Councilman Tom Simplot's
North Central News Column

April 2005

“Moonlight Movies” Returns to Steele Indian School Park

The year: 1936. Movies were filmed in black and white, with no swearing or violence onscreen. Route 66 started its winding journey across the country and President Franklin D. Roosevelt educated U.S. citizens with his fireside chats. You'll get to revisit that time before TV, computers or DVDs by coming out to see “The Women,” the first film this year in our popular Council District 4 Moonlight Movie series.

This film is one of several we'll be hosting in upcoming months at Steele Indian School Park , Third Street and Indian School Road . You'll join hundreds of your friends and neighbors for funny movies the whole family can enjoy. We'll also be showing “Big,” “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” and “The Sandlot.” The entire community can have an experience from a vanishing era, watching movies under the stars.

A huge 50 x 34 feet inflatable movie screen will provide excellent movie-viewing, while vendors provide refreshments for purchase. Our first film in the series is a comedy classic. “The Women” captures the battle of the sexes through the story of a group of female friends. Their goal is to keep happily-wedded Mary from losing her husband to a socially-climbing sales clerk. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Because of its age, “The Women” is not rated.

Next is a family favorite, the 1988 Tom Hanks picture, “Big,” rated PG. The film follows a kid, tired of being bossed around by the adults in his life. After making a wish at an old fortune telling machine, the boy wakes up the next day in the body of a grown man. Unrecognized by his friends and family, he has to navigate the perils of business, love and friendship, and decide if being big is all it's cracked up to be. “Big” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21.

We'll celebrate the official start of summer with the Matthew Broderick comedy “Ferris Bueller's Day Off,” rated PG-13. Released in 1986, the film chronicles the 18-year-old Bueller's attempts to escape from a day of school, dragging his friends along on a car-racing, parent-impersonating last hurrah before graduation. The youths discover that the important things in life aren't always what you might expect. “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” plays at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 25.

Moonlight Movies 2005 concludes with the great American pastime, baseball. In “The Sandlot,” rated PG, Scotty Smalls is the new guy in town. The neighborhood kids poke fun at him, until they all start playing ball at the local sandlot. It's a perfect summer, until Scotty loses his stepfather's prize “Babe Ruth” baseball in a house owned by the town grouch and guarded by a supposed killer dog. Will the boys recover that lost treasure? Will they win the game? You'll see it all in “The Sandlot,” playing at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23.

Altogether that's a season's worth of fun films that I hope you'll come enjoy with me. So, pack a blanket and some drinks and gather your family and friends for this year's Moonlight Movies.

Councilman Tom Simplot represents District 4, which includes parts of North Central Phoenix . If you want to know more about Moonlight Movies or have questions, comments or suggestions about other issues, please contact Councilman Simplot's office at 602-262-7447 or e-mail at council.district.4@phoenix.gov .