Friday, May 16
7:00 PM (admission: $7.00)

Meditate and Destroy

Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.



A feature-length documentary that provides an intimate portrait of Dharma Punx author, Noah Levine, who uses his personal experience and punk rock sensibilities to connect with a younger generation of spiritual seekers within juvenile halls and urban centers around the country.

This film provides an up-close look at how the driving forces in Noah's life changed from violence, addiction and rebellion to taking on the role of dedicated meditation teacher and community leader; an individual whose candor inspires others to integrate Buddhist teachings of nonviolence and inner peace with a Western lifestyle.

Similar to punk culture's non-conformist attitude, Buddhism has long been seen as a tradition that goes "against the stream". Therefore, the film's visual aesthetic reflects this similarity. The film employs motion graphics reflecting the punk aesthetic that are complemented by an experimental movement through the various scenes exploring Noah Levine's past and present life.

Director Sarah Fisher will be in attendance for a Q&A.

Following the screening, from 9:30PM to 12AM, there will be an after-party at Relentless Tattoo, 608 12th St, Sacramento. Admission for the after-party is $5.00 and can be purchased either at the screening or at the after-party (if you can't make it to the screening). Join director Sarah Fisher for a night of food, drink and music featuring Danny Secretion, Brian Hanover, Odd Moniker and Mt. Sinai! And the after-party is all-ages!

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the International Campaign for Tibet.

Please note: MOBS will not be at the after-party, as at 10 PM, we'll be screening (separate $6.00 admission):

Tomorrow - Friday, 5/9

7 PM

Preserve Me A Seat



Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

Admission: $5.00

We don't remember a lot about our distant past, but we do remember our favorite movie theatre. "Preserve Me a Seat" is a documentary about these theatres and the ongoing fight to protect and preserve them for future generations. Featuring preservation efforts in Boston (The Gaiety Theatre), Detroit (The former Michigan Theatre), Chicago (The DuPage Theatre), Omaha (The Indian Hills Cinerama Theatre), and Salt Lake City (The Villa Theatre), "Preserve Me a Seat" will appeal to anyone who has cherished memories of seeing their favorite movies in a grand theatre, and who appreciates the unique architecture of movie theatres. Even more than that, however, the documentary explores a number of urban development issues particularly relevant to Sacramento in a number of ways (not just theaters): adaptive reuse, a lack of response by city governments to their constituency, the destruction of historic spaces for the sake of what are essentially urban lofts (high-end residential units, at least), and much more. There's also the irony that we, who move into a space and create a theater to the best of our ability, are showing this, rather than a beautiful (actual) theater.

And then at 10 PM:  (separate $6.00 admission)



Coming up next week, May 16 - "Meditate and Destroy," a documentary on Dharma Punx author Noah Levine, with director Sarah Fisher in attendance.  You'll also be able to listen to Capital Public Radio, KXJZ (90.9 FM) between 2 and 3 PM on May 16 to hear Sarah interviewed live on Insight!

Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is now (for now anyway) on padded chairs!  Feel free to still bring your own chair if you want, though!

Friday, May 2
7:00 PM (admission: $5.00)

Medicinal w/director Dan Frank in attendance
Catch a sneak preview of the new documentary "Medicinal" here in Sacramento prior to its world premiere at Cannes!

Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

In 1996, the legalization of medical marijuana was approved by the citizens of California, and the DEA has been at war with the clinics ever since. This is costing the taxpayers of California millions of dollars each year. "Medicinal" is an educational, "talking head" documentary which takes a look at the history and current status of medical marijuana laws, mostly in California and in relation to Prop 215. Features Joe Elford, Dale Gierenger, Dennis Peron, Bruce Margolin, Ed Rosenthal, Jane Klein, Dean Weiss, Jon Gettman, Don Duncan and Michael Teague. The timing of this is particularly relevant here - in March, Sacramento County rejected issuing medical ID cards, refusing to join the other 40 counties in the state who currently do.

Dan Frank will also be interviewed on "Insight" on Sacramento's NPR affiliate KXJZ (90.9 FM)  on Friday May 2 between 2:30 (or so) and 3:00 PM, assuming his flight into Sacramento is not delayed.

Access Nation



Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

Admission: $5.00

Producers Gustavo Albero and Mike Verna traveled thousands of miles to examine people from every corner of the United States, all of whom produce television programs for their local public access stations.  At times profane and obscene, "Access Nation" provides a look at some of the variety produced by local people and what they are like on and off the camera, and the one thing in common they all share: the importance of public access as the last bastion of free speech in broadcasting.

Features Harry Lime, The Three Geniuses (with Don Bolles from The Germs), Bryan Singer, Johnny White, Al Goldstein, Ron Jeremy, Giddle Partridge, Francine Dancer, and many others.

Please note: the film is unrated and does contain some "strong content."  Additionally, quality varies due to the vast amount of assembled footage from public access shows from around the country.

Ron Cooper, Executive Director of Access Sacramento is planned to be in attendance at this screening to discuss the state of public access today.

And then at 10 PM:  (separate $6.00 admission)



Coming up next week, May 2: A sneak preview of "Medicinal" prior to its world premiere at Cannes!  It's a "talking head" doc on medicinal marijuana, California and Prop 215.  Director Dan Frank is planned to be in attendance, so plan on being at this one, too!! 

Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is now (for now anyway) on padded chairs!  Feel free to still bring your own chair if you want, though!

4/18  7 PM

Garbage! The Revolution Starts At Home



Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

Admission: $5.00

One day before this film hits the 2008 Hot Docs Fest, you can experience it here in Sacramento!

A new feature length documentary by filmmaker Andrew Nisker takes an average urban family and asks them to keep every scrap of garbage that they create for three months. The film takes them on a journey to reveal what their daily consumption is doing to the planet. By the end of this trash odyssey, the average person can connect the dots between their actions and the environment.

"Garbage!" candidly portrays the threat to our environment as the McDonald family tracks their waste output for three months. As they discover where their garbage goes and at what cost to the environment, the McDonald household engages the audience with an 'open-door reality-check.' Meticulous tracking of consumption and waste, right down to the children's lunchboxes result in not only candid comments, but also some rather enlightening and even humorous moments.

And than at 10 PM (separate $6.00 admission):



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs - although now we have a lot more padded chairs!!  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion (or even your own chair).

4/11   7 PM

X: The Unheard Music



Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

Admission: $5.00

One of *the* great punk rock docs! Focuses specifically on the LA band X and packed with early live footage and interviews, all interspersed with pop culture-related footage and references. With Brendan Mullen, Rodney Bingenheimer, Jello Biafra (briefly), Ray Manzarek, and many others.

And then at 10 PM (separate $6.00 admission)



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion (or even your own chair).  Although for now - there's actually more padded chairs!

And we now have honest-to-gosh theater-sized candy for sale!!  It's not a mammoth selection, but there is variety!

4/4    7 PM

Honeydripper



Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

Admission: $7.00

It's 1950 and it's a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover), the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to bring back the crowds that used to come to his place. He decides to lay off his long-time blues singer Bertha Mae, and announces that he's hired a famous guitar player, Guitar Sam, for a one night only gig in order to save the club.

Into town drifts Sonny Blake, a young man with nothing to his name but big dreams and the guitar case in his hand. Rejected by Tyrone when he applies to play at the Honeydripper, he is intercepted by the corrupt local Sheriff (Stacy Keach), arrested for vagrancy and rented out as an unpaid cotton picker to the highest bidder. But when Tyrone's ace-in-the-hole fails to materialize at the train station, his desperation leads him back to Sonny and the strange, wire-dangling object in his guitar case. The Honeydripper lounge is all set to play its part in rock n' roll history.

Directed by John Sayles ("Brother From Another Planet" along with 14 other films), "Honeydripper" also stars Gary Clark Jr. (voted best blues musician at the 1998 Austin Music Awards) and features Mary Steenburgen, Arthur Lee Williams (former musician with Muddy Waters and Elmore James), Eddie Shaw (former musician with Hound Dog Taylor, Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf) and a host of others!

Winner, Best Independent or Foreign Film, NAACP Image Awards

Please note that admission for Honeydripper is $7.00 (rather than our usual $5 admission).

And then at 10 PM (separate $6.00 admission):



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion (or even your own chair).

Friday, March 28.  7:00 PM.  Admission: $5.00

Location:  600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento (just over the river from downtown near the Pyramid Building).

Six String Samurai



The Six-String Samurai is Buddy, a mysterious and powerful hero of the post-apocalyptic future, who must fight his way to Lost Vegas and ditch a bothersome orphan kid if he's ever to become the next King of Rock 'n' Roll. Along the way, they encounter bounty-hunting bowlers, a cannibalistic "Cleaver" family, a Windmill God and even the Russian army. Winding up at the gates of Vegas, Buddy finds himself in an epic battle with Death over the child's soul and comes to realize just what it means to be King.

"It's The Road Warrior with a rock 'n' roll beat, Buddy Holly doing his best Toshiro Mifune, a Sergio Leone gang picture set in a fantasy future, directed with the flash and panache of a Hong Kong action flick and the sleek style of a samurai film. Lance Mungia's high energy genre soup is a hoot, a low budget indie action film that embraces its limitations with a spare grunge-chic look spiced with flashy visuals, jazzy editing, and plenty of punk attitude." - Nitrate Online

And then at 10 PM (admission: $6.00):



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion.

You can always check http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings

Coming next Friday April 4 - the Sacramento premiere of John Sayles newest film starring Danny Glover!

Thursday, March 20.  7:00 PM.  Admission: Free!

Location:  600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento (just over the river from downtown near the Pyramid Building).

Zeitgeist: The Movie



This special screening is courtesy of a new group in town, WUA. We offered to help out with this special free screening. About WUA: "comprised of a group of individuals committed to conscious living and waking up our society. The resignation and ignorance in the world is a result of our society's unwillingness to share the truth. We at WUA are dedicated to truth telling and difference making and out of our commitment we have come together to create a forum for people in our community to begin to WAKE UP!"

About the movie:
"Zeitgeist," produced by Peter Joseph, was created as a nonprofit filmiac expression to inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large thinks they are. The film examines forms of social control including the manipulation of mythology, covert military operations and the manipulation of wealth and the money supply. The film received the Best Feature Documentary award from the Artivists Film Festival in 2007.

Again, this is a free screening!

---
Friday, March 21.  7:00 PM.  Admission: $5.00!

American Carny: True Tales From the Circus Sideshow



STEP RIGHT UP! and come on the inside -- Beyond the banners and into the morbid curiosity that is the American Sideshow. Join Carnival Maestro Todd Robbins and award-winning filmmaker, Nick Basile, on a journey into a world of circus freaks, fire eaters, human blockheads, magicians, contortionists, professional lunatics, and much, much more. In this in-depth documentary, you will travel the historic road of the American sideshow from the circus tents to the American Dime Museum in Baltimore, to the last 'ten-in-one sideshow' that exists today on Brooklyn's infamous Coney Island.

This fascinating and fun documentary not only features some amazing sideshow performances, but also provides a strong humanistic perspective of both the sideshow and its performers. Features Jennifer Miller, The Woman With a Beard; Ula, The Pain Proof Rubber Girl (a David Letterman favorite); The Great Nippulini; Serpentina; Danielle Stampe (also of GWAR); Twistina; Harley Newman, Professional Lunatic; Ses Carny and many, many more! Narrated by Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller.


And then at 10 PM on March 21 (admission: $6.00):



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion.

You can always check http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings

Coming on Friday, March 28 - Six String Samurai
And on Friday, April 4, John Sayles newest movie starring Danny Glover: Honeydripper!

March 14.  7:00 PM.  Admission: $5.00

Location:  600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento (just over the river from downtown near the Pyramid Building).

Abel Raises Cain



An unprecedented glimpse into the life and bizarre career of Alan Abel, the infamous underground media prankster. He has made a name for himself several times over with stunts that are just ridiculous enough to be believable, especially to a media that feeds on salacious, far-fetched stories.

In this loving portrait of an eccentric father, Alan's daughter, Jenny, tells her firsthand account of what it was like growing up with a prankster. "Abel Raises Cain" takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years, all of which were designed to provoke and amuse...while at the same time, make people question everything that they see, hear and read.

"A humorous and highly personal documentary" -- Los Angeles Times

"A fun and fascinating look at an American original" -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Winner - Grand Jury Award, Slamdance
Top Ten - Audience Favorites, Hot Docs Toronto

And then at 10 PM (admission: $6.00):



Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion.

Coming on Thursday, March 20 - a special free screening of Zeitgeist: The Movie at 7 PM, courtesy of WUA!

March 21 at 7 PM - American Carny: True Tales From the Circus Sideshow
March 28 at 7 PM - Six String Samurai
April 4 - Honeydripper - the new film from John Sayles starring Danny Glover!!

Friday, March 7.  7:00 PM.  Admission: $5.00

Location:  600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento (just over the river from downtown near the Pyramid Building).

Panic In Year Zero



En route from Los Angeles to a vacation in the mountains, Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland), his wife, Ann (Jean Hagen), and his teen-aged children, Rick (Frankie Avalon) and Karen (Mary Mitchell), are appalled to see a mushroom cloud forming over the L.A. skyline. With the highways clogged by panicking motorists, Milland and his family decide to head to the shelter of their fishing spot, there to wait until more news about the nuclear disaster is available. Everywhere they drive, however, the family is confronted by rampaging looters, heavily armed survivalists, and doped-up motorcycle punks. Attempting to remain calm and collected in the face of Armageddon, Milland ends up as violent and animalistic as everyone else.  This lower budget 1962 post-apocalyptic film was somewhat unique for its time, as the normalcy of Milland's family is used to convey to the audience that what is happening to them could well happen to just about anyone.

And at 10PM (admission: $6.00)


Digital projection on to a large screen.  Seating is mostly on folding chairs.  Feel free to bring a pillow or cushion.

You can always check http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings/

screenings@shiny-object.com

Really - we didn't set this up -- someone else did, but you know you have to go!

Breakfast With Hunter



Friday, Feb 29, 2008.  7 PM.  Admission: FREE!

Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

We've been working on bringing this to Movies on a Big Screen for a year and a half. Seriously. And now that it's finally happening, the best part is, it will be a free screening to show our appreciation for our friends and supporters!

If you haven't heard of this, we wouldn't be completely surprised, but it has been acclaimed as one of the best documentaries on Hunter S. Thompson, featuring Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Benecio del Toro, Ralph Steadman, Alex Cox, PJ O'Rourke, Terry Gilliam, Warren Zevon (briefly), Jan Wenner and many others.

Long-time close friend and associate of Hunter, Wayne Ewing (director of numerous PBS docs for Bill Moyers) was allowed to film Hunter over a number of years. "Breakfast With Hunter" focuses primarily on the years leading up to and through the filming of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," as well as documenting the trumped up DUI charge against Thompson in 1995. Free of narration, Wayne's camera captured Hunter like no one else has, including footage of the good doctor causing chaos in the Rolling Stone offices, Hunter and Johnny Depp shooting heavy weaponry, and the infamous ugly script meeting with Alex Cox and Todd Davies where discussion quickly turned uncomfortably dangerous.

We've been trying to get this lined up for a very long time, and it's all finally come together thanks entirely to Wayne's generosity and help. And again, this is a free screening!


And then at 10 PM  (admission: $6.00)

The Eldritch Influence: The Life, Vision, and Phenomenon of H.P. Lovecraft



Friday, Feb 22, 2008.  7 PM.  Admission: $5.00

Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento - that's the corner of 4th & F in West Sacramento, just over the river from downtown.

"The Eldritch Influence" looks at the world of literary outsider H.P. Lovecraft who posthumously infected a large number of artists, writers, mystics, and fanatics with his wonderfully bleak worldview. Using passionate interviews and colorful commentary the film presents a picture of Lovecraft's life and thought through those he's touched and inspired.

Features extensive interviews with authors Neil Gaiman ("Sandman"), Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, filmmaker Stuart Gordon ("Re-Animator" and "From Beyond"), and Lovecraft biographer S.T. Joshi.


And then at 10 PM  (admission: $6.00)

Friday,  Feb 15.  7 PM.  Admission: $5.00.   

Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento.  That's the corner of 4th & F in West Sac, just over the river from downtown.

Because today is Valentine's Day, we figured we'd follow that up with a screening of Porn King: The Trials of Al Goldstein.  Let's not kid ourselves here - Al was/is a verbally offensive and inflammatory guy in many ways.  You may be offended by some of this movie.  Also, there is some fairly graphic nudity in spots, so you must be over 18.



"The Trials of Al Godstein" documents the life of controversial adult magazine publisher Al Goldstein, focusing specifically on his 2002 misdemeanor harassment charge which turned into an all-out battle for First Amendment rights. Whether you love or loathe Goldstein, this fascinating doc explores the extremely important and timely topic of whether unpopular speech can still be defended under the First Amendment. Features Larry Flynt, Ron Jeremy and long-time friend of Goldstein's, Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis (in one of his final on-camera appearances).

Belive it or not, Al is also running for president this year - and guess what?  The filmmaker managed to get us a few campaign spots of Al's to run beforehand, and the campaign sent us a ton of buttons.  We'll have them there for you at the screening.

And then -- at 10 PM



Admission: $6.00.

You can always check the Movies on a Big Screen site for more info at: http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings/

Hope to see you there!!