Happy Days. After months of bitterly cold weather we’re finally going to see some warmer temps this weekend. And just in time for Valentine’s Day too! Seems like the perfect time to check out what’s going on in the Iowa City area for the weekend.
I’m not sure, but I’m going to guess that Valentine’s Day weekend is a big one for new movies so I’ll start there. There are four new movies out this weekend. The one that caught my attention for its cute title is Gnomeo and Juliet. It’s an off the wall look at the greatest love story of all time – With garden gnomes as the main characters. That right there appeals to my sense of humor and I guess that was the plan. There are some great names behind the scenes too with James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as the voices behind the lovers and Elton John providing the music.
We have two big movie theaters in the Iowa City area. The Sycamore Movie Theater is on the east side of Iowa City at Sycamore Mall. Coral Ridge Movie Theater is on the west side in Coralville at Coral Ridge Mall. The links will take you to the showing times for movies.
The other big new movie release this week is Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. It’s in 3D so this documentary should provide quite a spectacle of this young man’s extraordinary rise to fame. Not quite up my street of course, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the demographic they’re shooting for!
The other two movies coming out are Just Go With it, a romantic comedy with Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler and The Eagle with Channing Tatum, a nice Roman epic to round things off. Not sure either of these have any chance against the competition… What do you think?
If regular theater is more your thing The Englert is the place for you this weekend. Friday through Sunday the Iowa City Community Theatre will present And Then There Were None - Classic Agatha Christie, definitely one of my favorite authors of all time.
Another big event this weekend in town is that the Bacon Brothers are in town. Well, not actually in town. They’re at the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort at Riverside. Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael have been making music 15 years now. Long enough to be taken seriously and not held back by the fact that Kevin is also a very successful actor. Doors open at 7.00pm and the show starts at 8.00pm. The link is to the website and you can purchase tickets there. Phone number if you want to call ahead is 319-648-1234
On Sunday afternoon they have another pretty big name at the Riverside Casino with Righteous Brother, Bill Medley. He’s half of the duo who sang one of the best love songs of all time, Unchained Melody. (And if you’re drawing a blank on the title, it was used in the Patrick Swayze movie Ghost). That show is on Sunday, February 13. Doors open at 3.00pm and the show starts at 4.00pm.
I was at the Riverside Casino a couple of weeks ago for the first time. It is really an impressive place and SO much more than a Casino. If you haven’t visited yet, this weekend may be just the time to check it out!
Rounding things off, if you’re looking for music in downtown Iowa City, then I have two hot picks for you. The Yacht Club on Linn St and The Mill on Burlington. Check out the links, they have some pretty exciting stuff going on this weekend too.
