Sunday, April 26, 2009

MORELS!!!




Well, Film Clubbers, it's that time of year again. When Jim & Dan go mollymooching -- the hunt for the elusive morel.



This year, as always, Jim had a THEORY about where to find these delicious mushroom -- the first things up in the Spring. Since fresh morels are on sale at the Charleston Farmer's market -- 5 for $16 -- the reward is tremendous!

Jim's theory -- as always -- involves a LOT of stenuous hiking. I mean, if it were EASY everyone would be doing it, right?! I must admit that, this year, JIM WAS RIGHT!!! Even Kathy & Kim got in on the morels this year following Jim's theories.



Jim & Dan had equal success & brought back more morels than ever before! This resulted in a delicious morel dinner with Ca' da Bosco sparkling wine & a 2005 Kistler Chardonnay to complement Kathy's excellent dish of chicken with morels. Fresh asparagus straight from the garden & roasted in Kathy's special soffritto just added to the feast!



The icy cold winter combined with a very wet spring made it a banner year for the morels. Many ask us, 'Where did you find more than 300 of those tasty morels, fellows?' Our answer is right to the point: 'Oh, somewhere up north in MICHIGAN! You should head up there right away before they are all gone!!!'

Sunday, April 19, 2009

A great night at Conjura Blake's place! We broke out the champagne to toast the upcoming 25th wedding annuiversary of Ann & Rodger -- CONGRATULATIONS!!! The liquor was excellent -- but nothing like the stuff the late Marvin 'Popcorn' Sutton brewed in the hills of Tennessee



We then had a terrific catered dinner including steak tartar, salmon tartar and a spicy asian salad. Rodger treated us to a wild tale of his senior prom night [trust me -- you just had to be there to hear it!] & we then watched the rivetting story "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" which featured a true-life character from Rodger's prom story. The movie was a gripping tale of a pilot shot down over Laos who escaped from a prisoner of war camp & finally made it to freedom.

Fortunately, there were delicious desserts to bring us back to earth. All-in-all a wonderful Film Club evening. Thanks to Rodger, Ann & all who attended.

AND NOW, AN ADDITION FROM RODGER:
Hi,

As an update to the film that we showed at our film club, i thought that I'd sen you the link to Diter's Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Dengler

It turns out that one other man made it out of the POW camp, this is his Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisidhi_Indradat

/rodger

Sunday, November 9, 2008

SCAD Savannah Film Festival

A wonderful time was had by all who attended the Savannah Film Festival on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Huntington Film Club!





We even made it into page one of the Savannah newspaper:
Savannah takes center stage with 11th film festival filmfest
Joel Weickgenant | October 26, 2008
As the sky cleared over the downtown area just before sunset
Saturday, Savannah Film Festival officials took it as a good
sign.
"When the sun came up after 24 hours of rain this evening,
we knew it was time to start," festival Executive Director
Danny Filson said during an enthusiastic welcoming speech
Saturday night. "There's lots to see, lots to do, lots and lots of
things to learn."
Scroll to the bottom to view video from opening night and
then click here to view an interview with Peter Bart.
Click here to view more photos from opening night of
the Savannah Film Fest.
As the 2008 version of the festival opened, the Savannah
College of Art and Design was celebrating the school's 30th
year as it paid tribute to entertainment journalist and former
Hollywood producer Peter Bart.
The editor-in-chief of Variety, a weekly entertainment
publication and Web site, who also is co-host of the prestigious "Shootout" program on AMC television, was honored with a
Lifetime Achievement Award for "outstanding contribution to entertainment journalism."
"Covering the entertainment industry may be only a bit easier than covering the Pentagon - and way more dangerous," said
SCAD President and co-founder Paula Wallace. "It's quite possible that Peter Bart knows more about Hollywood than
anyone ever."
At 5 p.m. Saturday, workers used dustblowers to clear the sidewalks in front of the Trustees Theater while SCAD volunteers
prepped the red carpet for opening-night festivities.
Meanwhile, Bart spoke with reporters inside a Broughton Street office.
He credited film festivals with helping good movies garner deserved exposure in an era of huge studios that demand instant
results.
"The problem with filmmaking today is it's all in the first weekend," he said. "The movie comes out, and it's either a hit or a
flop based on the first weekend.
"The key value of festivals today is they all provide a showcase for films to get into the bloodstream."
By 7 p.m., film fans from Savannah and beyond waited in lines that stretched along Broughton Street from Abercorn to
Lincoln, while high-profile guests crossed the red carpet and mingled in the street in front of the theater.
"I'm excited about seeing Malcolm McDowell, that's for sure," said Dan O'Hanlon, referring to the 65-year-old British actor
who starred in "A Clockwork Orange" and many other movies.
"This is our 20th anniversary, this month," said O'Hanlon, who came with other members of the Huntingdon (W.Va.) Film
Club to catch the Savannah festival.
Bacon Park resident Carolyn Perry said the film festival helps put Savannah in a league with bigger cultural centers.
"This helps make us a world-class city," she said, "something that's different and better. It puts us right up there with San
Francisco."
The festival's silver-screen action began with "The Wrestler," starring Mickey Rourke as a retired fighter struggling to retain
his sense of identity and mend frayed relationships.