Decades after its inception, the drive-in theater stands as one of America’s last great icons.
ORDER DIRECT FROM JANSON MEDIA: SPECIAL PRICE $9.95
LENGTH: 46 Minutes
MSRP PRICE: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20292
UPC #: 6-4603202929-1
ISBN #: 1-56839-217-6
RELEASE YEAR: 2004
PRODUCER: Jon Bokenkamp
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It represents an entire era of culture ranging from the space race to the automobile to the emergence of the teenager. But today, in the age of the multiplex, the drive-in theater is a dinosaur.
With hopes of better understanding the past, filmmaker Jon Bokenkamp (screenwriter, Taking Lives) and his ragtag crew hit the road. Using drive-in theaters as their only map, these four young men travel the backroads of America in search of a simpler time. Talking to those who built and lived the drive-in, they paint an honest depiction of what the outdoor theater was all about.
Enlivened by colorful commentary, After Sunset features notables such as horror film director John Carpenter (Halloween), film critic and satirist John Bloom (aka Joe Bob Briggs) and legendary movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff (producer of Beach Blanket Bingo). Whether you’ve never been to a drive-in, still frequent a remaining one, or simply recall those starry nights of popcorn and two-bit love, you’ll find After Sunset to be a unique tribute to one of Americas greatest legends.
Special Features: Audio Commentary by Director Jon Bokenkamp, Photograph Gallery, and Talent Biographies.
Reviews
“A trip to make any boomer who grew up in the back seat…wistful as all get-out.” – Chris Willman, writer for Entertainment Weekly and the LA Times
“…downright inspiring.” – LA Reader
“In 1956, the American landscape boasted some 5,000 drive-ins; today, we have 837. Young filmmaker Jon Bokenkamp interviews John Bloom (a.k.a., drive-in movie critic Joe B”ob Briggs), John Carpenter (whose films, such as Escape From L.A., are tailor-made for the drive-in sensibility), Hollywood movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff ( producer of the legendary Beach Blanket Bing, among other drive-in classics), and a host of die-hard drive-in owners across America. …After Sunset does have some wonderful moments… ” – Video Librarian
“Four buddies embark on a whirlwind nostalgia trip to locate drive-in movie theaters. Interviews with theater owners, filmmakers, and others augment the contemporary and vintage footage of outdoor theaters from California and Texas to Nebraska. Despite some haphazard organization, this fast-paced video is a fond remembrance of drive-ins in their heyday.” – Booklist
“Eighty -three percent of the nation’s drive-in theaters have closed in the past 40 years. After Sunset interviews the owners of some of the survivors, none of whom will make much money at it but all of whom seem to enjoy the sense of community their theaters provide. Director John Carpenter, critic Joe Bob Briggs, and author Mike Wallis discuss the nature of the movies shown, along with the ambiance and social dimensions of drive-ins.” – Library Journal
“Directed by Jon Bokenkamp, this documentary is both a celebration of and a eulogy for a fading part of Americana, the unique offshoot of America’s twin love affair with the automobile and movies. Invented in 1933, the drive-in movie theater business mushroomed in the post-World War II era. Bokenkamp and three friends trek across the United States, visiting drive-in theaters and talking to die-hard folks who still run very personalized operations. Highlights include plenty of nostalgia, various oddities, and quaint peculiarities of the surviving and extinct drive-ins, as well as interviews with director John Carpenter, author Michael Wallis, satirical movie columnist Joe Bob Briggs (John Bloom), and producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, who produced such drive-in fare as Beach Blanket Bingo.” ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
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