Monday, May 08, 2006

stupid kings

The Kings sure went out with a whimper this season. I finally bothered to buy antenna for my TV just to watch this game and now I probably won't use it again until next season. Stupid Kings. They owe me 12 bucks.

The Lootenanny was fun. They raffle off crazy good stuff. I won a bottle of Irish Cream which will probably sit in my liquor area* until Kingdom Come. Everyone was salivating over these western landscape painting but I didn't get one because the fix was in. There were other cool prizes like gift certificates to Beers books and full bike tune-ups and stuff. The Band That Time Forgot were quite enjoyable. The food was a deal. I rode home before it got dark from fear of the stabber.

The attendance at the sunday night Kabinet movies continues to be pretty low. What's up people? Tell me why, me and J. want to know. Is it a bad night for it, are you just not interested, what? I told him I think he should start selling Pabst by the can. Is that what it will take to get you to come?

I'd recommend United Flight 93 if you want to feel all fucked up. It's intense and you'll probably feel pretty crappy afterwards. If you want to see a movie that will make you feel great afterwards, and life-affirmed (is that a thing?), netflix the Jean Renoir flick The River. It will blow your mind. And then watch the extra footage where Renoir talks about it, he seems really cool.

Smiller and Biz-you may be getting a refund on those Fall tickets. And speaking of tickets, the tickets for the Fiery Furnaces June show at the Fillmore are now on sale.

*a prize to the first reader who can guess where my liquor area is

23 comments:

DB said...

"*a prize to the first reader who can guess where my liquor area is"

Your stomach? That's where I keep my liquor.

I would drive up from Elk Grove on a Sunday night for Pabst in a can...make it so!

Anonymous said...

*a prize to the first reader who can guess where my liquor area is

Is it in the front?

-Connie

Anonymous said...

I *love* the Kabinet, but c'mon... it was the first really summery Sunday night of the year. I wasn't about to spend it in a room with a bunch of Deaniacs high on Charles Shaw.

beckler said...

no need to be defensive, omf. i'm just askin'. it was summery inside the kabinet. summer comes early to the kabinet in the form of stiflingly hot temperatures. oh wait, now i'm making it sound bad! that's why we need the pabst to cool us down.

you're right connie! my liquor area is in the front and my poker area is in the rear. actually i stole that from a Big Johnson t-shirt.

Anonymous said...

My theory on the low turnout? Sacramentans are a bunch of goddamned philistines who wouldn't know LAST TANGO IN PARIS from LARRY THE CABLE GUY.

Or, um...yeah...hmm, guess it coulda been the heat.

Actually, LAST TANGO and LARRY aren't as different as you might think. Apparently, both shoots required large amounts of raw butter on set.

omf wrote:

I wasn't about to spend it in a room with a bunch of Deaniacs high on Charles Shaw.

Huh?

Git 'r done,
J.

werenotdeep said...

Man, I so wish I'd have bought a ticket so that I coulda won that bottle. I covet!

I have yet to go to the Kabinet so far just because every sunday thus far, there's been something else going on.

Last sunday was even a Buster Keaton movie, and I'd have been all over that, but I got invited to Melendez' pre-wedding bash at the Flame Club, and well, I don't like to snub former band mates.

leon said...

I don't go, cuz I always forget. I need some sort or reminder.

Anonymous said...

Hey Leon,

If you just drop me a line at hq [at] kabinet.org I'd be glad to put you on our e-mail list. I usually send out a notice each Wednesday or Thursday regarding that Sunday's screening. Most of the time, we just ask for a three buck donation, and the (two buck) wine and popcorn are free. Our facilities aren't anything like The Crest (or even the Tower...no offense, Dave Smith) but it's a fun evening out with other film fans, and a chance to see stuff that otherwise would never get screened in Sacto...

Take care,
J.

beckler said...

see, that's another problem with sunday. even if i post it on a friday, people forget by sunday and they don't check their email on the weekend. but if i was all "kabinet tonight!" it might help. how about trying one weekday one next month after the bob dylan series? on a monday, tuesday, or wednesday because everyone knows that thursday is the new friday.

chris o.-you can have the irish cream.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I will be hosting one non-Sunday screening next month. On Saturday, June 3 I'll be showing the documentary Paradise Lost as part of "West Memphis 3 Worldwide Awareness Day." So we'll see what happens with that...

And actually, overall our attendance has been up this year, and I haven't been disappointed by our slow-but-steady growth. I honestly do think the warm weather (and HQ's lack of AC) is keeping people away now. That and the real possibility that the films aren't always to everyone's tastes. Which is fine; the whole point of Kabinet is to show stuff that wouldn't ever make it to the Crest or Tower. Which means, by definition, the films will usually appeal to a small, niche audience.

Take care,
J.

cakegrrl said...

I gave K A B I N E T kudos on "Yelp!"... Planning on seeing more this summer, A/C or not!

beckler said...

ok, that's good, j. i just worry that you'll pull the plug if you don't start getting a packed house. but as long as you're ok with it...

Anonymous said...

Well, of course it's always nice to have a month where I at least break even. And there's certainly room for Kabinet to grow. But I'm committed to doing it at least through the beginning of next year. If by that time I'm still having to pour a lot of my own $$$ into it...or if it becomes a drag...I'll probably fold up my screen. But for now I'm really enjoying programming each series, and creating a space where film fans can gather each week. If there's anything I'd wish for re: Kabinet, it's that people start coming for the conversation before/after the film as much as for the film itself...

And Cakegrrl, thanks for the nice write-up! Much obliged...

Take care,
J.

Stephen Glass said...

"Paradise Lost" rocks; people would be well advised to come in droves for that, especially if they're looking into West Memphis time shares.

Anonymous said...

"Paradise Lost" rocks; people would be well advised to come in droves for that,"

So when the hell are they gonna prosecute that toad, Mark Byers?

Ed

Anonymous said...

The first screenings were spartan. Not 300 spartans, but like three or less souls in attendance. Makes 10 folks look like a full house. But J. I hope you're encouraged by the enthusiastic word of mouth you're getting here at Hecka and beyond about your wonderful Sunday enterprise.

My fear is that eventually it will be SO cool that it'll get packed and the "new" audience demographic will demand Molly Ringwald retrospectives and Makuni appetizers. Or the Place gets over-run with OMF-types, demanding monthly repeats of Two Lane Black Top. Or worse... Hippies.

--beercan

Anonymous said...

If I donated a sheet of plywood and some bailing wire, could you come up with some white paint? A wrinkle-free screen is a sure-fire way to attract an audience!

(Loved the Buster Keaton, by the way...)

charvey

Anonymous said...

Hey... Wasn't the guy running the BBQ at the lootenanny really hot!?!

Preston

beckler said...

yes, in an old-timey way.

i agree about the screen. not to bust your chops, j., but that wrinkle has got to go. sorry i'm being so demanding. i'll make you a deal, next time i come to the movie, i'll bring a cooler of pabst and sell them for a buck and give you the profit.

Anonymous said...

And I'm serious: I'm moving in a couple of weeks and I have a sheet of plywood to donate. You just need to paint it white or sparkley silver or what have you, and you'd have a screen. Pabst-drinkers are not particular.

My favorite thing that the guy running the barbeque at the Lootenanny did was pick up the annoying drunk girl and carry her far away from me.

charvey

beckler said...

I later saw her stumbling home walking her bike, carrying a large painting and talking loudly to herself.

Anonymous said...

We went over to Jeff's the next day about noon to clean up the wreck. Jeff told us that she had already been by that morning, sporting some fresh bruises and scrapes. She said she had crashed her bike on the way home and didn't remember anything after that! She apologized profusely for making a scene and said she was going to quit drinking.

Sounds familiar, for some reason...

charvey

beckler said...

I knew it! I bet she left that rad painting somewhere! Glad she's OK (and not stabbed), though.