Malibu Jams with first film screening of the summer

Audience enjoys 1996 movie ‘Space Jam’ and other activities at Malibu Bluffs Park

Benjamin Hanson

Special to The Malibu Times

For three hours on Saturday, family and friends brought out their blankets and chairs and enjoyed a movie under the stars at Malibu Bluffs Park.

The City of Malibu hosted the first of two CineMalibu events of the summer and screened the 1996 film “Space Jam,” the live-action/animated film starring Michael Jordan.

Jordan teams up with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other Looney Tunes characters to take on aliens that have stolen the basketball skills and abilities of former NBA players Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues.

City of Malibu Recreation Assistant Alexandra Elizondo said CineMalibu is a good way for Malibu residents to be outdoors and in nature.

“These events are really great for the community to come out, get out of the house, enjoy the local parks that we have, and also just interact with other members of the community that might not see in their day-to-day life,” Elizondo said.

Booths were set up by the City of Malibu and the Malibu Library.

The City of Malibu handed out raffle tickets for gift cards and set up a little toy basketball hoop for the kids to shoot 3’sbefore the movie screening.

Outreach Librarian McKenzie Gray handed out free books and taught attendees how to make a popsicle stick catapult and use it to shoot little orange pompoms into a small basketball hoop made with paper and pipe cleaner. Small prizes were given if a shot was made.

Elizondo said she loved “Space Jam” growing up as a kid and said it was chosen for its fun and nostalgic factor.

“We have some basketball programs that we are also promoting,” she said. “We have Parent and Me Basketball, we also have Youth Basketball coming up.”

Before the screening, people lined up for burgers from Ardi’s Eats and Sweets. Owned by Ardi Entezam, the food truck promotes “fast-food from scratch.”

Entezam started the food truck after 30 years in the food business and wanted to see where that adventure takes him. Saturday, it brought him back to Malibu again.

“The energy in Malibu is completely different from the rest of LA,” Entezam said. “It’s peaceful. Everyone’s attitude is more relaxed and it just has a bright vibration to it. I really enjoy that.”

Elizondo said she hopes people feel at home when they attend CineMalibu.

“I hope that they make some new friends and possibly find a new passion,” Elizondo said. “Whether that be in the reading that they learn here or the drawing and the art or sport.”

CineMalibu is free to attend with no tickets or RSVP required.

The next event continues the ’90s nostalgia and will feature the 1990 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” on Aug. 17. The movie starts at sunset and activities start at 6:30 p.m. Malibu Bluffs Park is located at 24250 Pacific Coast Highway at Malibu Canyon.

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