Buffalo Rising Online

Sounds fun!

Ironically, saw this just after e-mailing David Torke some information about an outdoor film series here in My Fair City. The projection is being handled by a company in Boston which specializes in large-scale outdoor projection, and they confirmed that their equipment could be used for something like David's idea for showing films on the side of grain elevators. Which, of course, would be in the realm of cosmically awesome.

Back down to earth: the Phoenix looks like a great venue for this, and these movie showings are great ways to build community and are huge fun. We've been seeing increasing interest in these neighborhood movie nights in My Fair City - one neighborhood bar holds them occasionally in their parking lot and projects them on the side of the building next door, and in my neighborhood one resident simply puts up a screen between his house and an agreeable neighbor, whips up the best popcorn ever, and invites the neighborhood over (BYOC).

Usually this starts and stays "low budget" - someone rents or borrows a DVD, runs it through something as simple as a laptop/projector combo, and voila. I think that's OK legally for noncommercial showings, because it's sort of the equivalent of inviting friends over to watch a movie. For something more sophisticated, or to project film prints, I'd check in with a projectionist at the Market Arcade, as they hold an annual film series showing classic film from prints. I got an impromptu tour of their projection booth (more like room, actually) one day, and it's a treasure trove of film equipment. Depending on how far people want to go with this, it might even be possible to partner with them, where they provide the print, the equipment, and a projectionist. Film prints are archival material and not always easy to come by, so it can be helpful to partner with an organization which already has connections for getting, storing, and showing them.

The great thing about using the Phoenix as a venue is that there's space to set up a decent, wide screen - and there are certain movies that simply must be seen on the big screen to be appreciated and truly enjoyed. Cool stuff.

You should show:

The Room: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368226/

and

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311361/

MRogers, right on. Forbidden Planet is awesome on a full screen. Angry Red Planet is classic B fare, too. Some of the coolest flicks to see in group settings are the spaghetti westerns (especially The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) since they're such a cultural touchstone, and plain good fun...potential spaghetti dinner followed by spaghetti western--?

"Creature With the Atom Brain" 1955 Pure classic