Category: movies

Chuck Miller, savior of Sorg Opera House, steps down

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Chuck Miller in his element, backstage at the Sorg

It took a man with a vision to see the beauty behind the dilapidated and abandoned Sorg Opera House in Middletown. Now, as John Kiesewetter reports this morning, Chuck Miller has resigned as president of the Sorg Opera Revitalization Group (SORG) to become the new executive director of the historic “State Movie Palace of Kansas,” the Fox Theatre in Hutchinson. Wife Denise Brodsky has also resigned her position on the board.

Current board members Roger Daniels and Chris Riva are stepping in to fill roles, although his successor has not been decided.

Here’s my story from about a year ago of how Chuck and his devoted board have been working — extremely hard — to restore the Hannaford-built theater to its former grandeur.

There are similarities between the Sorg Opera House (1891) and Music Hall (1878) as you can see in the balconies. Both were designed by Samuel Hannaford. The Sorg is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the lobby
You can visit your old Music Hall seats

I’m posting a few memories of visiting the Sorg while these dedicated preservationists were at work restoring and programming a series of concerts in the hall. By the way, the acoustics are wonderful. And, for people who remember Music Hall’s old seats, you can revisit them up in Middletown.

Good luck Chuck and Denise! You’ll be missed.

5 things to know about The Lego Batman Movie if you are 8 (or older)

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Jack reviews The Lego Batman Movie, in theaters on Feb. 10.
Jack reviews The Lego Batman Movie, in theaters on Feb. 10.

Let’s be clear. If I didn’t have an 8-year-old to take me, I never would have gone to that advance screening of the new Lego Batman Movie. But I have to say that both Jack, who is a third-grader, and I thought the latest Lego movie was “awesome.” I admit I was skeptical about how entertaining a nearly two-hour movie filled with animations of superhero minifigs could be.

However, Jack — whose own tabletop explosion of Legos (er, sorry, Lego Bricks) rivals some of Gotham City’s worst scenes of destruction in the movie — was on the edge of his seat. Indeed, so were most of the adults in the room, who (when they weren’t laughing) were no doubt wishing they could put a few scenes on “pause” to get a better look. For instance, the lineup of Batman’s Bat-vehicles in his futuristic Batcave was truly impressive.

Even the credits were fun, with voices by actors such as Will Arnett, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Cera and Siri.  (I noticed quite a bit of Apple product placement, as well.)

I won’t divulge the plot. Suffice it to say that The Joker is up to his old tricks, and Batman, a real loner with several personality disorders, ultimately learns the meaning of family with his adopted son, Robin.

Jack’s review

Best part: That would be hard to tell. They were all really good. I would say the battle (in Gotham City). All the action was cool, and it was really funny.

Funniest joke: The password to Batcave.

Animation: It was really good. I don’t know how they did it. They probably just animated it, but they could have built it all out of Legos. But that would take forever.

What you need to know: It’s really good and it’s hilarious, and it has a great story-line. They added a bunch of superheroes and villains, and they also added villains from totally different places, like Harry Potter villains, sea monsters and King Kong.

Fun fact: They added a dark wizard, Voldemort from Harry Potter, and he actually yelled real curses, real Harry Potter spells.

Jack’s Rating: 5 stars