Comic Weekend at the O-Cinema – 2012

This past weekend was hopefully the First Annual Comic Weekend at the O-Cinema.

Kareem Tabsch and Vivian Marthell did an excellent job staging a great event for everyone involved.  The weekend had multiple screenings of With Great Power…The Stan Lee Story and Comic-Con Episode IV:  A Fan’s Hope, as well as Batman (1989), Superman II, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  The Tim Burton Batmobile was on hand, as well as many Cosplay participants–with the winner of best costume winning 75 Years of DC Comics from Taschen (a great book which I own, but did not win).  Also on hand was David Sexton, former Marvel writer of the Mystic Arcana series involving Magik, The Scarlett Witch, and The Black Knight; William Lawrence Hess, one of the directors of With Great Power…The Stan Lee Story; Jaie Laplante, Executive Director of the Miami International Film Festival (MIFF); and Billy Corban, director of Cocaine Cowboys and The U.

Scroll below for some of the photos, and stay tuned for the upcoming reviews.

Front Page of the Tropical Life Section of The Miami Herald by Rene Rodriguez

1989 Tim Burton Batmobile

Kareem Tabsch & David Sexton

Batman Themed Cosplay

Top Prize for Best Costume

Miami International Film Festival – Venues

As I said yesterday, one of the great things about the Miami International Film Festival is its use of the many venues in and around Miami and Miami Beach.  Below is the listing of the venues with at least one interior and exterior shot, and my opinion of it–if I have one.  The listing is in alphabetic order.  Also, I focused on a few of these locations in my Art House post from way back when.

Colony Theatre (Miami Beach)

Corner of Lincoln Road & Lennox Avenue

I’ve been to a few things at The Colony.  Before or after the show you can grab a drink and a quick bite to eat at Segafredo’s.  It’s one block away from the Regal South Beach.

Coral Gables Are Cinema (Coral Gables)

On Aragon Avenue across the sheet from Books & Books

There is plenty of parking since it is located in a Parking Garage.  It’s easy to miss because the City of Coral Gables does not allow them to put up any permanent signage on the building.

Festival Village Stages (Miami Beach)

1111 Lincoln Road-The coolest garage in the City

From the MIFF website, I believe they are talking about 1111 Lincoln Road for the Festival Village Stages.  But it may be an actual stage they move around on Lincoln Road in front of the garage.  This is in front of Regal South Beach on the other side of Lincoln Road Mall.

Freedom Tower (Miami)

The Ellis Island for quite a few Cubans during the 60s–my Family not included.

They’ll be using the Freedom Tower for seminars and parties.  I’m not sure if they are going to use the above interior, or the larger back area which was the old Printing Press for the “Miami News” paper.

Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (Miami)

The Gusman is where they show all the films with big names attached that are going to be at the Festival.  These few photos do not do it justice.  I’m going to reblog a post from “Little Beach Bum” who has many photos and a brief history of the facility in her blog.  On a side note, this is where my High School Graduation was.

Miami Beach Cinematheque (Miami Beach)

1st Floor inside the Old City Hall on Washington Avenue & 12th Street

After the recent renovation

The Cinematheque use to be in a make-shitt facility in the lobby of a hotel with folding chairs.  Their recent move is a great improvement.

O-Cinema (Miami)

Recently repainted exterior (which they do fairly often)

They are going to be almost doubling their seating soon.

Kareem and Vivian, the Owners, do am excellent job with programing.  I saw “Troll Hunter” there.

Regal South Beach (Miami Beach)

Corner of Lincoln Road & Alton Road

One of the smaller theatres.

Regal South Beach is the local multiplex on the Beach.  They do a great job hosting the many different film festivals in South Florida, as well as programing smaller independent films.  This is where the bulk of the festival screenings will occur.

The Historic Alfred I. DuPont Building (Miami)

This is where the opening night party will be held.  On a “too much information” note:  the Ground Floor Men’s Room have pedal flush urinals.

The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse (Miami)

This is in the Wynwood Section of Miami, just North of Downtown.  It’s gritty, dirty, and full of many art galleries.  They are going to use this facility for two Director Seminars.

Tower Theatre (Miami)

In Little Havana (8th Street–Calle Ocho–just West of Downtown)

 It’s always a fun mixture of people when the audience exits and mixes with the locals.  There is a domino park right next door.

Villa 221 (Miami)

Just West of Biscayne Blvd on 22nd Street (maybe 21st)

Back Yard

They are going to have performance artist one night for a party.

Wynwood Walls (Miami)

The festival will be screening more shorts at this location.

I hope you enjoyed.

January – Yes, No, Maybe

It looks like January is going to be a weak month for new releases–which is traditional.

YES – Unfortunately Nothing

NO – Fortunately Nothing

MAYBE – 01/06/12 – The Devil Inside

Click on image to view trailer

The trailer got me intrigues, but horror typically is not my genre.  If I do go, it will be by myself.

MAYBE – 01/13/12 – Joyful Noise

Click on image to view trailer

A movie with both Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah?  I thought for sure I would be made to go, but oddly the trailer has failed to convince my better half.

MAYBE – 01/20/12 – Underworld Awakening

Click on image to view trailer

Vampires, Werewolves, Oh my.

MAYBE – 01/27/12 – Man on a Ledge

Click on image to view trailer

I saw the trailer for this one a few weeks ago, and I was slightly intrigued.

Overall January is looking weak.  My only saving grace is a few movies that I included as “Yes’s” in December have not been released yet in Miami, and will be this month:  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Iron Lady.  The other good thing about a week January is it will give me time to see what our local Art House Theatres are playing:  O Cinema, Miami Beach Cinematheque, The Bill Cosford Cinema, and The Coral Gables Art House Cinema.

Art House Cinemas

Miami is having a renaissance in Art House Movie Theatres.  From posh Coral Gables to gritty Wynwood, there is a place for you to catch “your not ready for prime time” movies.   Below are five theatres, one should be near you.

O-Cinema

Click on image to visit website

O-Cinema is located in Wynwood at 90 NW 29th Street and is owned & managed by Vivian Marthell and Kareem Tabsch.

 

The theatre is a reclaimed warehouse space that also has a small reception area up front and a few artist retail spaces on your way to your seats toward the back.  Popcorn, candy and beer are available, and sometimes they have a food truck in the parking lot for before or after the movie.  There is plenty of street parking out front, and several restaurants are within walking distance.

 

When it first opened, I thought they didn’t have a chance.  I was wrong.  Between special events, filmmaker Q&As, and a great showing of films, Vivian & Kareem are making it work. 

 

They also care.  I went to one of their first showings and wrote them concerning the sound quality.  Kareem responded immediately letting me know they were aware of the issue, were in fact meeting with the audio company that same day, and wanted to know what my concerns were.  I’m happy to say the audio sounds great now.

 

Miami Beach Cinematheque

Click on image to visit website

Miami Beach Cinematheque is locating in the Old City Hall Building in the heart of South Beach at 1130 Washington Avenue, 1st Floor, and Dana Keith is your man.

The Cinematheque has moved from their old Espanola Way quarters with the fold-out chairs to new swanky digs in Old City Hall.  Located on the 1st Floor, the Cinematheque wins both the Chic Style Award and best sound of all the Art House Theatres.  There is plenty of parking at the 12th Street Garage and plenty of places to eat all around (I vote for Vinyl & Kai literally across the street on Washington Avenue).  Inside you have your choice of quality candies and refreshments.

The Cinematheque is staffed with society member volunteers that love movies.  They offer a great mix of classic, foreign, and small domestic films, as well as act as a venue to some of the smaller film festivals.

The Bill Cosford Cinema 

Click on image to visit website

 The Bill Cosford Cinema is located on campus at the University of Miami in the middle of the Memorial Building on the Doctor’s Hospital side of campus–opposite US-1.  And as addresses go, that’s the best you are going to get.  The Cinema is named after Bill Cosford who was The Miami Herald film critic that tragically died young due to illness. 

The Cosford gets movies both late and early.  The small art house films seem to get here way before other venues, or they get the ones that don’t go any where else.  The Cosford shows standard Hollywood fare after their normal wide release runs.  But the great thing about the Cosford are the shorts or vintage news reels they play before the feature–you truly never know what you are going to get.

Parking is plentiful, but food choices are slim–you are in the middle of campus.  So eat early or after, because unless you like vending machine candy–and I do–you have nothing.  One other thing, outside the cinema is what I think is the only YooHoo! Chocolate Milk vending machine in the world–which I take full advantage of on visits.

Coral Gables Art Cinema

Click on image to visit website

The Coral Gables Art Cinema is located at 260 Aragon Avenue across the street from Books & Books and is the brainchild of Robert Rosenberg.

 

The Theatre is located in found space in an existing parking garage; so no surprise, there is plenty of parking.  There are also plenty of places to eat within walking distance.

 

I have only seen one film there and only good things to say–the seats are comfortable and the sound & picture quality good.  What I have to do now is the same thing you have to do, make time to enjoy it.

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If you love movies or want to try something different, one of these locations will help you out.  Visit their websites, keep up to date on what they are showing, and give them a chance.  You’ll have a good time.