March 29, 2020

3 BUSTER KEATON SHORTS

short films
The Playhouse (1921)
The sight of nine Buster Keaton’s dancing in sync with each other in this two-reeler may seem like an impressive technical feat for 1921—and it did involve exposing the same roll of film nine times, with the cameraman manually cranking at the same speed each time. But in fact, Georges Méliès pulled off similarly impressive shots more than a decade earlier. What makes The Playhouse special is how thoroughly realized the theater of Busters is—featuring actors, the orchestra pit and the audience—and how it riffs on notions of identity and ego. (“This Keaton fellow seems to be the whole show.”) After Buster wakes from his dream, only to find himself back on set in a clever reveal, the gags continue to draw on the notion of doubles and multiple roles. If that weren’t enough, you get to see Keaton pretend to be a monkey.
Hard Luck (1922)
Sometimes failing at life includes failing at ending your life. That’s the problem Buster Keaton’s character faces in Hard Luck. He hangs himself from weak trees, jumps in front of cars that turn out not to be cars and just plain can’t find a way to put himself out of his misery. Note that the wonderfully absurd finale isn’t included in the Kino blu-ray of Keaton’s shorts, but is on the UK Masters of Cinema release and, oddly, Kino’s own Keaton Plus DVD.
The Boat (1921)
There’s a gag in The Boat in which the hero launches his boat, and it immediately sinks. It seems simple enough, but Buster Keaton actually went through several attempts and engineering adjustments before getting the shot right. If it had sank any other way, it wouldn’t have been funny, he said. That level of commitment to a few seconds of a movie embodies the ethos of the best silent comedy: It may seem on the surface to be pure silliness, but a great deal of thought, strategy and effort went into maximizing the audience’s laughter. The Boat is characteristically loaded with both great humor and great physical comedy—including Keaton trying to stay oriented as his boat is battered around in circles.

Remember whatever happens is your fault

Presented by comedian and ganja enthusiast Tyler Smith, The Dope Show is a comedy showcase in which comedians perform a sober set, take a short intermission to toke up, and get back on stage to perform under the influence! Featuring a variety of nationally touring comics--many of whom have never toked before, and others who know it all too well. Guaranteed to be hilarious in any case! Don't miss one of the hottest growing shows on the West Coast

The band Rare Earth sold over 25 million records with original lead singer and drummer Peter Rivera behind all the band's top ten hits: Get Ready, I'm Losing You, Born to Wan-der, Hey Big Brother, and I Just Want to Celebrate. Still played on classic rock radio stations today and even in recent TV commercials, any baby boomer-rock aficiona-do remembers those hits from this 1970s American rhythm and blues rock band. Rare Earth produced 17 albums, ofwhich, two are double platinum – Get Ready and Rare Earth in Concert – two are single platinum and two are gold albums. Rivera, former lead singer and songwriter for Rare Earth says he had some of the best times of his life back then. The good times didn't stop back then; today, there are plenty of concerts and a new CD, which will be released on February 7, 2015, all of which are making today a pretty great time as well. Back in early July 2014, just prior to kick-ing off the third annual Rockin' Blues Fest tour, Rivera was interviewed by Mark Voger, from the New Jersey Star Led-ger, who asked what it was like growing up in Detroit in the 1960s during the golden era of rock and roll. "It was unique," recalled Rivera. "That's where Motown was. I mean, Stevie Wonder and the Four Tops and the Miracles —come on! That was all happening in Detroit." At the same time, there was this FM rock thing going on, by people who were not with Motown, but they were still definitely Detroit. "It was just a big music scene – it was great to be in the center of that era." The bonus came when his band Rare Earth was signed to Motown Records. Rivera sang on two Temptations covers, I'm Losing You and Get Ready, which became Top 10 hits for a Motown imprint named after his band. 

After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.

Cohn followed up his platinum-selling debut with two more releases in the 1990s, at which point Time magazine called him "one of the honest, emotional voices we need in this decade" and Bonnie Raitt declared, "Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he's an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for."

Remember whatever happens is your fault

George Michael Reborn, the incredible tribute to the late, great George Michael & WHAM! is a must see! Robert Bartko exudes the energy and passion of George in the 80’s and 90’s…getting the crowd on the dance floor for “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and promptingstanding ovations for his performance of “Careless Whisper.” He even gets the fans involved!Robert’s spot-on looks, vocal range, dance moves, crowd interaction, and charisma will leave you cheering for an encore. Close your eyes and you’ll swear you’re listening to the real deal.

The Pink Floyd Laser Show was presented for the first time in 1986 in San Antonio, Texas, by producer Steve Monistere, and it was a hit from the start. ... It quickly became apparent that the dramatic nature of Pink Floyd's music, complimented a visual experience.

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Tribute show designed to deliver the experience of a live Foreigner performance so close to the original that you will be amazed! Foreigner is arguably one of the greatest bands in the history of Rock music.