We are in the middle of our summer booking season and while it’s true that people are scaling back a bit on their events, the way Movie Nights bring communities together has been keeping our clients coming back and bringing some new friends to us as well. One thing I’ve really noticed is that the level of creativity has gone way up this year! Really clever themes and pairings are what’s hot right now so I wanted to share a new favorite idea with you all. Why not have a Casino Night with a movie chaser?! People love to try their luck with cards, dice and the wheel of chance. Everyone will have a blast getting dressed up and playing a few hands of 21, even if it’s only for play money. Or even better if it’s for charity! Then round the evening off with a great gaming movie. There are so many to chose from you are sure to be able to come up with a winning combo of your own. The games are easy to do and there are lots of great vendors around that rent full scale Casino Night tables or even inflatable versions of your favorite games. Serve martinis or maybe mashed potatoes served in martini glasses! Tres chic, trust me. And for your viewing pleasure, may I present my Lucky 13 List of Great Gambling Movies – “The Sting”, “Casino”, “Bugsy”, “Oceans 11″ (I’m a Clooney girl but both versions are great), “The Hangover”, “Rounders”, “Maverick” (not a Gibson girl but still a fun one), “Swingers”, “Casino Royale”, “A Big Hand for the Little Lady”, “Guys and Dolls”, “Vegas Vacation”, “House of Games”. ooh, now I want to go to Vegas! Enjoy everyone and call today to book your summer gaming night!
Luck be a Lady!
May 18th, 2010California Dreamin’
April 26th, 2010Do you facebook? I do. (And if you would like to become a fan of Open Air Productions, that would be lovely, thank you!) I have lots of people in my little world who are film makers, film actors, film directors, film writers and film fans. So when I asked my lovely people what their favorite films about California were, the response was fast, funny and very thoughtful. I asked the question in the first place because I had a client who wanted to celebrate our little town with his film picks for his season this year. I thought it was a great idea and after I put down “Chinatown” and “LA Story” on my list, I started thinking of all the amazing movies set in and made about Los Angeles. So dear readers, here is a list of the Top Ten or So California Movies. Please consider these for your next outdoor movie night, hand out some sunglasses and maps to the stars homes and have your own Cali’ Party, no matter where you live! Top Ten or So California Movies: “Blade Runner”, “Shampoo”, “Valley Girl”, “Swingers”, “Star Trek IV”, “Earthquake”, “Stand and Deliver”, “LA Confidential”, “Pretty Woman”, “Sunset Boulevard”, “Vertigo”, “The Birds” and “Up In Smoke”! Enjoy and thanks to all my fb friends for the help!
Appropriate For All Ages
March 18th, 2010I have a little child with a big vocabulary. His way of asking about movies in our collection is “Is this appropriate?”. It’s awesome, especially since we have a huge movie library here with every horror movie and every kid’s movie you can imagine. It got me thinking about those special movies that really are appropriate for the whole family. We are gearing up for Spring and Summer events, which always includes lots of school events and fund raisers, so I wanted to do a quick list of films that will get everyone excited about your movie night. Here’s a Top Ten Appropriate list for you to consider: “Up”, “E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, “Finding Nemo”, “Back to the Future”, “The Princess Bride”, “Goonies”, “Madagascar”, “Shrek”, “Meet the Robinsons”, “Everyone’s Hero”. Why not let the kids vote?! Contact us today for more ideas or to schedule your Outdoor Movie Night, we have some great school specials and would love to work with you!
Movies to smooch by…
February 9th, 2010Yes folks, it’s almost that time again. Fat little cupids flying around shooting love arrows in innocent peoples’ butts, sugary sentiments on sugary treats, doilies cut into hearts and dropped into your classmate’s bag. That’s right, I’m talking about Valentine’s Day! I know, I know, a collective groan from the audience, I used to be that person too. But you must admit that some of the greatest romantic moments of all time have come to us via the silver screen and what better time to celebrate that than February? True, one of my best Valentine’s dates was the year my sweet husband took us out to dinner and to see the twisted and wonderful “Hannibal”, but some folks like their love stories a bit more smushy. For those die hard romantics out there, here are my Top 14 Kissy Flicks, just in time for February 14. May I suggest a bottle of wine, a blanket built for two and any of the following: “Lady and the Tramp”, “Bull Durham”, “Shakespeare in Love”, “Say Anything”, “Love Actually”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Hope Floats”, “Don Juan Demarco”, “Moulin Rouge”, “The Wedding Singer”, “Casablanca”, “West Side Story”, “The Notebook”, “Enchanted”. Oh, and “Dirty Dancing”! And “Benny & Joon”! Ok, so go snuggle up to someone wonderful and have yourself a happy Valentine’s. Best friends and girls nights totally apply too! xoxo
World View
January 19th, 2010I hope you are all having a nice 2010 so far. Here in sunny LA it is raining like crazy, which is nice and almost like a season for us! Staying inside and spending some quiet time makes me feel really lucky this week, especially in light of the tragedy in Haiti and other problems affecting nations around the globe. (To make a donation to help in Haiti, go to any of your favorite organizations or try www.redcross.org ) I realized that for many of us, our world view is shaped by what we see on TV and in the movies. I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places and intend to see more, but many people never get the chance to visit other nations or experience exotic cultures outside of the movie theater. Fortunately, there are so many amazing films from countries all over the world that everyone can experience a new culture just by sampling their cinema! For an amazing World Viewing movie party, serve up some foreign flicks and the local cuisine to match. Try “The Commitments” or “My Left Foot” and enjoy some Irish whiskey and some colcannon (potatoes and cabbage, so yummy!). Journey to Italy with some pasta and pinot and a screening of “8 1/2″ or “Bicycle Thieves”. If you are in the mood for sushi and sake, I beg you to add a viewing of “Rashomon” to your evening of Japanese culture. The options for movies set in London are endless, and some of my all time favorites are on that list, but for a really good look at the city try “Love Actually” or “American Werewolf in London” and serve some fish and chips. Basically I’m saying, spin your globe, close your eyes, and wherever it lands go find a movie and dinner and go see the world! It’s important, it’s time, it’s fun and it’s cheaper than a charter flight. Now get going and let me know what you discover!
Happy New Year!
January 2nd, 2010Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year to all! I hope everyone had a great time, gave good presents and got something special this year. I am really looking forward to the new year, I hope it brings happiness and health and safety and security to all of us. I also hope it brings us some fun new movies for a new decade. I’ve been thinking a lot about 2010 and how mysterious these “futuristic” dates always seem. Movies have been set in the future since the beginning of film, with every film maker trying to envision what the future will bring. “2001: A Space Odyssey” is the obvious starting place for this thread, with Kubrick’s vision sort of defining the genre for generations of sci-fi fans. There are a lot of other great movies set in the future too, ranging from appocalyptic to high comedy. How about a “Future Film Festival” for your next movie night?! Here are my top TEN future films to get you started off , be sure and let me know if I’ve forgotten any of your favorites! “Running Man”, “Blade Runner”, “Back to the Future” (all three!), “Meet the Robinsons”, “Aliens”, “Starship Troopers”, “The Matrix”, “Logan’s Run”, “Star Trek” (I loved the new one, but the Search for Spock is also a classic!). Again, happy new year, get outside and have some fun this year! And contact us today to talk about your Future Film Festival ideas!!
Happy Halloween!
October 21st, 2009Wow, I have been remiss on my blogging and for that I do apologize. Wrapping up the summer season kept me busy. But now it’s fall so be ready to read! Ok, there’s a nip in the air, soup on the stove, I switched the summer hats out for winter hats and that can only mean one thing – It’s almost time for Halloween! I adore the ‘ween, always have. And now that I live in lovely LA, Halloween means outdoor activities still! Growing up in Denver we always had to wear parkas over our gypsy costumes, but here we don’t have that problem. In fact, October and November are still perfect times for those last outdoor Movie NIghts of the year. If you are fundraising for your organization, may I suggest branding some blankets and selling them at the event, have a Cider or Hot Cocoa vendor on site and have a blast! Really, nothing encourages cuddling together more than a spooky movie too, am I right? There are kid-friendly levels of spooky of course, like “Casper”, “Monsters, Inc.”, “Monsters vs. Aliens” or “Harry Potter”. There are big-kid spooky movies like “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. (A note about that movie, there is some debate among my friends as to whether or not that is a Halloween or Christmas movie. Your thoughts?) Then there are the really spooky movies, totally inappropriate for children or the faint at heart. I’ve already done my Zombie list so here are my Top Ten Horror Flicks Without Zombies. Boo people! “Halloween” (the first one please), “Silence of the Lambs”, “Poltergeist”, “Candyman”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Shining” (the first one please), “Psycho”, “The Exorcist”, “Carrie”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (the first one please). And, as a special Halloween Bonus, the BEST “SCARY” MOVIE FOR OUTDOOR EVENTS… “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”! Enjoy, and call us today for some awesome Fall Specials!
School Time?
August 15th, 2009Believe me, no one dislikes seeing a huge display of school supplies on sale in the middle of summer more than I. However, this year I have a kindergartener for the first time and it has got me thinking about great School Movies. I’m talking movies about or set in schools. We’ll do a “Great Movies for School Movie Night Events” blog soon. I think school movies are universal because regardless of your crowd, everyone can relate to the basic themes. Teen angst, first love, making friends, encountering new ideas, teachers that inspire, teachers that torment, bullies and best friends. I know I’ll cry when my baby loads up his backpack and heads off to his newest adventure just like countless mommies in countless cities and in countless movies. So here’s to New Schools, New Friends, New Knowledge, and New Adventures for all of us. Top Twelve School Movies; “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “Fame”, “Breakfast Club”, “Carrie”, “Election”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Heathers”, “Dazed and Confused”, “Hoosiers”, “Clueless”, “Say Anything”, “Grease”. Now go outside and enjoy the rest of the summer!
Let’s Hear it for the Boys!
August 1st, 2009I know that there are “chick flicks” that can change a girl’s life. I know this because I have seen “Princess Bride”, “A League of Their Own”, “Breakfast at Tiffanys” and “The Color Purple” dozens of times. I’m sure that there are “guy movies” that do the same, but aside from sitting next to my brother when we first saw “Star Wars”, I had never really experienced it before last week. That’s when I watched my son watch “Davey Crockett” for the first time. The look on his face was amazing and I loved how excited he got during the movie. It was amazing. When I told some friends about it, the guys all had Davey Crockett stories to tell, from owning the cap to having the birthday party to playing Frontiers Men for hours. It was really cool to see how a movie like that was a timeless Guy Movie. Very cool. We showed “Davey Crockett” at an event and even my techs wrote on their paperwork, “Davey rocks!”. After a quick poll of my guy friends and family, here are ten others that the guys all love. Keep them in mind for a great “Boy’s Night” event. And between us, girls will love them too! Top Ten Movies for Boys; “Rocky”, “Hoosiers”, “The Dirty Dozen”, “Terminator”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Aliens”, “Jaws”, “Rebel Without a Cause”, “Diehard”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Usual Subjects”. Is that 11? Enjoy!!
summertime, and the living are…
July 7th, 2009First of all, my apologies for being remiss in my blogging duties. We have almost 30 events booked for July and have been happily crazy getting everything ready. Summer time = busy for us though, and we LOVE summer! It would make sense to give you all some great ideas for a summer bash movie party with a surfing or beach theme (I’ll do that soon) but I must admit that long summer nights put me in the mood for… Zombies! I know, whatever, but I love horror movies in general and the zombie genre is one of my favorites. I think summer puts me in a zombie mood because the best scenes are always the outdoor slow-chase scenes. Plus the sun sets later (8:07 in LA tonight) so you end up out later and there’s finally a tiny chill in the air and it’s fun to cuddle up and scream a little. C’mon, you know it’s true! I’m not the only summer zombie fan by the way, there is a group in Seattle who is going for the world record Zombie Walk this month. Good luck Freemont! Wish I could join you. So in that vein (get it?), here are my top seven Zombie Movies for your summer viewing pleasure. And here’s a quick event tip for you – rent a fog machine and give yourself a little ground cover for your horror movie party, the crowd will… eat it up! Top Seven Zombies; “Night of the Living Dead”, “Dawn of the Dead”, “Shaun of the Dead”, “Plan 9 From Outer Space”, “C.H.U.D.”, “Re-Animator”, “Pet Sematary”, “The Serpent and the Rainbow”. Was that 8? Oh well, I told you I was a fan! Now get outside and have some fun!
