Silly Photo to Fill Space- Let's Go Bowling?!

We are continuing our look at summer jobs with the profession of bowling teacher. We were initially going to use the famous 'Nixon Bowling' poster which was featured in the film "The Big Lebowski," but we thought this might be more hip/clever. Well, you decide!

Our feature city with this series this month is Lynchburg, Va., where one can find the Fort Hill Bowling Center on 6015 Fort Ave. (Phone: 434-239-9261). The bowling alley has college nights from Monday-Wednesday for those of who attend Lyncburg College or Liberty University which was founded by Pat Robertson (no, that's not right? Well, we doubt members of the Falwell family read this blog!).

Last Ten Films I've Seen.....Vietnam/Nixon Kick

I got this idea from the always hip intellectual cinema journal "Film Comment," edited by our good friend Gavin Smith (well, I don't know him personally, but I did meet him in Park City, Utah, in 2002).

A lot of these films deal with the sixties though none of them actually came out then. Surprisingly enough, none of these are foreign films and none of these movies are actually currently playing in cinemas aside from retro-screenings:


1. The Camden 28 (doc-2007)
2. The Foutain (2006)
3. The Private Life of a Cat (doc-1944)
4. Hearts and Minds (doc-1974)
5. You Kill Me (2007)
6. Taking Woodstock (2009)
7. JCVD (2008)
8. Goodbye Solo (2008)
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (pictured-1975)
10. The Big Lebowski (1998)*


Just some random notes on some of these films:

"The Camden 28" is a documentary about 28 anti-war activists who took part in a draft office break-in in their hometown of Camden, NJ, in 1973 while the Vietnam War was in its waning stages.

"The Private Life of a Cat" is a silent/experimental documentary I saw on Youtube. It was made by Alexander Hammond and Maya Deren (1917-1961). Though she died at a young age, Deren who was born in Kiev, Ukraine, before immigrating to the West was a pioneer in experimental film-making.

"Taking Woodstock" was released in theatres last year, and I think it's a relatively good film though not among the best films of director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain," "The Ice Storm"). The film, of course as the title implies, takes place around the famous Woodstock Music Festival which was held in New York State. I once lived in a town called Woodstock, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley where I worked as a newspaper reporter. I checked on the town's web site, and they are having a "Spring Clean-Up" there this week!

"JCVD" is a strange Belgian film starring Jean Claude Van Damme. I'm not sure if it should be described as an arthouse film or a thriller. I first heard about it because it played at the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is one of my favorite cinemas in the country.

"Goodbye Solo" is an exceptional independent film which was shot just down the road in Winston-Salem, NC.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" really stands the proverbial test of time. After seeing the film again for the first time in 20 years, I checked out the original novel by the late Ken Kesey from a local library and I read in one night!

And, I saw "The Big Lebowski" at a special grand opening screening for my good friend Jason Garnett's new moviehouse The Shadowbox Cinema in Roanoke, Va. I actually ran into a very attractive young woman there. We were talking but then the movie started. Yes, cinemas are not a good place to pick up babes, but the Shadowbox is simply awesome!

NOTE: This was quite to my shock and horror one of the harder blog entries I've had to post in a while and it was supposed to be a relatively simple one. The print was not meant to appear in blue, but considering all the other fiascoes I've had with this post, it's time to move on!

Top 10 Left-Wing Films of All Time

We are running an accompanying entry on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time" entitled the Top 10 Right-Wing Films of all time.

This list is basically totally random, though not entirely pointless.

My friend Jason Garnett, who is NOT a right-wing extremist, professing his admiration of the ultra-conservative film "Red Dawn," which makes our other list.

He is opening a new venture entitled The Shadowbox Cinema in Roanoke, Va., with a screening of "The Big Lebowski" on March 27. To my knowledge that film does not have a political bias, but the John Goodman character is reportedly based on the director of "Red Dawn" whose name escapes me (where is the IMDB when you need it???).

I did see two films on this list, the Brazilian film "Motorcycle Diaries" and the Michael Moore doc "Fahrenheit 911" at Jason's former house of worship the Grandin Theatre, also in Roanoke, which was kind enough to screen "Gremlins" for my 40th birthday last night. Perhaps, it's just me, but I sensed the 1984 adventure film had some Cold War overtones........yeah, I guess I do read too much into things. The Grandin is currently showing films like "Crazy Heart," "Shutter Island" and "Valentine's Day," none of which are subversive but you can never too sure about romantic comedies.

Ironically, one film listed here the original 1968 version of "Planet of the Apes" is considered a liberal film for its environmental message even though it stars the late ultra-conservative actor Charlton Heston.

Here is a list of our favorite films which are definitely to the left of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.):


1. Medium Cool
2. Salt of the Earth
3. Battle of Algiers
4. Easy Rider
5. Motorcycle Diaries
6. Joe (pictured)
7. Tout Va Bien!
8. Harlan County USA (pictured)
9. Hearts and Minds
10. Planet of the Apes (1968-pictured)/Fahrenheit 9-11

Amazingly enough the socialist propaganda film "I Am Cuba" did not make the final cut!

Special Screenings_ "The Big Lebowski" and "The Dark Crystal"

One my favorite things to do on my blogs is to promote special movie screenings whenever I get notice of them. Since I reside in a fictional town in North Carolina, I generally promote screenings in the Tarheel State, but since I proudly hail from Roanoke, Va., I also like to mention film screenings at the historic Grandin Theatre which almost makes my hometown seem hip.

We start with a special screening of "Death Race 2000," a '70s cult film that was recently remade into a bad Vin Diesel vehicle, that will take place at the Colony Theatre in Raleigh on Wed., Aug. 12 at 8:00. The admission fee is five bucks (whoops! I forgot to check that for the other films).

Just down I-40 in Greensboro, my friend Joe Scott is putting together a special screening of "The Big Lebowski" which kicks off the Mixed Tape series sponsored by UNC-Greensboro's college radio station WUAG 103.1 FM, which features a movie show hosted by Scott. The best bowling movie ever made (apologies to those who somehow favor "Kingpin") will show on Wed., Aug. 26 @ 7:30 p.m. Afterward, there will be a bowl-a-thon @ Brunswick Triad Lanes on 21 Oak Branch Road, where White Russians will be served! Jeff Bridges and John Goodman would be proud.....

And, lastly, The Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., the cinema where I originally saw "Lebowski" when it first came out is showing a midnight screening of "The Dark Crystal" at midnight on the nights of Aug. 28 and Aug. 29. This movie was made in 1982 when I was 12 years old! Incidentally, that was the same year that "Tron," another cult classic with Bridges came out. Supposedly, a sequel to that film is coming out next year. Are they actually remaking "Clash of the Titans" too?

Anyway, if you need directions to any of these venues go to Mapquest (or the official web sites of these places), and hopefully you won't get freaking lost!