On February 2, Kevin Smith will be combining the two with “Live From Behind,” a unique event where Kevin and his long-time best friend Jason Mewes (Jay, from the Jay and Silent Bob duo) will host their “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” podcast live. Following the podcast, Kevin will host a live Q&A session from fans all over the country.

Although the two of them will be onstage at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, the show will be broadcast live to theaters across the nation, including a number right here in Northeast Ohio. In fact, here’s a list of all the Ohio theaters broadcasting the show:

Montrose Movies 12 AKRON OH 44333
Hollywood Stadium 20 @ Fairfield Commons BEAVERCREEK OH 45431
Springdale Showcase Cinemas CINCINNATI OH 45246
Severance Stadium 14 CLEVELAND OH 44118
Cinemark 24 Cleveland CLEVELAND OH 44125
AMC Lennox Town Center 24 COLUMBUS OH 43212
AMC Easton Town Center 30 with IMAX COLUMBUS OH 43219
Georgesville Stadium 16 COLUMBUS OH 43228
Crosswoods Cinema 17 COLUMBUS OH 43235
Movies 16 COLUMBUS OH 43230
Hudson Cinema 10 HUDSON OH 44236
Cinemark 15 (Macedonia) MACEDONIA OH 44056
Cinemark 14 MANSFIELD OH 44903
Deerfield Town Center MASON OH 45040
Tinseltown USA 290 NORTH CANTON OH 44720
Pickerington Cinemas 16 PICKERINGTON OH 43147
Miami Valley Center PIQUA OH 45356
Cinemark – Sandusky SANDUSKY OH 44870
Southpark Mall STRONGSVILLE OH 44136
Crocker Park Stadium 16 WESTLAKE OH 44145
Movies 10 WOOSTER OH 44691
Tinseltown USA YOUNGSTOWN OH 44512
Colony Square Mall ZANESVILLE OH 43701

For more information, click here!

The hell is that Christmas movies are a big deal. There’s a ton of them, and they include significant films like Home Alone, Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Holiday movies rake in cash and profoundly effect our most important years.

The reason we’re getting to them early: next week’s list is going to be devoted to the big man himself, and the actors that took the challenge of bringing him to life. For now, enjoy 6 Christmas Movies you should go watch this week to get ready for the big day.

A Christmas Story
The most important Christmas film of the 80s, A Christmas Story takes place in Indiana (on Cleveland St.) but was famously filmed right here in Cleveland. Every minute of the film has something memorable happening, whether it be a pink bunny outfit, a tongue stuck to a pole, dogs stealing a meal or a strange obsession with a lamp. The film is still so dear to our memories, there’s a contest for people to win a night at the house the movie was made in.

Holiday Inn
Turner Classic Movies has made this one of the most watched Christmas films ever thanks to their endless holiday programming that includes this regardless of which holiday they’re programming. Holiday Inn may include scenes that take place on a number of holidays, but if an Irving Berlin movie starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby that opens on Christmas (with the song “Happy Holidays”) and sweeps into its dramatic conclusion on the following Christmas with the greatest rendition of “White Christmas” ever recorded isn’t a damn Christmas movie, then I don’t know what the hell is.

And the argument that it ends at a New Year’s Eve party is invalid, because that’s an epilogue – the same as New Year’s Eve is an epilogue to the holiday season.

Fred Claus
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn have competed with films since they worked together on Swingers. Favreau’s Elf was his toss into the holiday hat that became an overnight Christmas classic. Vaughn’s Fred Clause did well, but wasn’t nearly as well received.

People need to go back and take another look at what they’re missing. Fred Clause includes Kevin Spacey as the evil bureaucrat trying to destroy Christmas, ninja elves, Paul Giamatti as Santa (more on that next week) and a siblings anonymous meeting that includes a Stallone, a Baldwin and a Clinton. It also has this exchange:

Scrooged
Although National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation may be the most well-known of the SNL alum holiday stories, Scrooged is my far-and-away favorite. The film stars Bill Murray (I could stop right there and be validated) as a chronically pissed-off media exec playing out “A Christmas Carol” in the coke-fueled glam of the late 80s.

It’s a darker comedy than the usually holiday fare, but the reality is that the source material is meant to be pretty damn dark as well. The upbeat ending with the smiling Tiny Tim is made stronger by the despair being warded-off by Scrooge’s change of heart. That’s what makes it so endearing.

Did I mention that it stars Bill Murray.

Babes In Toyland
Which Babes In Toyland am I talking about? Is it the original Laurel and Hardy version? Perhaps I preferred the 1961 flick that starred Annette Funicello, Ray Bolger and Fred Wynn. Or my 80s nostalgia could kick in and I could choose the goofy version that starred Keanu Reeves, Drew Barrymore and Pat Morita. Maybe I’ve completely lost my mind and think the 90s animated version is the best.

The answer is: yes, except for the animated one and even that one is okay. Every significant version of Babes In Toyland is worth watching for one reason or another. If I were pressed to answer which is definitively better, I would say the Laurel and Hardy version and use the tired excuse that it was first just so I could be done with it, but they’re all good.

Die Hard
All John McClain wanted to do for Christmas was see his estranged family. Just as we started to feel for the man, because who doesn’t love squishing their bare toes into the carpeting, he learns that terrorist are holding his ex-wife hostage and he has to go kill them all with almost nothing.

“Now I have a machine gun, ho-ho-ho” may be the greatest message anyone ever sent anyone at Christmas. Spoiler: at the end of the film Snape dies. But you better have known that, because if you haven’t seen Die Hard you should be hunted by John McClain.

This year’s list is covered completely by Deadline Hollywood, and it is fairly long. Here’s a few of the highlights, including the top vote-getters.

The The Imitation Game by Graham Moore
This biopic of WWII cryptographer Alan Turing easily received the most votes with 133. Turing, who is most famous for his work on advancing computer technology and his Turing Machine, was prosecuted for being a homosexual in 1952, before allegedly committing suicide with cyanide in 1954. This story could make an Oscar-worthy film, so let’s hope the hype gets it picked up.

Chewie by Evan Susser, Van Robichaux
Coming in third with a mere 59 votes, Chewie is one of the most interesting screenplays on the list. The writers are part of Upright Citizen’s Brigade in LA, which helps their credibility immensely. The story tells the making of Star Wars, from the perspective of Peter Mayhew, the giant that played Chewbacca in the films. Mayhew was interviewed before the script was complete so the details are accurate, and it is going to be interesting to see who gets cast as Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, George Lucas and the rest because this is one that’s definitely getting made.

Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses by Matthew Aldrich
The title of the picture gives away the plot: a father goes on a 3-state crime spree with his 11-year old daughter. There are already talks about it getting made very soon – which means in the next couple of years in Hollywood time – and /film has reported that Matt Damon may be directing it, starring in it, or both. We’re delighted to hear that the script isn’t a big-budget action film, but more of a road trip type thing. Also, Matt Damon is the nicest dude ever.

Read the rest of the list here.

Ohio, being one of the most densely populated states in the country, has its fair share of spotlight moments. Individual areas (Cleveland, Xenia) have been highlighted, fictional places have been created and generalizations have been made. There are a huge number of flicks set in our great state, and here are a six of the best.

Super 8
Super 8 is the love child of two auteurs, one of which was directly influenced by the other and was paying homage through the creation of the film. That sounds convoluted, but the result is a modern flick set in a world of immediate nostalgia – Ohio on the cusp of the 80s. Part E.T., part Cloverfield, Super 8 has proven once again that great, family friendly films are still possible.

The kids in the movie set out to make a movie when they opportunistically record a train wreck. The military shows up, closes the town and wants the tape. That all builds a backdrop for a story about a boy that lost his mother and the emotional damage caused by the death. The whole thing takes place in Lillian, Ohio, a made-up town presumably near Dayton – because of the Air Force thing.

Rocky Horror Picture Show
With one of the most passionate fanbases of all-time, Rocky Horror Picture Show is the musical that gave us Susan Sarandon in her underwear and Tim Curry in a bustier. An audience participation showing of the film has been performed weekly somewhere in the world for over 25 years, including once a month at the Cedar Lee.

Some people will debate whether Rocky Horror Picture Show is actually set in Ohio, but I think it is clear when Susan Sarandon holds a copy of the Plain Dealer over her head to keep from getting wet when they have to go to the transsexual’s castle to ask to use the phone. Someone should have told them that castles don’t have phones.

The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio
This little film stars Julianne Moore as a housewife that puts her writing background to good use winning jingle contests for household goods and supplies. Woody Harrelson, in what may be his most nuanced acting performance ever, plays her husband, a drunk machinist that had to give up his dream of being a famous singer.

While this film may not be the most exciting, dramatic two hours on the list, it is every bit as good as the others. It’s a character piece that shows a little bit of what life was like here, then.

American Splendor
Another true story, because people from Ohio are so cool people from everywhere else wants to make movies about us, American Splendor is the story of Cleveland’s own Harvey Pekar.

Paul Giamatti stars alongside the real Harvey Pekar in a film that follows the comic creator from his comic roots through his appearances on David Letterman to his “cancer years,” the period in his life that was the focus of some of his most acclaimed work. Mr. Pekar passed away not too long ago, but fortunately we can remember him through the magic of YouTube. Here’s a clip you may not have seen:

Gummo
When the name Gummo is uttered in a film discussion, there are two possible outcomes. The first is the blank stare, the look of people that have not seen the bathtub scene although they may have heard of it. The second is a sharp, vehement reaction of either pure delight or utter horror.

Gummo is more than the bathtub scene. It is stark classism in disaster struck Xenia, Ohio. It is disturbing throughout, filled with non-actors (only 5 of 30 speaking roles had experience) and settings you can drive through if you just head away from downtown long enough. It also has Chloë Sevigny, filled with a post-Kids glow, and that makes it worth putting on almost any list.

Heathers
Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty and a bleach cocktail. The 80′s lived and breathed Ohio and all its glory in this dark comedy ode to the Brat Pack, school cliques and quotable dialogue.

They eat Corn Nuts, play croquet and go cow tipping in their spare time. “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw” is part of their vernacular. And most importantly, Winona Ryder represents the heart of it all when she destroys Christian Slater in the name of the Dumptrucks of the world.

Because this is what happens when you fuck with someone from Ohio:

What’s your favorite film set in Ohio? Favorite flavor of Corn Nuts? Ever go cow tipping?

I’m going to talk about the third one. I’m avoiding shows set in Ohio, like WKRP and “3rd Rock From The Sun.” Same with movies like “A Christmas Story” and “Heathers.” I’ll get to those someday. Instead, I’m going to take a look at the people that left Ohio to show the world how we do it.

Ted Mosby – “How I Met Your Mother”

I’m going to start with the most obvious. “How I Met Your Mother” has been around for six years and it’s going to be around for at least two more. Ted Mosby is the everyman in the middle of all the commotion. He’s a New Yorker, but he’s never shy about representing Shaker Heights. His favorite CD is “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone.” He makes mistakes, but we still want him to win. He attracts people like Barney and Robin, even though he doesn’t look or act like he should.

And he punched Doogie Howser in the dick.

Egon Spengler – “Ghost Busters”
Yes, the dorky, quirky silent brain behind the whole Ghostbusters operation is from the heart of it all. Venkman may be everybody’s favorite, but Spengler is the guy the writer chose to play and the real soul of the Ghostbusters.

Spengler even brings the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (SPMM) to Ohio when he comes to visit his uncle Cyrus. Wouldn’t it be great if Spengler was from Berlin, Ohio? Because then the SPMM could be singing Leonard Cohen while he wreaked destruction!

Roy Hinkley a.k.a. The Professor – “Gilligan’s Island”
Another brilliant scientist, The Professor was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio before he became a botanist, went out on a three hour cruise and met the Globetrotters. He’s very much the Spengler of the island.

I’m not really sure if this is a clear win for Ohio, however. As brilliant as the Professor was – he made some really amazing shit on that island – he couldn’t build a boat. Didn’t they even have a wrecked boat? Maybe he was just procrastinating because he wasn’t done hanging out with Mary-Anne.

That’s what I’d do.

J Robert Fowler – “The Sum of All Fears”, “Clear and Present Danger”
I had to take Ohio history, so I’m aware that Ohio has eight presidents and that is the most of everybody. Since then, I’ve bothered to look things up and realized that William Henry Harrison was born in Virginia and just came here later. Some people would count that as a (w) for Virginia, but they didn’t count on Tom Clancy.

J Robert Fowler is the President of the United States that brought peace to the fucking Middle East. Part Clinton, part Reagan, he banged his advisor, threatened to throw nukes at Russia and looks like James Cromwell.

We win, Virginia. We win.

Rip Cord – “G. I. Joe”
The G. I. Joe from O-hi-o.

That was lame, but so are the other G. I. Joes from Ohio. Rip Cord, on the other hand, is awesome. His entire job is to beat people up and jump off really high shit. It doesn’t get any better.

But wait, it does! When he finally gets his fifteen minutes of fame, he starts dating a girl named Candy Appel. What is that about? Any cartoon character named Candy Appel has got to be hot.

Vincent Van Ghoul – “Scooby Doo”
Growing up watching Scooby Doo, it was hard to watch Vincent Van Ghoul and not think that he was Vincent Price playing Ghoulardi. Maybe that’s because that’s exactly what it was.

Vincent Van Ghoul lives in Coolsville, Ohio. In fact, the entire Mystery, Inc gang is from Ohio. They went to school together. They were the breakfast club, until they grew up and started solving mysteries, spending an inordinate amount of time cramped in a van together. They did meet the Globetrotters. Velma was the only half-sane one in the group. She probably just hung out because Shaggy had some crazy drugs and every trip was another story.

Because that’s what I’d do.

And an honorable mention to Bruce Banner and Joe Gillis, both from Dayton, Ohio. Does anyone know who Joe Gillis is?

Who are your favorite fictional characters from Ohio?

The new flick, Brave, will follow a young girl on her quest to save her kingdom after a folly of youth sets off problems only she can deal with. This stretch into traditional fantasy is completely new for Pixar, but what we’re seeing looks worthy of anticipation. The cast is largely Scottish, including Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson.

This looks so good, we’re already counting the days. Unfortunately, it’s not slated for release until August 18.

Who Remembers Rampage?
According to sources at The Hollywood Reporter, the old-school monster game “Rampage” is being produced for the big screen.

The film is being produced by John Rickard, who is known for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Horrible Bosses and the upcoming Jack the Giant Killer.

The original game followed three mutants – an ape, lizard and werewolf – as they destroyed cities and pulled people from their bathtubs for a snack. We’re assuming the script will be similar, but we’re not sure we’ll see the ape punch through the wall and get electrocuted by the toaster on screen.

Then again, there have been stranger things.

I, Frankenstein Cast Fleshing Out
Yvonne Strahovski, the pretty blonde that plays Sarah on Chuck (that show with the Baldwin that isn’t a Baldwin Brother), has signed on to play a scientist/love interest in the upcoming I, Frankenstein, alongside Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy.

Miranda Otto has also signed on, playing the Queen of Gargoyles alongside Eckhart’s Frankenstein’s Monster.

The film will be a loose sequel to the original book, taking place in a modern metropolis. Eckhart’s monster has survived this long, but things are starting to get more and more difficult for him.

What Will Friday 4 Be Called?
The fine people over at Deadline New York are reporting that Ice Cube and New Line Cinemas are getting ready to start working on a new entry into the Friday franchise.

There are questions on whether the now anti-weed Chris Tucker will reprise his role as Smokey, albeit a non-smoking version, but nothing has been finalized.

Save Your Money, Kids
Brett Butler, from the sitcom Grace Under Fire is broke and homeless.

Is Anyone Surprised?
Demi Moore filed for divorce from Ashton Kutcher. Ashton Kutcher went to work.

MUPPETS!
The new Muppet movie comes out next week. We could say that we’ve been waiting twelve years for a new movie, but the 1999 film was Muppets In Space so we don’t count that one.

Early reviews are saying that Jason Segel got ‘er done. We’re looking forward to finding out.

Are you surprised that Demi dumped Ashton? Is a Rampage movie a good idea? How about another Friday movie? Sound off in the comments.

What if someone told you that the air you breath may not be safe, the water you drink may not be clean, or the bottled water you buy is no different than what comes out of your faucet and it contributes to our dependency on oil? What is industrial hemp and what can it do for the economy? What is domestic terrorism and what pushes people to act radically? Find out! 5 documentaries in 5 days!

Faculty and professional direct Q&A after each film.
FREE EVENT AND SNACKS ARE PROVIDED! MON. OCT. 31- FRI. NOV. 4!

SPLIT ESTATE
Monday, October 31 @ 7PM:

Split Estate cracks the sugarcoating on an industry (natural gas) touted as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, and poignantly drives home the need for real alternatives.

TAPPED
Tuesday, November, 1 @ 7PM:

Sponsored in part by the H.W. Hoover Foundation Examines the role of the bottled water industry and its’ effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.

FOOD, INC.
Wednesday, November 2 @ 7PM:

This film lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA.

HEMPSTERS: Plant the Seed
Thursday, November 3 @ 7PM:

Sponsored in part by Plant Kingdom Bakery, Akron, Oh Hempsters follows the lively exploits of activists for (and against) the movement for the (re)legalization of the hemp plant in America.

IF A TREE FALLS: A Story of the E.L.F.
Friday, November 4 @ 2PM:

Tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of this ELF cell, by focusing on the transformation and radicalization of one of its members. Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thriller, the film asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism.

Photo by Takver

A fatal heart attack at age 43 transformed Lackey’s golf buddy and lifelong pal into his inspiration. .

The result is “The Yank,” another film project written, produced, directed and starring Lackey, with a $1.2 million budget. Thanks in large part to more than $330,000 from the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, the picture is more than 60 percent funded, according to Lackey.

Clevelander Fred Willard (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman) is on tap — but hasn’t been signed — to play Lackey’s gung-ho Irish father, who’s actually a fourth-generation Irish-American who has never been to the country.

The story has Lackey’s character, Tom Murphy, headed to Ireland for a wedding and his parents think it’s a perfect time for him to meet the right girl.
Lackey’s Murphy is the best man, and it turns out that the maid of honor is the ex-security guard who tossed him out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dublin-born Colm Meaney (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) is in negotiations to play Lackey’s sardonic Irish relative, and there’s hope that Christina Applegate (“Married With Children”) will portray the love interest. Likely to also join the cast as Fred Finnegan is Kevin Farley, the brother of the late “Saturday Night Live” comedian Chris Farley.

There is a script with certain lines. But because of Lackey’s improvisational background along with the improvisational skills of the other actors, the bulk of the dialogue will be made on the spot.

Lackey and Wilding hope to start filming this month or next. They will be hitting as many film festivals as possible, but Wilding said the big push will be for DVD sales and online.

To read the entire story head on over to the official Cleveland Plain Dealer Web site.

John Strode Gets Blowed Up
“The Curse of Michael Meyers,” a.k.a Halloween VI, may not be canon, but when it comes to kills, who cares? John Strode (Bradford English) is stupid enough to go into the basement of the original Meyers house. Michael informs him of his mistake by skewering him, lifting him off his feet and shoving the other end of the skewer into a junction box. The end result is poor John cooking until he blows up. Although completely unrealistic, it’s still pretty badass.

Nurse Soup
Karen (Pamela Susan Shoop) is a neonatal nurse who works in the hospital housing Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). She decides to get naked and jump in a hot tub. Michael grabs her by the back of the head and shoves her into the hottest part of the water, causing her skin to boil and peel off before she drowns. This happened in the second installment of the franchise, and was especially shocking considering how visually tame the first one had been.

Michael’s First Kill
Judith Margaret Meyers (Sandy Johnson) decides she needs some booty on Halloween night in 1963. Her six-year-old brother Michael took offense, and, dressed in his precious clown costume, grabs a butcher knife and stabs her to death. Then he walks outside to see his mom and dad. Rob Zombie’s version was good, too. Here, I’ll just show you both and let you decide.

The Ghost
Charlie Brown and gang may have made the white-sheet costume precious and precocious, but Michael Meyers took it right back for scary when, swathed in linen, he strangles Lynda van der Klok (P. J. Soles) with the phone while she’s chatting. The delight of seeing her breasts (remember, this was ’78) came tainted with the realization that anyone under a white sheet could kill you dead.

Unfortunately, this particular kill scene has bare breasts bouncing around, so it isn’t available in any good form on the internet. Because breasts are worse than blood. Fortunately, you can always rent the film.

The documentary was birthed when Shemel discovered a pile of old home video that she had stashed in her closet. She showed the footage to her friend, P. David Ebersole, who thought there was a story buried there and began converting the Hi-8 tapes to digital. He set up interviews with the members of Hole, along with various female rock icons and the story began to take shape.

Premiering to critical and fan acclaim, “Hit So Hard” was an official selection at South by Southwest. It’s New York premiere at the New Directors, New Films festival at Museum of Modern Art saw the first reunion of Hole in 13 years, and the programmers at the festival described the film as “anything but a sanitized VH1 hagiography.”

The Akron Film+Pixel Festival has the honor of hosting the film’s Ohio opening. Along with the film’s screening, the festival will feature a guest panel that will discuss the film and answer questions from attendees. Patty Shemel, P. David Ebersole (Director) and Todd Hughes (Producer) are the first out-of-town guests the festival has hosted, and they are excited about the prospects.

This is the fourth year for the Akron Film+Pixel Fest (formerly the Akron Film Fest), and the third year it will be held at the Akron Art Museum. It runs from October 6 to 9 this year and will show features and shorts from local filmmakers and international artists, so don’t miss it if you have any interest in film as art.