May | 2011 | Amusing the Zillion

Archive for May, 2011

Photo of the Day: Street Art by RAE in Coney Island

Posted in art, Photography, tagged Brooklyn, Coney Island, Cyclone, graffiti, RAE, street art, urban art on May 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Street Art by RAE in Coney Island. April 16, 2011

On an April evening, this fantastic piece of street art by RAE popped up across the street from the Cyclone. When we went back the next day it was gone. Keep an eye out for more work by RAE and friends this summer in Coney Island!

Coney Island 2011: Videos of New Scream Zone Rides

Posted in Amusement ride, video, tagged Central Amusement International, Jim McDonnell, roller coaster, Scream Zone, Sling Shot, Steeplechase Ride, Turbo Force, Zamperla on May 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

Photographer and amusement park aficionado Jim McDonnell has uploaded two new videos of Scream Zone rides to his YouTube channel. Jim was the grand prize winner of last year’s Luna Park film contest and his videos feature an inspired pairing of edited images with music. Jim’s latest shows Zamperla’s Turbo Force, which has been christened the “Zenobio” in Coney Island. The 100-foot-tall thrill ride sweeps passengers through the air at speeds of over 60 mph.

As you can see in Jim’s vid, it’s also a thrill to stand and watch the Turbo Force in action. When I worked with Wade Shows, this spectacular was often set up near the entrance to the carnival midway. The first time that I happened to pass by the ride in action, I experienced the optical illusion that the whirling arm hurtling in my direction was coming directly at me. Pretty soon I was lingering by the fence to experience the vicarious thrill of this scream machine.

Jim’s short vid of the Steeplechase Cavalry coaster aka the Motocoaster is the first showing the ride in action in Coney Island. The Zamperla coaster pays homage to Steeplechase Park’s signature horse race ride that made a circuit around the park until it closed in 1964 (“Steeplechase Express: Will Zamperla MotoCoaster Pony Up for Coney Island?,” ATZ, February 15, 2010). It’s one of two new Zamperla coasters in Coney Island’s Scream Zone. When a video of the second –the Soarin’ Eagle aka Zamperla’s Volare– is available, we’ll post a link to it here.

This vid of the Sling Shot is one of several already uploaded to YouTube by Scream Zone visitors. We expect to see many more– the Sling Shot is as much of a show as a ride. On the vid’s soundtrack, you can hear the exclamations and screams of the crowd. In a few weeks, a video camera will be mounted on the capsule and patrons will be able to purchase a video recording of their ride complete with close-ups shots of their faces. This on-ride video of the Sling Shot is part of Luna Park’s Channel of Coney Island ride videos.

Men in Black 3 Set Transforms Coney Island Boardwalk

Posted in film, Photography, tagged Astroland Rocket, Boardwalk, carnival booth, Coney Island, Diana Taft Shumate, Men In Black 3, movie set on May 2, 2011| 3 Comments »

Men in Black 3 Set on Coney Island Boardwalk. Photo © Diana Taft Shumate

Coney Island is ready for its close-up in Men in Black 3! Retro-looking booths and signage started going up last Monday on the beach side of the Boardwalk from 12th Street to Stillwell Avenue. Madame Zava Phrenology, Balloon Dart, Water Race, Cotton Candy, and a Souvenir Stand topped by a mini Astroland Rocket delighted visitors over the weekend. Thanks to Coney Island photographer Diana Taft Shumate for this set of photos. Filming begins on the Boardwalk on Monday morning, May 2, and continues through May 5 at other Coney locations, including the Bowery on Wednesday.

Men In Black 3 stars Will Smith as Agent J traveling back in time to 1969 to stop a villain from killing a young Agent K played by Josh Brolin. According to the storyline, if the killing were carried out in the past, it would result in the destruction of Earth in the present. As ATZ reported in “Men in Black 3 Rescues Coney Island’s Oldest Building” (ATZ, April 10) the production company leased Coney Island’s oldest building, the long vacant Grashorn, from Thor Equities and rescued it from oblivion. They fixed up the gutted interior of the building located at Surf and Jones Walk to use as their location headquarters.

Our favorite part of the Boardwalk set is this darling little Rocket. Was it inspired by the Astroland Rocket, which was perched atop the roof of Gregory & Paul’s Boardwalk eatery until two years ago? The Rocket came to Coney Island’s Astroland Park in 1962 as one of the first of the imaginary space voyage simulators constructed during the Space Race. What role will the imaginary Coney Island of Men in Black 3 play in saving the Earth from destruction? We’ll find out when the film premieres next May!