Dust On The VCR Live at the Sidewalk Cinema! (Sort Of.)

Greetings, readers! I hope you’re enjoying America’s birthday.

I’m parachuting into your inbox on a Tuesday instead of a Friday, so you might’ve guessed something’s up. Well, something’s up alright: On Friday, July 21st, I’ll be hosting the first ever edition of Dust On The VCR Live at the Sidewalk Cinema in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama!

Well, sort of. That’s not actually what it’s called. It’s called VHS Time Machine, and it’s the recent creation of the benevolent Rachel Morgan, creative director and lead programmer for the Sidewalk Film Festival (more on that later) and the Sidewalk Cinema (yes, they have their own movie theater!). And Rachel was kind enough to let me host the July edition!

Here’s how it works: Once a month, folks gather at the Sidewalk Cinema for a free screening of a mystery film—on VHS! It began in April, and I haven’t missed one yet. The first three screenings included the kickoff presentation of Stephen King anthology Cat’s Eye, a Skate Night crossover screening of Gleaming The Cube, and a winner’s choice edition that landed on Alice, Sweet Alice.

Oh, and here’s the best part: It’s free!

So what do I have in store for y’all this month? Well, I can’t tell you, because it’s a mystery.* But Rachel said I can drop a hint, so here it goes. Have you checked out the Sidewalk Cinema July calendar? As luck would have it, the film I’ll be screening is very similar to one of the titles they’ve programmed this month. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

And yes, I’ll run a fresh issue of this here newsletter about the film in question the morning after instead of the morning of. Because of the whole mystery thing, you know. Apologies if this totally derails your Friday morning routine.

So if you’re in Birmingham a couple weeks from now, I would love to see you and everyone you know at the screening. Who knows, I may even bring some free merchandise to give away.

By the way, you do know that the 25th annual(!) Sidewalk Film Festival is less than two months away, right? Well if you did, that’s terrific. But if you didn’t, or you haven’t bought your passes yet, here’s my reminder that they’re now on sale and you should buy one or ten! You can get a day pass, a weekend pass, or a VIP pass if you’re a real hero.**

Oh, and have you heard about the Pluto TV Free Movie Weekend? Because Pluto TV rules, they’re providing free tickets to literally any film showing at the Sidewalk Cinema July 22 & 23.*** No seriously, tickets are completely free. Go on, now, go reserve a ticket or two.

Anyway, I am very excited about this event. I love sharing movies with my peers, especially when it comes with the warm hug of that outdated, analog presentation. (Some movies are just more fun on VHS, right?) Hope I’ll see some of y’all there!

*And for a good reason, too. Keeping the title a secret allows Sidewalk to screen pretty much whatever they want, and it means they’re obligated to make the tickets free too. (You should buy drinks and snacks, though. Don’t be a freeloader.)

**You can buy individual tickets on site the weekend of the festival too. But why would you want to do that when you could get a whole pass?

***Yes, including Barbie. Which you should totally see that Saturday or Sunday instead of Friday night. Since, you know, I’m hosting this event.

Don’t forget, that’s Friday, July 21st at 8:15 at the Sidewalk Cinema! See you there, nerds!