspective from inside the van with five grinning women staring up at me expectantly, and of course from the outside with all of them-- including carla in her kitten heels-- pushing.

anyway, they got it up to level and-- it started magically and i drove away. and immediately went to a gas station and filled the tank. it still had 1/4 left, but who knows- maybe that had something to do with it.

i've put this to the diesel vanagon list and no one has a very satisfying explanation. possibly, the ignition switch or wiring is flakey, which seems plausible-- other wiring in the steering column is flakey too. mark told me that in europe, part of routine maintenance for the vanagon is to clean the fuse contacts, because the fuses have such tiny contact points. i think i might break out the denatured alchohol and do a little cleaning one of these days. when i have time.

:|:

the web site is actually already active-- i spent the rest of the evening pulling it together. sarah has graciously agreed to develop a stylish design for it. once i get the paypal link on it-- carla has to set up a paypal account for the foundation's bank account, first-- i'll be asking all of you to blog the web site. pretty please.

Posted by spacegrrl at 10:22 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Category: film

August 30, 2004

rebuild our starlite

Just spoke with the 'rebuild our starlite foundation' woman, carla. she had contacted a group called "timeless cruisers" to see if they'd display their cars one sunday afternoon, but her vision wasn't really a full-fledged car show.

she sounds pretty overwhelmed. i'm going to meet with her wednesday evening.

she told me that there's no power to the main building at this time, because all power ran through the screen. In fact, bob's mobile home, which is on the starlite lot, had to be rewired with its own utility pole put in, so he could get power to his house. it's a mess.

she thinks her avon fundraiser will probably raise about $25k of the $50k that is needed in all-- but that $25k will have to cover any expenses that are incurred in the fundraising, including i think paying the people who work there while there's no money coming in to support them.

they are looking at the second saturday in september as a possible community cleanup day, and the second or third sunday in september as a possible day for a car show. that wouldn't be enough time to do a car show the way i was thinking of it but the display-only thing that she was thinking of could possibly be arranged by then. we'll see.

i think those folks can use all the help they can get.

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Category: film

August 28, 2004

"Save Our Starlite Foundation"

reprinted completely without permission from the Herald-Sun, since this is the only way I can keep this information around for more than a few days.

"A Sunday fire may have destroyed the movie screen at the Starlite Drive-in. But a group of Avon representatives are doing what they can to raise it from the ashes.

The screen was destroyed when the exhaust of a riding lawn mower ignited materials in a shed at the base of the screen Sunday afternoon.

"We want to get this back up and running so everyone can have it the way it was or better," said Carla Strawser, an Avon representative. "Hopefully, insurance will cover it when it gets up to standards."

The representatives will begin contacting local businesses about a fund-raising drive this week, Strawser said. All profits from Avon sales will go into the drive-in fund. Tax-deductible donations also may be made to the Save Our Starlite Foundation at any Triangle branch of RBC Centura Bank, Strawser said.

She asks that anyone seeking information about donations call her at 451-2525. "

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Category: film

August 23, 2004

suddenly very glad i went to the drive-in recently.

Fire destroys Starlite screen

i think if bob says he'll rebuild, then he will. but that neon sign is irreplaceable, as are the movies and posters he had stored.

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Category: film

June 13, 2004

'arry potter!

sarah's comment about how the kids in this potter movie don't wear their robes got me to thinking about the movie...

i actually dug the street clothes so much that i forgot that they should be wearing robes! but sarah is correct, they make a big deal about the robes in the books and that's what they ought to be wearing. i've just always had a thing for those earthy brown english "jumpers", possibly as a result of reading too much as a child.

i love david thewlis and was so pleased with him in this role. so often the films he does are difficult to watch. his breakthrough role in mike leigh's 'naked' is so painful that although i loved the movie at the time, i've never been able to bring myself to watch it again.

alan rickman, as always, is fantastic. he's so good that you even get to see glimpses of the nerdy outcast teenaged boy who was picked on by the popular kids (harry's dad and friends) without any of the plot or dialogue that brings that out.

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Category: film

April 04, 2004

i do love me a sudden idear.

and the nice thing about a blog is, i've got a place to write 'em down!

has anyone here ever heard of a movie called leningrad cowboys go america? well, now you have. anyway, it's the story of a group of musicians from rural finland who come to america and basically trace the history of american rock n' roll through their travels, meeting up with various blues and rock musicians in barber shops, pool halls, and wherever else they wind up.

the blues brothers do a little of this, too, meeting up with aretha franklin, ray charles and probably others while persuing their "mission from god". and right now i'm starting to watch, "o, brother, where art thou?" and i'm realizing that it happens in this movie, too.

so wouldn't it be cool if someone did a road trip through post-punk england movie? (or maybe bar hopping would be a more approapriate journey for that one.) or through the early era of industrial music, or... well, something other than american blues and early rock and twangy shit.

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Category: film

April 03, 2004

writing on skin

i'm watching the pillow book, which i've not seen in years. for those not familiar, it has a lot to do with writing on skin. writing on people.

it's reminding me of this idea i had for a long time, starting when i returned from scotland back in the early 90's, that it would be good to have tattoos that were the color of freckles-- like natural markings on the skin. i wanted to get a topographical map of a hill i'd climbed tattooed on my ankle, in that color, but i never did.

then for a while after that, i tried henna tattoos of my own, always in places that wouldn't be visible normally. i didn't want something everyone could see. this was during a long period where i had no affiliations with boys, so the result was that no one ever saw them. they never worked well, they were always very faint.

a line from the movie:

woman: you've been reading my diary?
man: isn't that why people keep diaries? to be read by someone else? otherwise why keep them?

my favorite greenaway film is prospero's books, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available on dvd.

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Category: rock

March 31, 2004

papa say he no fi foolish like he never been to school at all

lemme see if i can get the chronology straight.

early high school, i get bored with commercial radio and go digging around at the left end of the dial. i hear, through static, the strains of an exotic sounding beat. i think to myself, "i think this might be reggae." i mark the place on the dial with a red china marker. it later turns out to be wxyc.

the summer after sophomore year of high school, i attend the young writer's camp at UVA. one night, they take us to see a reggae band playing on campus. i think this was my first live show at a small venue. it was definitely one of the most intense musical experiences of my young life.

somewhere around this time, madness had their big american hit, "our house". (that would have been 1983.) i was totally hooked on the bouncy brit ska sound; i remember buying the record at record bar in cameron village, and immediately crushing on the band member i thought the cutest.

senior year of high school. i think. we hung out on hillsborough street after school all the time. mike connell from the connells was manning schoolkids records most afternoons (though we had no idea til later that we were buying all our wax from a big rock star!) in the cutout bin i found a most intriguing looking record... it looked to be ska, but ska from jamaica! from the 60's! who ever heard of such a thing? i could just tell from the cover that it was gonna be cool and i bought it. it was called intensified and that about described it. it was one of the coolest things i'd ever heard, lo-fi and dripping with exotic authenticity.

off to college and i meet my pal martha. she'd spent a year living in the virgin islands with her lover, a man named ishmael who was born and lived his whole life on the island. she had real mighty sparrow tapes-- you know, the versions with the really dirty lyrics that they don't sell to americans. she turned me on to that, and african music, "river deep, mountain high" by ike and tina turner (amazing song-- if you've never heard it, ask me to play it the next time you're visiting), and al green. around this time i found a copy of the soundtrack to the harder they come and played the crap out of it.

so tonight, some 16 or 17 years later, i got a chance to see that i still know by heart all the lyrics to the songs on that soundtrack. i noticed that screen/society was showing "the harder they come" over at griffith, and at the last minute decided to go on over. hank, the guy who runs these screenings, got up in front of the room and said, "i've been waiting a long time to see this movie..." and i thought, yeah, me too.

jimmy cliff's character isn't the most endearing in the world; in fact, i think even "anti-hero" is a slightly glossy term for this guy. for me, the recording sessions were definitely the highlight, especially seeing (presumably) the maytals doing "sweet and dandy". it was probably good that i went alone, because i found myself singing along to that one :)

i was hoping for more music, but still it was good to finally see it after all these years.

time between hearing those first strains of a reggae beat through the static til the day i finally saw 'the harder they come': approximately 22 years.

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Category: film

March 22, 2004

The American Astronaut

i'm planning on going to see the american astronaut at the madstone sometime this week, maybe thursday or friday. if anyone wants to come with, let me know.

this screened at the most recent... nevermore? and i missed it. sounds like these guys are big eraserhead fans, which is enough to get me to see a musical space western.

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Category: film

March 14, 2004

ooh!

there's a new david mamet film. excellent.

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Category: film

March 01, 2004

ms. films

i would like to add here, in the hopes that this will help me remember in a year how i feel now about spending a lot of time and money doing oscars-related things, that my time and money would have been immeasureably better spent at the ms. films fest.

i actually kind of hate myself now, for that specific misuse of my time. though it's worth noting that i don't regret spending extra time with my friends, which is mainly why i did it anyway.

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Category: film

the oscar life

cold mountain was pretty good. jude law, as always, is well worth looking at. i thought the woman from texas (renee zelweger) got the southern accent a little better than the woman from australia (nicole kidman) and the guy from england (law), but hey. it's hollywood. what the hell do they know about accents? and that doesn't matter so much anyway, as long as it's passable.

the oscars party was what it was. i am an ill-mannered brute who feels the speeches are mostly worth missing, as are the commercials and all the performances. so basically, all but about five minutes out of four hours are worth a miss. it was my first time ever watching the oscars, so i didn't realize i'd feel this way until it was happening.

i don't think i was too rude.

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Category: film

February 28, 2004

giving in to the whole oscars thing

so a friend of a friend of mine gives an oscars party every year. i've never gone before because it's such total bullshit, but this year i decided that i'd just take it at face value and have fun with it. so i'm going to the party tomorrow and i've been watching movies like crazy lately.

including...

of course, i'd already seen 'lost in translation' twice, which i absolutely loved. murray should win best actor, but probably won't because his performance is actually subtle.

so i've seen a bunch of movies i probably wouldn't have otherwise, and will be going to a very silly party populated entirely with women. stuff like this just gives me that "bread and circuses" feeling.

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Category: film

February 22, 2004

triplets of belleville

2cv.jpg saw the triplets of belleville tonight with christa. i liked it because a) it was good and b) featured quite a few citroen 2cv's (with elongated front ends). the music is also quite good. i highly recommend.

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Category: film

February 17, 2004

ms. films rocks your world!

msfilms.org - who wants to go to the Hot Dog Man movie??

from one of the event organizers:

"Workshops include: DocuFemmes, Super 8, Life of an Independent Animator, Cameraless Filmmaking, Toning, Lighting and Sound Technique, Works in Progress, Animation, and a new event we are adding this year; a screening discussion session. For our finalsession on Sunday afternoon, we will get together with filmmakers, workshop presenters, and audience members to talk about the film screenings, ask questions, and talk to filmmakers.

Films include: "Hot Dog Man: A Case Study" (about our very own Ninth Street Hot Dog Man, by Joyce Ventimiglia of Durham, NC), "Tahini and Tears" by Shashwati Talukdar, original animation by Francesca Talenti, faux 60's horror by our Canadian visiting filmmaker, Thea Faulds, a riveting piece by our featured visiting filmmaker, Pat Doyen, and 20 other great films you might never otherwise get to see!

Ms. Films is affordable for the indy film lover! Just $15
for a full weekend pass, which includes all screening and workshops, and a copy of the "Down, Dirty, and DIY Guide to Film and Video". $8 gets you a screening pass into any two screenings, and $6 will get you into any one event."

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Category: film

February 12, 2004

the gleaners and i

sarah says it all, better than i can

but i will add that a) i'll take recommendations from rick with a slight grain of salt in the future and b) if i needed more encouragement to go for it and edit my roswell video together into a film, i got it by watching this film, because i know i can edit better than this woman can. jesus.

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Category: film

February 04, 2004

i got to see william h. macy's balls

actually, i really liked "the cooler". there were times when it seemed to be headed for predictability, but in the end there were a satisfyingly large number of moral gray areas explored to make up for the hackneyed mobster speech patterns and cliches. or maybe that stuff was on purpose and i missed a whole level of the movie.

i'm in that unhappy state right now where i'm exhausted, and because i'm exhausted, i can't sleep. i even went to bed for a while, and got back up. my point here (besides that of making an all too obvious plea for sympathy) is that my analysis may be a little off.

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Category: film

January 31, 2004

oh, i am such a girl.

should there ever again be any doubt-- the next time you see me wielding a sledgehammer or reading a bentley manual-- just remember that there seems to be no limit to the number of times i can watch 'four weddings and a funeral'. and i cry every time matthew reads this bit from w.h. auden:

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

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Category: film

January 29, 2004

"tape"

tape dir richard linklater.

monday, feb. 2nd, 8pm, richard white lecture hall, east campus.

lemme know if you're interested in going with me.

worth noting (and i'll post this to the links on the right), duke screen society schedule. i wondered where all the interesting university film programs had gone...

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Category: film