We are smack dab in the middle of the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival. Have you made it to an event yet? We had a great time on Friday here at Four Star! Here is a rundown of this week’s festivities.
Monday, Oct. 5th, the BHOC ventures into the Excelsior with a co-presentation at the Excelsior Branch of the public library at 4400 Mission Street. Screenings will go from 6:00-8:00pm and will feature local filmmakers Max Strebel, Nathan and Kathy Kensinger, Michelle Meeker and more.
Here is a breakdown of this week’s events. Check the BHOC website for updates and more information.
Tues, Oct 6th – Red Poppy – is hosting a Filmmaker/Musician Forum featuring Beth Custer, Marshall Crutcher, Greta Snider and Johunna Grayson– I will be moderating this event. Do you make movies? Do you make music? Do you want to meet your counterpart to get music for your movies or movies for your music? Come to this event!
Wed, Oct 7th – Kingmond Young Studio – Music by The Richter Scales, Candace Guirao and Terry Adams and short films (including one by Joseph Smooke, executive director of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, one by Four Star’s own Andrew Friedman{!} and a 3-D film by the above mentioned Greta Snider and Johunna Grayson).
Thur, Oct 8th – SoCha Café – Short films with music provided by Vishnu’s Secret.
Friday, Oct 9th – Films and Old Time Music and Dancing at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center with music by The Knuckle Knockers, with dancing called by Susan Pena.
Saturday, Oct – Closing night at Precita park with music by my band, The Dont’s, short films and at 8pm a MAMMA MIA sing along! Fun fun fun!
Don’t forget, next Thursday and Saturday (Oct 15th and 17th) the VideoFest film festival is on! This is another festival not to be missed. We are proud to let you know that this year a Four Star Video award was given to the top local filmmaker entered in the festival. The program runs at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, and I urge you to go!
You know how I’ve been going on and on about economy/community/personal responsibility and all that for the last year or two? Well check out this amazing new idea: Bernal Bucks! That’s right, a sort of a localized currency within our neighborhood. They are rolling out the idea in the form of a sort of game at Fiesta on the Hill. Here is a short press release from the Bernal Buck people:
Coming to a wallet near you: Bernal Bucks, an exciting way to keep Bernal thriving.
Starting October 18 – the day of Fiesta on the Hill – people and business can start paying with Bernal Bucks. They are regular Dollars with a “Bernal” tag, a nifty way to promote and reward shopping local.
While this locally enriched currency promotes spending your money in Bernal, businesses are encouraged to throw in a little bonus when being paid with Bernal Bucks. Something like an upgrade a bigger cup of coffee, or a free dessert for a $60 restaurant check. The participating businesses will be highlighted on posters and the web. They also will be known to give the desired Bernal Bucks as change. The owner/employees can spend them and enjoy the perks at other Bernal shops.
Initially, Bernal Bucks are Dollar bills with a removable “Bernal” sticker tags. They tags have unique numbers. When registered on the bernalbucks.org website, people can check where their money has been and where it goes to. It’s about attaining the longest unbroken chain of circulation among Bernal residents and businesses. A bit of a fun game.
Bernal Bucks support neighborhood causes. In their fund gathering for non-profits like the Neighborhood Center or the Friends of the Public Library, people can give donations for the Bernal Bucks tags, - and then enjoy the bonus perks when using them. Win-win-win.
The bernalbucks.org website has nice explanations about Bernal Bucks. That’s where you can get involved. Contact: Arno Hesse 415-935-1050 for more information.
(Back to Ken here)
Wow! I am really excited about this. Four Star Video will definitely be involved in some way. Bookmark their site, and check them out at Fiesta on the Hill on October 18th to find out how to get yer Bernal Bucks!
What? You’re here to read about movies…then read you shall, young Jedi. This week, there are a lot of Documentaries. Starting with the much anticipated ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL and including THE NATIONAL PARKS (Ken Burns), IN A DREAM and more. You should be well covered in your quest for knowledge! There is some good comedy also including the quirky indie ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT with Bruce Willis and YEAR ONE with Jack Black and Michael Cera. It seems like this time of year there are always a lot of horror films and kids holiday films, so we have a 2009 version of CHILDREN OF THE CORN, and a new DVD release of THE GATE, as well as the Anne Paquin vehicle TRICK ‘R TREAT.
Scroll on down to read about the rest.
Alrighty, that’s all folks, hope to see you at the store.
Love and Kisses,
Ken
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............//NEW RELEASES//............
ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT.
Comedy.
Mischa Barton/Reece Thompson/Bruce Willis.
Directed by Brett Simon.
* Thompson plays Bobby Funke, a sophomore at a Catholic high school where some SAT’s have been stolen and as a staff member of the school paper, he investigates the matter. Hooking up with a sexy senior (Barton) is one of the payoffs for his investigation, but soon Bobby starts wondering if the wool is being pulled over his eyes. What is really going on at school? And who is in the inside circle? With Willis as the ex-soldier Principal of the school.
CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2009).
Horrorish.
Daniel Newman/Preston Bailey.
Directed by Donald Borchers.
* Another rendition of the great Steven King short story. Remake’s shmemakes…you know? If you really want to scare people, you should make a story called Children of the Brussels Sprouts, or Children of the Zucchini. Or how about Children of the Creamed Corn? Aaaaaaaagh! Now that’s scary.
CHINATOWN: THE CENTENNIAL COLLECTION.
Drama.
Jack/Faye.
Directed by Roman Polanski.
* If you haven’t seen this film, please do…it is really amazing, features direction, writing, acting, cinematography at the very top of the game. And, it has one of the most perfect movie endings of all time.
CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002.
Comedy/Romance/Action/Foreign (Cantonese).
Tony Leung Chiu Wai/Wei Zhao.
Directed by Jeffrey Lau.
* This looks like a pretty funny cross-dressing, gender bending comedy-of-errors, historical period piece action film about a couple pairs of siblings battling fate during in Ming Dynasty China.
THE GATE: SPECIAL EDITION.
Horror.
Christa Denton/Stephen Dorff.
Directed by Tibor Takacs.
* Heavy metal music help some children realize that the giant hole in their backyard is actually a gateway to HELL (cue the music, people). This 1987 film feature Dorff in one of his first roles. Can you name any others?
MY LIFE IN RUINS.****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Comedy/Romance.
Nia Vardalos/Richard Dreyfuss.
Directed by Donald Petrie.
* This is the woman from MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING and MY BIG FAT GREEK LIFE and the big fat film must have had a big fat budget cuz it has big fat Richard Dreyfuss and it is a big fat comedy about two people discovering big fat love while cruising through the big fat beauty of Greece. No disrespect intended.
TRICK ‘R TREAT.
Horror.
Anna Paquin.
Directed by Michael Dougherty.
* Bloody fun starring the star of TRUE BLOOD (Paquin). Seriously, if you are into the bloodfest, you’ll probably dig this film, cuz its got a 7.9 out of 10 on imdb.com.
YEAR ONE.****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Comedy.
Jack Black/Michael Cera/Olivia Wilde/David Cross/Paul Rudd.
Directed by Harold Ramis.
* Hijinks abound when poor hunter-gatherers Zed and Oh (Black and Cera) are booted out of the tribe and go off on a biblically spiced adventure.
............//DOCUMENTARY/............
ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL.
Music/Comedy.
Directed by Sacha Gervasi.
* This doc tracks the Canadian heavy metal band Anvil through their simple beginnings as teenagers pledging to each other a lifetime of rock through their current status as rock and roll never-beens.
IN A DREAM.
Art.
Directed by Jeremiah Zagar.
* This is the story of Julie and Isaiah Zagar, a couple from Philadelphia, and the filmmakers’ parents. It is the story of an artist, Isaiah, who has covered 50,000 square feet of Philly in wild and amazing murals made of tile, paint, mirror and concrete. It is also the story of a family in denial, dealing with (and not shying away from) abuse, addiction and mental illness. This film won a lot of festival awards and is a must-see.
LOST TAPES.
Nature/Animal Planet.
MARLENE.
Arts/Lit.
Directed by Maximilian Schell.
* 1984 Oscar nominated film about Marlene Dietrich just hitting Four Star on DVD for the first time.
THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA.****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Nature/Politics/Etc.
Directed by Ken Burns.
*.
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD.
OZploitation.
Directed by Mark Hartley.
* From the imdb - NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD is the wild, untold story of "OZPLOITATION" movies - a time when Australian cinema got its gear off and showed the world a full-frontal explosion of sex, violence, horror and foot-to-the-floor, full bore action! Jam packed full of outrageous anecdotes, lessons in maverick filmmaking and a genuine, infectious love of Australian movies, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD is a fast moving journey through Aussie genre cinema of the 70s and early 80s - an unjustly forgotten cinematic era unashamedly packed full of boobs, pubes, tubes... and even a little kung fu. NOTE FROM KEN: clearly not to be missed.
............//TELEVISION/............
MAN VS. FOOD: SEASON ONE.
Reality/Really.
Adam Richman.
* This is a really weird show…where dude attempts to eat lots of crazy stuff, big big big food.
............//KIDS/............
A MISER BROTHERS’ CHRISTMAS.
CHOP SOCKY CHOOKS: V01.
DINOSAURS ALIVE!
Narrated by Michael Douglas.
ELMO’S ANIMAL ADVENTURES.
FROSTY FRIENDS.
I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN.
* The music alone is enough to rent these awesome Peanuts tales.
NI HAO KAI-LAN: KAI-LANS CARNIVAL.
............//NEW ON BLU/............
WILLIE WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
* Only one of the very best films of all time.
............//NEW ADDITIONS/............
DIRTY DANCING: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
* In honor of Patrick Swayze.
GHOST: COLLECTOR’S EDITION
* Also in honor of Patrick Swayze.
............//REPLACEMENT DISCS/............
MY FAIR LADY
* Not really a replacement, more of another copy…for whatever reason. It is a great movie.
****
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