Sparks Screening + Brilliant Bonus

It's safe to be a softy for Safe Haven. Two things lured me to see this movie, free tickets and the name Nicholas Sparks. Oh Mr. Sparks always manages to begrudgingly stick to our hearts with his sorrow-saturated tales of romance. We don't want to see a loved character be ill and we know a "happy" ending awaits yet we can't keep our eyes and ears away from the sappy cinematic experience. I'm not enthusiastic about his work but I'm still a fan. As long as he keeps draining tears, he'll keep racking classics and Safe Haven is a new addition to the list. It has enough warmth, twists, and beautiful scenery to be a (Sparks) success.

I went to a screening of this film, hosted by the Village Voice, on February 12th. I go to advanced free screenings frequently - it's one of my favorite things to do - and I have many sources for acquiring tickets. I was afforded the opportunity to view Safe Haven through the Village Voice's Film Club - it's free and you can join by simply entering your email on the paper's website - and its mobile alerts (triggered by texting 61721 to NYCFILM).

I got double tickets because I discovered the mobile method after I had received the email confirmation and thought it would be exciting. And it was! When my friend and I arrived at Sunshine Cinema there was a substantial line waiting for the screening and we got to skip it all because of a text! A text as a screening pass is uncommon and I'm thrilled that embracing the SMS system resulted in a major perk.

Another fun/out-of-the-ordinary aspect of the Safe Haven screening was its afterparty, sponsored by Stella Artois. The audience was invited to 200 Orchard, a nearby bar, directly following the film to enjoy a complimentary cup of Stella. A wristband and a tip for the bartender were the only requirements for grabbing a beer glass and enjoying the glowing spacious insides of 200 Orchard.

I love that my Sparks-induced stress was balanced with beer!

 

 

 

(Pics 1,3,4,7 - photocred to Village Voice Photographer Farooq Alihassan
     Pics  2, 5, 6 - photocred to me 
     Pic 8 - scanned copy of flyer 
     Pics 9, 10 - photocred to 200 Orchard's website)