“Starting in 1971, every Saturday night you could find sci-fi, fantasty, and horror fans in Northern California glued to their TV sets watching a light night horror movie show called ‘Creature Features’. The program, which ran both in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Area, was originally hosted by Bob Wilkins and later by John Stanley. Unlike most local monster movie shows around the country which played up the ghoulish theatrics, Creatures Features went for a humorous tone with Wilkins playing it straight as a mild-manner, unassuming host. He sat smoking a big cigar in a huge rocking chair in a creepy attic, and with great deadpan delivery told the audience just how bad tonight’s feature was. It was a wonderful program with an amazing array of guests (including the cast & crew of Star Wars), funny monologues, and of course the best (or worst) hokey monster movies and schlocky sci-fi flicks. The show held its own in the ratings war against national network programs like Saturday Night Live, pulling in amazing ratings for a local production. Creature Features ran for 14 years and inspired a lot of people to get into the film industry.
Well, now a documentary film about Creature Features has been produced entitled, WATCH HORROR FILMS KEEP AMERICA STRONG. And there is going to be a special screening of the film at 7:00pm on December 10th at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco. Even if you didn’t grow up in the area and never saw Creature Features you’ll still enjoy this film.
John Stanley, who took over as host of Creature Features from his friend Bob Wilkins, will be in attendance at the screening along with current horror host Mr. Lobo from the nationally syndicated ‘Cinema Insomnia’. Also scheduled to make an appearance at the event is Ernie Fosselius, the writer/director of “Hardware Wars”. Fosselius, who additionally provided voices for characters in Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones, is interviewed in the documentary about how the show and its host helped him along the difficult pathway of filmmaking. And C. Andrew Nelson, former LucasArts and ILM visual effects wizard and Darth Vader actor, will also be in attendance at the screening. Nelson is another industry professional from the Bay Area who credits Creature Features with inspiring him to pursue a career in film.
Thursday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m., Cinema Parker at the Parker Library (10851 South Crossroads Drive) will show the award-winning foreign film Ben X. This Belgian film is the winner of the Montreal World Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as being an official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival.
Parker Library is proud to be the first and only venue for award-winning independent and foreign films in the Parker area. No one under age 17 will be admitted without the approval of a parent or guardian as the films are not pre-screened. Free; no registration required. For more information, stop by your library, call 303-791-READ, or visit the Programs & Events calendar at DouglasCountyLibraries.org.[via]
BenX is the film debut of Belgian director Nic Balthazar, and is about a young autistic boy named Ben. The only place he can be himself and where he’s able to express his real feelings is in the virtual world of Archlor. [via]
Fresh from the Cambridge Film Festival and currently competing in this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, we are delighted to be screening Brice Lainé’s debut documentary. Long abandoned as a land without hope, Africa is crushed under the negative stereotypes that have condemned it to the periphery of civilization. THE DANCING FOREST is Africa’s strident retaliation. Through the shining example of a small village in Togo, we find a community that refused to wait for outside aid to make its way out of poverty and ruin. With tools in hand, mixing traditional agricultural knowledge with modern techniques, its proud men and women stoop to build their own destiny and a model of self-reliance. Essential watching for all those interested in international development, particularly in Africa. Visit www.thedancingforest.com for more information about the film.
A Powerful Noise – A documentary film about women changing the world.
Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam. Nada, a survivor of the Bosnian war. And Jacqueline works the slums of Bamako, Mali. Three very different lives. Three vastly different worlds. But they share something in common: Power. These women are each overcoming gender barriers to rise up and claim a voice in their societies. Through their empowerment and ability to empower others, Hanh, Nada and Jacqueline are sparking remarkable changes. Fighting AIDS. Rebuilding communities. Educating girls.
Hanh learned that she had contracted HIV after her husband and daughter died from AIDS. Bouncing back from despair, she started a self-help group in Vietnam, called Immortal Flower, to give people living with HIV/AIDS a place for support, counseling and health care.
Nada is a working mother of three children. As a refugee, she survived the Bosnian War. Her women’s association, Maya Kravica, is helping ease hostilities between Serbs and Bosniaks in a region marred by war crimes and massive destruction. Nada is building an agricultural cooperative to offer employment opportunities for war widows, and fair trade markets for families to sell their crops and livestock.
It is official, after months of trying to pull it all together we have a confirmed date for the screening of the movie “Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease.”
The screening will take place in downtown Brattleboro, VT at the Historic Latchis Theater the date is November 15, time is 4:00. The film company told us this is the absolute final screening of the movie so if you want to see it mark your calendars now because the theatrical release is not until sometime next year.
We are hoping to draw an audience from MA, NH and VT for this screening so help us spread the word by telling your friends, relatives and Doctors. The info in this movie could save lives so we really need to spread the word.
Be the First to Comment 
