5.29.2011

starlite cinema series birthday bash

we ushered in the second year of our starlite cinema series tonight. happy birthday to us!

we've now been keeping the drive-in spirit alive since last may. in an effort to make things suitably epic, i wrote werner herzog a while back to invite him to our shindig. file under: you never know until you try. he sent me a very nice note politely informing me that he would be unable to attend. not to be dissuaded, we went epic anyway and all convened to watch akira kurosawa's seven samurai (1954).

it was a great way to start our second year because a) the film is flawless and b) wherever those guys go, it's a party. much birthday cake was consumed and we had ice cream courtesy of the fine folks at chozen and film movement, both of whom i heartily recommend. the sweltering texas afternoon heat gave way to a lovely, breezy evening and we had our best turnout yet. we really couldn't ask for more. thanks, as always, to the smiths for opening their home to all of us and thanks to everyone who came to share the movie.

the starlite summertime schedule is looking top notch, if i do say so myself. here is what we have to look forward to:

the program for late june is going to be 1001 nights in one, with two selections inspired by that timeless collection of stories. first up will be lotte reiniger's the adventures of prince achmed (1926).

it is a stunning, enthralling piece of silhouette animation. intricate and captivating, it is the oldest known surviving animated feature film and is like an hour-long trip inside the genie's lamp. you simply won't believe what someone was able to do with cardboard cutouts. it is astounding. the main feature of the evening is going to be michael powell, tim whelan and ludwig berger's the thief of bagdad (1940).

if you think you know jaffar because of disney, come see the real deal. it is a lavish technicolor sirocco.

in july the band will be on tour, so the austin edition will be suspended for a month. the good news, however, is that we are going to try to take starlite on the road. have projector, will travel. washington, d.c. looks like a distinct possibility, along with other tour stops. i am working right now to coordinate films with geographical locations. once the tour itinerary is completely set i will have a better idea about which days look like we can squeeze films into and in which cities that might happen. if you're coming to see us play you might get a free movie out of the deal, as well.

starlite returns to austin in august with a special program in honor of alfred hitchcock's birthday. there are a couple of my favorites of his lesser known films vying for the top spot there. that one is going to be a great night.

i'll be back soon with more specifics about the june installment, so stay tuned. hope to see you guys some time this summer.

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