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Film is magic.  I’m not just saying this as a film student either.  Rather there is something special about this medium that attracts storytellers and magicians to try their hands at daft illusions.  The stories that can be told through this form affects us differently psychologically than any other method.  That being said, there is a big difference in storytelling that’s easy to over look; film goers sit in a dark room silently and begin to suspend their sense of disbelief as to what is happening on screen in a subjective environment.

Unlike any other medium, this magical form forces us to have a solitary experience.  So why then should millions of people celebrate this art form alone in their living rooms?  Cinema St. Louis is offering an alternative this Sunday February 24th with an Oscar party of their own.  Starting at 6pm you can join the festivities (for a cost), or at 7:30pm you can join other film fans on a budget (for FREE) downstairs for free in the Pageant.  More information is available on that event’s webpage.

window display/yellow pages

Sometimes a sale window display can stop you cold in your tracks on a cold afternoon; yes, that dress (and installation) is crafted entirely out of yellow pages from a phone book . The window display is for Tantrum, located in the Delmar Loop (ie U City), an apparel store featuring trendy fashions although nothing nearly this avant-garde.

Although it is obscured by the reflection of Delmar boulevard on the glass surface of the window display, a large “SALE” sign is obscured in a monosaturated mess to the manikan’s right. So if you’re looking for what The Loop Special Business District website call “Sexy men’s & women’s fashions from L.A.” you might want to try looking up their number.

While you’re there, if especially if you bring a special someone, be sure to check out Love in the Loop this Thursday February 14th. This Valentine’s Day celebration with participating businesses is sure to impress your date, with special deals for shopping (see also: the picture), dining (including a red rose for reservation making couples), and “two for one” tickets to a film playing in the Tivoli Theater on the holiday.

Estate Book Sale

Ever since the closing of the used books business at Subterranean Books, there seems to have been a drought in new inventory of old books. With apologies to wider array of used book stores aside (Left Bank and Dunaway to name but a few), our thirst for a repository of knowledge that has been left out of print has gone unsatiated. So when I found this flyer for an Estate BOOK Sale this Saturday February 9th, 2008 from 9am-3pm, I knew it wouldn’t just be another garage sale. This literati (or pack rat) has left behind a diverse collection of historical non-fiction, classic lit, poetry, and maybe even sci-fi amoung other works for us to dig through in a sale listed as “Cash Only” on 6642 Bancroft (63109).

And should you save a few dollars left over from that sale, or if you’re looking to populate a rather different collection, Star Clipper Comics is having their annual Valentine’s Sale this Saturday as well.  With 25% off everything in the store from 11am-1pm, and 50% off toys and apparel, you can hardly expect to to find the book you wanted in inventory while the sale continues with 20% for the rest of Saturday.

Normally when I review a concert I try to include a few photos, or even a short video clip I managed to snag (without having my camera confiscated), but for a show last Monday night I found myself too engrossed dancing along to a band playing for visual documentation.  I was trapped in the aural bliss of celebrated pop act Of Montreal at The Pageant, a show I had meant to write about but was merely left included among our Upcoming events page.  So far, I’m sad to say, visual accompanyment hasn’t shown up there, although it’s easily at the behest of my fellow Flickrites and citizen journalists to fill this void.  Aural accompaniment was the real draw, the one luring us out on a school night of the 1st degree to bask in the radient bliss of “The Sunlandic Twins”, and more recently the irrational exuberence of “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?”

The audience seemed unnaturally enthusiatic in comparison to a more typically subdued crowd for what could be commonly charecterized as an indie pop gathering, frequently jumping for joy and even cheering jubilantly for the sound check guy. The audience seemed dense around the bar and pit, although not quite a sell out.  As for any sell outs besides at the box office, let’s pretend they don’t exist.

I (and many others) have documented the rise in Urban Knitting before. Since my last post, local knitters have gained strength and now they’re giving the community more than warm garments.

Located in the underrated and quickly developing East Delmar Loop, Knitty Couture is an upscale retailer of yarn, needles, books and camaraderie. (The last one is free.) But Thi Miller, the store’s founder, is devoted to more than just making sure urbanite knitters’ yarn baskets are brimming with quality, colorful stock. The store will host knit auctions and other programs to help raise money for neighborhood kids.

“We’re going to knit for kids without toys and warmth,” said Miller, in between manning the register and advising customers. “It’s important to give back.”

Miller also says the shop will make toys, blankets and more for local children.

None of that charity could happen without the shop itself, though. While it’s not the only knit shop in the area, Knitty Couture sets itself apart by catering to all types of knitters. On opening day earlier this month, customers of all ages and genders browsed the boutique, and no one looked out of place.

“I had two little boys in here earlier today,” said Miller. “They both had yarn and needles with them.”

Their enthusiasm wasn’t just youthful exuberance. Miller reported that about 20 people camped out for over three hours before the store opened its doors for the first time. With free pastries laid out, traffic that day remained steady.

“I even managed to sell something,” said Eileen Solomon. A part-time saleswoman and full-time Webster Professor/interview subject.

To find out more about the store, pay them a visit (they’re right across from the Pageant) or, check out their excellent website, complete with a blog.