ICS Update: Hello From Hendo The Big Move - August 1, 2013

(Thank Goodness HENDO IS BACK IN ACTION!!!  After a brief hiatus we resume the ICS Updates - Judy)

FROM HENDO!


You know, change is not always easy. We find comfort in familiar patterns and familiar surroundings. Any disruption to that can cause anxiety and stress.

Well, this has got to be easiest damn change I for one have EVER made! Moving to our new facilities was as easy as it gets! We had moved our equipment to the new site weeks ago. So all's we had to do is wait and see who showed up that night. And what a great turnout we had! It took no time at all to warm to the new venue. And I think that's because the ICS is not a building, it's people.

Below is a lineup of the events we have planned, compiled by John Ward. Looks like some really good stuff coming up! We've gotten confirmation from Greg Mank that he will be here in October!

Aug 2013  H.G. Wells in Film -- Joe Martellotta

Sept 2013  Dario Argento -- Gary Svehla

Oct 2013  Young Frankenstein -- Greg Mank  (+ Halloween Potluck)

Nov 2013 Favorite movies -- Wayne Kern

Dec 2013  Movie sequels -- John Ward   (+ Silent Auction)

Jan 2014  Strong Women in Sci-Fi -- Jean Salvatore  

(15th Anniversary)

Feb 2014  Sweethearts of the 60's-70's -- Margaret Freeman

Mar 2014  No topic -- Betsy Childs

Apr 2014  Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- Dave Henderson

May 2014  Targets (with Boris Karloff) -- Courtney Spies

June 2014  Batman on Film -- Kim Bartenslager

July 2014  No topic -- Lorne Marshall

Aug 2014  Open

Sept 2014  No topic -- Charlie Wittig

Oct 2014  Open

Nov 2014  Open

Dec 2014  Grindhouse/Drive-In Special -- John Ward  (+Silent Auction)

I would encourage everyone to try their hand at a movie night. You don't have to do a presentation if you don't want to. You could bring in 3 movies you like, or 3 movies you put on when you want a visitor to finally go home. The true object is to expose the club to something they may not have seen, or may not have seen in awhile. Now a little ICS History here- originally we had people just bring in a movie, and we voted. Pretty consistently we voted. You could almost tell what would win. Not that there's anything wrong with that- we watched a lot of great movies that way. Like "The Giant Claw".  Lorne Marshall, an ICS member, said to Dave Willard, 'This way I'll never get to see the type of movies I like'. And he was right. We were missing out on a chance to see a broader spectrum of movies that we might not have watched on our own, but actually liked when we saw it. Or not. That's the fun. That's how we got to see "Don't Torture A Duckling" (I still remember that guy falling down that cliff in slow motion). Well, I'm glad to say that Lorne has returned to the ICS after a long hiatus (isn't it a bugger when work gets in the way of having fun?). 

Hey this weekend there are TWO big Conventions going on! The one of course is SHORE LEAVE, who have finally shaken free their Stargate trappings and are having guests like William Shatner, Amanda Tapping and Brent Spiner. Unfortunately the Shatner talk cost extra, and is sold out. Although I heard that at previous cons he likes to talk more about his horses than Star Trek. How about the fun times doing the "Promise Margarine" commercials, Bill? How about your resentment that JJ "the hack" Abrams has no interest in featuring you as Kirk Prime in the rebooted franchaise? How about working on "The Devil's Rain" where you chewed up all the scenery and had a semi nude scene with Hee-Haw Honey Lisa Todd? If you want to go off Star Trek topic- at a frikking Star Trek CONVENTION- how about talking about those?

Speaking of horsies, this weekend there's also- BRONYCON! Yes friends, a con is dedicated to "My Little Pony"! So far they've sold about 6,000 tickets, which is 5,999 more than I thought they would.

 So if you can't make Shore Leave, be sure and giddyup over to Bronycon. You can bet I WON'T be there!

That's all for now folks! And remember, if you only see ONE movie this year, you need to get out more often!

Hendo

ICS Update: Addendum - January 28, 2013

Given that Hendo has stepped down as Chairman, "Hendo's Corner" will be placed in stasis.  A new blog will be started as John Ward has taken over the Chairman's position.  The new blog is "The Last Ward" and will be added to the "News and Media" link on our ICS Home Page.

We will provide a link here that goes directly to John Ward's new blog as Chairman.

ICS Update: Happy Anniversary - January 28, 2013

Greetings ICSers!

This January marks our 14th year in existence! I want to thank all of those frosty folks who came out on such a frigid night to watch movies. We showed the animated feature "The Dark Knight Returns" based on the story by Frank Miller. Kim Bartenslager was supposed to do presentations, but his father was taken to the hospital with congestive heart failure. Our best wishes go out to Kim.

The board has been shuffled around some. John Ward is the new Chairman, Tom Proveaux is the new Secretary, and Nina will stay on as Treasurer. Charlie and myself will become members at large. Since our inception, we have always had elections. We have had many great boards over the years- everyone should consider running one day.

We had a very important issue to discuss. In a nutshell: The church wants to increase our rent. Originally they told us $100, which we felt was reasonable. THEN they said $150, which we feel is not. Charlie has been our go-between, and a meeting was arranged with the pastor and the ICS Board, which he canceled with 1 hour's notice. Although he has said the amount is flexible, fact is we cannot afford more than $100. Just not doable. So while we remain in negotiations, we are exploring any possible options. Nothing is set in stone yet.

Here's the schedule for the foreseeable future:

February- Tom Diggin - Superhero Parodies
March- John Weber - ?
April- Courtney Spies - Quatermass Movies
May - Skip Phillips- Once Upon A Time in the West
June - Tom Proveaux - Chilling the Funny Bone
July - Judy Pentz - Horror in the 60s
August - Charlie Wittig - Fantasy in TV
September - Gary Svehla - ?
October - Greg Mank - Dissecting Young Frankenstein
November - Wayne Ferguson - ?
December - John Ward - Tarantino Movies
January - your friendly neighborhood Hendo - Jules Verne on Film

So there you have it. John Ward will be taking over the ICS-UPDATES as the new Chairman. I've enjoyed being Chairman of this fine group of people for the past 2-3 years. But you need to have variety to keep things from getting stale. New ideas, new approaches. I look forward to serving you on the board as a member at large as John takes the helm.

Stay warm, my friends.

Hendo

ICS Update - January 24, 2013

Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed,,,

Roger, ready to move out--

Yes, friends, those immortal words uttered at the beginning of the Batman TV show gives a clue as to what this Saturday's Meeting will be about- BATMAN MOVIES! There are certainly a number to choose from. From Adam and Burt to Bale, and all those in between. Personally, to me the only Batman movies are the campy 60s one, and the ones with Christian Bale. But hey, maybe you're a big fan of Joel Schumacher's Bats? Come on out and let's watch some bat-movies, same bat-time, same bat-place.

We're now in January and coming up is February- two months known for... snow! Now if we cancel a meeting, I will send out an email that morning, or if it snows badly on Friday, that evening. In any event, use your own judgement. If you are worried about the streets, stay home. We don't want anyone getting hurt.

We have an open calendar for showing movies. Used to be we had a year waiting list. Now it's like 6 months. We encourage all members to take a night. If you don't want to do a presentation, that's fine. You could simply do something like "Your 5 favorite movies", or "Movies I Hate" or whatever.

January is Dues Time. We need to ask members to try to pay your dues promptly, so we can pay the bills. We now have PayPal available via our website (that's how I renewed).

That's all for now. Keep Warm!

Hendo

ICS Update - December 12, 2012

Season's Greetings folks!

First off- remember you can always catch current goings-ons and conversations on our FACEBOOK page.

The meeting will be this Saturday, Dec 15th. Due to a snafu on our part, we will not have the hall. We will have the church instead. Charlie Wittig made a special trip to pick up a key to the church (ours for some reason no longer work). We will be having another Silent Auction (so bring in stuff). Also please bring food. The theme for the evening will be "Evil Children".

That morning a group are headed to AMC White Marsh to see THE HOBBIT. If you want details or want to join in, check with JOHN WARD. I imagine that it's possible by now that it's sold out.

A reminder that we will be collecting dues starting in December. They are still $25. Remember, if you'd like a waiver, you need to request one from the Board.

Also we will be taking nominations for our January elections. If interested in running please see Sam DiBlasi and Rick Arnold.

I won't be there this weekend, so let me wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Hendo

ICS Update: Happy Thanksgiving - November 21, 2012

Greetings one and all, and best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend is our November Meeting- and we will be having a RECENT MOVIE NIGHT. Everyone is asked to bring in a recent movie (1939 is NOT recent!) for members to vote on. For example, I will be bringing in "The Woman In Black", John Ward will be bringing "The Avengers" and "Contagion" and a few others.

There won't be any presentation that evening- instead we'll have a discussion of recent movies we've seen, led by John Ward.

Hard to believe, but another year is coming to a close. We will be holding our Annual Elections in January. Anyone wishing to run for office can put their name in for the ballot. I will again be asking Sam DiBlasi and Rick Arnold to be tellers- however I need to see if they are willing to do this for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hendo

ICS Update: Halloween The Day After - October 28, 2012

Greetings one and all!

I wanted to thank everyone for bringing both themselves and food to our Annual Halloween Potluck Dinner! I hope that everyone there enjoyed themselves at our little fete.

You may be curious (or, maybe not) about who won the All-Nighter. This year we had 4 hardy souls, including for the first time a woman. Yes Mary Blackstock broke the "glass ceiling" by staying until 5:30 with Skip, John W and Darryl! As John Ward put it:

Skip, Darryl, Mary and I lasted until 5:30 this morning, watching The Cabin in the Woods, Zombieland, and the complete "Grindhouse Experience" back to back to back!! If you count the Grindhouse movies separately -- Planet Terror and Death Proof -- that's four movies we watched after Greg Mank's presentation on "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man."

Man, I get tired just THINKING about staying up until 5:30! Well done, gentlemen and lady!

Included is a photo of those who dressed up. Nina Hawes won the costume contest, dressed as Tippi Hedron from "THE BIRDS"!

The real Halloween is this Wednesday, and between us and that stands a big storm. Everybody stay safe!

Hendo

ICS Update: Happy Halloween - October 24, 2012

Good Eve-e-ning to one and all! Just a reminder that this weekend is our Annual Halloween Party! We will be having renowned author GREG MANK speaking on FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, Then we will screen this classic fright flick.

We are asking folks to bring a dish for our POTLUCK DINNER, too!

There will be a COSTUME CONTEST with a prize for best costume!

And then there will begin... the HALLOWEEN ALL-NIGHTER! Let's see who has the fortitude to make it through the night watching movies! (Um... not me!).

So bring a friend, bring a fiend, bring yourself to our Halloween Party!

Hendo

ICS Update - Our Big 1-5-0 Meeting September 26, 2012

Greetings one and all, ladies and gentlemen, and those member running for public office- This Saturday marks our 150th Meeting! And to mark the event, we will be having Jocular John Ward going over the ICS's 150 top movies! And the movie that ranked at #1 will be shown out of doors (weather permitting) on Charlie's big silver screen! It is suitable for youngsters, so we don't have to worry about young kids on the Mini-Golf Course getting an eyeful! I remember as a kid on a way to visit my Aunt in Emmittsburg late one evening we drove past a drive-in theater that was showing an x-rated movie. Drive-ins did that a lot to get folks to come on out. That and quickie horror movies like "Frogs". Anyway, this movie is ok for kiddies. Now what movie is it? What, and ruin John's surprise? You'll have to come out and see for yourself!

Unfortunately, the dam-ned mosquitoes are still out, too. I hate mosquitoes. A scientific survey found that we could eliminate every one and not upset the food chain too badly. So bring either OFF or citronella candles (if you can find them), or else you might get welts! Or until we find out who attracts them the most and tie them to a tree away from others.

Next month is our time to HOWL with writer Greg Mank talking about "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman"! Remember how Lugosi turned down the original role of the Monster, feeling it was undignified? Well, by the 1940s ol' Bela was willing to do almost anything for a paycheck, including playing the Monster. Luckily he wouldn't sink so long to co-star with a gorilla or something! 

Anyway, Greg will fill us in on the shenanigans behind the making of this Universal Classic. I remember when I later saw the poster, I wished the Monster had at least taken a punch at the Wolfman! More on the Halloween Party later!

So bring your comfy studio chair and your bug spray and come on out this Saturday!

Hendo

ICS Update - August 21, 2012

Good Eve-e-ning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Ahead of us this weekend, for your enjoyment, is the August ICS Meeting. We will be having JUDY PENTZ doing a presentation on that Master of Mystery and the Macabre, ALFRED HITCHCOCK. As John Ward once remarked, "Hitchcock is a genre of his own". I think we can agree with that- we've all heard this film or that as referred to as "HITCHCOCKIAN" in style.

We're coming to the traditional end of Summer, and we'll briefly recap some of the highs and lows in the movies this summer, led by John Ward.

So come on out and have a good time at the next meeting!

Hendo

ICS Update - August 10, 2012

Greetings one and all!

I thought I'd fill you in with some stories and photos for a summer's night.

First off, we had a meal of salads and sundaes at our new SUNDAES and SALADS NIGHT- suggested by Gary and handled by Tom Proveaux- at the last meeting. It was a wonderful suggestion- and lighter fare sits better on a hot humid night than pizza does! Never fear, we will be having a PIZZA NIGHT later in the year.

Also at our last meeting, we played ICS-ACADEMIC, the ICS quiz show. We had 3 teams compete against each other, with Jolly John Weber acting as the MC. The winners- Dave W., Darryl and Skip aka The Headless Ghosts- all won a double vote card for their mastery in answering genre-related questions. I have attached some photos of the teams, along with Charlie Wittigs' masterful invention, THE BRAINIAC- used for "chiming in".

After that, Nina Hawes gave an interesting presentation on TIM BURTON. The movie selected for the evening was Sleepy Hollow- one of my favorite Burton films.

SEE OUR PHOTO ALBUM FOR THIS EVENT

Today I burned a vacation day at work and went to the MID-ATLANTIC NOSTALGIA CON, aka MANC, at Hunt Valley. While there I got to see guests Ron Ely (Tarzan), James Darren and Robert Colbert (The Time Tunnel), Shirley Jones (the Partridge Family), Sherry Jackson (of the classic ST episode "What are Little Girls made of?") and Hammer favorite Veronica Carlson. And along with them outside they had THE GOTHAM SUPERCAR, aka the 1966 Batmobile. As we can all guess, BATMOBILE is now trademarked. I'd have called it the BATCAR if it were me. The were showing movies and TV shows periodically throughout the day. Autographs ran $20 and up.

Now let me get on my soapbox (Tide Detergent, of course) here. I enjoy conventions. I don't go as often as I used to, though. I haven't been to a Shore Leave in years. Horrorfind is too far to drive now. I went to MANC this year because I'm an Irwin Allen fan, as you all know, and a chance to see James Darren and Robert Colbert was one I didn't want to miss. I spent a fair amount of time walking through the dealer's room, but I was not in the mood to empty my wallet there. Can't say any of the things they were showing in the movie rooms interested me, and there weren't multiple showings going on.

And that's the rub. There was nothing else to do.

I found that Veronica, Sherry and Shirley had done a panel the day before, and had nothing else planned. James Darren and Robert Colbert would not be on until late evening, and I couldn't stay that long. I'm cutting back on DVDs and "toys", so the dealer's room was nice to look at, but I wasn't really looking for anything special. Nowadays thanks to the Net, there's a good chance I could order most of the stuff. Older, hard to find items I wouldn't be able to afford.

Which made me think of one of the best local cons ever- Gary and Sue Svehla's FANEX. By the hoary hosts of Asgard, THAT was a convention. Every hour had something going on- and one had a lot of choices. I heard at least once a patron say- "There's two things I want to see but they're both at the same time!". They had multiple movie screenings. They had panels- panels made up of movie lovers interacting with the audience. They had guests that you could see each day in some form or another. Oftimes walking around, intermingling with the patrons and staff. And the guests... believe it or not... were not allowed to charge for photos! 

The admission price was very reasonable, the dealers' room was packed (although dealers always complain). And the guests weren't herded into the dealer's room like other vendors- each had their own signing room (and signing times, which worked very well but would not work today with them charging. Except when some guy named Ron, I think, showed up with an armful of items he wanted signed. That I believe led to a 2 item limit). I worked a lot of those cons, beginning with I believe FANEX 6. It was thoroughly enjoyable. The staff members would often hang out in the bars tween working sessions, have a fun time shooting the feces. I remember when the theme was "It Came From the Drive-In", where they were going to do a promotional spot on Channel 13's morning show with Don Scott and Marty Bassho.

 I was asked if I could bring the old Camaro out to be a prop, since it was live from the Bengies Drive-In. I got up at 4 in the morning, drove down to my sisters (she had a garage we used), drove out to the Bengies, being one of the few cars on the road. The burbling V-8 sound in my ears, and the lights of those round headlights stabbing the darkness, with Todd Rundgren on the cassette player. There was no trace of sunrise yet. Made it out there- Channel 13 used a filter that made it look like early morning when I swear it was still dark out. Shot the spot (I have it recorded somewhere) and drove back to my sisters, then back to my place, then on to work.. zzzzzz  It was fun, it didn't cost you an arm and a leg, and there were a lot of memories to be made.

But the only thing constant is change, they say.

Attached you will find photos for you to peruse of the last meeting, and of some MANC Stars. The person's name is the name of the image, in case you don't recognize them.

Til next time! Nuff said!

Hendo

ICS Update - July 26, 2012

Greetings!

With the hot weather returning, it will be a perfect time to have our FIRST ANNUAL SALADS AND SUNDAES NIGHT! Come cool off this weekend with a salad or a sundae. The club (meaning all of us through our dues and amazon paybacks) will be paying for all the necessities. We will also be having our game show ICS-ACADEMIC. And to top it all off, it's TIM BURTON NIGHT!

I went to see Dark Knight Rises on Monday. In a movie theater. With quite a few others. I, along with those other folks, refused to let a nutjob who opened fire in a theater at the Batman movie midnight show make us afraid. Because if we do, then this nut wins. Him, and all others like him.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Hendo

ICS Hot Update - July 15, 2012

You know, the upcoming generation may be able to find out almost anything with a few keystrokes. And that's probably a good thing- because they sure don't have much knowledge stored in their heads- at least not the kind we were taught to make us a "well rounded person". I was in B&N today, when a bookperson comes up to me and asks if I need help (what a loaded question). I ask her where I could find Jules Verne. She said let's find out, and went to her computer. "Wow, he's everywhere!" she proclaimed. Sci-fi, classic, fiction... in total surprise. I said, you've never heard of Jules Verne? Nope. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? No, they didn't make me read that one in school. WELL, they didn't make me, either! I read it on my own! And who the hell has never heard of Jules Verne? Good grief! The World as We Know It, is doomed...

 
Hey, Tim Fleming reports that some fellow named Higgs discovered a new type of Bison. I'm always glad to hear when an endangered species is making a comeback.
 

For those who remember her, our biggest Godzilla fan, Linda Conrad, is selling stuff at the G-Fest Con in Florida.
 

Come July, we'll be having our "Salads and Sundaes" night, featuring again the renowned French Chef, Msr Thomas de la Proveaux. Also we'll be playing a round of our game show ICS-ACADEMIC! For those new folks, it's just like IT's ACADEMIC, with genre related questions. Our electronic and computer wiz Charlie Wittig designed and built the BRAINIC device for it. The board has come up with a list of 100 questions that will be used that evening. Jolly John Weber will be host, because in the past any team John was on blew away everyone else. :)  The winning team gets a double vote card! You're probably saying, "wow, how could this night GET any better?". Well, to top it off, Nina Hawes is having- Tim Burton Night! Yes, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice and the Headless Horseman and many others will all be there that evening for us to vote on!
 

We'll also chat on some of the movies out there- a certain webslinger debuted a short time ago, and a dark knight is on the horizon this week. So stay cool, and we'll see you at the next ICS-MEETING!
Hendo

ICS Update - July 4, 2012

"The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

--John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Well, gang, as we can see, John Adams, the Forgotten Founder, was off by 2 days. July 2nd was the actual day that Congress took a vote to declare its independence from England. July 4th was the day it was proclaimed throughout the colonies.

It's easy in hindsight to see how this all turned out. But at the time... these men had taken a large bold step. They were aware that what they had done could be considered treason. 

These representatives from 13 assorted colonies, who often were in competition with each other for trade and business, had united on this monumental issue (ok, NY abstained, but it was not a "nay" vote). As Franklin put it, "We must all hang together, or surely we will all hang separately", as in 'on the gallows'. And he was right. Had history taken a different turn, Benedict Arnold might be considered a hero, and Washington a traitor. It was by no means a "slam dunk". As Adams put it, "1/3 of the country was for independence, 1/3 for loyalty to the crown, and 1/3 just wanted to be left alone". He was quite right.

As we gather for our cookouts and parades, let us think for a minute of the men, and the women who stood by their husbands as they put themselves in harm's way, who took such a chance in those heady days of July, 1776.

I want to thank all of those who came out on a very hot and humid June night to attend our meeting. We had a nice turnout of 21 people that evening. Courtney Spies brought in some very good Roger Corman Poe movies. We wound up watching the excellent "Masque of the Red Death". A big "thank you" to Daryl for setting up the projector, since Charlie was catching Joan Jett in concert.

That evening showed how unpredictable showing movies outside can be. The heat was unbearable. We will probably try to have these in September- it's cooler, and it gets dark earlier than 9:00.

Next month we will be featuring our "Salads and Sundaes" meeting- a change from our usual Pizza Night, which we will hold later in the year. It's also an "ICS-ACADEMIC" night. A reminder to da board and Onederful John Weber- send game questions to me, please, and I will put together a list. John Weber will be our host. The winning team gets "Double Vote Cards"- where you get a card that you can use to get 2 votes that night for a movie rather than one. We'll explain it more later.

Speaking of sending things, if you get a chance over the holiday, send your top 150 list to John Ward. I know it's hard to remember- I haven't done one yet, either. But John needs them by the end of July.

Our treasury is in great shape. I don't have the exact amount on me, but it's over $1,900. We are getting bucketfuls of cash from Amazon.com. So remember to go to our website, click the "Amazon" button, and we get a kickback each time you do when you purchase something.

ICS Page

Hey, are you on FACEBOOK? Well, we have a page there, too. Why not like us? Also, if you've seen a movie, or something else you think the club would like, post it!

FACEBOOK PAGE

That's all for now! May everyone have a safe and enjoyable July 4th Holiday!

Historic Hendo

ICS Update - June 28, 2012

Hot enough for you? I Know it is for me.

As you know, Saturday was supposed to be our "Movies Under the Stars" night. Well, there's been a change in plans. Due to the fact that Charlie will be out of town, and due to the fact it's supposed to reach 100 frikking degrees, we will be showing movies INDOORS this Saturday! As usual, your friendly neighborhood Hendo will get there early to turn on the A/C.

Also a reminder to bring in your lists for John Ward!

See you then!

Hendo

ICS Update - May 24, 2012 - Annual Memorial Day Cookout

Greetings one and all! I hope that everyone is doing well these rather cool days of May. Even so, this weekend is our ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY COOKOUT, and we're hoping the church didn't double book again! We'll start serving food about 3:30 to 4. Remember to bring a dish of some sort- the hamburgers, hot dogs and rolls will be purchased out of club funds.

And DON'T forget- the 150 favorite genre list that John Ward is putting together! If you can't come up with 150, then send what you can... 5, 10, 50, whatever!

See you Saturday!

Dave

ICS Update - April 30, 2012 Avengers Dis-assemble

An important message has been received on the Avengers Priority One Band from John Ward:

Hendo:

I guess you didn't get my phone message or text.  I almost clicked "Reply All" for this, but I figured you should send it out.  The 9 A.M. show this Saturday is sold out according to Fandango, so I went ahead and grabbed two tickets for my son John and me at the next available time, the 9:40 A.M. show in IMAX 3D.  I know you're not a 3D fan, so I checked and saw that there are still tickets available for the next 2D show at 12:20.  You should let the members know ASAP.  Also let them know, if they're interested, that the IMAX 3D tickets are only $12 for the first morning show at 9:40.  Later, they go up to $18.

JohnErgo we won't be organizing a flash mob this weekend. They are expecting an opening weekend gross of $150 million. It opened in Europe last week, and it is running wild at the box-office. Good luck if you decide to chance it this weekend.

Don't forget to friend the ICS on FACEBOOK!

Hendo

ICS Update - April 29, 2012

Greetings! Well today was a much nicer day than yesterday was! But we still had a good time, as 24 members gathered together to have a good time.

I wanted to let folks know that they should mark their calendars for next month's annual MEMORIAL DAY COOKOUT! There will be more details later, but this is one special meeting.

Also, it was brought to the membership yesterday that the board was considering moving Pizza Night to February, and making July a salad and ice cream sundae month. The members reacted favorably, so that's what we'll be having this July. It will be here before you know it.

We are going to organize a FLASH MOB to see THE AVENGERS this Saturday.

The 1st feature at the Lowe's White Marsh is 9 am. Now there is a STRONG possibility that the movie may be crowded, even that early. Ol' Hendo usually makes 2 trips around the lot, and if he can't find a space, he leaves. However, I could be wrong, and it might be slow then. That is what we're gambling on. If you make it there, keep an eye open for other members drifting in.

Are you on Facebook? So is the ICS! So don't forget to friend us on there!

ICS on Facebook


See you at the movies!

ICS Update-A-Roo - April 20, 2012

Greetings ICSers! I hope that everyone is doing well these days. I don't know about you all, but all kinds of nasty bugs seem to be filling the Spring air. I was badly sick all week.

The April Meeting will be April 28, next weekend. The days just seem to fly by. We were originally scheduled to have Martin Grams do "the Twilight Zone", but as you probably know by now, he canceled on us. So we will be having a "Bring in your Blu-Rays" movie night, to inaugurate the new blu-ray player.

Now Jovial John Ward has suggested that since there won't be a movie that night, that we have a discussion of recent genre stuff on TV and the movies. Now for some reason this is a topic that provides a lot of mixed feelings. Those who are in favor of discussing movies say, "We're a movie club. We should talk about movies". Those who are against say "Even though we are a movie club, very few of us go to the movies (due to time constraints, cost, etc) and that it was the same people every meeting who had a movie to talk about. That it's a lecture, not a discussion.". I've been trying to streamline the business meetings, so that we have a. more time to socialize and b. Get to the movie. It's one of those situations that is not easy to please everybody. But since this meeting we don't have a presentation, I think we'll go ahead and have a movie discussion session. Now if it's a shame it isn't next month, after "The AVENGERS" and "Dark Shadows" come out. Based solely on John's recommendation, I am going to see "Cabin in the Woods" this weekend. Hey, it's by Joss Whedon!

Speaking of Dark Shadows, for those who have not heard, Jonathon Frid, the original Barnabas Collins, passed away a week ago. He was 87, and has a cameo in the new DS film. 

                                 Johnathon Frid                   Johnny Depp

According to preliminary surveys, it appears "The AVENGERS" may give "Hunger Games" a run for its money... among men! The survey shows an unusually high number of males want to see the Avengers. And I am one of them. My guess would be the first weekend will be tough to get into. But we may try to organize a flash mob to go see it, and DS.

That's all for now!

Keep dry, and hope to see YOU next weekend! Same bat-time, same bat-channel! 

ICS Update - March 3, 2012 Part Two

Greetings one and all! Chairman Hendo here, bringing you early Spring Tydings! For those who are new, I'll let you in on a little past history. One year we actually had both the January and February meetings snowed out. One other meeting we had after a big snow. Unfortunately, the church had not shoveled out the walkway from the lot (which was clear) to the Fellowship Hall (which was not). So, finding a shovel I cleared the pathway. No, I didn't charge the church for my aching back after that!

Just a gentle reminder that dues are dooby dooby due! Anyone having financial difficulties can request a waiver. We are a fun club, and recognize that times are tough for some of us. Just ask any board member for a waiver. But we do have expenses to meet- so if you can pay part or all of your dues, please do so. We will be sending out a list of all who have paid soon. And you can also help the club by going through the club's website ( www.icsfilm.net) and clickee on the Amazon button. I recently decided to personalize my new office at work- so I think the take in a month or so should be pretty good, since Amazon did the re-decorating.

ICS Web Page

Check out the website btw. Judy, Charlie and Betsy have done a fantastic job at keeping it fresh and updated. Also we are on facebook. If you are on facebook, don't forget to like us. Then feel free to post.

ICS on Facebook

We had a number of new folks at the last meeting. We hope that you enjoyed yourself and will return. Someone asked me if the meetings were always like this- well, yeah. We are a club that tries to be a social club, with the tying thread being a love (or at least liking) of sci-fi, horror and fantasy genre films. We have what we think will be a good year of events coming up.

However, I have heard from Martin Grams, who was our speaker for April on the Twilight Zone. I said "was", because once again we have had a speaker who "did not put us on their calendar". I also have not heard back from Greg Mank, who up until last year ago was our speaker every Halloween. I'll keep you posted on when (and if) we try to re-schedule Grams.

I have gotten some complaints about junk mail being sent from Dave Willard's email. Apparently his email was hacked. Both Charlie and I have contacted him about doing something about it. Since I got another one from him a day or two ago, I am led to believe he has not done so. I have decided, therefore, with reluctance, to block his addy until he corrects the problem.

On our website John Ward has posted the results of the Oscar Pool. Who won? Well you'll have to take a look....

Til next Tyme!

Hendo