When thinking of classic American film comedians, what names come to mind? In my opinion, Charlie Chaplin sits at the forefront as the greatest comedian ever to live. His contemporaries cannot be ignored, though: greats such as the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, for example. The Clifton Center and Wild and Woolly Video celebrate Christmas tonight with a very special triple feature: three films by the classic slapstick comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy.

The good folks at Wild and Woolly Video started their new film series off with a blood-curdling gasp last night at the Clifton Center. This version of Nosferatu surprised me with the clarity of its digital transfer (I think the last time I saw the movie was on an old KINO VHS). Considering that Bram Stoker's widow had the original negatives destoyed, it's impressive seeing what our current technologies in film preservation are capable of. Coupled with the theater's sound system, this old-timer from 1922 felt new. This is how classic films were meant to be seen.

What a show Sunday night- It was my first time at the Clifton Center, and the theater was a nice, intimately scaled-down alternative to the Palace or the Brown. It was just a little creepy when we first walked through the scarlet curtain entrance, straight out of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, complete with a soundtrack that might have fit that show if David Lynch had delved yet deeper into that dark night of the soul. It was the Phantom Family Halo, starting the night off right, and very, very loud. Like a hypnotic, swelling wave behind a demented beard of droning bees.

To start off the festival weekend in true derby city style, a kickoff party is planned for Friday August 5th. Party it up with actors, filmmakers and official jurors for the festival at University of Louisville's Floyd Theater on the 3rd Floor. Admission to the kickoff party includes the opening short and feature films, food by Cafe Fraiche and a Brown-Foreman cash bar.