SHOUTING BACK

THE TALKIES is the long-time pet project-come true of mastermind Tim Massett that first came to fruition in October 2006. It is essentially cinema shouting back against the DVD/home theater. It's a 35mm, two-night event. The first night we screen a film in 35mm. The next night, not only does the director join us, but he or she also provides running commentary throughout the screening. The audience watches and listens along to both the director and the film. It's taking something the DVD offers (the alternate commentary track) and making it oh so much better.

The celebrity aspect or spectacle of having the filmmaker in the theater recedes in the viewer's mind after the first fifteen minutes. The director, dimly lit, quickly becomes inconspicuous.

THE TALKIES' first guest Herschell Gordon Lewis (a.k.a. "The Godfather of Gore") "talkied" along to a super great print of his classic film 2000 Maniacs and even sold tickets to his own event from the San Marco Theatre's box office. In May 2007, John Waters joined a sold-out crowd for a screening of this cult hit Polyester, complete with fabulous Odorama cards for the whole audience.

And we just wrapped up the third installment with George Romero
freely skipping on down memory lane regarding his seminal work, Night of the Living Dead. you can take a gander at a 15second version of
the evening here.