General News – Page 109 – We Are Movie Geeks

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S Returns to the Big Screen Nov 27th and 30th

“A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick!”

The exquisite Audrey Hepburn stars in director Blake Edwards’ timeless classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961), returning to cinemas this November, as part of Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies’ TCM Big Screen Classics series.

Moviegoers are invited to fall in love all over again with “TCM Big Screen Classics: Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on Sunday, November 27 and Wednesday, November 30 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.local time (both days). The screenings will include commentary from Turner Classic Movies Saturday daytime host Tiffany Vazquez that will reveal what makes Holly Golightly one of American cinema’s most charming heroines.

Winner of Academy Awards^® for Best Song (“Moon River”) and Best Score, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” captured the imagination of audiences everywhere and made an indelible impact on movies, fashion and society at large when it debuted in 1961. Audrey Hepburn is transcendent as an intoxicating New York party girl who embarks on a wildly entertaining adventure to find love in the big city.

Tickets to TCM Big Screen Classics: Breakfast at Tiffany’s can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com (theaters and participants are subject to change).

FATHOM EVENTS AND TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES PRESENT TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S

WHO: Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Paramount Pictures

WHAT: TCM Big Screen Classics: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

WHERE: In more than 650 movie theaters nationwide. Tickets are available online at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of participating theaters, click on the “Theater Locations” tab.

WHEN: Sunday, November 27, 2016 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time

Wednesday, November 30, 2016 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time

THE WILD LIFE Arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand November 29

A brand new animated, fun-filled family adventure called THE WILD LIFE arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and On Demand November 29 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

From the producers that brought audiences Shaun the Sheep Movie, Paddington and A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures, The Wild Life arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital), and On Demand November 29 from nWave Pictures, Studiocanal and Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company. The Wild Life will also be available on Digital HD on November 22. The perfect film for families to watch together over the holidays, this wildly adventurous animated comedy begins as Mak the parrot and his friends discover a mysterious visitor washed up on their island’s shore.

Embark on a tropical misadventure with a group of quirky animals and their human castaway, Robinson Crusoe. When savage cats invade their paradise, Robinson and the island’s animals team up to defend themselves and their home in this fun-filled movie.

The Wild Life home entertainment special features include a behind-the-scenes featurette looking at the making of the film, an introduction to the characters, a Wild Life music video, and a short “Tips for Your Trip” featurette for viewers to successfully prepare for their next trip to the islands. The Wild Life will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD for the suggested retail price of $34.99 and $29.95, respectively.

BLU-RAY / DVD/ DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES

“A Wild World: Making The Wild Life” Featurette
“Meet the Characters” Featurette
“Tips for Your Trip” Featurette
The Wild Life Musical Adventure

Tracy and Hepburn STATE OF THE UNION Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe

“Oh, that’s silly. No woman could ever run for President. She’d have to admit she’s over 35!”

STATE OF THE UNION plays on the big screen at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, November 12th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117. Admission is only $5.

It’s election week so the Hi-Pointe is rolling out a vintage political film to screen for this month’s Classic Film Series. STATE OF THE UNION is a 1941 Frank Capra film that comes off fresh and timely. A plain speaking, likable man, Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) is convinced to run for President by the publisher of a newspaper, Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury) who is also his mistress, and before he knows it, his words and intentions are no longer his own. Because he wants to win, he compromises and lies down with the dogs. When he stands up, he’s got fleas.

Katharine Hepburn costars as Grant’s wife Mary in a role intended for Claudette Colbert, and she’s excellent. All the performances in this film are marvelous. Van Johnson is very funny and charming as a newspaperman who becomes Grant’s campaign manager. Adolphe Menjou is perfect as Kaye’s mouthpiece who wants to go after the money people and court big business and the union heads. Lansbury is fantastic as the ambitious, cutthroat Kaye, who took over the paper from her father and knows how to use and abuse power. By today’s standards, STATE OF THE UNION is probably too naïve and talky – Capra often has big monologues in his films, but they’re always delivered powerfully. Here is no exception. A rousing film about the breakdown of idealism before political realities. Go see it on the big screen Saturday morning!

The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

Disney – Pixar’s FINDING DORY on Blu-ray and DVD November 15th

“My friend, Sigourney, once said: rescue, rehabilitate, release!”

The FINDING DORY DVD and Blu-ray release date is set for November 15, 2016 while it has been available on Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes since October 25, 2016.

From the Academy Award(R)-winning creators of Disney-Pixar’s FINDING NEMO (Best Animated Feature, 2003) comes an epic undersea adventure filled with imagination, humor and heart. When Dory, the forgetful blue tang (Ellen DeGeneres), suddenly remembers she has a family who may be looking for her, she, Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) take off on a life-changing quest to find them… with help from Hank, a cantankerous octopus; Bailey, a beluga whale who’s convinced his biological sonar skills are on the fritz; and Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark! Bring home the movie overflowing with unforgettable characters, dazzling animation and delightful bonus extras!

Each combo pack will feature a lossless 7.1 soundtrack and supplements include: Theatrical Short: “Piper” – A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is that the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore; Marine Life Interviews (All-New Mini Short) – Meet the inhabitants of the Marine Life Institute as they remember our favorite blue tang; The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar – Pixar’s “Team Hank” unravels the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of bringing to life the studio’s crankiest and most technically complicated character ever; What Were We Talking About? – This piece showcases the complex routes Dory’s story took as the filmmakers worked to construct a comprehensive narrative involving a main character with short-term memory loss; Casual Carpool – What’s it like to commute with the voices of Marlin, Charlie, Bailey and Hank? Join “Finding Dory” writer/director Andrew Stanton as he drives Albert Brooks, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill to work; Animation & Acting – How do you create a connection between a human audience and a fish? This behind-the-scenes look behind the curtain examines the process of constructing believable performances through a unique collaboration between the director, voice actors and animators; Creature Features – The cast of “Finding Dory” share cool facts about the creatures they voice in the film; Deep in the Kelp – Disney Channel’s Jenna Ortega guides us on a research trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to show how far the “Finding Dory” crew went to make Dory’s world feel real; Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer – “Finding Dory” character art director Jason Deamer talks about how he got to Pixar, how he draws the characters in the film, and how falling off a skateboard teaches you lessons you can use in art and life; Dory’s Theme – A spirited discussion among the composer, music editor and director of “Finding Dory” about the musical elements that shape Dory’s quirky and joyful theme; Rough Day on the Reef – Sometimes computers make mistakes. Here you’ll see some of the funny, creepy and just plain bizarre footage the crew encountered while making “Finding Dory”; Audio Commentary – Director Andrew Stanton, co-director Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins deliver their personal perspective on “Finding Dory”; and Deleted Scenes (introduced by director Andrew Stanton).

When the clown fish Marlin went on an adventure to save his son Nemo, he met a forgetful blue fish named Dory who wound up being a key component in finding Nemo. Dory became part of the family, but she was never really sure who her real family was. One day, Dory decides to go searching for her real family, but forgets to tell Marlin and Nemo. Marlin and Nemo eventually find Dory, but she explains that she has to go out into the ocean and find out who she really is. The three decide to go on the adventure together, and they run into a few old friends along the way.

SLIFF 2016 – THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM Screens at SLIFF November 8th

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM screens Tuesday November 8th at 7pm at Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE

Local actress and filmmaker Vanessa Roman presents her years-in-the-making feature debut THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM, a romantic screwball comedy set against the backdrop of a dart league. It tells the story of Gwen, who is shaken and confused by a recent breakup from the guy she thought was the one, but something doesn’t seem right. In searching for the truth, mixed identities, comic hijinks, and lover’s games ensue in this. Roman based her original script both on the classic Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest and on her experience playing darts at St. Louis’ own Blueberry Hill, which is where she met her husband John.

Roman has assembled a first-rate cast and crew for THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM. Director of Photography Chris Benson has shot many commercials, music videos, documentaries, and features including THE TOMB, 23 MINUTES TO SUNRISE, FATAL CALL, and THE MAKINGS OF YOU. Amy Holland stars in THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM as Gwen. Ms Holland is a former Captain of the Saint Louis Rams Cheerleaders and has appeared in the films I AM (2010), LOST ANGELS (2014) and the INTERNS (2011). Brandon Davis, who plays Tom, has appeared in WHO’S YOUR DADDY? (2004), UNDRESSED (1999) and FIRST MONDAY (2002). St. Louis native Julie Piekarski plays Sally. You may recognize Julie from her role on the TV show The Facts of Life and from her stint on the late-70’s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club. Greg Sporleder plays Joe and has been a busy actor for decades, with roles in such films as BLACK HAWK DOWN, SAY ANYTHING, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, and TRUE ROMANCE. Bryan Daniel Porter plays Mike and has been seen in DEAR WHITE PEOPLE (2014),THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (2015) and SMALL STEPS (2013) and Sari Sanchez is an actress who appeared in ALONE (2010), ASSASSIN ORIGIN (2014) and KILL GAME (2015).

Much of THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM takes place in the dart room at Blueberry Hill, the popular nightclub on the U City Loop. Some of the exteriors were shot there but the dart room itself was recreated inside a mammoth banquet hall attached to the Stratford Inn in Fenton. We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman has a cameo in THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM (Watch for me! I was good – two bullseyes!)

We Are Movie Geeks’ Tom Stockman as a dart player!

Other shooting locations include Melt Restaurant on Cherokee, The Moonrise Hotel on Delmar, the Mahler Ballroom and Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater.

Support Local Filmmakers! Check out THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBTING TOM when it screens Tuesday November 8th at The Tivoli.

https://www.landmarktheatres.com/Booking/tivoli-theatre/3656076

SLIFF 2016 – OTHER PEOPLE’S FOOTAGE: COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE Screens Nov. 5th

OTHER PEOPLE’S FOOTAGE: COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE Screens Saturday, Nov. 5 at 10:00am at Washington University’s West Campus Library as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The film is the centerpiece of a master class on fair use and copyright. A panel discussion will follow the screening featuring Directors Diane Carson and Robert Johnson Jr. This is a FREE event.

The theft of intellectual property is one of the most serious crimes of our time. Balancing this and equally important is the creation of new works contributing to a vigorous marketplace of ideas involving the analysis and repurposing of existing works. Because the delicate balance between these two considerations urgently needs investigation, OTHER PEOPLE’S FOOTAGE: COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE explores fair use as the critical issue it is for the majority of nonfiction filmmakers (as our interviews show) and for our community at large.

OTHER PEOPLE’S FOOTAGE: COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE explores the three questions crucial to determining fair use exemptions and presents illustrative examples from nonfiction, fiction, and experimental films that use footage, music and sound from other individuals’ creations—without permission or paying fees. Through on-camera interviews with noted documentarians, film and legal experts, OPF also clarifies legal issues regarding trademark, parody, shooting on location or in a controlled setting and reviews relevant court cases.

Fair use is critical to the vigorous debate over creativity and intellectual property. It must be understood and fair use must be claimed, when legal, to further our cultural environment. When fair use is not understood and employed, creative endeavors suffer. As one example, the February 2014 College Art Association report “Copyright, Permissions, and Fair Use Among Visual Artists and the Academic and Museum Visual Arts Communities” finds that “one-third of visual artists and visual arts professionals have avoided or abandoned work in their field because of copyright concerns” (page 5). On the other hand, the February 22, 2014 New York Times Arts section led with the headline “Photographers Band Together to Protect Work in ‘Fair Use’ Cases” (C1.) These two examples alone highlight the critical need for accessible and amply illustrated clarification of fair use.

Self censorship and the scissors of the mind (as Michael Donaldson eloquently states it) seriously hinders a robust marketplace of ideas just when we need such debate and consideration more than ever.

Who has been interviewed for “Other People’s Footage”?

Multi-award winning documentarians, including those with Academy Award nominations and wins, are among the 18 interviewees. In addition, the filmmakers have interviewed two of the most noted legal scholars on fair use (Michael Donaldson and Andrew Berger) plus a director emeritus and past president of the International Documentary Association (Betsy A. McLane) who was project director of the American Documentary Showcase and is the author of a landmark history of documentary film.

About the Filmmakers:

Diane Carson is Past President of the University Film and Video Association (2008 to 2010) and previously served as Editorial Vice President and Secretary. She is Professor Emerita of St. Louis Community College at Meramec where she taught film studies and film production for over three decades. She continues to teach as an adjunct at St. Louis Community College and at Webster University. Diane sits on the editorial board of theJournal of Film and Video and served on the editorial board of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies’ Cinema Journal (1998-2003).

Diane co-authored Appetites and Anxieties: Food, Film and the Politics of Representation (Wayne State U Press, 2014). She has contributed to and co-edited several anthologies, including Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (Wayne State U Press, 2006); More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (Wayne State U Press, 2004); and John Sayles: Interviews (U Press of Mississippi, 1999).

She has enjoyed Fulbright Field Study awards to China, South Korea and Japan in addition to being a visiting lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, England. She was the assistant director/co-writer on the documentary “Remembering Bonnie and Clyde,” Turquoise Productions,1995, and she contributes weekly film reviews to St. Louis community radio KDHX (88.1 FM). Diane served as a film expert for the American Documentary Showcase, sponsored by UFVA and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Robert Johnson Jr. is Professor of Communication Arts at Framingham State University where he teaches documentary filmmaking, media production and writing. He has produced over two-dozen history of science documentaries that aired on PBS and cable throughout the U.S., Canada, and England. His latest documentary The Making of Madame White Snake provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera. His 2007 documentary, No Short Climb: “Race Workers” & America’s Defense Technology, received numerous awards and has been screened at film festivals and museums across the U.S. A member of the CINE Board of Directors, he serves as a jury chair for the annual CINE Golden Eagle Documentary Awards category.

Robert is co-founder and co-chair of the University Film and Video Association’s Documentary Working Group, and served for years as chair of the UFVA’s Carole Fielding Grants Committee. He is currently a Trustee for the University Film and Video Foundation. A Fulbright scholar, he taught documentary filmmaking workshops in Rwanda, and served as an expert for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational Affairs’ program, American Documetary Showcase. He contributed three biographies to the African-American National Biography and has lectured at Harvard University, Rutgers University IEEE History Center, The Smithsonian Institute, and the Royal Society of Chemistry in England. He recently received a grant from the Wyncote Foundation for a collaborative documentary project on sexual assault on university campuses.

SLIFF 2016 – Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (1921) with Music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra Nov. 5th

Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (1921) with Music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra screens November 5th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E Lockwood Ave,) as part of this year’s this year’s St. Fritz Lang’s DESTINY Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE.

There’s nothing better than seeing a silent film with live music and you’ll have the opportunity Saturday November 5^th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium. There’s a new restoration of Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (Der müde Tod 1921) a dizzying blend of German Romanticism, Orientalism, and Expressionism and Cinema St. Louis will be screening it at this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The film will be accompanied live by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra, who will debuting their new original score for the film.

DESTINY marked a bold step for Fritz Lang, then best known for “M” away from conventional melodrama and into the kind of high-concept filmmaking that would culminate in such über-stylized works as “Die Nibelungen” and “Metropolis.”There’s nothing better than seeing a silent film with live music and you’ll have the opportunity Saturday November 5^th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium. There’s a new restoration of Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (Der müde Tod 1921) a dizzying blend of German Romanticism, Orientalism, and Expressionism and Cinema St. Louis will be screening it at this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The film will be accompanied live by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra, who will debuting their new original score for the film.

DESTINY tells the story of a young couple in a small German village (played by Lil Dagover and Walter Janssen) and their encounter with the personification of death in a form of mysterious stranger (Bernhard Goetzke) that appears in a tavern and sits to their table indicating that the time is up for the young husband. After the death of her beloved the young woman is so desperate that she finally manages to enter the kingdom of dead and stand face to face with personification of Death himself (a major influence on Ingmar Bergman’s Death figure in the Seventh Seal later) and ask him to give her beloved back to her. The Death finally yields to her persistence and agrees to deliver back the life of her husband, but only if she manages to find any person that would give up his life in exchange. She desperately tries to convince various people to give up, beginning from a very old man and coming as far as Asylum for mentally ill but all in vain, for how bad the life of poor guys is, they are still very much reluctant to give it up, but it’s only the beginning, the center of the film being three different stories of lost love, told by Death to the young woman, similar to her own, but set in three different exotic locations such as: China, Venice and Turkey.

The great surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel once enthused: “When I saw ‘Destiny,’ I suddenly knew that I wanted to make movies. Something about this film spoke to something deep in me; it clarified my life and my vision of the world.”

Don’t miss Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (1921) with Music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra November 5th at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium!

REIGN OF ASSASSINS and THE LOST BLADESMAN Debut on Digital and DVD November 1st

Two exciting, action-packed Martial Arts movie debut on DVD this week from Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company: REIGN OF ASSASSINS and THE LOST BLADESMAN.

“‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ relocate to ancient China in the dazzling martial-arts epic “REIGN OF ASSASSINS”
–The Hollywood Reporter

REIGN OF ASSASSINS is an epic MMA Battle Produced by John Woo & Directed by Su Chao-Pin and Starring Michelle Yeoh. It arrives on DVD, Digital HD & On Demand November 1

Michelle Yeoh (Babylon A.D., Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend), Jung Woo-Sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird; A Moment to Remember, The Warrior) and Xueqi Wang (Iron Man 3, Bodyguards and Assassins, Warriors of Heaven and Earth) star in Reign of Assassins, the exciting martial arts thriller produced by the legendary John Woo (Mission Impossible: II, Face/Off, The Killer), arriving on Digital HD & On Demand and on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment November 1.

Directed by Su Chao-Pin, Reign of Assassins is the winner of two Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards including Best Director & Film of Merit, and also received 11 Hong Kong Film Award nominations, including a Best Picture nomination. Reign of Assassins will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Produced by John Woo and Terence Chang, this epic martial arts action thriller promises to be FACE/OFF meets MR. AND MRS. SMITH. Set in ancient China, the film stars Michelle Yeoh as a skilled assassin who is on a mission to return the remains of a mystical Buddhist monk to their resting place. The remains are believed to hold a powerful secret. Along the way, she falls in love with a man named Jiang, whose father was killed by her gang. Unaware that he also is a trained martial artist, their love blossoms but tensions arise as the truth of her past unravels. Soon, a lethal triangle surfaces between her, Jiang and the team of assassins that are after the monk’s remains.

THE LOST BLADESMAN, The Golden Lotus Award Winner for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor also arrives on DVD, Digital HD & On Demand November 1, 2016

“Glorious martial-arts mastery”
– Variety

International superstar Donnie Yen (Ip Man series, Hero, 14 Blades, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend) leads an epic cast in The Lost Bladesman, loosely based on Luo Guanzhong’s historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, arriving on Digital HD & On Demand and on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment November 1. Also starring in the action-packed, gorgeously shot film are Wen Jiang (Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Let the Bullets Fly, The Sun Also Rises), Sun Li (Empresses of the Palace, Painted Skin) and Andy On (Mad Detective, True Legend, Blackhat).

Written and directed by critically acclaimed filmmakers Alan Mak and Felix Chong – creators of the successful Infernal Affairs trilogy, The Lost Bladesman won several Golden Lotus awards at the 2011 Macau International Movie Festival including Best Film, Best Director for Mak and Chong, and Best Actor for Donnie Yen. Wen Jiang also won the Best Actor award from the Shanghai Film Critics for his performance in the film. The Lost Bladesman will be available on DVD November 1 for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Synopsis:

During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country, General Cao Cao (Wen Jiang), the real power behind the emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land Guan Yu (Donnie Yen). However, Guan Yu is a loyal friend of Cao Cao’s enemy Liu Bei (Alex Fong). To persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan (Betty Sun) hostage.

After leading Cao Cao’s forces to victory, Guan Yu sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. But now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the emperor’s command sent to destroy him.

“Pick Flick!” ELECTION Screens November 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks

“The sight of Tracy at that moment affected me in a way I can’t fully explain. Part of it was that she was spying, but mostly it was her face. Who knew how high she would climb in life? How many people would suffer because of her? I had to stop her, now!”

ELECTION screens Wednesday, November 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) as part of Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series.

When one writes biting satire, it logically makes sense that the person who is insulting should know his or her topic. This is why high school life has never truly undergone an appropriate cinema vision. We either get THE SUBSTITUTE or HIGH SCHOOL HIGH Either way, it’s a sad collection of overdrawn clichés that don’t work anymore. This is where ELECTION, Alexander Payne’s brilliant comedy from 1999 draws its thin line. Every character in ELECTION is a person (or persons) that you know. We’ve all met a Tracy Flick, Paul Metzler, or had a teacher like Jim McAllister. Although each character may be taken to extremes in this movie, you feel for them because you know them.

Reese Witherspoon’s Tracey Flick is one o the great comedic female characters in cinema. Tracy is running for president of George Washington Carver High School and is the kind of girl that is so overzealous and over-motivated that it tends to make those around her who aren’t, either hate her, or feel bad about themselves. Mathew Broaderick’s Jim McAllister has a loving wife and a modest job as a teacher at Carver High, but through a series of flashbacks where we see him teaching the same thing every single year, and we begin to think that he is lying when he tells us he loves his job. He drives a small hatchback that looks like it probably ran him about a thousand dollars and came off the line in the early 70s. Immediately, he enlists Paul Metzler, (Chris Klein) the injured star quarterback to run against Tracy. He can’t bear to see her get what she believes is her ‘destiny’ just because no one is opposing her. This underhanded partnership will bring to the forefront the deep unhappiness he has for his life. He along with others in the film will be forced to a moral and ethical (what’s the difference?) crossroads of which the implications for the decision will undoubtedly be big, or at least big in terms of one of those human interest stories that have a life of their own.

ELECTION will make you laugh and cringe, because it is so dark and goes so deep but it’s also one of the funniest, entertaining and most clever films of the ‘90s. Don’t miss it when it screens Wednesday November 2nd at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) as part of their Strange Brew film series . The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed beer.

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

BUTCH “Eddie Munster” PATRICK at the Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis November 6th!

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, MO 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to Los Angeles to test for the role of Eddie Munster at CBS Studios. “I went in and an hour later I came out with the job” he recalls. Although a cute little kid, he could play brat parts easily.

Aside from acting, an underlying interest throughout his life has been baseball. His step dad incidentally is Ken Hunt who played for the Yankees and the Washington Senators briefly. Besides his two year stint as a wolf boy with pointed ears, he was a regular on TV’s “The Real McCoys”, “General Hospital” and “My Three Sons”. In between he appeared in numerous commercials and guest spots on many situation comedies throughout the sixties. In 1971 Butch starred in the Saturday morning kid’s series, “Lidsville” opposite Charles Nelson Reilly. The show lasted until 1973 and zoomed Patrick into the teen-idol phase of his career with his face gleaming on the covers of several teen magazines in the early 1970s.

Butch Patrick in Lidsville

After that, little was heard from Butch Patrick. He quit show business “to grow up” he says, “because my first twenty years were spent working in an adult world. I made up for it by being a hell raiser for the next ten years”. Soon after, the money ran short and Butch was working odd jobs around the country. He even formed his own band, “Eddie and the Monsters” and put out a single, “Whatever Happened to Eddie?” which brought him some notoriety because of his role in the Munsters. It was because of that single in 1983 that MTV created the `Basement Tapes’ which gave exposure to unsigned bands. Patrick doesn’t mind talking about being Eddie Munster anymore, but at one time he was bothered by it. He even boasts that he has saved the original Woof- Woof doll after all these years. Around Halloween Patrick is usually booked solid for events that toast the Munsters and proudly welcome little Eddie, now all grown up.

Butch Patrick in THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

Also, if you can’t make it Sunday, or if you want to spend extra time with Butch Patrick, there is a ‘meet and greet’ dinner Saturday, November 5th at Dave and Busters in Maryland Heights. This special dinner is limited to 20 guest, but as of this writing, there are still spaces available. $100 includes a great meal there at Dave and Busters and the chance to hang out with Butch! A Facebook invite for this event with more details can be found HERE

The first 10 people to register for the ‘Meet and Greet’ will receive a signed Eddie Munster Pop! Doll and all 20 will get early bird passes to the Toy show on Sunday November 6th

Adult Admission at the Toyman Show: $5.00 – Children 16 & under free. Sunday: 9:00am – 3:00pm. Early Bird @ 8:00a – $12.00 – * FREE PARKING *

The Toyman Toy Show site can be found HERE

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: