But, maybe you’re wondering…

What’s next?

Our next two events are almost here!

We’ve got Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark on April 30 this month sponsored by Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Only two weeks later we have The Blindside on May 14 to raise awareness for Parker Street Ministries.

If you’re interested in sponsoring an additional event, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page or Contact Us.

If you haven’t done it yet, this is the perfect opportunity to take a moment to become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay updated with all the latest Pics news and information, as well as more survey opportunities and a place to see/add photos from past events.

Sponsored by Allen and Company.

This month’s movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life” and is sponsored by Allen and Company.  Snack vendors will be on site. Grab a picnic dinner, a blanket, your friends and family, and come enjoy the beautiful setting and a movie under the stars.

Any help you can give getting the word out and promoting the event is much appreciated.

Hope to see you there.

I also read Roger Ebert’s review of the movie. (Yes, I’m a movie nerd. I love to know what’s going on underneath the surface, I’m too dumb to figure it out on my own, and Ebert gets there with wit and insight. Check him out at www.rogerebert.com.) He was a little perplexed by his own ambivalence toward the film, writing “if the gangs had been more dangerous and less like bad-boy Archies and Jugheads, if the ending had delivered on the pathos and tragedy of the original, there’s no telling what might have resulted.”

I’m with him. The whole thing is a remarkable work of art. The music is astounding and the dance, (this coming from someone who considers Bill Cosby to be his greatest dance influence), the dancing is really wonderful. But it’s a little weird to see all those fight scenes and to be more impressed with their ballet technique than, well, the fighting. I suppose we’re a little tainted. Just think of the last two Best Picture winners: The Departed and No Country for Old Men. Our appetite for realistic and raw violence may make it hard to appreciate West Side Story’s depiction of gang warfare.

Nevertheless, the film made it’s mark, capturing 10 Oscars and really (according to NPR) propelling the Broadway version to overwhelming acclaim and success. As we were developing our first list of movies for Pics on the Promenade, we conducted a survey using the AFI’s list of the top 100 movies of all time. People were asked to choose their favorite 10 from the list. Now, there are many on that list we can’t show – either because of content or licensing – but when the dust settled, West Side Story was in the top 5 of the movies the people we surveyed wanted to see. I was a little surprised and excited all at the same time. And I have really enjoyed seeing it again, hearing Bernstein’s amazing score, taking in the breathtaking and precise choreography, and laughing a little at how neat and clean everyone looks.  (Except for Tony at the end.  Change your shirt, man.)

I hope you enjoyed it as well, and I’d love to know your thoughts.

aD

Many thanks to All Saints’ and Parker Street for their support and especially to the All Saints’ Chamber Ensemble for the great pre-show entertainment.

Also, don’t forget to fill out the survey and to join us next month (May 9) for West Side Story.

At this point, I’m not sure what we’ll do about West Side Story; we’ll keep you posted.  But you can be sure that next month on April 11th, we’ll be back for another PoP with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  In the mean time, you can fill out the survey (click here) and let us know what movies you’d like to see in the future.

aD