Todd’s Birthday 2021

I regret that I am unable to present this invitation to you in person, but Alderaan has fallen under a planet-wide pandemic, and I’m afraid my mission to plan a more traditional birthday party has failed. I have placed information vital to your attendance at a safe and socially-distanced celebration into the memory systems of this R2 unit, below…

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan

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Event: Todd Bradley’s Birthday
Date: Saturday March 20, 2021
Time: Doors at 6:30, film starts at 7:00
Location: Sie Filmcenter, 2510 East Colfax Ave, Denver
Film: “Star Wars” 4k77 restoration

This private showing includes a complimentary small popcorn and soda for each guest. No outside food or beverages will be permitted. Additional concessions will be available for purchase.

For safety, we will stay in “pods” of guests from the same household. This private theater rental has a 10 person limit. RSVP as soon as you know you can attend (with no more than two sidekicks, please). I’ll then send you a drink menu to choose from, because I have to provide a list in advance. Afterward, if your plans change, let me know, so I can scratch you off the list and make room for others.

Most important, if you don’t feel comfortable sitting in a movie theater for a couple hours, I totally understand. I won’t feel bad if you can’t or won’t attend.

Rules

• All “pods” will sit at least 6′ from each other.
• Guests are required to wear masks or face coverings in common areas and may take them off once seated in the theater.
• Individual “pods” will not be allowed to mingle together. Therefore no hugs, handshakes, or gifts for the birthday boy, please.
• All guests will have their temperature taken upon entry to the Sie FilmCenter. Temperatures over 100 degrees will not be allowed in the facility.
• If you are not feeling well, stay home.
• If you have recently been near someone who is infected, stay home.
• If you have health conditions that put you at high risk, stay home.

The entire FilmCenter will be thoroughly sanitized prior to your arrival, and the Sie staff follows all CDC guidelines explicitly to ensure your safety. So grab your complimentary drink and popcorn, kick back, relax, and enjoy having the Sie all to yourselves!

More details: https://www.denverfilm.org/private-screenings

Film nerd details

“Star Wars” (aka “Episode IV”, sometimes called “A New Hope”) is my favorite movie of all time. It’s not the best film ever, and most people feel it’s not even the best Star Wars film. But it forever changed the world of film making, and has impacted global pop culture in a way that no other science fiction film has.

Since the 1990s, each time Lucasfilm released the film on a new format (DVD, Blu-ray, streaming video) they changed the film in a variety of ways that take it farther from the film that was seen by millions in theaters. George Lucas felt each of these new versions was slightly better that before. Many fans disagree. A group of unpaid and anonymous film restorers have painstakingly created a 4K (UHD) version that is the closest thing possible to viewing the original film in a top notch theater in the summer of 1977. This is “Project 4K77“.

The version we’ll be watching is the UHD version 1.4, with color correction and without DNR (digital noise reduction). I could go on and on, but this is the best version of my favorite movie, and that’s why I want to share it as my birthday gift with you. Plus, many of us haven’t seen a film in a real theater with real movie popcorn since a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

ps.