time out
WRITTEN BY
CHRIS CHIARELLA
TIME OUT I
WRITTEN BY
CHRIS CHIARELLA
t’s that time of year when we begin to think of venturing from the safety of the sofa to the wilds of our backyards. Be it pool or deck, patio or lawn, the great outdoors beckons and there’s no need for the music and movies to stop at the back door. Until recently, outdoor entertainment was largely an unrefined do-it-yourself affair, requiring us to roll up our sleeves and drag our speakers into the yard when company was coming for a holiday cookout. Similarly, that industrious, video-projector-owning friend who shone movies across the broad side of his house on warm, clear nights lent a certain primitive charm to the art of cinema. Thankfully, home theater technology continues to evolve in new and different directions, embracing the outside of the home with a variety of products and solutions that stand up to the elements while delivering highdefinition images and high-fidelity music to the farthest reaches of the grounds.
Outdoor theater can also bring a variety of unique movie experiences not doable in the living room. Imagine Close Encounters of the Third Kind beneath a canopy of stars or Apollo 13 under a full moon. We can make our own poolside fun with a Baby Ruth bar during Caddyshack, after children of the ’60s flashback to Woodstock with a viewing party amid a torrential downpour, accompanied by our “refreshment” of choice. Another perk of an outdoor theater is the freedom to designate a smoking section, without fear of stinking up the carpet and drapes. So feel free to sit in the hot tub, smoking a hand-rolled cigar alongside Tony Montana in Scarface. The lawn and the potted palms will recover. Continued on pg. 76
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SPRING 2012