Reader Jack Smith writes:
“I feel that if the City of Stockton were to purchase the remaining teams left at the arena, the teams would suffer.
“I have season tickets for the Thunder. Many families have adopted this team, purely because it is good fun, and most importantly, it is affordable for a family. I could easily see the blundering city bureaucrats trying to immediately recoup their past losses by hiking anything and everything up, especially the ticket prices.
“In doing so, in a typical bureaucrat’s manner, they would be driving income down, as people would stop going. It would no longer be affordable. … Most likely the entire family will then stay home, reducing income from ticket sales and resulting vendor income. The same would possibly happen to any one that purchased the teams, as the city would hike the arena fees, making the ticket prices rise also. ”
I reprinted this letter because it is typical. People don’t trust City Hall to steer the Thunder and the Arena to a better financial footing. But what’s the alernative? To allow the IFG’s mismanagement to cost the city $3 million a year? Getting rid of IFG does involve risk. But surely that’s preferable to municipal bankruptcy.
Linden filmmaker releases second film
Linden auteur Matthew Marconi, who wrote and directed the 2005 film “Truce,” is releasing his second film at the upcoming San Joaquin International Film Festival.
“Sally” will have its world premier at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 20th at the Empire Theater. It will be shown as part of the “Shorts 1″ block. It will also screen on the following Saturday at 8:30 PM in Modesto at the State Theater.
“It is a real honor to have Sally included in this year’s festival!” Marconi writes. “I have been impressed with the quality and diversity of the films that Sophoan Sorn, and the San Joaquin Film Society have selected for the festival. This years line up is extremely impressive. I feel lucky to be included.”
“Sally,” the story of two men’s inability to get over a young woman’s accidental death, “is the first film I have written and directed since spending nearly six years working on my first feature film, ‘Truce,’” Marconi writes. “Sally was my attempt to get back in the saddle again both literally and figuratively. (I played one of the roles and had to ride a horse.)
“My friend and collaborator, Takuji Murata, flew from Tokyo … (We) decided to shoot our own “Dogma American Style” film using primarily natural light with a loose/hand held approach to camera work and overall style. After making a straightforward and traditional narrative film with Truce, Takuji, Harvey Jordan (co-writer & actor) and myself decided to experiment with the film’s narrative and the manner in which the story was told.
“I really felt the need to push my own boundaries as a storyteller with this film,” Marconi said.