Looks like there is a schedule online for this year’s Top of the Park, being that part of the dopey Ann Arbor Summer Festival which is held on top of a parking structure. As always, an inane salad of kid-safe music and random film screenings comprises the three-week event. Since the film selections are pretty crappy this year, the present author’s attendance will likely be slight.
{ 2005 May 28 }
Scott T. | 28-May-05 at 7:53 pm | Permalink
Brian, I think it’s fair that TotP picks “family friendly” movies — it’s paid for by tax dollars, there’s no way to charge admission and it’s very likely in view/audio range of residences … so they can’t really push any boundaries. And given that constraint, I must say they could do a lot worse. The movies are light, but some of them are good (in the same way french fries are good. Mmmmm… heart attack). So I guess I’m saying I’d s/crappy/light and safe …
Brian | 28-May-05 at 9:26 pm | Permalink
They could push all kinds of boundaries, at least relative to the crap they keep showing. Perfect venue for two kinds of movies — the really loud (such as last year’s excellent screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and perhaps the really quiet (since Ann Arbor is, per capita, more or less the silent movie capitol of the world).
Surely one or more of the perky-yet-hip bands playing at Top of the Park could have been conned into accompanying a good silent film? That would be cool.
Or: a Ray Harryhausen film (Clash of the Titans or my inexplicable favorite The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad); a cool documentary (Winged Migration or Microcosmos).
Part of this might also come out of a bias towards more recent films, but really, any of the titles above would be more (a) interesting and (b) age-appropriate than some of the, again, crappy movies selected.
It is absolutely true that they could do a lot worse, there’s certainly that! :)
Pete | 06-Jun-05 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
Man back in the late 80’s top was nothing but a huge party for adults, byob no problem, it was allowed. By midway through the feature movie (which were usually really good movies) there’d be empty 40’s rolling down the structure, and just generally complete rowdiness. To bad A2 gentrified itself.
Bob | 28-Jun-05 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
i like top of the park!