Phoenix Classic Movie Nights

It’s not too late for summer movies! In fact, there are some interesting movie events coming up in the Phoenix/Tempe area this week that I thought I’d share.

Since the current temperature outside is officially hothothot, 2 out of 3 are indoors – the other one includes snow imported to cool things down. More of the traditional “movies in the park” nights around here happen in the spring, so I’ve listed those, as well.

Screenings Starting This Week

1. Heist film series at FilmBar

Today through 9/3

Series includes True Romance, The Italian Job, The Usual Suspects
FilmBar also features a monthly Arizona Filmmaker Showcase (next one: 9/5) and wine tastings the 3rd Friday of every month.
Light rail stop: Roosevelt/Central
FilmBar and CityScape (see #2) are each about .5 mile from Civic Space Park and its suspended sculpture, Her Secret is Patience.

2. Grease at CityScape

8/20 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Movie at 7:40 p.m.)

Part of Cool Summer Nights at CityScape, the event will also include shaved ice, a snow slide, and misters.
Dress as your favorite Grease character.
Light rail stop: Washington/Central
You’ll be super close to the downtown Phoenix location of Cartel Coffee – but it closes at 4pm.

3. The Last Starfighter at Pollack Tempe Cinemas

8/22 9:30pm

Cult Classics hosts a monthly screening of classic films year-round with giveaways and commemorative merch.
Each screening is announced the month before.
VIP ticket packages that include prints, t-shirts, etc. are also available.

Spring events

Phoenix Film Festival (April 7-14, 2016)

Movies in the park (approximate dates based on past year):

Biltmore Fashion Park (March-April)
Kiwanis Park (May)

What kind of movie events do you enjoy (in Phoenix or elsewhere)?

July 28, 2015June 24, 2020

A Mural for the Missing

A community art project that was too controversial for New York city has found a home in Phoenix’s Grand Avenue arts district.

The mural was nearly finished when I stopped by last week. Half a dozen artists were there painting or standing back to Instagram the process – which, really, is also part of spreading a message. In fact, I only heard about the piece because one of the artists from the Frida Kahlo exhibit, Monique Mata, had shared it there.

The Mission

The inspiration came from the film Who is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary that retraces the steps of the migrant trail in Central America in an effort to identify a body discovered in the Sonoran desert.

This work of helping families find the bodies of missing migrants is exactly what the nonprofit Colibrí Center for Human Rights in Tucson does, as well as providing counseling and advocacy services. Their Missing Migrant Project has the goal of “working to end migrant death and related suffering on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Mata Ruda, the New York/New Jersey artist who designed the mural, believes awareness and prevention are key to this. If migrants are invisible to society, their deaths will go unnoticed, the problem unsolved.

The mural is one way to tell their story, make them visible.

While taking a popsicle break, he filled me in on the history of the project – that it been approved then later blocked at 5 different sites from a musuem in New York City to a garage in downtown Phoenix, apparently due to its subject matter. Finally, the Colibrí Center connected them with the spot at La Melgrosa art space.

The Mural

The mural is also called “Colibrí,” named for Colibrí Center and for the hummingbird, which migrates throughout the Americas. It was created to bring awareness of the often-overlooked migrant community.

At least 7 artists collaborated on the piece, mostly from Arizona (with one traveling across the state from the Navajo reservation).

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You can see the finished mural outside Creation Station at La Melgosa, 1023 W. Grand Avenue in Phoenix.

Mata Ruda’s hope is that Colibrí remains a permanent piece of public art and that it makes people aware of the migrants who often are invisible to society.

Like the community it represents, the project has been on a long journey to finally be seen.

July 24, 2015July 25, 2015

Craft Camp is coming!

The awesomeness of our monthly CraftHack meetups could not be contained. One of the organizers, Anne Watson Barber, has planned an entire day for the same kind of learning, crafting, and connecting that happens there. And you’re definitely invited!

Craft Camp is happening Saturday, August 8 at TechShop Chandler. The morning will be filled with talks and workshops to help artists, makers, and crafters learn how to turn their craft into a passion project or business.

I will be part of a blogging panel at 11:15, along with Kitty Carlisle of the Grammatical Activist and Kelli Donley of AfricanKelli. We’ll be sharing strategies and tools to help you get the word out about your craft blog and build your community.

There will also be panels on photographing your creations, crafting for charity, and how to sell via ecommerce and retail.

The afternoon will be a time to craft and meet other crafters.

Registration is $20. Proceeds go to Refugee Focus, an organization that helps refugees in Arizona. Several of our CraftHack-ers volunteer with them, teaching refugee women sewing and other job skills.

I think it’s going to be a really great day! Please tell your artsy-crafty friends and register via the CraftHack Facebook page.

– More info –

Full schedule
TechShop map (free parking onsite)
Follow hashtag #chcraftcamp
A few recommendations for area eats –
- Coffee: Peixoto (which I’ve written about before)
- Lunch: Graz Kitchen Fresh (which I’ve Instagrammed a few times) or San Tan Brewery
- Dessert: Paletas Betty

July 2, 2015July 5, 2022

Honey Bear’s BBQ

[UPDATE March 2022: Since writing this, Honey Bear’s has remodeled their original restaurant on Van Buren, and (I believe) closed their additional locations. I don’t get to Phoenix as often these days, but, from what I hear, their food remains delicious!]

In Phoenix, summer barbecue season means feeling like you’re on the grill whenever you step outside.

When I was looking through photos for pre-Independence Day post ideas, I came across some from Honey Bear’s BBQ, and I thought, “well, that beats standing in the sun in triple-digit temps!”

Inside a building with a charmingly ramshackle facade on Van Buren in Phoenix, two families have been serving slow-cooked Tenessee-style barbecue since 1986. They regularly win New Times Best of Phoenix awards.

If you can’t decide between a barbecue pork, beef, or chicken sandwich, you can get sliders and try them all. They also have really good sides – classics like cole slaw and mac + cheese.

The original Van Buren location is not far from Papago Park. In fact, the last time we visited was right after a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. They also have a restaurant on Central. And you’ll be able to find them at several events around the Valley of the Sun 4th of July weekend.

June 18, 2015June 29, 2022

Summer of the Waffle

I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but somehow I ended up speculating on what would be the next food trend to follow fancified cupcakes and ostentatious donuts.

“Maybe waffles. Do you think waffles could be gourmet? Like will there be food trucks selling artisan waffles?”

Yes and yes, as it turns out.

There are now waffle trucks. And, here in Phoenix, there’s a waffle trailer that serves traditional Belgian liege waffles with the recipe, technique, and even sugar imported from Belgium.

The trailer is the latest venture of Chocolade van Brugge, the chocolate shop I was introduced to during the Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale. So there are all kinds of tempting topping options, including, of course, really good chocolate.

They’ve declared this The Summer of the Waffle and threw a party to kick it off, parking the trailer in Scottsdale’s Eldorado Park on a lovely May evening. Peixoto Coffee Roasters was there with big jars of iced coffee and cascara (coffee cherry tea) and their pour-over coffee setup. Hoot and Holler had organized the event and set the tables with beautiful flower arrangements.

We tried a mini waffle topped with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yep, that’s as awesome as it sounds. Our other mini waffle came with delicious dark chocolate, caramel, and more sea salt than I personally would’ve prefered – but I’m sure they’d lighten that up on request. I’d definitely order it again.

Peixoto did a decaf pour over for me, since it was late in the day. Ridiculously good. Did not taste like decaf. Phillip got an iced coffee, which he enjoyed (even though it kept him up). I like their iced coffee too. It’s my pre-CraftHack beverage of choice.

We got to meet and chat with the owners of both shops. Both are passionate about their craft and their ingredients. Both have come from other continents, bringing along their heritage and sharing a part of it with the Phoenix community.

Besides the waffle truck that’s a trailer, you can find Chocolade van Brugge waffles at their main location in Old Town Scottsdale, and they frequently do pop up shops in Downtown Chandler at Peixoto.

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Thank you to Peixoto, Chocolade Van Brugge, and Hoot and Holler for allowing us to be your guests at this event!