Summer 2023
What's on and what's up?
As things heat up this summer, and you find yourself sitting in an unfinished basement, wondering why you still haven’t invested in A/C, consider cooling down at the movies with an iced diet coke and great entertainment. Our top picks for the season are below.
TOP THREE:
There are a lot of films playing this summer… cut through the noise with our top three picks.
FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE!
The Beacon Cinema, Columbia City
Wednesday, June 28th, 7:30 pm
If the experience of picking a movie is simultaneously overwhelming and thrilling, this event is for you. The Beacon will show the first five minutes of four mystery movies, then let the audience vote to decide which film will be screened in its entirety. Will there be consensus? Will the previews be representative of the full film? Will there be time to make a pros vs. cons list? You’ll have to go and find out for yourself.
How do I get tickets? We’re glad you asked. RSVP for the event via Instagram here, or give them a call at (206) 420-SEAT.
More information here.
Barbenheimer double feature
The Uptown, Lower Queen Anne
The Egyptian, Capitol Hill
July 21st
In a coincidence that can only be called a gift from the movie gods, the most highly anticipated films of the summer are set to premiere on the same day. Greta Gerwig’s live action Barbie (trailer here) and Christopher Nolan’s gritty, explosive Oppenheimer (trailer here) both debut July 21st.
It’s not a question of which to see… but in which order to see them? Do you sip your Cosmopolitan before your Whiskey? Or wash down death and decay with sparkles and sunshine? Either way, on July 21st get ready to proclaim, “I am death destroyer of worlds, so come on Barbie, let’s go party!”
Tickets and information here:
VHS Uber Alles
Grand Illusion Cinema, University District
Saturday, June 17th, 9:30 pm
Measured by value alone, the VHS UBER ALLES event (which translates to VHS Above All) is undoubtably the best evening of entertainment in Seattle.
For three dollars (yes, $3.00), you are treated to a film on VHS hand selected by Grand Illusion programmer Alicia Betty. The late start time, cheap entry, and summer haze combine to deliver a movie experience lost to time - throwing on a late-night VHS with a gang of friends and enjoying a relaxed summer evening of watching movies.
How do I get tickets? We’re glad you asked. Purchase tickets online here or in person at the box office.
TOP PICKS BY THEATER:
Sometimes three is not enough. Keep scrolling for more weird, wonderful, and powerful films playing this summer organized by their host theaters.
SIFF
Various locations:
The Uptown, Lower Queen Anne
The Egyptian, Capitol Hill
SIFF Film Center, Lower Queen Anne
Dreams & Nightmares: The Films of David Lynch
The Egyptian, Capitol Hill
June 16 - July 2
Whether you can confidently use Lynchian as an adjective (def. “Characteristic, reminiscent, or imitative of the films or television work of David Lynch”), or are liable to confuse Twin Peaks and Peaky Blinders, we can all benefit from a visit to the strange and surreal world of director David Lynch. SIFF is playing all of his features (incl. Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and Dune) and shorts in this comprehensive summer series.
Tickets and information here: https://www.siff.net/programs-and-events/dreams-and-nightmares-films-of-david-lynch#:~:text=June%2016%E2%80%93July%206%2C%202023,with%20The%20Wizard%20of%20Oz
Barbenheimer double feature
The Uptown, Lower Queen Anne
The Egyptian, Capitol Hill
July 21st
In a coincidence that must be a gift from the movie gods, the most highly anticipated films of the summer are set to premiere on the same day. Greta Gerwig’s live action Barbie (trailer here) and Christopher Nolan’s gritty, explosive Oppenheimer (trailer here) both debut July 21st. It’s not a question of which to see… but in which order to see them? Do you sip your Cosmopolitan before your Whiskey? Or wash down death and decay with sparkles and sunshine? Either way on July 21st get ready to proclaim, “I am death destroyer of worlds, so come on Barbie, let’s go party!”
Tickets and information here:
Barbie: https://www.siff.net/cinema/in-theaters/barbie
Oppenheimer: https://www.siff.net/cinema/in-theaters/oppenheimer-35mm
…National Theater Live (Stage to Screen Series)
SIFF Film Center, Lower Queen Anne
June 18, June 24, July 9, July 23
Enjoy the plays of London’s West End from the comfort of SIFF’s plush seats. Screenings of theater hits (Fleabag featuring Phoebe Waller Bridge, Hamlet featuring Benedict Cumberbatch) are running through the summer.
Tickets and information here: https://www.siff.net/programs-and-events/stage-to-screen
Grand Illusion
University District
…before the case cracks you Series
June 6 - July 6
Let famed directors (Nolan, Bong Joon-ho, Fincher) with the midas touch of darkness pull you into mysteries so deep, they corrupt everyone they touch. In this series, Grand Illusion will screen films with cases that are so terrible, they threaten to ruin the detectives trying to crack them. As a bonus, enjoy select works screened on 35mm film.
Tickets and information here: https://grandillusioncinema.org/series/before-the-case-cracks-you/
VHS UBER ALLES
Saturday, June 17th, 9:30 pm
Measured by value alone, the VHS UBER ALLES event (which translates to VHS Above All) is undoubtably the best evening of entertainment in Seattle.
For three dollars (yes, $3.00), you are treated to a film on VHS hand selected by Grand Illusion programmer Alicia Betty. The late start time, cheap entry, and summer haze combine to deliver a movie experience lost to time - throwing on a late-night VHS with a gang of friends and enjoying a relaxed summer evening of watching movies.
Tickets and information here: https://grandillusioncinema.org/film/vhs-uber-alles-june-23/
SUMMER BLAST! Series
July - August
Revisit the summer blockbusters that never left your heart. In this series, Grand Illusion is giving the people what they want and screening the old school favorites we associate with summer heat and daydreams. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Face/Off, Point Break, and Dazed and Confused and more will run in July and August.
Tickets and information here: https://grandillusioncinema.org/calendar/
The Beacon Cinema
Columbia City
Moonrise Kingdom, Zero for Contact double feature
Friday, June 23, 7:00 pm
Part of the I THINK YOU’VE STILL GOT LIGHTNING IN YOU: FILMS OF CHILDHOOD series, this double feature pairs Wes Anderson’s tribute to the melancholy and joys of young adulthood and Jean Vigo’s autobiographical film chronicling the “anarchic energies of youth” at an all-boys boarding school.
Tickets and information here: https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/moonrise-kingdom-zero-for-conduct
Salt of the Earth with Historian Dr. Natasha Varner
Sunday, June 25, 5:00 pm
If you miss the collegiate satisfaction of exploring a piece of art alongside an expert, this event is for you. The Beacon has arranged for Dr. Natasha Varner, historian and writer, to provide an introduction to this seminal drama depicting the famed 1952 zinc mine strike in New Mexico.
Tickets and information here: https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/salt-of-the-earth-w-dr-natasha-varner
5 MINUTES TO LIVE!
Wednesday, June 28th, 7:30 pm
If the experience of picking a movie is simultaneously overwhelming and thrilling, this event is for you. The Beacon will show the first five minutes of four mystery movies, then let the audience vote to decide which film will be screened in its entirety. Will there be consensus? Will the previews be representative of the full film? Will there be time to make a pros vs. cons list? You’ll have to go and find out for yourself.
Tickets and information here: https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/five-minutes-to-live
Central Cinema
Central District
The Lost Boys with Baron Von Terror
Thursday, June 15, 8:00 pm
Enjoy one of Central Cinema’s signature events with Barron Von Terror, a movie-loving vampire, who will provide expert hosting and commentary as he guides you through a teenage vampire classic: The Lost Boys.
Tickets and information here: https://www.goelevent.com/CentralCinema/e/TheLostBoyswithBaronVonTerror
The Room
Thursday, June 29th, 8:00 pm
All of that is about to change. Attendees of Central Cinema’s monthly screening of The Room, often referred to as the Citizen Kane of bad movies, get to launch hundreds of compostable spoons at the screen, shout greetings (or disparagements) at key characters, and enjoy a trove of other interactive moments while viewing the cult classic film. If you’ve never seen The Room, or never enjoyed it with experienced viewers, this is a can’t miss experience.
If you’d like to go in prepared, the AV Club has published a thorough guide on how to view The Room like a seasoned fan. Find it here.
Tickets and information here: https://www.goelevent.com/CentralCinema/e/TheROOM
Pink Flamingos
June 23-June 28
Everyone loves a comeback. Come and consider how this film, starring drag queen Divine as the “filthiest person alive,” went from critically reviled to a Criterion Collection classic in under 50 years.
Tickets and information here: https://www.goelevent.com/CentralCinema/e/PinkFlamingos
NWFF
Capitol Hill
History of the Hollywood Film Score
Monday, June 19, 6:00 pm
Sign up for the History of the Hollywood Film Score to learn why screechy violins sound so scary and 80’s glam rock is the only appropriate choice for a training montage. Along the way you’ll pick up a working knowledge of film score history, terminology, and music theory.
Tickets and information here: https://nwfilmforum.org/education/workshops/history-of-the-hollywood-film-score-part-1-in-person-only/
Mourning Sickness: Serial Mom
July 16, 7:00 pm
Dinner and a show is nice, but what about dinner, a show and a movie? Have all three at once with a popcorn dinner at Mourning Sickness, a celebration of camp in film. Monday Mourning, local drag sensation, will with dazzle with pre-show entertainment before leading viewers through the cult classic Serial Mom.
Tickets and information here: https://nwfilmforum.org/events/mourning-sickness-serial-mom-in-person-only/
