CinemaCon 2013 Pt. 1

Last week we attended CinemaCon, our annual industry convention in Las Vegas, which is held at Caesar's Palace ("Do you know if the hotel is pager friendly?"). I am sure some of you kept up with us on Twitter or our Facebook page, but this will give you a little more detail of what and who we saw.  

Monday night kicked off the convention with a presentation from Paramount Pictures, followed by a screening of their movie Pain and Gain (opening this Thursday at 9pm).  J.J. Abrams wasn't able to attend to help promote Star Trek Into Darkness because he is working on finishing the film, but they brought out members of the cast including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Alice Eve and John Cho.  We got to see about 20 minutes of the film, and the general consensus was everyone can't wait to see more!  Next, we got to see a trailer for World War Z starring Brad Pitt, who made an unexpected appearance.  He discussed how difficult it was making this movie and making sure they live up to the book.  We then got to see some additional footage, and it had all of us on the edge of our seats. World War Z will open on June 21st.  Their presentation concluded with a video of Dwayne Johnson and Mark Walhberg introducing Michael Bay, who made an appearance to introduce his film Pain and Gain.  Bay said he has been working on this movie for 12 years, and only on a $25 million budget.  Based on a true story, Walhberg and Johnson's characters get involved in an extortion scheme which takes a turn for the worse.  Get your tickets here for Thursday's 9pm or midnight shows.

Tuesday morning started off with the Universal Pictures presentation.  To get things going they start with Fast and the Furious 6 which opens on May 24th.  They brought out the whole cast including Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Tyrese.  Diesel announced the next installment will be coming to theatres in July 2014.  He said they have been planning 2-3 movies ahead, and once we see the ending of this one, we will understand why the next one will be here next summer.  We got to see a little bit of Despicable Me 2, which opens on July 3rd, and it won't disappoint!  The rest of their lineup includes R.I.P.D., 2 Guns, Kick-Ass 2, Riddick, Rush, About Time, The Best Man Holiday, and 47 Ronin.    

Warner Brothers was next on Tuesday afternoon with their presentation of 2013 films, and they have quite the lineup.  They start off the summer season with The Great Gatsby 3D  on May 10th, for which Baz Luhrmann introduced a trailer via a taped video.  This film not only looks beautiful, but the 3D is stunning.  Bill and Colleen are lucky enough to be able to attend the premiere of the film next week in New York City!  Following Gatsby, they take off with The Hangover Part III which opens on May 24th.  Todd Philips stepped out on stage and said "comedies should be seen in theaters where everyone can laugh together."  Next up they have Man of Steel 3D, set to open June 14th.  Director Zack Snyder introduced the newest trailer (Producer Christopher Nolan was in the audience, but enjoyed the trailer from his seat).  Guillermo Del Toro came out next to talk about his film Pacific Rim 3D opening on July 12th.  While talking about his excitement for the film he said  "Several times a week I find myself smiling like a goddamned moron”.  Their presentation ended with footage from The Conjuring, 300: Rise of an Empire 3D, We're the Millers, Prisoners, Gravity 3D, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D.

To conclude our Tuesday evening, we got treated to a full length screening of The Heat from 20th Century Fox.  Director Paul Feig was there to introduce the film, and also mentioned he is from Michigan.  Colleen was able to talk to him following the screening and he grew up not far from Bill and Colleen!  The Heat stars Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock and they play a police officer and an FBI agent respectively, who don't get along the greatest. To say we loved this movie is an understatement.  I am pretty sure I was crying I was laughing so hard.  The Heat opens June 28th.

I will post Part 2 next week which will include more studio presentations and the awards night!

Free Family Flicks Winter Series

The time has come for another Free Family Flicks series!  We are excited to be able to continue again this year with some great sponsors who were able to make this happen.

This year we are continuing to collect canned goods/non-perishable items for Together.  If you aren't familiar with their work, check our their website to see all they do.  Our other partners are Enterprise Bank with locations on 128th & Center and on Regency Parkway, Jones Bros Cupcakes, Ponzu Sushi & Grill, & Learning HQ all in Aksarben Village.  Each week customers will need to pick up tickets for the weekend from one of the businesses listed above.  Tickets will be available on Monday each week for that week's movies.  

 

This is a great opportunity to check out a new business to see what they have to offer!  From personal experience, I can tell you Jones Bros has to die for cupcakes and great teas, Ponzu has great salads and sushi, Learning HQ has great educational toys and books, and Enterprise Bank has the nicest tellers and bank staff.  

Details for the Series:  It will be every Saturday and Sunday starting January 26th.  The  movies will start at 11 am and the doors will open at 10:30 am.  Seating is offered on a first come, first served basis and a ticket does not guarantee a seat.

January 26 & 27- Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

February 2 & 3- Ice Age: Continental Drift

February 9 & 10- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

February 16 & 17- Hotel Transylvania

February 23 & 24- The Lorax

For more information, check our our website for Aksarben Cinema.

How We Became "Best of Omaha"

We are so excited we are finally able to share the news we were voted Best Movie Theatre for Omaha Magazine's Best of Omaha 2013!  There actually wasn't a "Best Movie Theatre" category, so I called them to see if we could have it added before voting started.  They were so great and added the category that day!  We greatly appreciate all of our customers that took their time to vote.  We certainly wouldn't be where we are today without all of you!

We just had our 2-year anniversary on December 10th, and what an amazing 2 years it has been! 

We have raised over $23,000 this year for local charities including Angels Among Us, Youth Emergency Services, Together, Open Door Mission, Cystic Fibrosis, Hope Center for Kids, and the Anti-Defamation League Plains States. 

We hosted events ranging from Bicycle Dreams, Shakespeare Film Festival, Red Tails event with some original Tuskegee Airmen as part of Martin Luther King Jr. week, various ADL screenings, lots of birthday parties for kids and adults, Girls Night Out, PerfectMatch premiere, Anti-Hunger Summit, a wedding (our first), Urban Adventure Race kick off, Derby Baby!, Green Omaha Coalition event, Omaha Conservatory of Music Gala, a rehearsal dinner, Creighton Men's Basketball viewing parties, live music with Chris Saub, and more!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the year!

Check presentation with the ADL

Chris Saub playing in the back lobby

Check presentation with Together

Sock drive for Open Door Mission

Red Tails event

Red Tails event

Food drive for Together

Check presentation with Open Door Mission

Children from Open Door Mission came to see a movie

Stormtroopers made an appearance

Bicycle Dreams event

CinemaCon 2012 Pt. 2

These last two days of CinemaCon were the highlights of the week for me.  The presentations were great, the award show was fun, and I was allowed to take some pictures!


In between all of the presentations, we were able to walk the trade show floor and check out anything new that has become available in the last year.  The funny thing was we already had the new things they were all promoting!  There were huge lines for the Coke Freestyle machines- which we already have, lots of talk around the new Wonka Candy machine- which we already have, and adding a bar concept- which we already have.  The new things we did look at were some new concession items including hummus, which we are now carrying.  We are trying out Sabra hummus in original, roasted red pepper, and roasted garlic flavors.  

Available at the concessions counter now!

On Wednesday, we were able to attend a luncheon called "Frankly Speaking: The Ever-Changing World of Filmmaking Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond" with guest speakers Ang Lee & Martin Scorsese.  This was the chance of a lifetime to hear the two of them talk about their experiences with filmmaking and how technology is changing it for them in a positive way.  Ang Lee was very honest in saying filmmaking was hard, and he is always learning.  Scorsese said he wants to make all of his films in 3D now after he experienced such great results with Hugo.  He said the future of 3D isn't gimmick with hands coming out at you, rather is it going to be able to show the depth of a characters face and costumes.  It will bring you into the story in a different way.  Lee was talking about his breakthrough technology while filming Life of Pi, which is currently in production.  He is the first director to use an underwater 3D camera, and from what we saw, it is unreal.  I could go on and on about this discussion they had, but I have a lot more to share.  If you are interested in more of what they said, check out this article: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00049987.html.

That evening we had a presentation from Sony Pictures to attend.  This kicked off with Men in Black 3, which opens May 25th.  The footage we saw looked fun, and just what you would want in the third installment.  We were able to see an extended scene of That's My Boy starring Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.  This is Adam Sandler's first rated- R film in a while, and it was funny!  My favorite from Sony was The Amazing Spider Man in 3D.  This 3D looks amazing, and will definitely want to see it!  Total Recall, starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, looks like an awesome action thriller which opens on August 3rd.  Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell, a drama opening on August 10th, will take you with Meryl and Tommy as they are looking to light a spark in their relationship.  With Steve Carell, you know it is going to be   fun journey.  Sparkle is a musical drama opening on August 17th.  It is starring Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston, and is sure to please music fans.  Some other titles they showed us were Premium Rush opening August 24th, Resident Evil: Retribution 3D opening September 14th, Hotel Transylvania 3D opening September 28th, Looper opening September 28th, Here Comes the Boom opening October 12th, and Skyfall, the newest installment in the James Bond franchise, will open November 9th.  

We finally come to our last day, which kept us very busy!  We started with the Twentieth Century Fox presentation.  They started with an extended scene from Prometheus, starring Charlize Theron.  I'm not the biggest sci-fi person, but this was intriguing!  I am excited to see what this one brings on June 8th.  Next, we saw a trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Tim Burton who brings a "fresh and visceral voice to the bloodthirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history's greatest hunter of the undead."  Ice Age: Continental Drift, opening on July 13th, is their family film of the summer, and the squirrel still makes you laugh.  The extended trailer we saw for Neighborhood Watch looks so funny!  It is starring Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, and Vince Vaughn.  We will be watching them take on the aliens who are trying to overrun their suburban neighborhood on July 27th.  Their summer is winding up with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the third installment in the popular series based off the successful book series, on August 3rd.  Their other great ones coming soon are Won't Back Down, Taken 2, Of Men and Mavericks, Parental Guidance, and Life of Pi.  They gave us a sneak peak for next year including A Good Day to Die Hard, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, Leafmen, and The Wolverine.

Our last studio presentation was from Universal Pictures, and they have some great films coming!  Battleship kicks off their summer this Friday, and they brought out Brooklyn Decker to talk about being a part of the film.  Next, they brought out Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron to show us a bit from Snow White and the Huntsman.  On July 6th, the new Oliver Stone film Savages will be here.  They brought out Blake Lively, John Travolta,  and Salma Hayek to talk about working together, which was awesome seeing all of them!  Next, was a bit on the movie Ted.  They brought out Mila Kunis and Seth McFarlane, and he had people rolling.  The older gentleman in front of us was just shaking his head, but he was definitely the minority.  I am dying to see more of Ted because I have a weakness for talking animals in movies :)  Other titles they have this year are the newest Bourne film starring Jeremy Renner opening August 3rd, 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves opening November 21st, Les Miserables starring Russel Crowe and Anne Hathaway opening on December 14th, and opening on December 21st Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd will bring back Debbie and Pete from Knocked up in This is 40.  A sneak peak for the future includes Oblivion, Identity Thief, Fast & Furious 6, R.I.P.D., Despicable Me 2, and Jurassic Park 3D!  

Male Star of Tomorrow- Taylor Kitsch

This finally brings me to the awards show hosted by Coca Cola on our last night.  Enjoy the pictures!

Breakthrough Performer of the Year- Josh Hutcherson

Female Star of Tomorrow- Chloe Grace Moretz

Rising Star of 2012- Diego Boneta

Comedy Star of the Year- Anna Faris

Award of Excellence in Filmmaking- Judd Apatow

Cinema Icon Award- Michelle Pfeiffer

Female Star of the Year- Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck as he sneaked out

Male Star of the Year- Jeremy Renner

Career Achievement Award- Sylvester Stallone

Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film- Charlize Theron

Me with Leslie Mann following the awards show

CinemaCon 2012 Pt. 1

I wanted to write this post last week, but after CinemaCon it took me a week to get back in my routine.  I am finally caught up, so now I can share everything about the convention!  Since there is so much to share, I am going to do two parts and post the second one next week.


CinemaCon is a convention held in Las Vegas each year and it is for theatre owners, movie studios, and everyone in between to see what new technology is available, new concession items, upcoming movies, and more.  My parents have been going to this convention, previously named ShoWest, for over 20 years and this was my fourth time attending.  Being a part of this convention really makes me excited to be involved in this industry.  It is a week long reminder of why going to the movies is a wonderful, magical experience, and continues to be for all ages.


We started opening day with a Paramount Pictures presentation.  Sacha Baron Cohen made quite the entrance in costume as The Dictator, which opens on May 16th here at Aksarben Cinema.  We got to see an extended clip from the movie and you found yourself laughing and cringing at the same time, in true Sacha Baron Cohen fashion.  We saw a bit from Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and Chris Rock came out and talked about working with this franchise, and he definitely had everyone laughing.  Next, they presented G.I. Joe: Retaliation and an appearance with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.  He is as cool and charming as they get!  Some other films they have coming out this year are Katy Perry: Part of Me, Paranormal Activity, Not Fade Away, Fun Size, Flight, The Guilt Trip, Rise of the Guardians, and One Shot starring Tom Cruise (one of my favorite clips we saw all week).  That night they also gave Dwayne Johnson the Action Star of the Decade award.  


On Tuesday, we started the day off with the Warner Brothers presentation.  This started off with them talking about Dark Shadows.  I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see if Johnny Depp was going to come out because he rarely does things like this, and guess who walked out from the side of the stage...Johnny Depp and Tim Burton!  We aren't allowed to take pictures in these presentations, otherwise I would have a ton of them!  Pee Wee's Big Adventure was my favorite movie growing up, so it was really cool to see Tim Burton.  Next, we got to see some clips from Rock of Ages, Magic Mike, and The Campaign.  The best part of their presentation was Christopher Nolan coming out to talk about The Dark Knight Rises. He is so sleek and you just want him to keep talking.  We saw a compilation of scenes, and everyone was wanting to see more!  As I am sure you know, TDKR opens on July 20th.  We also got to see about fifteen minutes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D from Peter Jackson.  There was a lot of talk about this because of the jump to 48 frames per second.  We were the first ones to see the film this way, and it was definitely different.  The new 48 frames per second may need a blog post of it's own.  Next, we saw my favorite compilation of scenes/trailer of the whole week.  I honestly almost started crying while watching it.  The Great Gatsby will be coming out on Christmas day and it will be starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire, and Carey Mulligan directed by the amazing Baz Luhrman (who also did Moulin Rouge and Romeo & Juliet).  The colors, movement, and costumes are so Luhrman and it was beautiful!  


To finish the day we saw what Disney has coming.  They kicked off with The Avengers, which many of you now know is amazing.  We got to see the fight scene with Thor and Iron Man, broken up by Captain America.  The one that got me really excited was Brave.  We got to see the first 30 minutes in 3D, and it was beautiful.  I tend to get excited anytime there is a new red-head character :)  On June 29th, People Like Us will open starring Chris Pine, who made an appearance, and Elizabeth Banks.  This is going to be a great heartfelt story inspired by true events.  We also got to see Jennifer Garner promoting The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which looks wonderful and sweet.   This one opens on August 15th.  Frankenweenie, a stop motion black and white film by Tim Burton opening this October looks great too.  You immediately fall in love with the little boy and his dog.  They also showed us a clip of Finding Nemo in 3D being re-released September 14th.  The 3D looked great, especially the bubbles in the water!


My next post will include what it was like to hear Martin Scorsese and Ang Lee discuss filmmaking, the award show, and other studio presentations.