A Guy, a Computer, and Entirely Too Much Caffeine
Monday, 19 August
A Fortnight Late and a Blog Short
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[Sorry--I must have dozed off there for a few days. And here I was thinking it might be time to cut back on the caffeine.]
Alright, then...where did I leave off when we were so rudely interrupted? I seem to recall we covered the Mirror Project to a fare-thee-well, and worked in a plug for BookCrossing.com for good measure. So, where do you fancy heading off for today? Maybe the big, nutrient-rich Lenexa Spinach Festival, just a few blocks (and even fewer weeks) away? The newly-unveiled "designer" parking garage at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, perhaps? Or are you holding out for a scoop on the renaming of K.C.'s old municipal airport to the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport? I know; the very thought of it sends chills up my spine, too.
All thrilling topics to be sure, those, but a show of hands (they both look suspiciously like mine) says we'll get started with movies, instead. I'm still itching to see the latest "definitive" print of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," but unless I suddenly up and move to NYC, or unless someone insists on giving me a ticket to Gotham for my b-day, I'll have to cool my heels for a spell. Not a problem, really, as it sounds well worth the wait. "Metropolis" is justly celebrated for its visual impact and evocative images, but this new release promises to restore some much-needed coherence to a badly butchered story. You say you don't live in New York, either? Well, then, here's A.O. Scott's review from the Times to tide you over―and/or whet your appetite, as the case may be.
Closer to home, Saturday I saw John Sayles' "Sunshine State" at the Rio. I can recommend it, with the reservation that while it's liberally seasoned with light touches (mordant humor, for the most part), you'd be wise to see it when you're up for a thoughtful yet entertaining treatment of such themes as racism in America and the peculiar nature of this country's distinctive business mentality. Yeah, to some that might sound like damning with faint praise, but it's simply one of those films that's substantial enough that it makes demands of an audience. Demands that I, for one, generally have to be in the mood for. Luckily, Saturday I was in such a mood.
The theater itself was a fun part of the movie. The Rio has been open for a year or two now, having been reclaimed from oblivion by local heroes the Mossman brothers, who've carved out quite a career for themselves rehabbing derelict old movie theaters. All now serve the Kansas City area as art/revival houses, resplendent in their lovingly restored Art Deco finery.
The Rio is the newest of their theaters, having opened in the mid-40's under a different name, before closing its doors decades ago. Since its rebirth as the Rio, one of its chief attractions for me--strange as it may sound--has been the big red popcorn machine that's the centerpiece of the concession stand. Like other furnishings from all the Mossman restorations, it was salvaged from a defunct theater here in the Midwest. Specifically, it came from the windstorm-flattened Plaza Theater in Abilene, Kansas--my hometown. So, with a nostalgic connection to a popcorn machine with which I spent countless Saturday afternoons as a boy, a trip to the Rio is always a special treat.
Overland Park's "new" art/revival house, the venerable Rio.
I'm still waiting to see "The Fast Runner" ("Artanarjuat"). It was supposed to make the rounds here weeks ago, but is now stuck in a holding pattern, where it will likely remain for at least another couple of weeks. The problem, outlined in an article in Sunday's Kansas City Star, is one of too few screens for the relative glut of art films out this summer.
The statistics don't look all that bad, actually. K.C. racks up a better art screen per capita ratio than many other cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas. St. Louis, with 10 art screens for a population of 2.6 million, is in a virtual dead heat with K.C. Still, at least until the Mossman brothers give this area four more screens by the end of the year, it looks like local moviegoers will just have to live with the bottleneck a while longer.
One final thought on the subject of theaters. A couple of days ago I was rummaging through some articles on the Christian Science Monitor's site, and came across a nice piece on the Brattle, in Cambridge, MA. Along with the sorely-missed Bijou (my old home-away-from-home), the Angelika, the Inwood, the Tivoli, The Fine Arts, and the Englewood, the Brattle has to rank as one of my favorite movie houses. You can read about it here.
And in (believe it or not) non-movie news...
Huzzah!!! At last I got Issue No. 6 of Girl Genius, so I'm again caught up in the latest adventures of Miss Agatha Clay, as the spirited Spark seeks to unravel dark mysteries, silence foul calumnies, vanquish omnipresent evil...and someday learn to do real science.
What? You haven't heard of Girl Genius??? To know Girl Genius is to love it, and I'm clearly smitten. It's the work, and obvious labor of love, of Phil and Kaja Foglio and Mark McNabb, each a bona fide genius in his/her own right. These inspired, wondrously conceived and executed tales are loosed upon the world quarterly (more or less) by Airship Comic Book Company, and can be had for $3.95--a pittance, by any Agathaphile's reckoning. Check them out at your nearest well-stocked comic book purveyor's, or let your fingers and a bit of silicon do the walking by visiting airshipcomics.com. Be prepared to smile helplessly, swoon piteously, and be agog generally. Hey, there are worse ways to spend half an hour. ; )
© Studio Foglio
The indomitable Agatha Clay.___________________________
Jeepers, gang, here it is lunchtime already, and I haven't even warmed up yet. That makes choosing between barbeque and blogging an especially tough decision--but I'm sure you'll forgive me if I yield to my carnivore cravings. (I'm still looking for vegetarian barbequed ribs, but no luck so far.) Anyway, here's hoping you have a great day, and I'll see you again
tomorrowsoonin the fullness of time.
Quote of the Day:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
— Douglas Adams
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Posted by Spiffy Knickers - 12:03 P.M.
©2002 Jerry Armstrong