Free Screening: Radiant City - film on urban sprawl August 24, 2007

August 24. 7 PM.

Movies on a Big Screen, in conjunction with LJ Urban present "Radiant City."

Location: LJ Urban. 1931 H St, Sacramento. That's right on the corner of 20th & H. Entrance will be on the side door (not the front door) on 20th St. You know, if we used an actual front door, it just wouldn't be Movies on a Big Screen, now would it :)

Admission: Free!!!! Seating is somewhat limited (we think we can squeeze around 100 in), though, so arriving a bit early is not such a bad idea.

This had been planned for months, and was to originally take place at a different venue which we have been doing weekly Friday film screenings at. Due to the recent closure of that venue, LJ Urban stepped up and graciously also offered to open up the spacious back area of their office to accommodate the screening, for which we could not be more grateful, as we are currently looking for a replacement venue! Don't expect too fancy of a set-up, though, as this location is a patch. We might even be projecting off of a table top onto a 10 foot portable tripod screen.

Why LJ Urban? They're a Sacramento developer dedicated to eco-urban community building. Does that sound completely contradictory? Yeah, to you and me both... but it's true. What's their mission statement? "We make cities better." That's about the best mission statement we at MOBS have ever seen. Oh, don't take my word for it - just take a look: http://www.ljurban.com

Folks from LJ Urban will be in attendance (or maybe in this case I should phrase it as "we'll be in attendance" since it is *their* office and all) and speaking a bit following the film. Along with them, Graham Brownstein from ECOS (Environmental Council of Sacramento) will also speak for a bit. Of course, they'll all be around if you have any questions. And make sure to marvel at the infamous LJ Urban mini-car while you're there!!

About Radiant City:
Gary Burns, Canada's king of surreal comedy, joins journalist Jim Brown on an outing to the suburbs. Venturing into territory both familiar and foreign, they turn the documentary genre inside out, crafting a vivid account of life in The Late Suburban Age.

Urban sprawl is eating the planet. Across the continent the landscape is being levelled - blasted clean of distinctive features and overlaid with zombie monoculture. Politicians call it growth. Developers call it business. The Moss family call it home.

While Evan Moss zones out in commuter traffic, Ann boils over in her dream kitchen and the kids play sinister games amidst the fresh foundations of monster houses.

A chorus of cultural prophets provide insight on the spectacle. James Howard Kunstler, author of "The Geography of Nowhere," rails against the brutalizing aesthetic of strip malls. Philosopher Joseph Heath fears the soul-eating suburbs but admits they offer good value for money. And urban planner Beverly Sandalack dares to ask, Why can't we walk anywhere anymore?

Burns and Brown rummage through a toybox of cultural references, from Jane Jacobs to "The Sopranos," to create a provocative reflection on why we live the way we do. Riffing off sitcoms and reality TV, they play fast and loose with a range of cinematic devices to consider what happens when cities get sick and mutate.

Official Website: http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings/