The parking lot movie

Outdoor summer movies have lots in common with other types of warm-weather fun — namely, that all you need is a blanket, a beverage and a couple of hours to fully enjoy them. As usual, many of the films on this annual roundup are all-ages appropriate, with new and classic animation and comedy and romance — but also kinetic genre flicks and crowd pleasers. Most are free or cheap, and start around dusk (8:30 p.m.). Some offer family-friendly activities beforehand, so plan ahead for those and to get the best seats. That will also give you time to check out any food trucks, adult beverages or bathroom routes (always crucial, especially with kids). See more at denverpost.com/things-to-do/movies . Film on the Rocks (Morrison) Denver Film’s annual series at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison. Schedule: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (June 12), “Black Panther” (replacing “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” June 19), “Top Gun: Maverick” (July 10), “Mamma Mia!” (July 24), “Star Wars: … [Read more...] about 14 places to see outdoor movies in Denver and the Front Range this summer

TO judge from the German films that have made their way onto the world stage in the last few years German cinema is drawn almost obsessively to the nation’s historical landmarks, of which there is clearly no shortage. Recent award-winning exports have taken on Nazis (“Downfall”), the Stasi police state (“The Lives of Others”) and the pains of reunification (“Good Bye Lenin!”). But alongside these big movies with important themes and a capital-H notion of history, a cluster of thoughtful, low-key independent films has emerged, most from a loose network of filmmakers known as the Berlin School. The work of Christian Petzold, 49, a senior member of this quasi-movement, has a particularly charged and complicated relationship with history. Unlike many German directors, Mr. Petzold has no interest in excavating the past. But he also realizes that making movies about his country’s uncertain present means having to contend with traces and aftermaths, and perhaps even telling a few ghost … [Read more...] about A German Wave, Focused on Today

THE stars of “ Bridesmaids ” — Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, principally, with Ellie Kemper, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey and especially Melissa McCarthy in support — are very funny. This is not just my opinion, and it should not come as news, if the raucous laughter at a sold-out theater last weekend in Brooklyn is any indication. “Funny,” apart from being a subjective judgment, is also a commercial imperative, and it is one that “Bridesmaids” has fulfilled. Since it opened on May 13 the triumph of this movie and its comic ensemble (one of whom, Ms. Wiig, wrote the screenplay with Annie Mumolo) has made a lot of money and taken on special cultural significance. “Bridesmaids” has been hailed as a vindication of the rights and abilities of all women — not just those six — to make jokes, and thus a resounding rebuttal to what is supposedly a widespread assumption otherwise. “Bridesmaids,” that is, is being congratulated for settling an argument that nobody was really having. … [Read more...] about The Funnywoman, Alive and Well

MONTAUK, N.Y. — When they were growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, Cherie and Merry Doughan spent their summers at Montauk Shores, a mobile home park that is about as far east as you can live on the East End of Long Island and still have a roof over your head. Only the Montauk Association Houses, where Andy Warhol and Dick Cavett summered, and the lighthouse keeper’s place lie beyond. “It was the Wild West back then,” Cherie Doughan said. “Or I guess you’d call it the Wild East. People sure knew how to party.” Both sisters fondly recall the bathtub their father, Alpha, had found who knows where. It sat crookedly on the lawn in front of their white and beige Liberty mobile home, and their father would regularly fill it with suds and climb in with a case of beer or a big jug of Gallo wine. He would invite passers-by to join him for a drink, and many obliged, splashing in beside him. The tub is gone, replaced by a deck overlooking the Atlantic, but otherwise the home, 12 … [Read more...] about Mobile Home Park on the Atlantic Appeals to the Rich

Every winter, Oscar watchers say that this or that category is especially competitive this year. But no competition at the Academy Awards is as reliably and inherently brutal as the one for best foreign-language film. For this globe-spanning category, each nation is allowed to submit one and only one film to represent its entire cinematic output for the year. That’s the case whether the country is France (which boasts more than 250 film productions in a year) or Yemen (where feature films are rare). For 2016, a record 85 countries successfully submitted films for the process of consideration as nominees. These will be winnowed to a shortlist, until finally, a mere five films will be announced as nominees on Jan. 24. That’s less selective than it is biblical: The closest comparison for the one-country-one-film rule might be Noah’s Ark. Yet the category remains a welcome celebration of world cinema, allowing lucky nominees to share the spotlight alongside Hollywood’s heavyweights. This … [Read more...] about For Foreign-Language Oscar, a Robust Race With Germany and France Setting the Pace

close Video Steve Harvey jokingly warns Kenan Thompson about impression Steve Harvey jokingly warns Kenan Thompson about impression Coffee, donuts, and a side of celebrity. The Newport, Rhode Island , Police Department was treated to a surprise visit by the longest reigning cast member of " Saturday Night Live ," Kenan Thompson, Saturday morning. Accompanied by Newport's Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, Thompson popped in for a quick visit with the force while in town filming the recently announced sequel to his infamous "Good Burger" film . "This morning at shift change the late watch and day watch Officers were surprised by a couple visitors," the NPD shared to their social media. Kenan Thompson and Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong surprised NPD on Saturday morning. (Newport RI Police Department/Instagram) GOOD BURGER' SEQUEL ANNOUNCED BY KENAN THOMPSON, KEL MITCHELL Thompson and the mayor posed for a … [Read more...] about ‘SNL’ star Kenan Thompson surprises Newport, RI police with coffee and donuts: ‘Wicked nice’