I saw Paranormal Activity 4
last night. I love the series. The first three are genuinely creepy; they took the [by that time] established “found footage” genre and did something new with it. It was scary and it was effective. Number four? Not so much. What a disappointment. It was extremely lackluster, for many reasons. So what do I do? I complain about it with my viewing companion. Pick apart its nuances; discuss why it failed and what they could have done better. Came home and took it to Facebook – for all its faults, its a great platform for film discussion. And for the conscientious film geek, discussion is half the fun.
Thus, I was intrigued when, about a year ago, I got to sit down with Bryan Renfro of the locally produced Movie Meltdown podcast (nominated this year for a Rondo Award). The podcast was conceived as a platform for casual film discussion. Nothing fancy – an ever-rotating group of regulars get together, usually at a coffee shop, and talk all about movies, with most episodes surrounding a specific film or a topic in the world of cinema. Renfro also manages to score impressive guests, recent examples including Richard Kiel (Jaws from “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker”), Margaret Cho, and Jay Mohr.
Now, after hitting the 200-episode mark, Movie Meltdown is throwing its first ever live event: The Yeti Spaghetti Show! It kicks off at 7:00 with a plethora of pasta (available in vegetarian, vegan, and carnivore varieties) and live music by James Sayme, which is followed at 8:00 by a screening of the 1977 Italian film Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century
. Further attractions include something called "Yeti cakes," an ice sculpture, and a photo booth, with the opportunity to pose for pictures with an actual Yeti (disclaimer: may not be an actual Yeti).
The event is free, but there will be a small charge for a plate of pasta, with proceeds going to support the show.
It all happens tomorrow, Saturday, at Nancy's Bagel Grounds, located at 2101 Frankfort Avenue. Complete details can be found at the event's Facebook page. And don't forget to subscribe to the Movie Meltdown podcast for a new and exciting episode each and every week.
Image: Movie Meltdown website
