Coming Soon to a Green Near You
This seems to be the summer to see James Bond outdoors. Not only are there three neighborhood film festivals showing nothing but Bond films all summer long, but Screen on the Green just released the schedule for their 9th year of films on the National Mall, and who should be heading up the list but Mr. Shaken-Not-Stirred himself. What, was MGM offering a discount on print rentals this year? At least it's a Connery flick; if SotG decided to give D.C. a fourth screening of Moonraker, it might be cause for revolt.
Of course, for Screen on the Green, good programming is nice, but it's sort of secondary to the whole experience anyway, lazing away a summer evening on the Mall under the stars with a picnic, a blanket, and an old movie flickering away on a screen with the Capitol dome looming in the distance. The feeling of community bears the distinctive stamp of a sort of Capra-esque Americana, shattered only on unlucky occasions when a group of interns on the blanket behind you decide to be loudly drunk through the whole film. Even so, aside from the repetitive nature of the first pick, it's a good lineup. There's a classic comedic thriller from the aforementioned Mr. Capra. A timely political satire about a presidential senatorial candidate who, according to the film's tagline, is "Too Handsome. Too Young. Too Liberal." A brilliant Billy Wilder film that more than earns its status as one of the greatest comedies ever made. And finally, Marlon Brando picking up a hefty paycheck for a five minute role as an alien.
We'll be covering these in more detail in future Popcorn & Candy columns, but here's the calendar:
Monday, July 14: Dr. No
Monday, July 21: The Candidate
Monday, July 28: Arsenic and Old Lace
Monday, August 4: The Apartment
Monday, August 11: Superman
Movies begin around sunset, which the website claims is at 8 p.m., but longtime attendees know that's not really the case. Start times are closer to 9, after they show the classic Warner Brothers cartoon and the traditional HBO intro, during which everyone is strongly encouraged to do the HBO dance. Still, it's recommended that you get there reasonably early if you want a good spot; last year, all the films we went to were well attended and the Mall was pretty full from up near the screen all the way back to the projection booth. Also, alcohol is prohibited, but still widely consumed; if you're going to bring it, just don't be that guy. You know what we mean. Also, leave the tall chairs at home, because the back of your head is never going to be as interesting for the people behind you as you might hope.
If the Bond festivals and Screen on the Green and the drive-in up the road aren't enough for you, there's yet another outdoor movie option that recently released their schedule, the little series in Stead Park on P Street NW, between 16th and 17th. Their schedule is up now on Facebook. Screenings are the final Thursdays of June (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), July (The Wizard of Oz), and August (The Goonies).