Claims that Columbia lacks culture are few and far between now that Main Street is being overhauled, and the Nickelodeon theatre is a prime example. It’s the best indie theatre you’ve walked by a hundred times but never visited. The Nick, founded by USC students in 1979, hosts a rotating schedule of independent films, conversations and festivals. Its events range everywhere from a Björk concert flick screening (November 14) to a festival composed of hilariously awful retro VHS tapes.
The latter, called the Found Footage Fest, hits The Nick on October 25 and is sure to bring tons of laughs with it (and a cringe or two). Its founders, Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, are both former writers for late-night shows (“The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” – ring any bells?) and have the comedy chops to prove it. They scoured the nation’s finest garage sales, warehouses and dumpsters to find the most obscurely funny home videos to add to the collection. Pickett and Prueher’s finds include some awkward ‘80s corporate training videos, annoying home shopping television hosts and an instructional tape entitled “How to Have Cybersex on the Internet.”
The pair’s obsession began in 1991 with their very first funny video discovery, and the collection grew until it became a festival in 2004. Now, Pickett and Prueher travel the country sharing their finds (and witty commentary) with the public. So, that embarrassing home movie of you and your siblings getting into a fistfight over who got to be the red Power Ranger? It may not be safe in your parents’ attic after all.
Tickets for the Found Footage Fest can be reserved now on Nickelodeon.org. So, if you and your friends are looking for an escape from the typical dinner-then-Five-Points grind of Columbia nightlife, hit up The Nick for a change. Who knows – you may even see yourself on the big screen.
