Summer Movie Date Guide

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Maggie Lange, GoLocalProv Contributor

Each summer, Movies on the Block transforms downtown into a cinephile’s dream—as the sun sets over the city, film credits begin spanning across an exposed brick wall. A gravelly parking lot outside of Tazza Café morphs into a comfortable sea of blankets, low chairs, and passers-by leaning on street signs, watching a range from cult classics, popular hits, and local short films.

This picture perfect event occurs every Thursday at dusk on the corner of Westminster and Union Street, at Providence’s only outdoor movie screen. The films are free to the public and with nineteen screenings this summer, there is a film to please everyone’s palate—Casino Royal, Batman Begins, There’s Something About Mary, and Saturday Night Fever to name a select few.

Here’s a synopsis of the movies for June—complete with hints about who to ask as your date, tag lines, and a theme-oriented suggestion for before date-activity.

Almost Famous – June 9th

Synopsis: A teenaged boy accompanies an up-and-coming rock band on their tour of North America and attempts to write an article for Rolling Stone. This 2000 film, written and directed by Cameron Crowe, is semi-autobiographical; like the teenage protagonist, a younger Crowe toured with bands Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and wrote about losing his virginity, falling in love, meeting his heroes. See Kate Hudson in pre-celebrity, hippy, curly-haired groupie glory.

Tagline: “Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.”

Whom to bring: Your teenage sibling, your friend in a band that no one can remember the name of.

Before the movie: Shop for absurdly large sunglasses at Modern Love down the street (222 Westminster).

Casino Royale – June 16th

Synopsis: The 21st James Bond film and the first to star Daniel Craig, Casino Royale tells the story of the beginning of Agent 007’s thrilling career as a MI6 Agent. Casino Royale rebooted the Bond genre, not only with a new protagonist, but a new established timeline. The film features what is perhaps the most touching romance in the Bond films as Craig plays the most vulnerable Bond in the series. Arrive on time to watch the entrancing credit-sequence inspired by Bond-creator Ian Fleming’s original 1953 design of the book’s cover.

Tagline: “Everyone has a past. Every legend has a beginning.”

Whom to bring: An ironic chauvinist.

Before the movie: Grab a martini, shaken not stirred, at Tini (200 Washington Street).

Flatliners – June 23rd

Synopsis: In this 1990 thriller, medical students experiment by killing themselves for short periods of time in order to see if anything exists beyond death. If you didn’t already guess, their experiment begins to go awry. The cast is both believably naïve and star-studded: Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and William Baldwin. With some questionable “light at the end of the tunnel” death sequences, this movie might stand somewhere between cringe-worthy and cerebral.

Tagline: “Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.”

Whom to bring: Your nurse or doctor friends to ask prying questions about plausibility.

Before the movie: Could we be crass enough to suggest getting a heart-stopping Porterhouse Steak for Two at Ruth’s Chris? Okay, we will (10 Memorial Boulevard).

Midnight Run – June 30th

Synopsis: A no-romance bromance, Robert De Niro stars as a bounty hunter and Charles Grodin as his infuriating prisoner. After Grodin embezzles 15 million dollars—“the mob wants him dead, the F.B.I. wants him alive, Robert De Niro just wants him to shut up.” In the trying genre of action-comedy, this 1988 film will seem dated, but the absurdity of De Niro’s performance ages well.

Tagline: “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Whom to bring: Your closest pal you whom you love to hate.

Before the movie: Take out your anger on your frustrating friend in a pretend chase in go-carts at Seekonk Grand Prix.