Announcing our "Go Ahead, Make Our Watching Hour" contest!

Attention Constant Watchers! We’re announcing an amazing and creative contest for you to show just how much you love The Watching Hour and its cornucopia of genre film goodness. From horror to cult classics, grindhouse to zombie, musical to foreign mind warps, our program has style and we want to see how you interpret that style on film by creating a commercial that exemplifies the spirit of our Award Winning series. The winner will be announced at The Watching Hour’s screening of PSYCHO BEACH PARTY on July 2 and will have their world premiere in front of 8,500 people at Red Rocks Amphitheater on July 6th during Film on the Rocks: RAISING ARIZONA. The ad will also be used year round by the Denver Film Society to help spread the word about The Watching Hour, getting us closer and closer to world domination!

The rules are simple:
-The commercial must be 30 seconds to 1 minute in length
-No footage from a licensed or copywritten film or character though a fresh “homage” is fine.
-You must use The Watching Hour logo in a prominent way
- Mention that The Watching Hour is every Friday & Saturday at 10pm at the Starz FilmCenter
- Mention that The Watching Hour is hosted and programmed by Keith Garcia
- Try to keep nudity and adult language to a bare minimum or feel free to playfully ‘bleep’ and ‘black bar’.
- Please submit in a USA-Region playable DVD (DVD-R, DVD+R) at XP (Highest) quality (Full screen Hi-resolution) for the public screening in Denver. No other media formats (VHS tape, etc.) will be accepted.
- Send your film or drop it off in-person no later than June 26 to:
The Watching Hour
Starz FilmCenter
900 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80204

Below are four ready-to-go scenarios but feel free to create one of your own:

Scenario One (created by Jason Heller)
A spoof of Un Chien Andalou, filmed in fluttery black and white. A man sharpens a straight razor, goes out on his balcony, gazes at the moon, then picks up an old TV set that's sitting there. He then "slices open" the TV screen to reveal the Watching Hour logo.

Scenario Two (created by Cory Casciato)
Open on a regular person at a bus stop, reading a newspaper's Now Showing page, shaking head in disgust. Suddenly, a mass of zombies appear, wearing shirts representative of crappy modern film (white shirts reading things like "Michael Bay movie" "Unnecessary remake" "Sparkly Vampires" "Will Smith Vehicle" "Generic Romantic Comedy"). They run away from the zombies who, naturally, give chase (lumbering, shambling chase, but chase nonetheless). They stop several times to look back in near-panic as they maintain their relentless pursuit. Finally they round a corner – to reveal the Starz FilmCenter (with the Watching Hour poster prominently displayed!). They rush to the door and are pulled inside by welcoming "survivors" (i.e. the staff, maybe even Mr. Keith Garcia himself!) as the zombies gather outside and futilely attempt to get in. They’re smiling as the scene fades to black and the words "Escape Hollywood's mindless hordes at the Watching Hour, Fri & Sat 10 p.m." appear.

Scenario Three (created by Ben Martin)
Hambo – a muscle clad soldier of fortune – is in third-act, full flex, machine guns blazing mode. The poor men up against him are dying by the dozens, but Hambo doesn't care, his fury is so great. (Add additional carnage and mayhem to taste.) A Colonel comes up behind him: “Hambo! Hambo, it's your ol' buddy the Colonel. You saved my life back in 'Nam! You've gotta stop this madness, Hambo! The killing has to end! What's wrong, Hambo?” Hambo turns into a blubbering, crying mess in the Colonel's arms, muttering between sobs about how all he wanted to do was go to The Watching Hour, but then things all went crazy, and look at him now, etc. Cut to the Watching Hour logo (and necessary info) and the audible sobs of Hambo crying and talking about how he just wants to see a movie.

Scenario Four (also created by Ben Martin)
A young man bows before an incredibly old kung-fu master. He wants to be the best movie watcher there is. The Master laughs: “You know nothing of cinema! To become a true master, you must complete the 36 chambers of the Watching Hour!” Cut to montage of X-TREME movie watching. You could include inter-titles with the names of the different chambers, i.e. Slasher Chamber, 80s Nostalgia Chamber, Asian Horror Mindf*ck Chamber, Nunsploitation Chamber, etc. Throughout the montage, cut occasionally to Kung Fu master nodding in approval. Cut to: The student kneels before the master again. Master: “No one has ever mastered the 36 chambers of The Watching Hour so quickly! You truly are a master of cinema! What will you do now?” Student: “I want to bring The Watching Hour to the people! Everyone deserves such a rich and eclectic moviegoing experience.” Master: “What? No!” The student exclaims that all you have to do is go to The Watching Hour at the Starz FilmCenter every Friday & Saturday at 10pm and you too will be a true master of the 36 chambers of cinema!

Email the following information to keith@denverfilm.org and we will email you a hi-res version of the Watching Hour logo to use in your film.

Name:

Email address

Phone number:

Favorite film:

Watching Hour film suggestion?

Start Your Engines! RuPaul's Drag Race is a winner!

Those of you reality TV lovers who've been feeling hunger pains of late without your America's Next Top Model and Project Runway, get ready for a hearty meal because Rupaul's Drag Race is on the scene! Promising to bring "Realness back to reality television" Ru doesn't disappoint. The basic conceit: Nine drag superstars come together to battle it out for $20,000, the cover and a spread in Paper Magazine, an exclusive global ad for EyeOptics and taken on a tour of every gay pride event this summer as Absolut Vodka's spokesface. Not bad considering that most of these queens have just been hoofing around their local drag revue in musty clubs working hard for a few dollar bills and some love.
RuPaul knows who his audience is and spends the first portion of every show out of drag doing his best Tim Gunn 'making it work' in a suit and glasses then switches back to Drag for the judging and manages to outbitch (and dress) Tyra Banks herself. The challenges are fun and exciting: photoshoots, making a complete outfit out of thrift and dollar store items, pairing up the ladies to work together as a girl group (hard for such individual talents) and overall, be fierce (a word I thought I'd gotten tired of but am more excited about when used in its proper context).
The real stars of the show are, of course, the girls and they are a hot little bunch. I'm sticking my neck out by claiming favorite for Denver's own drag baby contestant Nina Flowers and if you don't know this sassy bitch who performs every Sunday at Charlie's as part of their VIVID revue you need some education via this link right HERE. I say she'll take the crown of Ru's show but with such awesome judges as ANTM stylist Santino and even Bob Mackie (for God's sake!) it's hard to handicap the vote.
I'm more excited by this show over the next cycle of Top Model because whereas Tyra's show is just looking for a pretty face and girls that can "smile with their eyes", Ru is finding the cream of the crop of MEN that have learned to run in stilettos AND pull together tight make-up, outfits, and performance into one sassy package. Something that actually takes talent, not just being in the right place at the right time. One episode down and eight more to go. You can catch RuPaul's Drag Race Mondays at 9pm on the Logo channel. If you don't get Logo you can watch each week's episode in full via this link right HERE. I give the show two snaps up and a "You BETTER work!".

My Adventures In YouTube week of 12/08

Best. Movie. Trailer. EVER.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 11/10

Some Feist. Oh...just because. Enjoy.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 10/13

I consider myself to be quite versed in the world of pop music, Madonna and Prince were the king and queen of my aural universe growing up, and I've been on the lookout for someone to pick up their mantle ever since. Britney and the others have been interesting but always seem to disappoint. So imagine my joy in getting a hot tip about a young lady from NYC named Lady GaGa that seems to have that hunger to make it that I haven't seen since Madonna proclaimed to us that she had found her Lucky Star. YouTube one of her many recent live performances to see that GaGa doesn't lip-sync, actually performs and creates something that's been missing from pop in a long time: a personality.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 9/13

Belgian artist Milow has gone and done quite a bit of help in reworking 50 Cent and JTs version of "Ayo (Technology)" and even made a sweet video for it. Why couldn't this have been a slam dunk on the first try? Some artists really need to think outside the box.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 9/2

Though the video isn't as cool as the one I directed in my head for it (picture french fries, bowling, Estelle in a high fashion Lady Liberty-esque frock and something involving an update of a scene from GREASE 2...for starters) I can't get Estelle's AMERICAN BOY out of my head these days. Chances are that when I drive by you on the street I'll be blasting this number. Now, this also begs the question, who wants to be MY American boy? Picture it: French fries, bowling, a Lady Liberty-esque suit for me, updates of scenes from GREASE 2, and that's just the first date.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 8/25

It has been said that John Waters/drag paramour/80s disco icon DIVINE borrowed her persona from actress Isabel Sarli in FUEGO and I say that may have been one of the most incredible decisions of the 20th century.

My Adventures In YouTube week of 7/11

My favorite new music video. Oh, just because...
Te quiero, Goldfrapp. Te quiero mucho.

Strawberry Letter 35

Hello my love,

I return, a little worse for the wear, from the past to let you know that time traveling is not all that it's cracked up to be. After receiving your last letter I found myself consumed with waiting for your return. I looked around every corner, studied every face. None of them were you. A friend imparted that old nugget of wisdom "If you keep looking, it's not going to happen". My spine spikes at that idea. Sure, I've found lost baubles and such weeks after ceasing a focused attempt (in an overstuffed drawer, behind a heavy couch, in a jacket pocket) but the things that really matter have only been found when I put my mind to it, retrace my steps and realize how fucked I am without what I'm looking for. Like losing my house keys I just can't get anywhere without you. This search, my love, is how I came to find that I had traveled all the way back to 1994.
Like Alice chasing the white rabbit I thought I saw you one night, that familiar scent of pine needles and honey stung me like a swarm of bees, and I took flight after the source. He looked like you from behind, your shape, a faint puff of breath, that sweet smell that I remember when I washed your hair, kissing your neck as the freshwater filled my senses with such an aroma! The shape of the small hairs just six inches from your shoulder moving in the drops the way that moss dances on a submerged rock with the flow of the river. I heard a crunch of twigs underfoot and came to. I was outside of a house, a bright light illuminating the yard full of teens, drinking and laughing. I thought I would feel older than them but catching my style of dress in a window's reflection I realized that I had Quantum Leaped into a scene I had so often experienced at 16 or 17. The wind shifted and I caught the scent again coming up behind me. My heart swelled to think that it would be you to quell my disorientation but as I turned I sputtered at the sight of someone who was most certainly from my present. Someone who has become a master of time travel himself, skipping across years and memories to reside in small moments of joy that had nothing to do with the here and now. I felt a little violated that he had brought me to a time and place that was of some comfort to me but just enough pain to make me turn and run. I'd had enough confrontations with the objects of my affection at these parties to make me know what this fellow wanted from me and it wasn't what I wanted to bring back to 2008. I had been on your trail (so close!) and getting stuck in this slip of time was only going to knock me further and further away from you. I could see words coming from his mouth in my direction and so I pulled a pair of headphones (94 style) from the pocket of my windbreaker and hit play on the Walkman they were attached to. A familiar bouncing beat wrapped in devastating longing filled my ears and the words racing towards me popped like bubbles on my fingertips. I turned and ran, turning onto a long dark road lit only by the yellow stripes that ran down its middle. The song moved faster in my head and I matched the beat to your heart and aimed my thoughts on the notion that I had not lost you in 1994 but knew that I could only find you in 2008. I watched the fresh paint on the road slowly fade and crack with each step as I shot forward in time, the young man from 08 that I left in the lurch back in 94 whizzed by around 07 where he seemed content in resting. I felt bad leaving him there but I knew that if I was going to find you I had to get back to the here and now. The air rose in temperature and the thick lines that had once run under my shoes had crackled into faint reminders of themselves. I had made it back. As I caught my breath I hoped that I would smell your scent again moving on the air. Sadly, I only caught the smell of rain.
Wanna hear something odd? It turns out that the song I played on the Walkman had been from 2008. Even weirder? It was made by someone that I knew in 1994. I listen to it now and can't believe how much that song moves my calender back 14 years. Like it has taken its own journey through time to remind me of the things I left behind and of the span of that time that stands ahead of me just waiting to be reached into. I play that song everyday now, sometimes just for a moment, I like to think that you slipped that tape in when I wasn't looking while I actually lived in 94 and that you've been there with me every step of the way. Maybe you needed to go back for something yourself, a memory that had shifted and fallen back behind some heavy boxes, and it was indeed you that I had caught on the wind. The tape in my player was your postcard saying that you missed me. Well my love, I'm sending you back a paper kiss from 2008. I wish you were here, where you belong.