This Blurb is Brought to You By ... | January 28 and 31

Remember commercials? You know, those 30-second spots about microwave popcorn, light beers, and male enhancement drugs that we were forced to sit through before the advent of DVR? Well, sometimes we miss them. Not only were they educational (“So, doctor — this isn’t supposed to last four hours?”), but when done right, they could be damn entertaining, too. So cheers to the ICA (100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617.478.3100) for recognizing the ad world’s A-gamers with two new film screenings. On January 28 and 31, check out The Art and Technique of the American Commercial, an hour-long presentation of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers’ annual honors for everything from Oscar-worthy ad performances to Hollywood-blockbuster visual styling from Skittles, Sprint, Nike, and more (AICP president Matt Miller will introduce the January 28 screening). And on January 30 and 31, the Boston premiere of Award-Winning British Commercials 2009 jumps the pond to reveal the year’s 100 best British ads, including spots from American celebs like Snoop Dogg hawking products they probably never would plug stateside. It’s entertaining and persuasive vindication for those of us who sit through the Super Bowl just for the commercials. Find tickets ($10 for general admission, $8 for students) and showtimes at icaboston.org.