Bluish Barn

This Thursday at 10pm at the Bluish Barn Microcinema: “Badlands” (1973, dir. Terence Malick) and excerpts from “Bad Lands” (1939, dir. Lew Landers)

Tomorrow night we will be showing two films that have almost nothing to do with each other. But for starters, they do have the same title.

The 1973 “Badlands,” starring a young Martin Sheen and an even younger Sissy Spacek, is a classic film chronicling the incredible and murderous road trip of two lovers on the fringes of society. The 1939 “Bad Lands,” on the other hand, is a mediocre (and probably hilariously racist) cowboys-and-Indians affair from RKO studios. Guns and beautiful scenery play a major role in both films, and perhaps together we can joyously elaborate on other, more tenuous connections between the two.

It’s summer. It’s bloody hot. It’s time to take a trip out West and feel the sandy breeze caress our faces. You’ll join us, won’t you?

Our screenings happen every Thursday, even when the radar at 9 o’clock looks like this :

The lucky faithful who came out last night despite the rain got to see three different classic New York gang-fight scenes followed by The Warriors – all in the dry comfort of our front parlor and connected dining room.

Last week, before our first outdoor screening, I walked around the block to talk to the neighbors I haven’t met yet who live within earshot of our backyard. If no one was home, I left this dorky little note:

Hello Neighbor.

We at [address deleted] (the “bluish barn house”) are planning on screening some films in our backyard this Thursday night and most Thursdays after that, through mid-Fall.

Each night will have a loose theme and will include a few shorts, often by local filmmakers, followed by a feature. We’ll post the schedule and more details soon at bluishbarn.com. Most attendees will be friends and people we know and trust. Of course, our neighbors are invited too.

The screenings will start promptly at the end of civil twilight (which is around 9:30pm mid-July; around 8:30 by September) so that we can guarantee they’ll end by midnight. We love this neighborhood and we understand that our neighbors are working people like ourselves who need a good night’s sleep.

If things get too loud – whether it’s a screening night or otherwise – or if you have special requirements one particular day or week, please call my cell phone at [number deleted]. We’re reasonable, and we can always turn it down or off altogether or move it inside.

Thanks, and we hope to see you soon.

Timothy
the Bluish Barn

So now you know what our neighbors expect of us. As guests at our free screenings, please act accordingly.

And please note: this means that the features will always start at a time that will allow them to end by midnight. So people who arrive late will not only miss the beginning of the film and the better seats, but, because of the way our backyard is laid out, they might have to walk in front of the seating area to get to the back. They might even feel too awkward about everyone looking at them that they turn away and abandon the screening altogether. And everyone watching the movie will see this happen. (Ahem, Alex.) Bottom line: it’s not fashionable to arrive late to movies. Not at our house.

Last week’s inaugural screening of The Cruise and some shorts about tourism went well. Now that we’ve got everything figured out, things can run smoother and we can invite more people with more notice. So here’s the schedule for the rest of the summer.

this Thursday, July 27: The Warriors

August 3: Badlands

August 11: If…

August 18: Instrument

August 25th: Stand By Me

August 31: Breaking Away

After that, we’ll sit down and come up with a Fall lineup.

You can always view the local radar to see if the screening will be inside or out.