Elite Event: Beer, BBQ and BUFF

So you’re not an alcoholic if the beer you’re drinking at 10:30 am is free, right???
I dragged my lazy self out of bed for this event and it was definitely worth
the 1 or 2 hours less of sleep.
The shorts were great for my sleepy attention span, and the majority of them were hilarious. The music videos were all particularly amazing.
BBQ was tasty, though I could have eaten a little more of it! However, the abundance of beer and water, and the lady in the pink dress passing out candy, made up for my insatiable appetite.
Thanks to all the donors and contributors, and to Damien for ogranizing!

Hooray for a weekend event!
I know that not too many people attended, but I was grateful for the Saturday event, even if I did have to drag myself out of bed to attend. This is actually the first Elite event I’ve been able to attend in my year + as an Elite.
I didn’t know anything about the BUFF, but it was great to see some kooky weird stuff and I definitely shared a few of the videos and shorts when I got home. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it back for any more screenings, but it’s definitely on the radar for next year.
Thanks to Blackstrap BBQ for the eats. I really enjoyed the hog (bacon-​wrapped sausage) and the pulled chicken. I don’t drink beer, but it was awesome that Naragansett provided it! Gulped down some hint water instead.

What’s better than finishing your coffee? Donning stunnahs and sipping ‘gansetts with some Elites in a dark theater.
Oh, and make sure it’s 10:30am when you crack that can open. It’ll be memorable– maybe only if you didn’t follow the party for 12 hours or so until it ended at Cappyoke…
Good food, especially considering it came from Winthrop– sup! Now I have one more place to eat when I go visit Grandma!
Less social than previous elite events, but I met Ave and Dawn D., so that’s always a good thing.

This elite event is brought to you by the letter B-​Beer, BBQ, BUFF and bizarro.
It is bizarro to be up drinking beer with Unilocalers at 10:30, and bizarro to be served delicious mac and cheese and what was only referred to as «hog» by a super bizarro Marilyn Monroe impersonator and a bizarro enthusiastic for that hour of the morning Blackstrap staff. But, above all, you have to love the beyond bizarro films. I had the pleasure of previewing some of the shorts earlier and I must say I am blown away by the eye raising yet fascinating movies BUFF offers. From documentaries about cats gone wrong to Bollywood, Muppet, sexy music videos, BUFF certainly gives us a taste of the unusual yet hilarious and I love that.
…what can I say? I’m bizarro.
You know who else is bizarro? Damien and his way of organizing awesome events out of the downright weird.

Dragging me out of bed on a Saturday morning? Grumble grumble blah blah blahhh I am lazy.
In retrospect, attending this was the smartest thing I did all day. It felt weird at first to be all «sitting down» and «behaving» with Unilocalers, but I wound up really enjoying all the bizarre movies/​music videos/​cat appreciation situations.
The BBQ made for a surprisingly satisfying snack, and the beer was so free!
I don’t get to the movies much so this really was a nice treat for me, and despite the less-​social-​than-​usual situation of sitting quietly in the dark, I did manage to meet a few people I had never yet had the pleasure of aquainting myself with.
Good tiiiiimes. I also would like another one of those pork things please.

Marilyn Monroe fed me double pig on a stick.
I should have just stopped the review there, cause I probably won’t be able to match that level of cleverness.
Even though it was kinda the ass crack of dawn, it was way worth it! Always nice to see my fave Unilocalers. The movies were all great and the Blackstrap BBQ was beyond good. Try this at your next party– start with a chip, add a little cole slaw, a little pulled pork and a drop of BBQ sauce and bam! BBQ canapes! (Notice how I didn’t hors devours cause I’m not sure how to spell that?) The sweet potato salad was also killer and also something I would have never thought of. Thanks for making me feel culinarily inferior Blackstrap.
Ups and thanks and things to Damien, Kendall Theather, Blackstrap and BUFF!
Oh, and how do I get my hands on one of those vibrating bunny trophies? You know… for my mantle…

Drinking and watching movies at 11 AM… Probably not a good idea.
Drinking and watching movies at 11 AM with a bunch of Unilocalers? AN AMAZING IDEA!
This was a break from the norm for elite events by being early AND on a weekend, but I was a huge fan of the change. Kendall cinema has always been a good time in my book. Adding buckets of tasty BBQ from blackstrap and a few varieties of Naragansett to the mix was just icing on the cake. I really appreciated the bacon wrapped sausage bites as the best and least expected movie snack I’ve ever had. Pork x Pork = Win
The shorts from BUFF were fantastic as well. I came into this event kind of blind and just trusted anything would be a treat to watch. The mix of music videos, twisted cartoons, and tragic stories about cats though were even better than I had hoped!
Mad credit to all involved in putting this together. Damien I think you’re onto something with these day events. Thanks as always and keep the good times rolling (in bacon)!

I need a tub full of that macaroni and cheese from Blackstrap BBQ… NOW!
Another fun elite event last Saturday morning. Had some BBQ for breakfast/​early lunch watched some funny shorts and music videos. Great times with friends. Awesome way to start my day and had the rest of the day to do un-​cool stuff like laundry and cleaning.
Big thanks to Blackstrap BBQ for bringing yummy food for us. That macaroni and cheese had me begging for more.
Thanks to BUFF for the shorts and comp ticket to see a film from the festival.
Kendall Square Cinema — great choice for movie watching. Always a good time there.
and Thanks to Damien!!! You rock!!!

I had no idea what to expect for this event. Well no, that’s not true. I knew I would see good friends, eat good food and drink free beer. In that regard this event completely met my expectations. Everything else I experienced went above and beyond.
Anna (fellow Unilocaler) picked out some great shorts for us to watch. I really enjoyed the post-​apocalyptic giant bug short, the short about the cat (awwww Budgie!) and the music video about «talking about our feelings».
Blackstrap BBQ rocked my world with bacon wrapped sausage bites, as well as the hot sauce selection. (Marilyn Monroe herself told me it was «kill yourself hot»). It wasn’t actually thaaaat hot, but it was great.
This event stands out among others because it allowed me to do something that I probably would not have done otherwise. BUFF is amazing, I now have a free pass to go see another flick and I gained ten pounds from the BBQ. Thanks D$. You done done it again!

I drank two beers before noon!
I had already glimpsed some of the BUFF offerings, but these were new-​to-​me clips for the most part and were majorly entertaining. My favorites were:
1– Visdom Tut by Don Hertzfeldt
2– Map of Tasmania by Amanda Palmer
3– Take You Home by Jen Kwok
They were light, freaking hilarious and kind of precious. If you didn’t make it in to this, google up these videos and think about how much better they’d be in a room full of Unilocalers, BBQ and beer. They’re already stellar, and on the big screen they blow ya mind! Especially the high kick in Take You Home. And obviously all of Map of Tasmania, notably the gigantressness of Amanda Palmer. Thanks for another one, Dames.

So I was a bit skeptical at first. Waking up early on a Saturday? It better be worth it…
But oh, it was. Excellent short films courtesy of the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF), beer, and BBQ. I simply can not say no to ‘hog’ given to me by a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. I just can’t.
The food (courtesy of Blackstrap from Winthrop) was good — the mac cheese I could have lived without but the sweet potato salad and ‘hog’ skewers were delicious! If I am ever in that area I will be sure to stop by and get some more…
It was also awesome to see a bunch of new Unilocaler faces. The fact that it was day time on a weekend brought out a lot of people I have never met before, which is always awesome.

Who can resist beer, bbq, and funny short films on a Sat. morning?! I know I can’t!
Things I learned from the lovely daytime Unilocal event:
The folks at Blackstrap know how to bbq and are worth the trip out to Winthrop. I loved the pulled pork, bacon hogs & sweet potato salad
Narragansett makes a Porter AND a Bock!
BUFF (Boston Underground Film Festival) is hot. in a quirky kind of way and definitely worth checking out. I was singing «come on baby muppet me» for the rest of the day.
Beer at 11am is a great way to start the day.
Kendall Sq. Cinema is an awesome independent theater… but I already knew that.
Unilocal koozie & bouncy balls are useful and fun!
Big thanks to Unilocal,BUFF, Blackstrap BBQ, & Kendall Square Cinema for an awesome event!

Beer, short indie films, and barbecue are a spectacular way to start a Saturday. Thanks to the generosity of Kendall Square Cinema, Narragansett Beer, and Blackstrap BBQ, such was possible this past Saturday as I gathered with fellow Elites and their +1s for a rare daytime event. Qualms with drinking at 11am? None. Plus, when you’re joined by several dozen others, there’s really no need to justify beer so early in the day.
The short films presented by the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) proved both hilarous and, in some cases, disturbing, a combination that demonstrated the depth and variety of the festival itself and the tastes of its jury. A brief intermission allowed for a sampling of Blackstrap BBQ’s offerings, including bacon-​wrapped sausages served by Marilyn Monroe and pulled porked served with cole slaw atop crispy potato chips. Appetites whetted and beers freely flowing, we settled back into our seats to enjoy a few entertaining music videos before departing the theater to start our days, bouncy balls in hand.
Yet again, Damien organized an excellent event, the rare daytime schedule much appreciated by those who can’t readily make it into Boston on weeknights. As always, thanks to the generous sponsors for making this such a successful gathering.

The best cure for a hangover? Keep drinking the next morning! I thought I’d have no problem waking up «early» for the afternoon event but sooomebody took a few too many soco and lime shots Friday night. Somehow I made it out of the house, onto the T, and all the way to the Kendall Square Theater. A big thank you to Unilocal for immediately providing me with some Narragansetts to help me postpone my hangover until 7 PM.
The short films from the Boston Underground Film Festival were funny, trippy (umm, do these Narragansetts have roofies in them?), and downright awesome. Blackstrap BBQ was ridiculously good — bacon wrapped hog?! Can I get a platter of that delivered to my apartment stat? Thanks.
In all seriousness, it was a great, well organized and unique event. Awesome way to start off a Saturday!

Holy tooten!
Baaahahaha! The best! It was like grown-​up Saturday morning cartoons… with beer! Coming out on a Sat morning was nooo problem (not for the die-​hard Unilocaler with a fond affection for bizarre cinema).
The BBQ… sweet, tang, bam, bang (in my mouth… Blackstrap BBQ took advantage of my tastebuds like the puppets did in the first BUFF feature!). The beau said it was «the best mac’n’cheese I’ve ever had!!! …I’m going for seconds!» And the bacon-​wrapped sausage («the Hog» sandwich on their menu)…pork-o-licious.
Definately appreciated the quirk and the weird (that sad story about the cat! …priceless, definately not your run of the mill Fancy Feast film). Unilocal,you’ve done it again… opened my eyes to something new and vunderful in Boston (BUFF?! I’m SO there!!!).
Deranged Vampire Killer,
Marcy May

Saturday, you are my favorite day of the week, although I tend to sleep way past your midpoint, I savor every part of that. However, today I got to savor a few more waking hours as I dragged my bum out my not so warm bed and into Cambridge.
Breakfast? Nah, Coffee? Nah. Who needs that when I got some Narragansett rock beer, a comfy seat and some hilariously cute film shorts.
Black Strap barbecue following was yum yums. Sweet potato salad my o my. And I have no idea what was in the hog on a stick thing, but I made my bf get up and get on the line a second time for some. I know I’m a evil hungry villain. Bwahaha.