As the new year gets underway in earnest and our holiday décor gets boxed up and shelved for another year, the reality of winter sets in. It’s cold(ish), the sun is reduced to the role of a special guest star, and our spirits, accustomed to the lights and bedazzlement of the Christmas season, might feel somewhat dimmed. Back at work or back at school, we might be asking ourselves, “Is that all there is to the holidays?” And as the dried-up Christmas trees malingering in gutters around town can attest, no party lasts forever.
January can be a harsh reality check, and if you’re like me, you could use a little relief from the seasonal malaise this stark month tends to inspire. That’s why I jumped at the chance to explore Fresno’s comedy offerings and report back on the unique “laugh opps” to be found in Fresno. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” Proverbs tells us, and so our community’s purveyors of laughter might be more important than ever right about now.
The Savage Cinema Club is the first stop on our Laugh Opps Tour of Fresno. This monthly event, held at Full Circle Brewing Co. (620 F St, Fresno, CA 93706), tonight at 8 p.m. will be featuring the film “Ninja Exorcist,” which will not only be screened in public but also comically skewered, without mercy, by co-hosts Evan Monroe and Vanna Vandal. There will also be a drinking game especially designed for the film, which is described as “one of the most insane movies to ever come from the 1980s.”
“SCC comes from my love of outrageous old movies and watching them with friends while drinking beer and commenting, but expanding that experience with a crowd,” explains Evan Monroe, who originated the event in 2016 and moved it to its current location last year. “I have been doing stand-up comedy locally for several years, and this is a fun way to merge stand-up with movie nights.”
“Attendees can expect a live show similar to “Mystery Science Theater” and “RiffTrax,” where me and a co-host sit on stage with mics next to the movie screen and make observations/crack jokes during the entire film,” Monroe explains, adding that the audience also has a part to play in the screening. “Attendees are encouraged to join our drinking game, which is tailored specifically to each film.” During a screening of “Reefer Madness,” for example, the rule was to drink every time the magic word “reefer,” was hysterically uttered.
The event is free and open to people of all ages, but Mr. Monroe cautions that some of the jokes might be more suitable for people over 13 years of age.
Find out more, including what’s coming up in future months, at the Savage Cinema Club’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/savagecinemaclub/).
And check back in a couple of days for the next stop on our FresYes Laugh Opps tour, the DiCicco’s Lounge!
Read part two here: Meet the comedy kings bringing national comics to Clovis for ‘Just the Tips’
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