St. Martin's Day

    St. Martin's Day at the Landmark Center

 

      Typically celebrated on the 11th of November, St. Martin's Day is the feast day for Saint Martin of Tours. St. Martin was known as a friend of the poor and of children. The holiday originated in France and then spread to Germany and throughout Europe. The holiday coincides with the beginning of the harvest and thus the feasting of the fruits from the year's efforts. More modern traditions involved a pig roast, getting together with family and friends, and a procession of children with lanterns following "St Martin" on horseback.

    

       The Landmark Center Event held today was mostly focused on the German traditions with the holiday. The majority of the event was held within the Landmark Center itself and the sight of the mostly empty park was discouraging as we crossed Rice Park to enter the center, however upon entry we discovered the inside was packed! We opted to stand and listen to the speakers rather than to, fruitlessly I'm sure attempt to find a seat in the hall. I was also determinably avoiding the booths that were selling German lessons, etc.

 

     The speakers talked about some of the German traditions and why the event is held and whom helped organize it and so on and so forth, exciting stuff. There was a long list to the event which mostly involved children singing or putting on little skits. That being said, this most certainly was a family event and based on the amount of German being spoken around us, a very German-focused event. Needless to say, me and Todd without kids and without speaking a lick of German felt a tad out of place. Also, the children singing German got a little old and about half-way through the third song we ditched to go get tacos down the street.

 

    Yes, we ditched for an hour. I'm not going to say it was solely due to the children singing but... yea it pretty much was. I'm sure if your own child was involved it was interesting, adorable or tolerable but being that I knew none of them I just searched for the exits. I was mostly disappointed how long the events were inside. Yea, I know it was cold but the winter carnival is mostly outdoors and in January also this is Minnesota I might add. I was expecting "Sundays in the park "to actually be in the park and only some of it was.

 

    After a few tacos and a drink or two at Barrio we trekked back in time for the main event, the processional. This was pretty fun, although St Martin was a little late to the party. When he did show up, and by he I mean a kid dressed up as him on horseback the event really took off. St Martin trekked around Rice Park with all the children with their LED light up lanterns (authenticity over safety here) following him, singing in German again. Once he reached the front steps to the Landmark Center they turned on the lights in Rice Park. I wish the whole event had simply been this because it was rather fun.

 

 

 

   In short, it was a fun family event for young children with either a German background or an interest in German culture. I think it was a little too long to be sure and that the hour and half event list inside could have been shortened up to allow more time spent outside. Also our tacos were delicious, thanks Barrio :)  Final shout-out to the man who ran into me on the completely deserted street on our walk back and then suddenly walked away pretending he was jogging in his jeans and puffy jacket. Yea, I wasn't wearing a purse, sucker! Nice try, though, but you need to steal a pair of glasses first, there wasn't anything to grab!

   

 

 

Sweeney's Abrasive Ale Release Party

Despite the weather forecast, we braved a slight sleet and headed over to Sweeney's Saloon in St Paul not far from where 35E South doesn't meet 94 West for the Abrasive Ale (or two, or three) and to hang out with a few friends.

It was snowing so the bonfires outside, while appealing, were fairly ignored. For 6 bucks a chalice (or wine glass engraved "Vino" when they ran out), the powerful Surly Abrasive Ale was served. We also got bumper stickers and a visit from a well-sloshed member of the Surly sales team who simultaneously greeted us and splashed Abrasive from his glass onto our table to our amusement.

     In general it was a decent turnout for the Surly event, about what you'd expect on a Tuesday night. Abrasive has a great taste and is pretty strong, I actually had not tried it before and now think I prefer it to Furious. The beer and food was great (love their fish and chips at $7.99) and it was fun to be inside, warm with friends, sipping a drink and watching the flurries but was it a party?  Not really. We had a "pint and were waiting for it to all blow over." Good event, very low key also I believe Omar was rumored to show up... although we might have missed him if he had, bummer! Not much to write about, but it was worth the stop on a Tuesday night.

Things to do in the Twin Cities, week of 11/04

 Top things to do for Families
 

Top pick: St Martin's Day at the Landmark Center

 

     It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of him, doesn't mean you can't enjoy some mulled wine or cider and run around in the dark. The landmark center will focus on the German celebration of the holiday of St Martin's Day. The post says that Rice Park will be transformed into a "winter wonderland" which if the weather channel is correct about Tuesday's storm, should be pretty accurate intentional or no. This family friendly event will center around creating a lantern with your kids or just by your lonely selves and then following "St Martin", on horseback around Rice Park on parade. There will be Germanic pastries, wine and cider for the kids. The event is free and runs from 4-6pm on Sunday.

Other notable events for families:

    The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra is a play at the Children's theatre and runs through November 17th. It sounds as kooky as it gets but the critics seem to like it. It "combines the hipness of manga and anime with a fantastic voyage of tenacity..." Someone should alert the writers, reading manga and watching anime has rarely been hailed as hip. Don't wait too long to get tickets though because this super popular play has been selling sold-out shows. Tickets will run you $42 to $54.

     Backyardigans Pirate Party is going on at the Mall of America for Toddlers on Tuesday 10AM - noon. The giant, pastel characters will all be present to meet and greet the kids and they'll play an episode of the show. Sitting through this event as an adult might truly show how much you love your kids, talk about sacrifices.

Top things to do for Adults

Top pick: Ferris Bueller's Day Off; A Drinking Game

 

     This classic movie needs no introduction, and really neither does the explanation of the event. Ferris Bueller's Day Off at Bryant Lake Bowl involes the script being read by improv actors with some props and light audience participation, you've been warned. The poster also recommends coming in your best 80's outfits, I think a side pony-tail suffices. So how does it work? Well the jist I've gotten from youtube is that the cast reads the script and acts out some of the scenes and in Peewee Herman style certain key phrases are passwords which signal you to drink, and not just you but everyone including the actors who run around with glasses or beer in hand alongside their scripts. Ohhhhh Yeahhhhhh!

 

Other notable events for Adults:

    The Landmark Center Gala for you snooty, snooty types is being held on Friday from 5:30 to 10:00pm to celebrate the 111th year of the Landmark Center. Why 10? Well you can't stay out too late for this, you need to get home in time for your butler to bathe you. The ticket price is a $125 a person. The black tie is optional however a period costume is encouraged, these people sure sound like fun. There will be fine dining, door prizes and music along with theatrical entertainment. Funds raised go to benefit the Landmark association.

     Guy Fawkes Day at the Happy Gnome is Tuesday, the 5th of November in St Paul. Remember, Remember the 5th of November and go have a few drinks and forget everything. Before being known as the V for Vendetta Mask, and less well-known Anonymous Mask the Guy Fawkes Mask was renown and worn in remembrance of his plot to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. Britons commonly celebrate with bonfires and beer and occaisionally burning him in effigy... when was the last time you burned someone in effigy? Too long, am I right? Happy Gnome might not actually be condoning that activity but they will be tapping Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Meantime IPA and Blackthorne Cider so something for everyone. The event runs from 5pm to 10pm.

    Sweeney's Abrasive Release Party is also happening tomorrow which is heralding in not only the release of Abrasive but the arrival of Surly to Sweeney's Saloon. There will be a bonfire and both Abrasive and Furious on tap. The event runs from 5pm to 7pm.

Top things to do for Foodies

Top pick: Izzy's Ice Cream Grand Opening- Minneapolis location

 

     Even if for some sick reason you don't like ice cream you should come out to this event just to check out the amazing architecture of the building designed by award-winning Minneapolis architect, David Salmela. This husband and wife owned ice cream shop in St Paul started off as the dream of a former teacher and lawyer and now is a St Paul institution and this week is opening in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis location Grand Opening will be held Saturday and will host kids activities such as face-painting, balloons, giveaways, tours for the adults including tastings of ice cream made with such ingredients as Summit Oatmeal and Wuollet bakery cardamom toast. The event will run all day from noon to 8:30pm.

 

Other notable events for Foodies:

    Autumn Brewhaha is on Thursday at the Cafeteria in Uptown. For $40 you can try unlimited samples, that's right unlimited of eight different breweries along with tasting fall menu creations. The breweries involved included Summit, 612, Bad Weather, Schells, Crispin, Flat Earth, Lucid, and Rush River and the event runs from 5pm-8pm.

    Finally just a side note about the upcoming holidays, if you're sick and tired of the regular Thanksgiving tradition at home, especially if you're the one preparing it here is a link of fabulous restaurants that have Thanksgiving hours. Give your poor Mom or wife a break!



Top things to do for The Arts
 

Top pick: Dialogue and Retrospective with Steve McQueen

 

     So yea, I'm somewhat continuing the obsession with Steve McQueen after seeing 12 years a slave this past weekend. The Walker is hosting a Dialogue and Retrospective with Steve McQueen on Saturday, November 9th at 8pm. He will discuss his creative process and influences in regards to his past work. With the buzz surrounding 12 years a slave this is a rare chance to hear directly from the director himself. Tickets are $25 a person, $20 for Walker members.

Other notable events for The Arts:

    Edina Film Festival is going on this weekend at the Landmark's Edina Cinema. There's a wide variety of films on the schedule although much smaller in scope in comparison to the film festival last weekend in the West End. However I think I should draw special attention to the capstone event, the Put Your Dude On screening on Saturday. Oh yes, it's a Big Lebowski screening complete with costume contest, prizes and trivia. $10 and just in time for Shomer Shabbos to end!

Top unusual activities
 

Top pick: State Capitol Lego Model Display

      No, you read that correctly; There's a six foot long, four foot wide model of the Minnesota State Capitol on display. It took over 150 hours to build and is made up of more than 150,000 bricks. You can take a free guided tour of the capitol, Lego display included during normal tour hours through December 29th. No mention of the point of it, but hey... Legos!

 

Other notable unusual events:

    Jul to the World at the American Swedish Institute is happening on Saturday and is really focused on families with young children. The day kicks off the holiday season with a tomte hunt. What holiday season isn't complete without a tomte? It's basically a mythical elf-gnome creature that was once believed to protect the home and family. After hunting him down there's bakeshop exhibit which will inspire you with tastes of the season. There will be Norwegian singing while families are learning how to cut snowflakes. Finally you can ride Gustaf, the worlds only known mechanical Dala horse... maybe. The event is $9 for adults and $7 for senior, $5 for under 6-16 and free under 6.

Mesa and a movie

     We went with a bit more of a relaxed afternoon after a busy and super exciting morning at the DMV. I leave out the parts where Todd finally changed his address on his driver's license and the clerk made fun of him for the North Oaks to Bloomington transition. We did other, more interesting things today....

   So we went to see 12 Years a Slave and I had meant to secure tickets at the Walker for Wednesday but I slipped up in my wifely planning ahead duties and it was sold out. So the next available showing that worked for us was today in Uptown and previously I've avoided the Uptown area as it's not a favorite of mine. I have my reasons, and they are many. However we decided to give it another go since it's been awhile.

    We first hit up one of my favorite places for a slice, Mesa Pizza. Now being a U of M alum, Mesa was a staple of my college diet and every time I'm near campus I try to work in a stop. I've long been a fan of the Steak and French Fry and lately the Triple Smoked to snack on with my usual Orange Fanta. However I've never been to the Uptown location and was hopeful the same variety was available.

     The Uptown location reminds me of what the Dinkytown location used to look like in my college days pre-remodel and expansion. It's about as big with just two tables and a bar with barstools lining the perimeter. However since we happened upon the joint at 3pm it was thankfully mostly deserted. Plenty of space to sit and munch and to take photos of my food and not be judged.

     I asked for anything with BBQ sauce and was presented with Pulled Pork and Crispy Fried Onions which I have not yet tried! Their BBQ sauce is a delicious tangy and spicy balance and is the same they use on their Steak and French Fry and Triple Smoked slices. The pulled pork was extremely tender and well shredded on each slice. I was apprehensive about the fried onions, but they were absolutely delicious and unlike the french fries on the Steak and French Fry slices, extremely crispy and added a pleasant crunch to a mostly soft mouthful. I think I might have a new favorite! Yea it doesn't photograph well :)

    Todd was looking for his favorite, the Buffalo Chicken but they were all out. Instead he opted to try the Spicy Chicken and Chicken Burrito Slices (two slices, what a fatty, right?). The spicy chicken had a lot of veggies and a hot sauce on top that Todd extremely enjoyed. However the Chicken Burrito was a bit of a disappointment. The burrito had a base of rice and beans besides crust which added up to a lot of dry carbs and besides the melted cheese there was no sauce. A nice, spicy green enchilada sauce would have added a lot to the taste and palatability. Any sauce really would have been nice.

   We headed over a half hour early for our 4 o'clock movie at the Uptown Theatre. I have not been to this theatre yet as I prefer the West End Showplace Icon and Walker but wanted to give it a go. Going early proved to be a rather big mistake as the theatre is closed for cleaning prior to and a rather large crowd had gathered in the lobby to the point of claustrophobia. A rather talkative old women slowly backed me into a trashcan and about gauged out my eyes throwing her hands up in crazy gestures while talking. There really was no reason to arrive early for us since I had purchased my tickets online and there's assigned seating.

    Now when I have a somewhat bad experience I often wonder whether it was the result of the random chance visit or a regular situation at a given place. In this particular case I tend to think it was a little of both for various reasons.

    Our seats were not where they had appeared to be on the seating diagram online when I had chosen them, but that was of minor circumstance. The real frustration was the crowd. The audience was annoying and rude through-out. Besides the usual theatre occurrence of latecomers we had ushers in the middle of the aisles with flashlights looking at tickets well past the previews. I'm not understanding as to why this was being done in the aisles and not at the doors. It was over two hours but the amount of people getting up and in front and going behind us was ridiculous. The people passing behind us constantly grabbed at our headrests to our seats to use as guide rails which would jerk our heads down suddenly and violently. A man two rows ahead answered his phone, mid-movie and luckily for me someone else yelled at him, although I was adrenaline-rush mad for minutes afterwards. But mostly it was the annoyance how every squeak and creak echoed in the auditorium.

      The theatre seems to have no stereo sound nor sound buffering one is accustomed to in a regular cinema. Because of this every single noise and sound around you is much more noticeable and distracting. The sound at points was also very difficult to hear, but also I'm slightly hard of hearing so that could have been the case as well I freely admit. Dang rock music in my youth.

     The movie however was powerful, intense and very moving. I highly recommend it, I'm not much of a film reviewer but I was very impressed with the quality of the acting and directing. Even what would normally be considered stock footage of waves in water, and rain falling down came across as extremely intense and powerful. I felt like I was being mentally tested at times with scenes that made me squirm in unpleasant tension for what seemed like far too long in a very realistic way. Techniques in handling torture can be found here, might come in handy while watching. But trust me, it's completely worth it and for more than just social awareness.

     So in short I loved the film, I disliked the theatre and I just in general have an irritation with everything Uptown. I hate the parking situation down there, the crowds and the mobs of insufferable hipsters. One particular trendy male in his black The North Face jacket and hipster glasses caught Todd's particular wrath when he sashayed lazily in front of our car diagonally across the street, Starbucks in hand. 'What the hell is he doing drinking that at 6:40 at night?" I don't know, Todd but he looks sure damn cool doing it.

Mall of America's Halloween

Mall of America's World's Largest Trick or Treat

    So we normally don't get trick or treaters at our condo since it's a high rise and I didn't want to just sit on my butt, watching The Great Pumpkin, eating candy corn... I did that later. So we went to Mall of America to check out the festivities (and to eat at B-Dubs).

 

      On first arrival, it seemed like the Mall was decently quiet, due to the lack of cars in the parking garage on the upper levels but this was not the case once we ventured inside. It was full of life;

 

 

      The rotunda had a costume contest  and was fully decorated. It also had a line going through the entrance of Camp Nickelodeon (although it'll always be Camp Snoopy to me) for pictures in front of a spooky backdrop. There were people everywhere; kids, adults, babies, way-too-old-for-this-creepy-young-adults all in costumes milling about throughout each level.

 

 

      It wasn't so crowded as to be obnoxious, where you wanted to beat back the masses of people but was enough where it definitely felt like Halloween in the air. I mostly wanted to creep on everyone's kid's costumes. I miss seeing them in our stupid high rise without children. As families walked about the Mall certain stores were labeled with a tombstone sticker and were part of the Trick or Treat experience. Most had a dedicated salesperson at the door to hand out the candy at each stop.

     We walked the 3rd and 2nd levels and noticed the level of participation of stores varied based on the level. I think the lowest level had the highest participation rate. The brochures said 150 stores participating with approximately 520 stores in MOA , so that's about 30% and would be about what I'd guess. I think this event would benefit from more stores participating, but still 150 isn't terrible. I'm sure some would complain about it, but seriously how likely is it you'd hit 150 homes in one night?

 

 

       Besides trick or treating there were areas with free giveaways and science experiments for the children to explore such as the ever popular static electricity generator ball. The lines for these additional activities weren't too long and added to the experience besides the candy gathering. Personally, I'd just hit up more candy!

      In summation, I enjoyed being inside, warm and walking around with all the families and kids in their costumes. I think when we have little ones this might be a very suitable alternative for the neighborhood for these reasons, especially if the weather isn't cooperative and if I'm feeling lazy.

 

 

Things to do in the Twin Cities Week of Halloween!

Well Adult Halloween, AKA this past weekend is now over but there's still some Halloween activities going on this week and weekend in the twin cities. So drink those fluids, take those aspirins and get ready for another week of parties and socializing... and work I guess too.

Top Picks for Families

     It wouldn't be Minnesota with a failure to mention our most famed landmark, the behemoth that is Mall of America. On Halloween night it will feature the "World's Largest Indoor Trick or Treat". With over 150 stores participating it will be a pretty easy thing to fill your kid's candy stash enough for whatever you steal to eat yourself to go unnoticed. Head to one of the food courts and you won't even need to remember the bag, the Mall will provide. Talk about trick or treating in comfort! The event runs from 5:00pm- 8:00pm on Halloween night.

Halloween on the Mall is going on at the Eden Prairie Mall. If you don't trust the weirdos out in the world (or Mall of America for that matter) or you just want to stay warm you can trick or treat at the scene of Mallrats Thursday, Halloween from 5:30 - 7:00pm. Also the EP Police department armed with McGruff the Crime Dog will be on duty.

Trick Art Treat is being held at the Minnesota Institute of Arts in Minneapolis on Halloween 5:00-8:00pm for those who want to feel a bit more cultured. This family friendly event will feature a gallery scavenger hunt, a Children's theatre themed photobooth, art creation crafts and some snacks and cider.

Top Picks for Adults

 

      Tired of the usual Halloween party? Want to be a bit more glamorous? Do you think you’re a bit above your usual friends with the beer pong and turbo quarters? Well Aria is hosting the 1^st annual Halloween Masquerade Fashion Ball on Thursday. The event features DJ Chuck Chizzle (not to be confused with Chuck E Cheese-different costume), a burlesque show and other “surprises”. In case you want to make it further evident how much better you are than most people you can purchase a VIP ticket for $75 which ensures you’re able to get away to the mezzanine lounge and seating, also one drink, hor d’oeuvres and a giveaway goodie bag. Regular admission is $25 a person and don’t forget the mask and cloak (Also the password’s Fidelio). Doors open at 6 and the event runs until close, proceeds go to benefit the Smile Network.

 

Wabasha Street Caves has a few tour options each night this week including on Halloween. You'll need to make a reservation ahead of time to join the tours that explore the caves, graveyards and murdered spirits of St. Paul. Tour prices range from $10 - $24 depending on which package you go with!

Fright Farm continues until Halloween night each night this week 7:00pm - 11:00pm. Widely considered one of the best haunted houses in the Twin Cities, Fright Farm employs adult only actors for their houses. That's right, no high school kids who don't know how to act, just adults who take scaring the crap out of you a tad more seriously. The tickets are only $10, which is not too shabby either!
 

Top Picks for Foodies

         If you have no plans this weekend, don't mind a bit of a drive and want to seriously treat yourself definitely consider the Wine Lovers Weekend getaway at Bluefin Bay Resorts. The Bluefin culinary team up at Tofte, Minnesota is partnering with Peter Botcher AKA the Butcher from Butcher and the Boar, need I say more? Friday entails a four-course dinner for $75 a person and Saturday involves a afternoon wine-tasting at $35 a person with a cap-stone five course dinner at $85 a person.  

    Alexis Bailly Nouveau Harvest Festival is happening in Hastings, Minnesota for those of us who don't have a lot of time nor cash on hand. A $10 a person you'll get access to the event and a Go Vino glass to keep. The Fall vintage will be available for tasting during the event which runs both Saturday and Sunday 11:30am - 5:30pm.
 

Top Picks for the Outdoors and Active

      This weekend in White Bear Lake is The Strive Scholarship 10 miler & 5k! Time to get off your bum and go get some exercise. The race winds around White Bear Lake, starting off in Lions Park. Dogs are welcome on leashes and so are strollers during the 5k. The event is $25 today, $30 after Oct 30th and $35 day of. 100% of the proceeds go to the Strive Scholarship Fund. So go get outside!

      Home Improvement and Design Expo is coming to the Maple Grove  Community Center this weekend. If you've been looking for a great way to hint to your significant other to get off their lazy behind and get motivated this might be the perfect way. Over 150 exhibitors will help you figure out the best way to get some much needed household renovations and improvements under way. The expo runs from 10am - 5pm on Saturday and is $6 or FREE if you bring a perishable food item.

Top Picks for the Art's

       The top pick this weekend has little to do with Halloween and everything to do with a true life American Horror Story. 12 years a Slave is coming to Minnesota this weekend. Based on a true story the film follows one man's trials and tribulations in slavery in the pre civil war era in the South. While the 1 day showing at the Walker is sold out for Wednesday, there are still tickets available for showings starting Friday at the Uptown Theatre. With an all star cast featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt this move has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Rated R for some severe violent scenes, nudity and sexual situations.
 

       The perfect theatre trip for the season. Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen is coming to the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis through November 3rd. Think 19th century Hamlet. Perfect for those of us who understand family dysfunctions.
 

Top Unusual Picks

        Who hasn't been at a boring production of something or the other and really wished the entire focus of the night was on drinking instead? Well "Bye Bye Liver" at the Camp Bar and Cabaret in St. Paul bridges that gap on Friday at 8pm. The tagline states "2 parts sketch comedy, 1 part drinking game." That sounds like something that can't possibly not end well? Aren't I not right?
       

     ...So apparently this is a thing. I mean, you know because Princess Diana was such a huge fan of being in front of the camera and the ridiculous amount attention of course who couldn't see her singing her story publicly to a large audience? But this play apparently had such good reviews this summer when it was here that they brought I back for a second running. So if this is your thing, Princess Diana the Musical is opening this weekend and runs through December. Tickets start at $24.50

Rifftrax, the cast of MST3K and the Night of the Living Dead

     Tonight was the live event, Rifftrax and the Night of the Living Dead. I was pretty excited for this event, being a huge Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (coined MST3K) fan since childhood. Laughing at someone else's best attempts was a frequent feature at home.

     A little background on MST3K, for those of you who don’t know and are too lazy to go over to wikipedia;

     MST3K was started in Minneapolis in 1988, where it grew into a cult following before it was moved to Comedy Central. The show ran for six seasons and had two Emmy nominations before being cancelled in 1999. The MST3K premise features a man by name of Joel, later replaced by writer Mike Nelson rather inexplicably after Joel decided he didn't want to be famous/was losing some creative control. Joel, later Mike has been launched into space and forced to watch B movies with his two robot companions, Crow and Tom Servo. Yea, the plot line doesn't make much sense, but it's not the true focus.  During the entirety of the movie the cast picks apart, unmercifully I might add truly terrible movies. Some directors found it amusing to see their films highlighted on the show while others most certainly did not. The latter has been the major reason why DVD’s of past episodes are unable to be purchased as the creators would be sued over and over again by the original studios.

     In the years since the crew has embarked on numerous collaborative projects.  In 2006 they had figured out a way around the lawsuit issue. Rather than release the commentaries of the cast with the films they started to release the commentaries separately via MP3’s that could be then played with films (you’d have to provide the actual movie yourself of course)and thus Rifftrax was born. This by-way opened up the film repertoire. Past guest “riffers” have included Weird Al and Neil Patrick Harris. Check out their site commentary dialogue catalog here.  

     *A hilarious note: They recently had running a kickstarter campaign to raise funds to buy the rights to Twilight for a live event, unfortunately they fell short and instead purchased Starship Troopers (event was held in August).

     We had purchased tickets for the live stream at 7:00pm at the Icon Showplace in the West End. The crowd, was as nerdy as you'd expect but it was fun to be in a room for a people who thoroughly enjoyed the show even though you had to overhear them discuss comic books and space travel prior to said event. My only major annoyance was that loads kept getting up during the event to travel to the bathroom and a few were chatty. The unusual experience where regular, open laughter was punctuated by the voice actors talking out-loud over the film itself apparently broke the usual theatre decorum, where one would normally shut up and sit still enough that some felt the liberty to do as they pleased (super annoying).

      I had no expectations for how the live stream would work out. I had concern I wouldn't be able to actually see the actors but I was pleasantly surprised that when the feed began that they showed the amphitheater from which it was streaming in it's entirety before starting off on short film, "Norman Gives a Speech." The short film is apparently a series they're planning to do and while amusing, I was ready for the main event.

     *Apologies for the terrible photo quality, took some quick pictures during the short film only as the lights were still on*

        The feed would alternate between the actual film and later movie with just commentary  to a split screen which had each of the three voice actors in spotlight. It was great to transition back and forth. I really appreciated that we got both angles and the transition between just the movie and the split screen was very seamless.

       The Night of the Living Dead was the first movie that featured zombies, it set up the whole zombie lore foundation despite not actually ever referring to the creatures as "zombies" but rather as the dead or "ghouls". Released in 1968, the black and white horror story was actually heavily influenced on the novel, I am Legend, sound familiar? However the original creatures in the novel were actually vampires, something the director George Romero wasn't a fan of, he wanted to change it up, make it his own. What he ended up with was a cornball story about dead people rising again and eating people. However the film itself, while badly written and horrendously acted was revolutionary for it's day for not only the sheer amount of violence and gore but because there were no heroes. Spoiler alert: Everyone dies!

     It was an easy target for the MST3K crew and more than a few times I caught myself continuing to laugh long after a joke had been told. The jibs and jabs were not only well written but well timed and delivered so it almost seemed spontaneous, even though you knew it wasn't. It was a perfect event for Halloween and even Todd enjoyed it a lot and he hadn't even watched MST3K that much. I'm looking forward to the next one.



          Kevin Murphy, aka Crow- good night folks!

Rifftrax is hosting another live stream event on December 5th for the movie "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."