From my Inbox to you:

Hull’s will show Newly Released Movies Starting May 3rd with Iron Man 3

Following the successful fundraising campaign and installation of a state-of-the-art Digital Projection System last year, Hull’s announces that, starting May 3^rd,, movie fans can look forward to Hollywood’s newest movies at Hull’s Drive-In!  Opening with Disney’s Iron Man 3 and Oz: The Great and Powerful, Hull’s Drive-In fans can enjoy the newest films at the hottest prices with adult tickets for double-features still just $7 , kids from 7-11 $3, and kids 6 & under still FREE!   Where else can you see 2 movies for less than the price of one – on the area’s largest movie screen – while feasting on a fabulous Buffalo Creek Burger and freshly popped popcorn – all under the stars?  Nowhere else but Hull’s – proudly providing affordable family-priced entertainment since 1950!

Hull’s Drive-In shows movies every weekend Friday – Sunday, March thru October, with Thursday nights added during the Summer.  New features will be shown for more than one weekend at Hull’s giving fans a chance to plan ahead and avoid bad weather.  For current movie listings, visit www.hullsdrivein.com;  like Hull’s on Facebook;  check your local listings or call the good old-fashioned Movie HotLine at 540.463.2621.

While you’re visiting Hull’s, be sure to drop by the newly renovated concession stand – guaranteed to cut your wait time for that must-have movie snack – from the famous fresh-popped popcorn, candy and cooling beverages to delicious fresh hot grilled specialties!

With larger than usual crowds expected for new movies, gates will open by 6pm nightly.  So, call your friends, grab the family and head out to Hull’s!

A still from the 2013 Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film, “Paper Man.”

The Grandin Theatre 2013 Film Festival of New Cinematic Delights

Where: The Grandin Theatre, 1310 Grandin Road, Roanoke

When: Screenings run 1 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday; 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through April 25

How much? Weekend pass $50; senior citizens, students and Grandin members $35; individual special events, $12. Weekend passes include all events Friday through Sunday as well as the Wednesday screening and by Mat Smith and the Thursday screening and talk by Katie Teague.

Info: 345-6177; http://grandintheatre.com/?page_id=881

Schedule: grandintheatre.com/?page_id=1056

The Grandin Theatre wanted to showcase its new digital projection equipment in a special way.

“It was just the right time to do a film festival,” said executive director Kathy Chittum. The landmark Roanoke theater in the Grandin Court neighborhood has never held one before, she said.

The theater had a scare when the digital projectors Chittum hoped to have in place by April 2 wound up on back order. But Monday, Chittum gleefully reported that installation had started, and the projectors will be in place when the festival starts Friday.

“It has been a hair-pulling, maddening, fun, exciting, thrilling experience all the way around,” she said of putting the festival together.

The festival’s headline event is the regional premiere of “The Place Beyond the Pines,” a crime drama with art house credentials starring A-listers Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. But there’s also a lot of independent and offbeat fare, including films with Roanoke ties. Many of the films will be shown multiple times over the festival’s course.

“It’s a celebration of film,” Chittum said.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Roger Ebert

Here’s a roundup of some thoughts expressed in our region over the death of film critic Roger Ebert. Staff writer Neil Harvey, a former movie reviewer for this paper and also a screenwriter, offered a Cornershot this past weekend in which he wrote about Roger Ebert’s impact on his own life. (Read the full Cornershot here.)

Look into my flashback a sec and see me at age 11: Flipping channels on my parents’ old Zenith TV, searching for “Kung Fu” and finding a scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Now this was huge then because a) I was a rabid fan of “Raiders,” which b) was still in theaters, and c) movie clips weren’t everywhere then, especially d) not on the PBS station. What was this?

The scene ended and two guys in theater seats started discussing the movie. They made a somewhat nerdy duo, very interrupt-y, but most crucially it seemed they’d enjoyed “Raiders” every bit as much as I had.

That was my intro to Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, on a show called “Sneak Previews.” Across the 1980s, I watched as they covered every movie that came to town, but how they really changed my life was by frequently bringing up fringe films I never would’ve encountered.

Roanoke movie blogger Dusty Wallace of Dusty on Movies found himself at a rare loss for words. (Read his full entry here.)

I’m not gonna do it. I just can’t. Every other blogger in the world has written about Roger Ebert and there’s simply nothing I can add. All I can tell you is that he inspired me in ways that greatly surpass movie criticism. I’d suggest anyone who hasn’t to read “Life Itself” and learn a little about the man.

On my earlier blog post, Brian Stanley left a heartfelt comment that I will reproduce in full here.

I didn’t truly love movies until I began reading Roger Ebert’s work. He was a huge influence on me, and for a time I even wanted to be a critic like him… my first job, in fact, was reviewing movies for the Durham Herald-Sun. It never went anywhere, but my enthusiasm for the medium remained.

For years, Mr. Ebert was my gold standard, my guiding light when it came to appreciating the art form. He introduced me to great films and directors I never knew existed, never would have discovered on my own: Welles, Ozu, Kubrick, Kurosawa, the list goes on and on. He didn’t just help me appreciate the good movies, either… he knew how to viciously tear apart the really bad ones, and to enjoy the guilty pleasures when they came along. He wrote insightful reviews of anime when most of his fellow critics dismissed it as shallow children’s entertainment or violent porn. He met with and interviewed every legendary actor, director, writer, and producer you could possibly imagine in his incredible 46-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times. During that time, if you knew or loved the movies at all, you knew his name and you respected him, even if you disagreed with him. For nearly five decades, if there was something happening in the world of film, he was there.

To hear that Mr. Ebert is gone fills me with a sadness I can’t begin to express. I always wanted to meet him one day, shake his hand and thank him for showing me the kind of art form that the movies could truly be. He was more to me than simply a critic; he was a great writer, a teacher, a trusted source of knowledge, a voice of sanity in troubled times, a journalist in the truest sense of the word, a hero. His struggles with cancer took up most of the final years of his life, robbing him of his ability to speak and walk, but he refused to retire or withdraw from the public eye; he kept on writing. Cancer took his voice, but it couldn’t silence his words.
Now those words are all we have left of him. Treasure them, for there will never be another Roger Ebert.

Goodbye, sir. Thumbs up.

Tbe Buchanan Theatre

The movie industry has spoken — after this year, new movies will no longer be released on 35mm film. As a result, those theaters that don’t switch to digital projectors won’t be able to show first-run releases.

To make the switch, independent movie theaters in the region have turned to the public for help.

The Buchanan Theatre installed its projector in November but still needs to pay off the $60,000 expense. The all-volunteer organization that runs the historical movie house is hosting a fund-raising gala with music, hors d’oeuvres and croquet, called “An Evening of Elegance,” on April 13.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” said Sharon Coleman , president of non-profit Standing Room Only.

The Grandin Theatre in Roanoke and the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg also have ongoing fund drives to pay for the expensive new equipment.

Both theaters have put in the order for digital projectors but have run into another common problem ­­— the equipment is on back order.

“The demand for the units is high,” said Mark Arciaga , the Lyric’s production manager. “Many, many theaters are converting this year.” He said the Lyric ordered its projector at the end of last year and still hasn’t received it.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

From my Inbox to you:

The Grandin Theatre announces a film festival to showcase the very best the theatre has to offer – an iconic beautiful setting with new digital upgrades on the way and an outstanding program including Academy Award nominated shorts, powerful and important documentaries such as The Invisible War featuring a Skype session with director Kirby Dick, Bee People with the director and film star present, 56 Up, A Place at the Table, A Fierce Green Fire, and Chasing Ice.  Other eye-opening, inventive films like The Brass Tea Pot and Any Day Now will also be featured.  Unforgiven and Vertigo will be presented as part of the Hollins University Lecture Series with Q & A afterwards. Premieres include The Place Beyond The Pines, starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper and Leonie, starring Emily Mortimer and a Skype session with actor Jan Milligan.

Dates:    April 19th through Sunday, April 21st.

Cost:      $50 for entire weekend for general public. $35 for Grandin Theatre members, seniors and students. $12 for individual events.

The entire weekend will delight attendees with featured special guest appearances by filmmakers and directors, insightful panel discussions and screenings of films likely not to be seen anywhere else. Monday, April 22nd through Thursday April 25th will have highlights of the event.

With an eye towards the linked goals of heightening film awareness while promoting the historic Grandin Theatre as a treasured iconic cinema art house and fostering an open community dialogue, we are proud to announce our treasured partners:

• City of Roanoke
• Hollins University
• SARA
• The Blue Ridge Land Conservancy
• Roanoke Diversity Center
• Marla, Cory and Maggie of Oliver’s Twist
• City Magazine
• HomeTown Bank
• 101.5 the music place

Please visit www.grandintheatre.com as unique events and films will continue to be added as this exciting, first-time event approaches.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles

The Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other news outlets are reporting that Roger Ebert, arguably the world’s most famous and most-read movie critic, has died after a long fight with cancer. He was 70.

Here’s the Associated Press story:

Roger Ebert, the most famous and most popular film reviewer of his time who became the first journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism and, on his long-running TV program, wielded the nation’s most influential thumb, died Thursday. He was 70.

Ebert conducted his shot-by-shot film analysis workshops at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville for many years. He once called the festival one of his favorites. He told a reporter for The Roanoke Times in 2000 that he loved the fall colors in Charlottesville and enjoyed the company of Virginia film buffs. “The enthusiasm of the people is special … People are so well-informed, that at the end we all know a lot more than we knew before.”

I’ve personally been a fan of Ebert’s since watching him on “Sneak Previews” as a kid. When he announced Tuesday that he was going to be cutting back on reviews because his cancer had returned, I worried that worse news would follow, but this development still comes as a bit of a shock. (His final blog post indicated that he still had many ambitious plans for new projects.) I will miss his reviews, his amazing blog entries and his witty Twitter tweets.

I have a few tidbits to share about some small films with local connections.

• “House of Good and Evil,” the movie shot in Floyd County last fall that was originally going to star Tippi Hedren, got made even though Tippi bowed out for health reasons. I’ve watched enough of it as its been assembled to be able to tell you it’s slickly-produced and professional-looking, and the old house selected for the setting certainly provides a creepy vibe. There’s a skittish wife and gung-ho husband combo that reminds me a little of Paranormal Activity in its setup, though I don’t believe the storyline has much to do with ghosts. At any rate, the movie is an official selection of the Arizona International Film Festival. Good luck, folks!
• “Plan 9,” the remake of one of the worst movies ever made, appears to be moving closer to fruition. Charlottesville film makers Darkstone Entertainment announced over the weekend that the movie will have its premiere Aug. 24 in Roanoke. No time or location given, though, and apparently it won’t be a public screening. I guess we’ll have to see how future events such as these will affect us in the future. In the meantime, Darkstone did screen about three minutes of the film at MystiCon. Here’s what I wrote about that.
• “Bee People” has no direct ties to this region, but this documentary about people who become beekeepers and why they do it will be screening at the upcoming 2013 Film Festival of New Cinematic Delights at The Grandin Theatre. Check out the film’s website for more details.

UPDATE 3/21: Organizer Amanda Agricola shared this schedule with me:

The majority of live performances will take place from 5:00-8:30.

5-10 Cherisse Gray, “White Choice”
6-6:30 HeJin Jang, “Migrant-self the Speed of a Door”
7- 8:00 Tif Robinette “Love me Tender”
7- 8:00 Mr. Thursday, “Strutt Stream”
7- 8:00 Olchar Lindsann, “untitled”
8- 8:30 Amanda Agricola, “Come Inside”

Susan Jamison and Matt Ames have visual works up

Sarah Ingel, Erica Buechman, and Annie Waldrop have video performances playing for the duration of the show.

From Sunday’s column:

A sketch for “Love Me Tender” by Tif Robinette

Roanoke artist Amanda Agricola has organized “Cycles~,”a performance art and video exhibition that focuses on “cyclical occurrences in femininity.”

“I had a couple of women come to me with ideas for performances and I had also been thinking about planning an event in conjunction with Women’s History Month, so I decided that it would be a good occasion to have a performance exhibition,” she wrote in a Facebook message.

Participating artists include Matt Ames, Erica Buechner, Warren Fry, Cherisse Gray, Sarah Ingel, HeJin Jan, Susan Jamison, Olchar Lindsann, Tif Robinette and Annie Waldrop, with music by Mateo Marquez Marquez. Admission is free. Performances contain adult subject matter.

Agricola and Marquez previously organized “Exclamations!” a cutting-edge series of exhibitions that debuted at the Roanoke Marginal Arts Festival last year and received a Perry F. Kendig Award from the now-defunct Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.

“Cycles~” takes place 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the former Pamela Jean Gallery at 115 Salem Ave S.E. in Roanoke. For more information, visit http://c-y-c-l-e-s.net/ or the “Cycles~” event page on Facebook.

Click here to read the rest of the column.

The Grandin Theatre moves into new turf next month with a weekend long film festival. Details below and at the non-profit movie theater’s website.

The Grandin Theatre Foundation is presenting our first ever Film Festival!

Our goal is to heighten film awareness and foster an atmosphere for local community dialogue. We also hope to promote the historic Grandin Theatre as a treasured iconic cinema art house.

Many documentaries will be featured including 56 UP, and this year’s Academy Award Nominated film: THE INVISIBLE WAR including a Skype session with Director KIRBY DICK.

Friday, April 19^th will be the kick-off of events, through Sunday, April 21. In addition to film screenings, we will have:

* iPAD MINI prizes for best film shorts!
* Swag bags!

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE GRANDIN BOX OFFICE!

$50 for an ALL WEEKEND PASS

We are proud to be partnering with:

The City of Roanoke
Hollins University
SARA
Roanoke Diversity Center
The Western VA Land Conservancy