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Film
In many parts of the country, movie theaters offer a place of escape during the summer, a point of air-conditioned respite from the nailing heat of the angry sun.
We don’t live in one of those parts of the country.
In our corner of the country, we are more likely to seek out the cool comfort of a movie theater as a means of escaping a summer rainstorm—or as a distraction from the fact that it is almost July 4, and summer has yet to begin. Conversely, when the sky dawns clear and sunny, and the weather is in cooperation with the calendar, we are hardly likely to be drawn to anything indoors.
So, what’s an outdoor-minded movie buff who lives in our neck of the woods supposed to do? The Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema aims to provide the answer in the form of al fresco cinema taking place every Saturday on the Fairhaven Village Green all summer long.
This Saturday, June 30, actually marks the second week of this year’s series. It was actually scheduled to begin last week, which was a wet and thunderous day off for Ferris Bueller. This weather looks to be a bit more promising for this week’s installment—which brings us to the movie part of the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema.
As a longtime employee of the Pickford Film Center (where I pop popcorn and show movies), the organization that first brought outdoor films to this area’s movie-going masses, I know that picking the perfect mix of movies is somewhat of an art form. After all, they’ve got to be family-friendly enough to be shown in a highly public place, be of enough general interest to attract a wide ranging group of people and they must have that special something that makes them ideal for viewing under this particular set of circumstances.
However, with several seasons of the series under his belt, Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema organizer Doug Borneman has selection of this set of cinema well in hand. But movies aren’t the only thing you’ll find on the Village Green. Every Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema movie is paired with a musical opener, making this a multi-pronged entertainment experience.
This means when you show up for The Adventures of Tintin, you’ll be greeted by circus acts performed by One Fine Fool (June 30). With Martin Scorsese’s surprising instant classic Hugo (July 7) comes more circus stunts, this time performed by Strangely. When Ryan Gosling shows of his considerable comedic chops (not to mention some eye-popping abs) alongside Steve Carrell in Crazy, Stupid, Love (July 14), Lost at Last gets the preshow entertainment nod. As the summer rolls on and the weather becomes more reliably accommodating, you’ll find 2011’s version of The Muppets paired with Ali Marcus (July 21), and Pretty Little Feet opening for the lovely ladies of The Help (July 28).
When August brings with it balmy days and mild nights, it’ll be time for Raiders of the Lost Ark (perfect outdoor cinema fodder, methinks) with Hoss (Aug. 4), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the 1971 Gene Wilder version, thankfully) with Amber Darland (Aug. 11), and the baseball movie good enough to make my year-end best-of list, Moneyball, which will feature the Librarians as openers (Aug. 18).
Like anything else, the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema likes to go out with a bang, and it’ll do so with an Aug. 25 finale of The Princess Bride with live shadow boxers making an appearance. This is not the first time this cult classic has graced an outdoor screen in this town, and it probably won’t be the last. But finding a better film to round out this cinematic series? As The Princess Bride’s Vizzini would say: “Inconceivable.”
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