I
think we all need at least one really nice positive thing about the
entertainment business every single day of the year, including weekends.
Sometimes it may be something simple, like a video that showcases
something fun and sometimes it may be a movie poster that embraces the
aesthetic we all want Hollywood to aspire to. Sometimes it may be a
long-winded diatribe. Sometimes it’ll be from the staff and extended
family of CHUD.com. Maybe even you readers can get in on it. So, take
this to the bank. Every day, you will get a little bit of positivity
from one column a day here. Take it with you. Maybe it’ll help you
through a bad day or give folks some fun things to hunt down in their
busy celluloid digesting day.
8.19.10
By Alex Riviello
(Author Page, Twitter Page)
What I’m Thankful For:
The Museum of the Moving Image.
When I first moved to Queens many years ago after finally performing my own Escape From The Bronx (after a quick, misguided stop in Brooklyn), one of the many things I was excited to be closer to was The Museum of the Moving Image. For cinephiles, there was nothing better, a museum full of the largest collection of movie artifacts in the world. It really has a little bit of everything. From turn-of-the-century cameras to the model of that pyramid building from Bladerunner to Eddie Murphy’s Gumby costume from SNL to C-3PO’s Breakfast Cereal posters, there’s guaranteed to be something that will excite everyone.
Plus there’s a veritable treasure trove of hands-on activities to fool around with. Sure, they’re more geared towards people who aren’t aware of the filmmaking process but they have fun little workshops that let you make your own stop motion films, do ADR for a film, and all kinds of other entertaining stuff. A few years ago they even had an exhibition that showcased the history of video games, and still have the fully-functional arcade cabinets sitting in a room for your enjoyment, just waiting to be played.
That’s not to mention all the amazing films they would show in their theater. Some classics I saw there for the very first time. (Rashomon, Blow-Up, Brazil!) They frequently have premieres and director Q&As and all kinds of great events. Before a screening of The Protector I was part of a group of people to watch Tony Jaa beat the hell out of his stunt men and perform some absolutely ridiculously high kicks.
Unfortunately, the museum has been partially closed for renovations and the big theater is no longer screening films. It is still up and running, though, and they’re still showing films occasionally in the tiny little Tut’s Fever screening room (where I saw A Town Called Panic a few months ago for the first glorious time) but for the most part, we’re stuck waiting on the reopening of the Museum in January 2011. Then they will unveil a brand new state-of-the-art 264-seat theater (and a 68-seat theater for special screenings) and kick things off with a month-long film fest that will feature restored films from around the world, most with the actors and directors in attendance.
This is simply the mecca for film buffs in NYC, one of the first places I recommend you check out if you come to town. Check http://www.movingimage.us for everything you need to know.