At the Krush 92.5, we’re falling in love with SLO Film Center at The Palm Theatre in SLO for Valentine’s Day!
WIN A VALENTINE’S MOVIE DATE!
2 Movie tickets plus 2 Drinks, Large Popcorn and a candy at concessions on us!
Text LITTLE to 805-903-1974
(Entry Deadline: Wed 2/11, 10a. Suz draws winner that morning so you have a little time to plan, Seymour.)
Tickets On Sale Now @ ThePalmTheatre.com
Here’s the full scoop on this special V-Day event!
As a recipient of the nationwide Science on Screen® grant program, SLO Film Center – Palm Theatre is pleased to announce their first film screening and accompanying discussion as part of the series.
Scheduled for Valentine’s Day, February 14, SLO Film Center – Palm Theatre will screen the dark comedy musical The Little Shop of Horrors (1986). After the screening, Drs. Jenn Yost and Matt Ritter, joined by Gage Willey, Cal Poly’s Plant Conservatory Curator, will dig into the real science behind Carnivorous plants. The discussion will explore how plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews, evolved to trap, digest, and kill their prey, why these extreme adaptations exist, and what they reveal about plant ecology and evolution. By connecting the film’s outrageous premise to real biological strategies, the speakers will explain how The Little Shop of Horrors taps into genuine scientific fascination, blurring the line between pulp fantasy and natural history.
“We can’t wait to showcase this cult classic film while also collaborating with our partners at Cal Poly to provide a fun and educational in-person experience,” said San Luis Obispo International Film Festival & SLO Film Center – Palm Theatre Executive Director Skye McLennan.
Science on Screen® features classic, cult, and documentary films provocatively matched with presentations by experts who discuss scientific, technological, or medical issues raised by each film. The Coolidge/Sloan Foundation nationwide Science on Screen partnership seeks to inspire in theatergoers an increased appreciation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as compelling enterprises and vital elements of a broad understanding of human culture and current events.
San Luis Obispo’s SLO Film Center – Palm Theatre is one of nine first-time recipients of Science on Screen® grants for the 2025−26 season which includes 41 independent cinemas, museums, and community groups with film programs. Each organization must present three or more Science on Screen events.
About the Speakers:
Matt Ritter
Dr. Matt Ritter is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Cal Poly, where his work spans plant biology, biodiversity, and natural history. He is deeply engaged in research, teaching, and public outreach that bring plant science to broad audiences.
Jenn Yost
Dr. Jenn Yost is a Professor of Biology at Cal Poly and Director of the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium. Her work focuses on botany, plant evolution, and natural history collections, and she is widely known for her engaging teaching and dedication to California’s botanical heritage.
Gage Willey
Gage Willey is the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory Curator and an all-around plantsman with a deep love for all things botanical. He is known for his exceptional ability to grow and care for an extraordinary diversity of plants in support of education and public engagement.
Film Synopsis:
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik’s; a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for its supper.
About Science on Screen:
The program was initially conceived and established in 2005 for Coolidge Corner Theatre audiences in greater Boston, which boasts one of the nation’s largest populations of life and physical scientists. In 2011, the Sloan Foundation partnered with the theatre to take Science on Screen nationwide and to make it an integral part of its coast-to-coast film program. Since partnering with Sloan in 2011, the Coolidge has awarded over $3 million in grants to 140 film and science-focused organizations in 45 states (plus Washington, DC) across the country. To date, the Sloan Foundation has awarded the Coolidge more than $4.5 million to support the program, including the creation of a website (scienceonscreen.org) where information on these programs and archived videos of the speakers’ presentations are available to the public.
