MacDill Happenings

If you looking for some great entertainment close to base, then go no further than the MacDill AFB movie theater this weekend.  For only $4 for adults and $2 for kids from 5-12 yrs old you can see the some of the latest movies.  And you can get a medium popcorn and two medium soft drinks for $10!  This Friday at 7pm and on Saturday at 3pm you can see “Kung Fu Panda” which is rated PG-13 for martial arts action and has a run time of 93 minutes. Po is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around…which doesn’t exactly come in handy while working every day in his family’s noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po’s dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five — Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey — under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it’s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat.  At 7pm on Saturday, come check out “Get Smart” with Steve Carell it is rated PG-13 for rude humor, action violence and langauge and has a run time of 99 minutes. Maxwell Smart is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the HQ of U.S, spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised the Chief had no choice but to promote his ever eager analyst Smart. Smart is partnered with the only agent who’s identity has not bee compromised, Agent 99. As they unraveling KAOS master plan, they discover that the key KAOS operative Siegfried and his saving the world and loving it.

If you’re looking for something to do that’s fun and free, head on over to Pinellas Park at the Park Place Stadium 16 movie theater and check out “Charlotte’s Web” and “Shrek the Third“.  “Charlotte’s Web” stars Dakota Fanning as the voice of Fern in the classic cartoon tale.  Wilbur the Pig and Charlotte the Spider, Julia Robert’s voice, work together with all the other animals to save Wilbur.  “Shrek the Third” has all the characters from the first two movies, including Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.  Pinellas Park located between the Gulf of Mexico and Hillsborough Bay and just north of St. Petersburg is just a 30 minute drive from MacDill AFB.  Pinellas Park is an easy commute to anywhere close, including regional airports, major shopping area’s, and Florida’s Gulf Beaches. The city has one of the largest equestrian hold outs in Pinellas County. You will find the largest horse trail located in an urban environment, mini farms, and world class equestrians centers.

If you’re looking for a inexpensive night out this weekend, then checkout the MacDill AFB Movie Theater this Friday and Saturday.  Admission is only $4 for ages 13 and above and $2 for ages 5-12.  The price of a medium popcorn and two medium sodas is only $10!  On Friday at 7pm, “You Don’t Mess with Zohan” is playing.  This movie is rated PG-13 for crude/sexual, language, and nudity. Playing time is 113 minutes. Adam Sandler stars as Zohan, an Israeli commando, fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York. On Saturday at 7pm, “The Happening” is playing. This movie is rated R for violent/disturbing images. Playing time is 90 minutes. Mark Wahlberg start is this movie about family on the run from an inexplicable and unstoppable event that threatens not only humankind…but the most basic human instinct of them all: survival. For a high school science teacher Elliot Moore what matters most is finding a way to escape the mysterious and deadly phenomenon. He and his wife Alma are in the midst of marital crisis, they hit the rode with Elliot’s math teacher friend Julian and his daughter Jess. Heading for the Pennsylvania farmlands where they hope they’ll be out of reach of the grisly attack. Yet it soon becomes clear that no one and nowhere is safe.

If you looking for some great movies this weekend, then you don’t have to go any further than the MacDill AFB Movie Theater.  Movies only cost $4 for adults and $2 for children 12-5 yrs old.  The cost of a medium popcorn and soft drink is only $6.  Admission and refreshments is over 50% cheaper on base when compared to costs out in Tampa.   This Friday at 7pm is ”INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL“ starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. This movie is rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.  The run time of the movie is 123 minutes. In 1957, Indiana Jones is thrust back in action, venturing into the jungles of South America in a race against Soviet agents to find the mystical Crystal Skull.  On Saturday at 7pm  watch “IRON MAN” starring Robert Downey Jr., and Terrence Howard. This movie is rated PG13 for intense sci-fi action/violence, and suggestive content.  The run time of the movie is 129 minutes. Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

If you’re looking for something to do after an exciting 4th of July, then look no further than the MacDill AFB movie theater.  Although there won’t be a movie playing on the 4th, on Saturday the 5th of July, there will be two movies playing.   At 3pm, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” will be playing. This movie is rate PG for battle action and violence and has a run time of 144 minutes. “Prince Caspian” finds the Pevensie siblings pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years have passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land.  At 7pm, “The Strangers” will be showing. This movie is rated R for violence, terror, and language with a run time of 85 minutes. A terrifying suspense thriller about a couple whose remote getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The confrontation forces Kristen and James to go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive. Admission is $3.25 for all ages. The price of a medium popcorn and drink is only $6.

InSight Studio is offering weekly summer camps for children group from ages 9-12 and 13-17. InSight Studio is a small fine art studio dedicated to the traditional medium of photography. This camp is a perfect opportunity for a new budding photographer or to build upon skills for the experienced photographer. This camp allows kids to explore personal growth and artistry. Emphasis will be placed on how to use a camera, composition, natural lighting, and how to create interesting images via the gift of seeing. There will be field trips, work in the darkroom and artistic critiques, all in a real artist’s studio. New experiences each week for returning participants. Class size limited to 6 participants per week. Weekly fee of $160 includes all needed supplies. The camp is held weekly from Mon-Fri from 9am to 1pm. Call InSight Studio at 813-390-3422 or email insight305@yahoo.com. The studio location, 1906 N. Armenia Ave, in Tampa is easily accessible off of I-275 and about 20 minutes from MacDill AFB.

If you are looking for an outdoor event this weekend check out GreenFest at the University of Tampa. This event takes place on 29 and 30 Mar from 9am to 4pm each day. This event features demonstrations , educational speakers food and much more! The focus of this event is the variety of plants and the numerous gardening supplies on hand. Also check out the educational seminars and speakers to help you get your garden green. There are two tents with guest speakers scheduled throughout the day. Tent No. 1 is the Florida Horticulturalists and Tent No. is the Master Gardeners. This event takes place at the historical Plant Park located on the University of Tampa campus. The cost for this event is $3.00 and children 12 and under are free. A portion of the proceeds from GreenFest will go to Friends of Plant Park for use in the restoration of this historical garden. Plant Park is in front of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa campus along the Hillsborough River with parking nearby. The University of Tampa is a medium size private university with about 5,600 students on 100 acres on a prime Tampa location on the western bank of the Hillsborough River. The University offers more than 100 areas of study and pre-professional programs through a strong core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. An Evening College presents degree programs to adults who want to study part-time at night. Graduate programs are offered for Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Technology and Innovation Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Innovation. The MBA program is one of the largest in Florida and is one of the elite private schools in the Southeast to have AACSB accreditation. So stop by and learn how to grow and take care of your plants and check out the University of Tampa at the same time.

Enjoy the weekend by checking out a few movies at the MacDill AFB Theater. On Friday at 7pm, “Juno” is playing. Rated PG13, Juno has mature thematic material, sexual content and language. Playing time is 91 min. Juno is a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker. With the help of her best friend Leah, Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa, longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs. On Saturday at 3pm watch Martin Lawrence in “Welcome Home Roscoe“. It is rated PG-13 for crude & sexual content, language and drug references. It has a run time of 114 min. Talk-show sensation RJ Stevens left behind his modest Southern upbringing and family name to transform into a self-help guru dispensing his “Team of Me” philosophy to millions of adoring fans. With a reality-TV-star fiancee and money to burn, there’s no piece of the Hollywood dream RJ hasn’t achieved. His parents request that he come home for their 50th wedding anniversary. The TV host packs up his 10-year-old son and diva bride-to-be and heads back to Georgia for a chance to prove to his family that he’s no longer the awkward kid they relentlessly picked on. At 7pm on Saturday, “Strange Wilderness” is playing. This movie is rated R for language, drug use, crude and sexual humor. It has a run time of 85 min. Animal enthusiast Peter Gaulke and his sidekick Fred Wolf host an ailing wildlife TV show “Strange Wilderness”, which is in a steep ratings decline. Desperate to save the show, Peter hatches a Hail Mary scheme to find the one animal that could truly turn the show around and change the nature-show landscape forever — Bigfoot. Admission is $3.75 for all ages. Remember a medium popcorn and soft drink only costs $4!

The weekend movies playing at MacDill AFB movie theater are recently released movies.  On Friday at 7pm is Rambo, rated R for strong graphic bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images, language.  Slyvester Stallone returns as John Rambo has retreated to a simple life in a rural Thai village near the Burmese border, capturing snakes for local entertainers, and transporting roamers in his old PT boat. Following repeated pleas, Rambo helps ferry a group of Christian aid workers into war-torn Burma, where the local Karen villagers are regularly tortured and massacred by Major Tint’s sadistic soldiers. The humanitarian mission is going well, until the village is attacked and the missionaries are kidnapped, and Rambo is once again asked to transport - but this time a group of mercenaries, assembled by the missionaries’ minister on a deadly rescue mission. This time he doesn’t stay behind.   This movie is 93 minutes long.  On Saturday at 3pm Cloverfield is playing.  It is rated rated PG-13 for violence, terror, disturbing images and is 99 min long.  Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.  At 7pm on Saturday, watch Meet the Spartans.  It is rated PG-13 for crude/sexual content, language, comic violence and is 88 min long.  From the creators of Scary Movie and Date Movie comes this tongue-in-cheek parody of the sword-and-sandal epics.  Admission is $3.25 for all ages.  A medium popcorn and soft drink on costs $4.

One of the great things about MacDill AFB is the recreational activities that are available to the military community.  The MacDill AFB MWR and AAFES has provided great support to the military community.  No matter how far away you live from MacDill, it can be worth the drive to use the facilities offered on the base.  From the Fitness Center to the MacDill Lanes bowling alley to the marina where you can rent boats to the golf course to the movie theater, there is something available for everyone.  This Friday at 7pm at the MacDill AFB theater First Sunday is playing.  First Sunday is about  a pair of criminals who take a group of church parishioners hostage while attempting to rob the holy house, only to find their captives slowly convincing them to repent and give up their lawless lifestyles. Rated PG-13 (language, sexual humor, drug references) and 89  min long it stars Ice Cube.  Before the movie you can grab some dinner at Seascapes Beach Club.  Playing on Saturday at 7pm is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . This is about a grisly revenge by Benjamin Barker, a man unjustly imprisoned by a lecherous judge. Barker returns as barber Sweeney Todd and exacts revenge. Rated R (graphic bloody violence) and 117 min long it stars Johnny Depp.  The price is $3.25 for all ages.  This price can make the drive worthwhile when compared to prices of movies theaters in Tampa.  Plus, a medium popcorn and drink is only $4!