Category Archives: Random Acts of Entertainment
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing – A 31 Year Old Favorite
So if you’re looking for a movie to make you feel good, has toe tapping catchy music, sexy dancing, great acting and an awesome story line filled with a little spice and good girl falls for bad boy – Dirty Dancing is the film to see! Released in 1987, Dirty Dancing is one of the best dance/teen love movies ever made. It’s also the movie that catapulted the career of Swayze. Just three years later he went on to make the movie Ghost with Demi Moore (another awesome love story, but let’s stay focused!) Dirty Dancing is literally one of those movies you can watch again and again, and never get tired of it.
It’s been said that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey had terrible chemistry off camera – but you’d never know that watching them on the big screen. The movie takes off when Baby Houseman and her family go on vacation to a resort in New York. After Baby meets the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny, and signs up for dance lessons…well, let’s just say sparks begin to fly. Some of the scenes between Johnny and Baby draw you in and leave a feeling of happy, sad, excitement – and might even make you think you could dance. There have been many movies made with music and dancing since 1987 – but none quite like Dirty Dancing. It’s in a category all by itself.
So bring a friend, relative or significant other to the Waukesha Civic Theatre to watch this nostalgic feel-good feature film. Future movies include The African Queen, Apollo 13, Rear Window, and the final PIX film feature – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In addition, there are many Mainstage performances to choose from.
Come see Dirty Dancing on Monday, February 5th at 6:30 pm and have ‘the time of your life’! See you at the PIX!
Anthony Ventress
Board Director
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Raiders Of The Lost Ark
“Tan tananta tanantan…” who could resist the iconic theme song from Raiders of the Lost Ark? This movie was the start and only movie in the franchise that hasn’t included Indiana Jones in the title. Harrison Ford’s leap into superstardom started with his role as Han Solo in Star Wars and was propelled in the first installment of the Indiana Jones saga. Despite having the dream team of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg behind the film, it was initially turned down by every studio in Hollywood. Only after much persuasion, did Paramount agree to do it. Can you imagine the 80’s without Indiana Jones? Yeah, you probably could, but it definitely wouldn’t have been as much fun.
We will have plenty additional opportunities to enjoy a nostalgic movie at the historic Waukesha Civic Theater. Future movies include Dirty Dancing, The African Queen, Apollo 13, Rear Window, and closing out the PIX Flix season none other than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Not to mention the remaining live theatre Mainstage shows.
You will not be disappointed in Waukesha Civic Theatre’s showing of this blockbuster movie from 1981 and what better way to start the New Year. So grab your popcorn and head on into the theatre and help us make this showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Waukesha Civic Theatre’s all time grossing of the 2017-2018 PIX Flix season, just like in 1981 when it was the highest grossing film of that year.
Archaeologists Challenge:
Keep your eyes open in the Well Of Souls scene, you can notice a golden pillar with a tiny engraving of R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars saga. They are also on the wall behind Indy when they first approach the Ark.
Happy exploring in this timeless adventure of a lifetime!
Rich Johnson
Board Treasurer
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Staff: It’s A Wonderful Life
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” – Zuzu Bailey
It’s A Wonderful Life has become synonymous with the holiday season in America, but when the movie premiered in 1946, it was met with a lukewarm reception. It wasn’t until the 1960s, when there was some confusion over rights and the film entered the public domain. TV stations began to air the film regularly, because they didn’t have to pay for it. By the time the rights paperwork was corrected, it had found its place as a holiday tradition.
The message of the film resonates as much among the Greatest Generation, immediately post-WWII, as it does today: Your life matters. Your contribution is important. You can, and do, make a difference. Nestled among the brilliant acting of Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, that’s what really endears the film to viewers and why so many of us keep coming back, year after year.
The December PIX Flix film has become a holiday tradition for us here at WCT, too. Even though the title differs year to year, it’s a way for our community to come together, enjoy each other, and experience quality entertainment in a historic theatre. For only $5 a ticket, on a Monday night, there’s no better way to get family and friends together for an evening.
It’s A Wonderful Life is one of John Cramer’s very favorite films and both he and I hope to see you here at the PIX on Monday, December 18th, at 6:30 pm.
Happy Holidays!
Katie Danner
Marketing Director
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: The Princess Bride
In a 2013 interview, Mandy Patinkin confessed that his favorite line in The Princess Bride is not the immortal words of his character, Inigo Montoya: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you keeled my father, prepare to die.” Rather, Patinkin’s favorite quote comes from the end of the story, when the heroes are escaping the castle, and Inigo prepares to jump from the window to ride off on one of four magnificent white horses. He pauses and says to Wesley: “I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it’s over, I do not know what to do with the rest of my life.”
To Patinkin, this is what it is all about. “The purpose of revenge is completely worthless and pointless and the purpose of existence is to embrace our fellow human being … and turn our darkness into light.”
In today’s world of cynicism, political strife, and discord, Patinkin’s words were never truer. I own multiple copies of The Princess Bride and have seen it, beginning to end, at least 30 times, and yet, if I happen upon it while channel surfing, I immediately stop and luxuriate in the perfection of this movie. It is a classic. A movie that knows what it is. Perfectly cast, beautifully filmed, heartwarming, irreverent, hilarious, and imminently quotable, The Princess Bride is like a warm fuzzy blanket on a cold day.
The beauty of this film is that it is familiar and fresh all at the same time. The story lines are ones we know: a grandfather spending time with his grandson; a son avenging his father; miracles; and, of course, true love. But the movie is intertwined with such joy, humor and unexpected quips, that it surprises and never gets old. No matter our age, gender, background, or mood, The Princess Bride is always the perfect fit.
I first saw The Princess Bride the year it was released (1987). Just a year out of college, it charmed me and made me laugh. Years later, I introduced it to my soon-to-be-husband who immediately fell under its spell. When our children came along, it became a family night favorite and, as they have grown, the jokes have become funnier, the subtle humor more appreciated and the lines more quotable. On more than one occasion I quoted Miracle Max as they headed out of the house “Have fun stormin’ the castle!”
When released, The Princess Bride was not a blockbuster hit. It wasn’t until release on VCR that it truly hit its stride and became popular. It is now universal. Test this yourself. Ask people you know what their favorite line is from The Princess Bride. You will be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t have a quote or who hasn’t seen the film. In a 2012 interview in New York Magazine, Patinkin said that his most famous line from gets quoted back to him by at least two or three strangers every day of his life. Patinkin told the interviewer that he loves hearing the line and he also loves the general fact that he got to be in “The Wizard Of Oz of our generation.” What an apt description. Like The Wizard of Oz, The Princess Bride is a celebration of storytelling! So let’s celebrate its 30th anniversary at the Waukesha Civic Theatre’s PIX Flix on Monday, November 13, 2017 – 6:30 pm.
What’s MY favorite quote? Meet me at the Theatre on the 13th, and I’ll let you know!
Jane Klett
Board Director
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Back To The Future
Gotta get back in time…
What were you doing in 1985? And if Doc Brown pulled up in a DeLorean right now, would you go back?
Back To The Future was the highest-grossing film that year, and remains one of my favorite movies. Who can forget Marty, Lorraine, George, and Biff? Huey Lewis in an adorable cameo role? A space alien who likes Eddie Van Halen? And a young, confused Calvin Klein?
Join me at the PIX to relive this classic comedy about time travel, rock and roll, and young love on the big screen.
Your popcorn is on me if you say “You’re my density!” at the concession stand. See you at the PIX!
Angie Penzkover
Board Director
Past President
Waukesha Has True Grit!
October is almost here and, to me, that means just one thing— it’s time for Waukesha Reads! This year, Waukesha will be reading the great Western novel True Grit. Charles Portis wrote True Grit in 1968, forever giving readers the independent and sassy Mattie Ross and the one-eyed, surly U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn. If you have not already been introduced to this remarkable novel, then you are in for a treat!
It is the goal of Waukesha Reads to unite the community through great books. This program offers citizens the opportunity to read, discuss and explore the themes of a single book with other readers in the community. Through this program, some people will discover the joys of reading for the first time, while others will be reminded of the pleasures of a great book. Everyone will benefit from sharing the literary experience with their fellow community members.
Why read? Growing evidence illustrates that regular reading boosts the likelihood of academic and economic success, awakening a person’s social and civic responsibility. Reading for pleasure is associated with positive personal and social behaviors, both of which impact our community for the better. Simply put, books change people, they change lives and they make us better neighbors. This is why the Waukesha Reads partners feel passionately about reading and its promotion in the community. Reading is the gateway to lifelong learning, personal opportunities and success.
Waukesha Reads would not happen without the support of the community and our local partners. It is this cooperative nature that has made our program such a success over the past eleven years. Partners such as educational institutions, art centers, nonprofit organizations and other area businesses have all jumped at the chance to be a part of Waukesha Reads because they understand the value of promoting literacy in our community. By working together, we reach out to Waukesha’s diverse population, in a variety of traditional and nontraditional ways, to help encourage all citizens to participate. It is our goal that the Waukesha Reads program will bring people together, inspire reading, promote discussion and ultimately strengthen our community.
I hope that you will pick up a FREE copy of True Grit this year, and that you will make it a priority to participate in this citywide event. Whether this is your first Waukesha Reads, or your eleventh, you will undoubtedly find a program or a discussion that catches your eye. Perhaps it will be our (FREE!) keynote speaker, Mike Earp, at Waukesha Civic Theatre on November 2? Waukesha Public Library, and our Waukesha Reads partners, would love to see you there! Books and full event calendars are available at Waukesha Public Library. The calendar is also available online. Happy reading!
Kori Hall
Head of Program Development & Community Engagement