the DC area Outdoor Movie Scene

Summer is the perfect time to watch movies under the stars. In the DC area we have several options of when/where to watch movies. When the weather agrees with us they are a lot of fun, so grab your friends, some beverages and snacks to enjoy during the movie. This might be the only time that it is okay to Quack during the movie...

The image attached is a schedule I put together for the four major outdoor screenings using the following corresponding key:

C Crystal Screen: By the Numbers (Mondays at 9pm)
M NoMa Summer Screen (Wednesdays at 7pm)
D Capitol Riverfront Front Flicks (Thursdays at 8:45pm)
R Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival (Fridays at 8pm)
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The Crystal Screen: By the Numbers will be located near the Crystal City metro at 18th and South Bell Street. The NoMa Summer Screen will be shown in a lot on L St. NE, between 2nd and 3rd streets. The Capitol River Front Flicks can be found at Tingey Plaza located at 100 Tingey Street SE. The Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival is two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro.

Check the blog regularly for weekly movie reviews to help plan your week ahead for outdoor screenings...

June is the unofficial start to this section:

Week 1 - May 30th to June 3rd
Week 2 - June 6th to June 10th

Quacking BetaMax: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Having recently watched a couple movies involving Sam Rockwell (Conviction in 2010 and Moon in2009), and with the hype of Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) featuring Rutger Hauer, I just had to break this one out of the movie bin. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) is absolutely amazing with the story telling of Charlie Koffman, who is also known for Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004). The film was the directorial debut for George Clooney, and has several cameo appearances that have come to be a signature of anything that George Clooney is involved with. The cameo appearances are almost the same as Ocean's Eleven (2001) including Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. There are a couple other cameos that you might not recognize right away including a young Michael Cera and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Charlie Koffman probably deserved a nomination for his screenplay but with Adaptation coming in the same year the Academy probably played it safe by not nominating him twice. Additionally, Sam Rockwell continues to be one of the most under rated actors as he did a terrific job as the CIA operative that grows nervous of those around him to the point that he even pulls a gun on a comedian behind the curtain during a taping of one of his game shows. A suprise performance comes from Drew Barrymore as the girlfriend to Chuck Barris. So often she takes a roll that has no depth or quality. It was refreshing to see that she can act as well as everyone wants her to. The random appearances from George Clooney in front of the camera was also interesting as it makes you wonder if he was real or just the imagination of Chuck Barris. This certainly helped to contribute to the questioned sanity of Chuck Barris and whether or not he really was working for the CIA.

Overall this is an absolute 4 Quack movie and would be more if it didn't run a bit long for my taste. I suppose that is typical with biographical films trying to tell a full life story, but a couple scenese could have been pulled I figure. Perhaps it was because it was George Clooney's first time directing that this could happen. Regardless I fully recommend this one to everyone that missed it nearly a decade ago.

Kung Fu Panda 2

As a kid I enjoyed the Saturday morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny, the Smurfs, and the classics from the USA Cartoon Express (e.g. Grape Ape, Jabberjaw, and the Snorks ). I could keep going, but the list of cartoons I watched as a kid while my Pop made waffles is just too long. Cartoons on TV today just don't compare, so the adults that grew up on the good ones are now making movies.

Since the first Kung Fu Panda (2008) was such a hit, I am not surprised that Kung Fu Panda 2 was made and will probably become the next animated franchise like Shrek. Returning to the mix is Jack Black (Panda), Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Seth Rogan (Mantis), Jackie Chan (Monkey), David Cross (Crane) and Lucy Liu (Viper) combining for the Furious Five and led by Dustin Hoffman (Master Shifu). Joining the cast as the signature villain is Gary Oldman as Lord Shen the evil Peacock.

Not sure why, but a lot of movies lately have found it necessary to develop the background story through the use of an animated clip inserted into the film. What is funny to me is the idea of inserting an animated clip into an animated feature. I know that the first Kung Fu Panda film took this approach and it wasn't a surprise when this one did as well. All of that being said, the writing is clever enough to entertain both the kids and the parents. One of the most interesting lines was when Po the Panda is excited about a new mission and is asking Master Shifu if they are going to defeat some pirates. It most certainly was a nudge at the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. A subtle undertone to the film is that of the relationship between a father and his son. With the film coming out a couple weeks prior to Father's Day will make this a great film for any dads with kids to spend a special day together.

Since so many of the films for kids are painful for the parents to watch, the Kung Fu Panda series is quite refreshing. I will give it 3 Quacks and encourage those to enjoy a bucket of popcorn with your kids. The film will likely get nominated for an award or two as the best animated film, but not enough for me to pump up my rating.

(screening date 5/21/11, release date 5/27/11, location AMC Tysons Corner 16)

Beautiful Boy

The words in the trailer give the perfect canvas to draw upon for the film. In a single moment your entire life can change. The hardest part of moving on is letting go, and finding the courage to forgive; to regret; and to love. To comfort those around us in times of need we often use words like hope, heal, trust, hurt, feel, and rebuild. However, it is the word "live" that is the most important. When the emotions of life have gotten the better of us, we forget how to live. This is a film about living. So rarely do you find such a beautiful debut film for a writer/director, but Shawn Ku has done just this with "Beautiful Boy". The decision to use distant camera shots that are then zoomed in provides a layer between the characters and the audience that works in this film as we are invading the private lives during their most difficult times.

The film follows the emotional journey of Bill (Michael Sheen) and wife Kate (Maria Bello) who are coping with the loss of their son from a college shooting incident. The blurred foreground as you peak through a window, or from another room in the house, to see and hear a conversation is perfect as their lives are forever going to be in a fish bowl. We all want to stare and look, but are afraid to get close and truly understand what they are experiencing. The film deals with a topic that is for the most part unfamiliar to all of us. We have seen the unfortunate tragedies of Thurston HS (1998), Columbine HS (1999), and Virginia Tech (2007). However, the emotions of the families are completely foreign.

The supporting roles are quietly powerful with Alan Tudyk (mostly known for his role of Steve the Pirate in Dodgeball) as the brother of Kate, who defends his sister to his own wife when she is acting like "supermom" to her nephew. Then there is Meat Loaf as a hotel manager that says what we all are thinking. However, the best of the supporting cast might be Deidre Henry as the neighbor who quietly delivers the best performance. Her comforting hug to Kate is exactly what you in the audience might want to do.

The film was a winner at the Toronto International Film Festival and will continue to receive the award recognition that it deserves. An early favorite for me and a 5 Quack review. Michael Sheen and Maria Bello should receive some recognition for Best Actor and Best Actress. However of the two it is Maria Bello that really stands out. The script is also worthy of a nomination for tackling such a difficult topic.

(screening date 5/18/11, release date 6/17/11, location Regal Gallery Place)

Priest

The film is based on the 1998 graphic novel created by Min-Woo Hyung, PRIEST (Tokyopop), which is described as an intense combination of a horror Western with blazing nonstop action. In the graphic novel, a man walks across the Western frontier batteling fire-breathing demons while he seeks revenge for the death of his loved one.

The movie version of PRIEST, diverges from the graphic novel timeline and events, while expanding upon the concept with fresh ideas. Director Scott Stewart attempts to make up for the failure that was "Legion", which also starred Paul Bettany in a religous themed story. So what about these "fresh ideas". Why must Hollywood make everything involve vampires now? I didn’t know much about the graphic novel that Priest is supposed to be based on, but what I found out from Wikipedia is that it doesn’t involve vampires at all. So why change it, and if you are going to change it should you really include in your cast an actor from Twilight (Cam Gigandet) and someone from True Blood (Stephen Moyer)? I thought that the cast would get a boost from Paul Bettany and Karl Urban, but they are completely flat. Lily Collins, who will be playing Snow White in 2012 for the Brothers Grimm was annoying. The only decent performance was from Maggie Q, but that is being generous because it really is the fight scene she has towards the end of the film that was any good.

Having not read the graphic novels, I cannot comment on whether or not the visual aspects of the film represent the vision of Hyung Min-Woo. What I can say is that the use of 3D in the film is certainly not necessary and fails over and over again. The over stylized, post-apocalyptic, vampire-western where a religious figure wages war to save humanity is grasping in so many directions that the script couldn’t help itself but to suck. The story lacks originality and follows the cliché-riddled ridiculousness we've seen time and time again.

For a script that separated itself so much from the graphic novel, it was insulting that they even attempt to set it up for a sequel in the end. I have gone back and forth on this, but unfortunately this movie falls in the 1 Quack category and will likely receive the Beavtrash award for worst comic book movie.

(screening date 5/12/11, release date 5/13/11, location Regal Gallery Place 14)

Bridesmaids

Judd Apatow has done it again, but this time from a distance as the producer with long time friend Paul Feig taking the shot at the big screen. Paul Feig is better known as a writer going back to his days with "Freaks and Geeks". With a cast that includes Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph from "Saturday Night Live"; Ellie Kemper from "the Office"; Melissa McCarthy from "Mike & Molly" and "Gilmore Girls"; and Wendi McLendon-Covey from "Rules of Engagement" you know it is going to be funny. You knew what you were going to get from the comedians in the cast, but the wild card was Rose Byrn who was most recently seen in the horror film "Insidious".

The film is being hyped as a female version of "the Hangover" and that could not be further from the truth. "Bridesmaids" is a chick-flick that guys will want to see. The jokes are not from a guy's locker room, but instead the ladies locker room. You wouldn't hear a joke about watching tennis compared to a tampon commercial in "the Hangover", but in "Bridesmaids" it fits perfectly and gets the response intended. However, the signature from Judd Apatow and Paul Feig isn't being forgotten with the food poisoning scene that leads to a lot of gross-out humor.

I think my one big complaint about the movie is the casting, which is awesome. My problem is that I find it a little less believable to see the more mature ladies in their mid/late-30's in these roles. The story is more fitting of a character in their mid/late-20's (e.g. "Something Borrowed"). However, the younger actors couldn't deliver the comedy the way that Kristen Wiig does. In the end it works, but just a small complaint.

Anytime a movie like this is put together with a large ensemble cast, the cameo appearances from friends of the cast are almost as fun to spot. The scenes involving Matt Lucas are hilarious, while everyone will hate the character created by John Hamm. I cannot wait for more of America to know who Matt Lucas is, because he is extremely funny. However, not to be outdone the scene stealer has to go to Melissa McCarthy. I have never watched an episode of "Mike & Molly", but I may have to check it out now.

The story is predictable and at times runs a bit long. Overall the film delivers where it needs to and is my favorite comedy of the year. Even though I will over give it 3 Quacks, I still hope that everyone will go see this one and stick around into the credits for yet another bonus scene (that is entirely not necessary).

(screening date 5/10/11, release date 5/13/11, location AMC Mazza Gallerie)

Thor

When the talk of making an Avengers movie began a couple years ago, I had to do some research of what exactly that was going to mean. Would every character from the Avengers get a movie, or just a couple of them? With "Iron Man" (2008) having a cameo from Nick Fury and "Incredible Hulk" (2008) having a cameo from Tony Stark all the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. To further titillate the fanboys there was the inclusion of the Captain America Shield and the bonus scene showing the Mjolnir (pronounced MYOL-ner) Hammer of Thor in "Iron Man 2" (2010) that kept the buzz going. Now finally in 2011 we have the next chapter in the series "Thor" and later this summer is "Captain America". But what about Dr. Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man or Giant-Man), the Wasp, or Hawkeye ? Now that I got my geek moment out of the way lets discuss this movie...

"Thor" takes on two stories that while linear come across rather disjointed between present day Earth and the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who is shown early as being an arrogant son and heir to the throne of Asgard held by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). As a warrior, Thor is reckless in his attempts to reignite an ancient war that his father was involved in. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin and is forced to live among humans. The beautiful Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is a scientist that is on the verge of discovering a wormhole. She is assisted by Darcy (Kat Dennings) who provides a bit of comic relief at times. Thor learns the humility and honor that his father was trying to teach him by being cast out of Asgard. Thor becomes a true hero and is ready to take on the most dangerous villain of his world, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

The screening was in IMAX 3D, but honestly it wasn't necessary. There is really only a couple of times that it was worth the effort, and instead comes across as being a showy attempt. Kenneth Branagh as the director was always an interesting choice and not sure what he added to the film from his Shakespearian background. In fact, I think one could argue that the film only had four acts and was missing the thematic concluding final act that Shakespeare was known for.

For fun I watched some of the 1966 original cartoons of Thor to get my bearings since I never read the comics. A couple things that I found fun were the inclusions of "the rainbow bridge of Asgard" and the reference to Dr. Donald Blake on the shirt that Jane Foster gives him in the movie. There was no transformation or secret identity used in this film (nor should there be). Whenever they showed the rainbow bridge of Asgard the people I was with all got a laugh out of it. It is only referred to as such once, or twice, in the film, but it is clearly a rainbow bridge as the colors change with every step. Some around me compared it to the Rainbow Road from Mario Kart. Further attempts to be true to the comic story included Thor's friends known as the Warriors Three, which failed for me in the film. The joke about them being Jackie Chan, Robin Hood, and Xena was the only redeeming value of their inclusion. Finally, in a rather empty attempt to connect Thor to S.H.I.E.L.D. a conversation is held with Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) where he says they are fighting for the same thing.

The cameo from Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye was not as exciting as I had hoped, and not sure everyone in the audience picked up on it. The cameo from Stan Lee as the truck driver trying to move the magical hammer Mjolnir was fun and everyone in the audience immediately got a laugh out of it.

As with the other films in this series that are leading us to "The Avengers" (2012) you will want to stick around into the credits for yet another awesome bonus scene that is leading us to the culminating moment... "Well, I guess that's worth a look." Overall, the film left me wanting more as it lacked a solid connection to the other films and didn't really point us in a direction of where the Avengers will be going. It is worthy of a viewing by any fans of the genre, but save your money and see it in 2D... 2 Quacks.

(screening date 5/3/11, release date 5/6/11, location Regal Cinemas Majestic Stadium 20 in Silver Spring, MD)