HURT LOCKER...DVD RELEASE TOMMOROW !

On Jan 12th. the finest movie of 2009 (in my opinion) finally becomes available on DVD. This movie will grab you by the throat in the opening minutes and won't let you go until the credits roll. To see The Hurt Locker, you would have had to have hunted pretty hard for it, (ST.LOUIS & DECATUR) & even then it was only there for a couple weeks. I was lucky to catch it in Indianapolis in October & myself & my family were floored by it. The film is about those brave men in the service who work on the bomb squad, detonating explosive devises. Jeremy Renner is outstanding in this roll & deserves a Oscar nomination, as does its director & of course the film itself for Best Picture. I will be pulling for it on Awards Night. The film grossed only 12.7 million in a very limited release. This is a must see, trust me on this one & you wont be sorry. Some other films to be on the lookout for on DVD are, The Coen Brothers "A SERIOUS MAN" (Feb 9th) & PRECIOUS on March 9th. See you at the movies.

THE MASTERS....IT MIGHT GET LOUD

If you've not seen or heard of, "IT MIGHT GET LOUD", and your a music lover, then you need to go to your local video store or Netflix and pick it up immediately. There are so many reasons to see this film, and one is it's a rare opportunity to see into the minds, the techniques and vision of three of the alltime great guitar players:( Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Edge of U2, and Jack White of The Raconteurs and The White Stripes). The three come together on one stage & share their musical influences and events that helped shape & form their lives. I would watch for no other reason than to watch the jam sessions and to watch them perform (The Bands), "Take A Load Off Annie" is worth the price of admission alone. There was so much more however, such as the effect of Irelands violence while growing up on Edge and the fact that Led Zeppelins 4th album which included "Stairway to Heaven and "When The Levee Breaks" only garnered a one paragraph review. The Critics simply didn't get it at that time. It was also enlightening to see the influence The Blues have had on Jack White & that his favorite song is by Son House. Each musician displayed a mastery, intelligence & understanding so comprehensive it was almost zen like or religous in nature. To speak, is to speak through their guitars. They all spoke of learning to play via playing alongside albums as youths. Though their backgrounds were varied, (from the UK to Ireland to Detroit) it was quite obvious they all share one thing...A Clarity of Vision".

THE HEART THEATRE (2004-2007)

This story really should have been after the one on the Avon because without Skip Huston, their would be no Heart Theatre story. As I mention in my previous blog on The Avon, that fateful day in 2001 changed so many things for Judy & I. In 2003, Skip Huston went into a partnership and assumed control of the Heart Theatre.We opened up on December 12,2003, but after only a few short weeks Skip had to pull out of the deal to concentrate efforts back home in Decatur. Skip turned things over to Chuck Zwick, and Judy & I remained on as Managers of the Theatre over the next 3 1/2 years (2004-2007). I will always truly treasure those years & the wonderful memories we made. The Heart Theatre was opened in 1940, & remained a beautiful theatre until the end. It was built in the Art Deco style with lots of neon out front & a lighted glass brick stairway leading to the upstairs restrooms, that were also done in glass brick & tile of the 1940's style. It was one of a kind & we were very lucky to be allowed to run it as a ART THEATRE during that time. You could see shows in Effingham that you otherwise would have had to travel to a big city like St. Louis or Chicago to see. My top 25 films that we got to bring to Effingham were, (in no particular order ) CITY OF GOD, 21 GRAMS, LOST IN TRANSLATION, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, GARDEN STATE, SAW, LIFE AQUATIC, SIDEWAYS, HOTEL RWANDA, SIN CITY, (a double feature of) KILL BILL 1 & 2, NOTORIOUS BETTI PAGE, WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, JUNEBUG, GRIZZLY MAN, (midnight showing of) THE DEVILS REJECTS, HUSTLE & FLOW, LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, CRASH, CAPOTE, SHATTERED GLASS, HOUSE OF SAND & FOG, THE STATION AGENT. The sad part is I watched some of those with as few as 10-25 people. Small town America just didn't realize what a special thing they had. We had lower ticket prices & bigger screen than the local multiplex & we did alot of cool events. We hosted "THE HAVE A HEART FILM FEST" where over 4 days we showed free viewings of, (THE MAJESTIC,DRIVING MISS DAISY,HOOSIERS, FREAKS ,EVES BAYOU, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD & EVIL, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, TRUE ROMANCE, FERRIS BUEHLERS DAY OFF,ARMY OF DARKNESS,A TIME TO KILL,and A HARD DAYS NIGHT...FOR FREE !! We showed the NCAA TITLE GAME between Illinois & No. Carolina, we had the St. Louis Cardinals playoffs & WS games and Hosted an Oscar Night for 2 years for the Academy Awards. There are some out there thinking yeah, but you must not have shown the blockbusters... well we played the, Passion of the Christ,Phantom of the Opera, Lord of the Rings, Cold Mountain,Casino Royale, Cars, Mystic River, Spiderman 2, Ray, Walk the Line, Lemony Snickett, The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Tim Burtons Corpse Bride, The Producers, King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean 2, Little Miss Sunshine, Shrek 2, Harry Potter films. Documentaries & overlooked such as Shattered Glass, Calender Girls, Big Fish, Fog of War, Touching the Void, This Old Cub, The Story of the Weeping Camel, Supersize Me, Thank You for Smoking,Motorcycle Diaries, Layer Cake, Facing the Giants,March of the Penguins, An Inconvienent Truth, Fahrenheit 9/11 and hosted Effingham Unit 40's Student Film Festival. Probably my favorite thing we did was the Classics we showed: CASABLANCA,WIZARD OF OZ, MODERN TIMES, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, SEVEN YEAR ITCH, GREASE, GODFATHER PT.1, KING CREOLE,GHOSTBUSTERS, ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE, BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID, PRETTY WOMAN, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, COOL HAND LUKE, GRAPES OF WRATH, THE BLACK CAT and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. FOLKS PLEASE !! ....We did all that in a little over 3 years, with a single screen, but we never really caught on here in Effingham. There were alot of things we'd liked to have done if the $$$ had been there, like adding some couches & love seats like the Moolah in St. Louis, & we did briefly add pizza and coffee, to our wonderful gourmet popcorn & concessions & I wanted to add gourmet pretzels but just ran out of time. The memories are GOLDEN, and if you were a film buff in the area around that time..(you know who you are ) we loved spending time with you.I can't finish without saying how blessed we were to have the wonderful staff we had together (Matt Viverito, Kelly Hille, Jenny Power, Morgan Bushur, Amy, Stuart, Louise Johnson, Bernice Walk( we love you & miss you),Tracy Walk, Craig & Brian Minor, Dan Niebrugge ,Nancy Stead, Judy Finke, Rich Hirtzel and Chris. We poured our hrearts & souls into it, and we all worked other jobs as well.All I can say is if you never saw a movie at the Heart during that time,well its your loss. It was truly a golden era of film that will probably never be seen again in this area. SKIP HUSTON..Thank You for making my dreams come true, you will always be "THE MAN"

The AVON THEATRE Decatur,Il.

It's funny how a chance outing can change your life. Sometimes it's for good and sometimes for worse. In 2001, my life & my wife's, were changed forever and this was one of those good times. I saw an add in the Decatur paper for a twin bill at The Avon Theatre, featuring "SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE" & the 1922 silent classic NOSFERATU. I had never been to The Avon, nor Decatur,Il. as far as that goes. This night would literally change my life's direction over the next 6 years. The Avon Theatre was originally opened on Nov. 28th, 1916 and is the longest continually operating movie theatre in the state of Illinois and also one of the absolute finest. It's located in newly revitalized downtown Decatur, at 426 North Water Street. The first thing you will notice when you go there,(as I did on that night in 2001) is its owner, Skip Huston, or The Head Honcho. Skip is a very hands on owner, he greets you going in & out, he sells tickets, he makes announcements of upcoming shows before that nights presentation & will refer to you by name on your next visit if you take the time to introduce yourself to him. Skip, owner of the Avon since 1999, is the Cecil D. Demille of theatre owners,and a wonderful man who takes his business very seriously. The theatre is clean, safe & staffed by knowledgeable film people who care about your experience. Going to The Avon is not just watching a movie, it is an experience you wont forget & will long to do again over & over. If you cannot tell yet...I LOVED THIS PLACE FROM DAY ONE... I sit here in 2010 and reflect back & still feel a longing deep in my soul to head up to The Avon every chance I get. Since, 2001 I have watched over 150 movies at The Avon, and I forgot to mention I did so on the largest movie screen in the tri-state area. When we first began attending shows at The Avon, it catered to overlooked, art films, foreign films & just downright Good Films ! Over the years Skip built two more theatres right next door to the original theatre & they are known as The Avon Twins and show more of the main stream & blockbusters while the Avon continues to show overlooked & Art Films...going back to its roots. Its prices remain lower than the multiplexes, & has The Best gourmet popcorn around. The Avon is known far & wide for its popcorn. Other specialties to the Avon is it's, beautiful marquee out front, it's balcony, and the neon blue ghostlights on the stage. As you settle into your seat & the show begins you will be thrilled to know there are no advertisement's, just an old fashioned vintage cartoon,(hand selected by Skip)and a couple trailers. If your lucky you may get to see the original "LETS ALL GO TO THE LOBBY" or "Mama" telling you to turn your cell phone off, be quiet, keep your feet off the chairs & was your hands. It's a classic reel. Over the past 8 years Skip has taught film classes for Richland College right at the Avon. Most classes are 6 or 8 weeks long with 1 film chosen each week by Skip with his intro before & live discussion afterwards. These classes are a "hidden jewel" & Judy & I have participated in many of these classes, and they're targeted for any film buff, from beginner to novice. There is nothing like seeing silents & classics in a theatre that showed many of them when they originally came out. I've been fortunate to see silents there like SUNRISE, THE CROWD, THE WIND, THE BIG PARADE, and SHERLOCK JR. & SPEEDY with the ALLOY ORCHESTRA a 3 member group that sounds like a full orchestra. If your looking for Special Events, look no further... The Avon provides FREE shows on Halloween, Christmas & New Years Eve, and televised the Academy Awards in the past. Motion Picture Star & Cult Legend BRUCE CAMPBELL has appeared on several occasions and (Lt. Dan) of Forrest Gump fame, GARY SINSE recently appeared at a special showing of a local directors war film. The Avon does The ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with Milliken's drama students acting it out on stage w/ the film. How about RARE films? Lets just say I've seen SONG OF THE SOUTH, BIRTH OF A NATION, FREAKS, & THE BLACK CAT there. So as time went on & Judy and I developed a wonderful relationship, w/ The Avon, Skip & his lovely wife Sue over the next 3 years, things would arise that would change our lives in a big way & I will continue in my next column. Anyone interested in going to The Avon, PLEASE leave me a comment & maybe we can hook up & I'd love to play host. Also, please let me know your top 6 or 8 CRIME FILMS you would love to be able to see.

Life Imitates Art
A story out of Belfast,Ireland caught my eye today.It has came to light that 2 years ago Iris Robinson the wife of Peter Robinson (Who is Head of Northern Ireland's government & major Protestant Political Party), got caught up in a major political scandal involving an affair with a much younger man (Kirk McCambley). At the time of the affair it seems that Mrs. Robinson was 58 years old while Kirk McCambley was 19 years old. During that time it seems Mrs. Robinson used her position as a member of the Parliment to secure loans of $80,000 dollars to help out her young lover get started in business without the Parliment's knowledge. Mr. Peter Robinson, has denied any knowledge of the affair or the loan. I think Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft would be proud.

2009 Literary Findings

I had a friend (Tyler Renshaw) who once said, "would'nt it be great if you could go back and see all the films you love, again for the first time". " To feel that since of awe & bewilderment we felt on that first viewing". Yes it would be, and it got me thinking about authors who've had that same effect of AWE, on me. I can still remember the following authors, 1st book I read, the time period & feeling's they left me with. These authors remain dear to my heart: ( Ken Bruen,Craig McDonald, Ace Atkins, Daniel Woodrell, Cormac McCarthy, Scott Phillips, Reed Farrel Coleman, Dennis Lehayne, Jeff Lindsay, William Gay, Tom Franklin, Duane Swierczynski, Megan Abbott, and Chelsea Cain, Harry Crews.) I can never forget that first moment of discovery, as I ran across these authors books for the 1st time. I wait anxiously each year, waiting for their newest piece of work to hit the bookstores. In 2009, I discovered 20 wonderful new authors who made a major impact on me, many that I'm embarrased to admit it took me this long to find. Included in my 20 were the debut efforts of authors such as SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD, STEPHEN J.SCHWARTZ, STUART NEVILLE, JOSH GAYLORD, DANIEL DEPP, JOSH BRAZWELL, ATTICA LOCKE & KATHRYN STOCKETT. All with stunning debuts! The other 12 (I apologize it took me so long to find you & thank godness I did) included, DAVID MOODY, MICHAEL LISTER, TOM SCHRECK, LINWOOD BARCLAY, SEAN CHERCOVER, THERESA SCHWEGEL,CHARLIE STELLA, RAY BANKS, VICTOR GISCHLER, ANTHONY NEIL SMITH, JACK KERLEY, VICKI HENDRICKS. My favorite books of the Year were "Double Exposure" by Michael Lister, "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, "On the Ropes" by Tom Schreck, "Haters" by David Moody, "Ghosts of Belfast" by Stuart Neville, "Big City, Bad Blood" and "Trigger City" both by Sean Chercover, "Fear The Worst" by Linwood Barclay, "Black Water Rising" by Attica Locke, and "Bad Day for Sorry" by Sophie Littlefield, and thats just 10 from the "New" discovery list. There were memorable books in 09 from tried & true friends like, "TOWER" by Reed Farrel Coleman & Ken Bruen, "Toros & Torsos" by Craig McDonald, "Evil at Heart" by Chelsea Cain, "BURY ME DEEP" by Megan Abbott, "Dexter by Design" by Jeff Lindsay, and "Devil's Garden" by Ace Atkins. In the 2010 year ahead, look for new books by Ace Atkins, Craig McDonald,David Moody, Michael Lister, Duane Swierczynski & Reed Farrel Coleman. So..if your looking for some books you can sink your teeth into in the year ahead, I hope this post will help get you started. Let me know what u think. Oh, and I know its past Christmas, but if Santa dont mind me askin for a late gift,...PLEASE bring us a NEW novel by Daniel Woodrell in the not so far future.

Short Term Memory & Show you dont Wanna Miss !!

Jan,8, 2010 My memory is not what it used to be, and thats why I write everything down these days. I went back to check the number of movies I went to in 2009 & was suprised to see I actually caught 36 in theatres, not the 12 or so I remembered. I had forgotten the 9 I saw in Jan. of 09, finally catching the 2008 Oscar nominess like Benjamin Button, Doubt, The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire. Judy & I spent a memorable day at Chase Park Plaza Cinemas on Jan.24th when we watched 3 films (Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader) all back to back. What a day ! I also forget about the 8 films we saw at the Roger Ebert Film Festival, and I will review this years Festival in the months ahead. Then their were the several other films we caught at the AVON Theatre in Decatur, Il., classics such as IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT & DR. STRANGELOVE in Skip Hustons wonderful film classes. SO...as you can see, while it was a dissapointing year for films in 2009, it wasnt all that bad of a year for me in cinemas. NEWS FLASH: Dont miss the opportunity to watch the Documentary ( BIG RIVER MAN ) on Discovery Jan. 9th at 9 pm CST. This is the story of an Amazing man, Martin Strel, who swam the entire length ( 3,274 miles ) of the Amazon River in 66 days in 2007. The show will be repeated on Jan. 10th, 14th, & 15th. Martin's swim helped raise money for the protection of the Rainforest. He is a big man , drinks a couple bottles of wine a day during his swims & he's my age. This is a man to admire in the days of false idols who it seems fall from grace daily anymore. Mr. Strel has also swam the Mississippi & Nile Rivers. CHECK INTO HIM by Gogleing his website.