starlite cinema series - verne-al equinox

another starlite installment is in the books. thanks to the folks that joined me this evening for our program of films from spain. we enjoyed rogue pixar animator rodrigo blaas' alma (2009). for those of you unable to attend, here's an excellent quality stream.

¿cómo se dice "the creeps"?

after that we viewed buñuel's simon of the desert (1965) and victor erice's golden-hued spirit of the beehive (1973). it was a lovely evening and, with any luck, the last one we'll have for a while where we have to deal with summertime temperatures.

september's program ramps up the humor and adventure a fair amount. in observance of the autumnal equinox we are celebrating with our own verne-al equinox.

yes sir, an evening of material adapted/descended from the father of science fiction, the one and only jules verne. we will begin the evening with my single favorite comic book adaptation ever - the amazing screw-on head (2006).

this is mike mignola's greatest achievement, in my estimation. at abraham lincoln's behest, the amazing screw-on head takes on the singularly vengeful emperor zombie (head's former manservant) and an interdimensional demigod who lives in a turnip. there's also a monkey named ricky. as great as that sounds, it's even better. archaic technology collides with supernatural hilarity and the world is made safe for western expansion.

following that we will have the mysterious geographic explorations of jasper morello (2005).

told with beautiful silhouette animation, jasper morello is the tale of a disgraced aerial navigator in search of redemption. clanking victorian airships, plague sweeping the countryside, a voyage into uncharted lands where fantastic dangers await you at every turn - jules verne would be right proud. this was australia's oscar entry for best animated short in 2005.

our feature presentation is journey to the center of the earth (1959).

the incomparable magic of cinemascope and gertrude the duck!

i will nail down a date some time this week and post the pertinent details here as soon as i do. we are looking at late september so the weather will be cooler. also, keep your eyes peeled for the halloween mini-festival coming in october. or we will peel them for you.