Movies/TV/Streaming

Union Market Launching Friday Outdoor Movie Series – ‘DC Drive In’ Starting July 12th

By Prince Of Petworth

union_market_oudoor_movies_drive_in
1309 5th Street, NE

From a press release:

“Union Market will host Washington D.C.’s first drive-in movie experience, which will screen on Fridays. Watch classic Washington D.C.- centric films on Union Market’s 3-story wall. Pre-show festivities will include music, contests and special giveaways. A variety of Union Market vendors will also participate, serving food, drinks and fun snacks.

The DC Drive-In is free to attend, however reservations are suggested for cars. Don’t have a car? There will be a picnic area in the parking lot for bikers and walkers – no reservations are required for the picnic area. The schedule for the DC Drive-In is as follows:

July 12th
Dr. Strangelove (or) How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

July 19th
Distinguished Gentleman

July 26th
The American President

August 2nd
No Way Out

The DC Drive-In is a free event made in partnership with Reel Plan and a generous grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. To make reservations, please visit www.dcdrivein.com.

WHEN: Fridays beginning July 12th
Films begin at 9:00PM”

U Street Outdoor Movie Series Starts Tomorrow (Wed.)

By Prince Of Petworth

u_street_movie_series
Photo via Friends of Harrison Recreation

From an email:

Harrison Recreation Center (between 13th & 14th on V Street, NW). The gates open at 7 pm, and a DJ will play until sundown when the movie starts. Harrison Recreation Center is being renovated, but the field is open for sports use and the movie series.

Three years ago, a group of Star Wars fans decided to remake Star Wars: A New Hope out of fan-generated scenes. Now, the Star Wars Uncut project has finally The U Street Movie Series Kick off Wednesday evening, June 19th with Star Wars Uncut at the come to fruition with a Director’s Cut, a two-hour+ YouTube video created entirely by crowdsourcing.

When fans were encouraged by organizer and fan Casey Pugh to recreate the Star Wars movie in 15-second segments, they were given free reign to do whatever they wanted. Out of the thousands of wildly creative scenes, video editor Aaron Valdez and sound designer and mixer Bryan Pugh picked the best of the bunch, putting together this whimsical Director’s Cut, a rip-roaring re-creation of the George Lucas film.

Movies for the balance of the series are:

July 17th – The Nine Lives of Marion Barry
August 21st – Summer Wars (anime)
September 18th – The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan

Screen on the Green 2013 Line Up Annouced, Kicking Off Mon. July 22nd with E.T.

By Prince Of Petworth

screen-on-the-green-dc-national-mall-movies
Photo by PoPville flickr user mosley.brian

From a press release:

Friends of Screen on the Green, along with HBO and Comcast, are proud to announce Screen on the Green’s summer line up. This year’s film festival kicks off on Monday, July 22 with a showing of the 1982 classic sci-fi movie “E.T.”

The free outdoor event will continue with screenings on Monday evenings at sunset through August 12 with movies shown on a giant 20’ by 40’ screen between 7th and 12th Streets on the National Mall.

“This year’s lineup is one of the best we’ve ever seen – it is a true celebration of modern American cinema,” said Jesse B Rauch, President and founder of Friends of Screen on the Green. “We are extremely grateful HBO, Comcast, and the entire DC community for their continued enthusiasm and support, and look forward to being able to enjoy these classic films for many years to come.”

The lineup for Screen on the Green 2013 is:

July 22 – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
July 29 – Norma Rae
August 5 – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
August 12 – Tootsie

Working with HBO and Comcast, “Friends of Screen on the Green” is devoted to promoting and preserving Screen on the Green and other outdoor movie festivals in the Washington, DC Metro area.

Screen on the Green is a remarkable free summer movie series that provides a tribute to classic films. Each screening attracts approximately 15,000 Washingtonians and tourists, making this one of the largest community events in the District of Columbia.

Golden Triangle BID Sponsors Five Outdoor Movies at the Heurich House Museum

By Prince Of Petworth

Heurich House

From a press release:

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) will offer a series of outdoor movies this summer in partnership with The Heurich House Museum. The “Golden Cinema Series” will be shown in the courtyard of the Heurich House Museum on Fridays, June 7- July 12. All films are free and open to the public. Gates to the Heurich House Museum courtyard will open at 8 p.m. and the movies will start at sunset.

Films selected for the “Golden Cinema Series” were produced during the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood,’ including three films from the 1940’s and two films from the 1950’s. The five features are: Casablanca on June 7, Rear Window on June 14, Some Like It Hot on June 28, Yankee Doodle Dandy to be shown on July 5 in honor of the Independence Day weekend, and, The Philadelphia Story on July 12. Iconic personalities from Hollywood, including Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, star in the movies.

Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket, and to make a night of the “Golden Cinema Series” in the garden of one of D.C.’s finest Victorian-era homes.

The Heurich House Museum is located at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., south of Dupont Circle and a block from the south entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro station. The gates to the courtyard are located on Sunderland Place NW.

Heurich House_courtyard

NoMa Summer Screen Starts Wed. with Indiana Jones: Last Crusade

By Prince Of Petworth

noma_summer_film_series
Loree Grand Field at Second and L Streets, NE. Photo via NoMa BID

From a press release:

NoMa Summer Screen is a free, 13-week outdoor film series in NoMa, Washington, D.C.’s fastest growing neighborhood. Every Wednesday from May 22 to August 21, hundreds of neighbors gather at 7 p.m. for music, giveaways, food trucks, picnicking, and fun for the whole family. Films start at dark. All movies are screened with subtitles. Coolers, children and friendly (leashed) dogs are welcome.

Outlaw Heroes:

* May 22: Indiana Jones: Last Crusade
* May 29: Star Trek (The Future Begins, 2009)
* June 5: The Princess Bride
* June 12: The Italian Job (2003)
* June 19: Goonies
* June 26: Breakfast Club
* July 3: The Fugitive
* July 10: Bridesmaids
* July 17: Moonrise Kingdom
* July 24: True Grit
* July 31: Hunger Games
* August 7: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
* August 14: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
* August 21: Tentative Rain Date

Going to the Movies – The Internship

By Prince Of Petworth

Popville_film_review_internship
Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

Going to the Movies is written by Mount Vernon Triangle resident Catherine Taegel.

It’s been eight years since “Wedding Crashers.” It’s been eight years since Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson – the most hilarious guys in the room that you really want to hang out with. Okay, they’re still funny – of course, they’re buddies who play well off each other– but they’ve softened. Once upon a time they were insanely funny and semi-nice guys, but now they’re really nice guys who are semi-funny. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it doesn’t make for a strong film. They’ve lost their edge and in the process we have been brought a poorly executed nice idea. A story by Vince Vaughn, “The Internship” is the film we wanted to be good but knew was going to bad.

“The Internship” focuses on two former watch salesmen – Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) – whose outdated skills have them searching for a way to reinvent themselves and get back into the job market. Vince Vaughn google’s Google and finds the opportunity – a summer internship that has the potential to leads to a full-time job. As recently enrolled students at Phoenix University, Billy and Nick land an interview for the internship via Skype. They get accepted into the program and the minute they arrive at the Google campus they are ostracized by other interns and members of the staff. The old guys get grouped with the Google intern outcasts. The groups are put through a series of tests and whoever wins the most wins the full-time jobs. Can you guess how that turns out?

Continues after the jump. (more…)

The Future of Filmfest DC

By Prince Of Petworth

filmfest_DC
Photo by PoPville flickr user Rukasu1

The following was written by ‘Going to the Movies’ contributor and Mount Vernon Triangle resident, Catherine Taegel.

Filmfest D.C. isn’t the area’s only international film festival, it was the first and it’s certainly the biggest. This year the festival is 27 years old and movie showings span over two weeks and eight venues. Last week Tony Gittens, the Director and founder of the DC International Film Festival, released a statement regarding the future of Filmfest D.C. Unfortunately, for D.C. and the surrounding metropolitan area, right now the future looks grim.

Even with 23,000 filmgoers attending in 2011, economic times are tough and ticket sales don’t cover even half of Filmfest D.C.’s budget. Around 60% of D.C. Filmfest’s budget is made up of donations. The big donors include the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and the D.C. government. According to the statement, both donors provided less than expected funding and Mr. Gittens didn’t see it coming. Costs continue to rise and D.C. Filmfest had been diving into reserves even before the untimely cut in funds.

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NoMa Summer Screen Movies Announced – OUTLAW HEROES

By Prince Of Petworth

noma_summer_film_series
Photo via NoMa BID

From a press release:

Mark your calendars now for NoMa Summer Screen, the neighborhood’s most anticipated event of the year, with 13 weeks of OUTLAW HERO films! Now in its sixth year, the award-winning outdoor film series will feature classic American westerns, space invasion thrillers, 80’s comedies, and more.

NoMa Summer Screen is a free, 13-week outdoor film series in NoMa, Washington, D.C.’s fastest growing neighborhood. Every Wednesday from May 22 to August 21, hundreds of neighbors gather at 7 p.m. for music, giveaways, food trucks, picnicking, and fun for the whole family. Films start at dark. All movies are screened with subtitles. Coolers, children and friendly (leashed) dogs are welcome.

Outlaw Heroes:

May 22: Indiana Jones: Last Crusade
May 29: Star Trek (The Future Begins, 2009)
June 5: The Princess Bride
June 12: The Italian Job (2003)
June 19: Goonies
June 26: Breakfast Club
July 3: The Fugitive
July 10: Bridesmaids
July 17: Moonrise Kingdom
July 24: True Grit
July 31: Hunger Games
August 7: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
August 14: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
August 21: Rain Date

Family Film Night at Sursum Corda schedule after the jump. (more…)

Friday Question of the Day – What Neighborhoods Could Support a New Movie Theater?

By Prince Of Petworth

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Rendering via ANC Rep David Garber’s Facebook page

Last week a commenter pined for a movie theater in Columbia Heights (I also wondered about that possibility back in 2009.) On March 1st, Navy Yard ANC Rep David Garber posted a rendering for a proposed movie theater in Navy Yard:

“Curious to hear what you think of the design for this new 16-screen ShowPlace ICON movie theater near the ballpark!”

movie_theaters_washington_dc_neighborhoods

Personally I think a movie theater would do very well in Navy Yard as more and more development continues to sprout near the baseball stadium and coming soon to the nearby SW Waterfront as well. Anyway, it got me thinking about what other neighborhoods – could realistically – support a movie theater? I think NoMa probably could as well. Which neighborhoods do you think could support a 16 screen theater? How ’bout a smaller independent two screen theater like West End Cinema?

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