Let's All Go To The Lobby - Kubo and The Two Strings

Being the Pop Culture family that we are, we tend to see a lot of movies.  Sci-fi, comedy, animated, fantasy, action, drama, documentaries...we enjoy a wide spectrum of films as a family. That being said, Kubo and the Two Strings satisfied us all on several levels. The story is engaging, with plenty of action to keep the youngest focused and a solid story of love, loss and family ties for the oldest. The characters are written and acted nicely, allowing you to connect with them throughout the movie. The animation is beautiful, with the unique style that only comes from stop motion animation and the music was stunning, primarily focused on Kubo's shamisen (with an incredible cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps featuring Regina Spektor)  The plot and overall theme have you leaving the theater in a good mood, wanting to hang with family. 

Cinema Under The Stars - Outdoor Movies In the Greater Seattle Area

There is something amazing about watching a movie outdoors.  The sounds and sights are amplified by the openness of the venue.  Add in a crowd that is unfettered by the limitations of the theater and you have a spectacle that is unlikely to be recreated at your local Cinerama.  Luckily in the Seattle area there are several locations where you can watch a film with the sky above you.  The Fremont Outdoor Cinema is the longest running of the bunch with Seattle Parks and Recreation (at both Westlake and Occidental Parks), Magnuson Park, Marymoor Park and  the Seattle Center all hosting their own movies within the last few years. With this many venues, there are movies playing 3 to 4 nights a week. As an added bonus, many of the showings encourage dressing up and several showings have movie trivia or other activities before the show starts.  So gather up your low beach chairs, pack yourself some snacks and spread out a blanket under the stars....

Wednesday, July 6: Back to the Future – Marymoor Park

Thur. July 7: Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Magnuson Park

Wednesday, July 13: Jurassic World – Marymoor Park

Thur. July 14: Labyrinth- Magnuson Park

Friday July 15th:  Movies in the Park: Inside Out - Westlake Park

Saturday July 16th: DEADPOOL | 21+ - Fremont Studios

Wednesday, July 20: Inside Out – Marymoor Park

Thur. July 21: Star Wars: The Force Awakens- Magnuson Park

Friday July 22^nd: Movies in the Park: The Goonies - Westlake Park

Saturday July 23^rd: Pretty Woman 21+ - South Lake Union Discovery Center

Wednesday, July 27: Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Marymoor Park

Thur. July 28: The Incredibles- Magnuson Park

Saturday July 30^th: Mad Max: Fury Road 21+ - South Lake Union Discovery Center

Saturday July 30^th: The Princess Bride Quote-Along - Seattle Center Movies at the Mural

Wednesday, August 3: Aladdin – Marymoor Park

Thursday, August 4^th: Guardians of the Galaxy – Magnuson Park

Friday, August 5^th: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same - Cal Anderson Park

Saturday, August 6^th: Grand Budapest Hotel 21+ - South Lake Union Discovery Center

Saturday, August 6^th: Mad Max: Fury Road - Seattle Center Movies at the Mural

Wednesday, August 10: Singin' in the Rain – Marymoor Park

Thur. August, 11^th: Zootopia – Magnuson Park

Friday, August 12^th: Spaceballs - Cal Anderson Park

Saturday, August 13^th: Galaxy Quest - Seattle Center Movies at the Mural

Wednesday, August 17: Zootopia – Marymoor Park

Thur. August 18^th: The Sandlot – Magnuson Park

Friday, August 19^th: Dudefest V - The Big Lebowski - South Lake Union Discovery Center

Friday, August 19^th:  Barbarella - Cal Anderson Park

Saturday, August 20^th: West Side Story - Seattle Center Movies at the Mural

Wednesday, August 24: The Princess Bride – Marymoor Park

Thur. August 25^th: The Goonies – Magnuson Park

Friday, August 26^th: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Cal Anderson Park

Friday, Aug 26^th:  Movies in the Park: Labyrinth - Occidental Square

Saturday, August 27^th: Life of Pi - Seattle Center Movies at the Mural

Friday, Sep 2^nd:  Movies in the Park: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Occidental Square

Explore Imagination - Fantasy Exhibit @ The EMP

There is a inherent draw to fantastic worlds and stories in all of us.  Mythical creatures, epic battles, magical duels...these things fill the stories and games that entertain us.  So the Fantasy exhibit at the EMP is a great peak behind the curtain of the things that captivate us.   With items from The Wizard of Oz to original manuscript pages from The Lord of The Rings (Plus a Dragon!) The exhibit gives a taste of many of the iconic stories from the fantasy genre.  The only downside is you will want more.  As an added bonus, your ticket to the Fantasy exhibit also gives you admission to the Can't Look Away Horror exhibit, the Icons of Science Fiction exhibit and the entire EMP Music exhibit. (we talk about it here)
EMP Fantasy Exhibit

Happy May The Fourth and Free Comic Book Day!

May The Fourth Be With You - Star Wars Day

May the Fourth is Star Wars Day.  We are big Star Wars fans. (Which may be the understatement of the year.) Therefore, logic dictates that we will be celebrating.   Star Wars is a worldwide institution with countless fans and it has it's own day to celebrate all it's glory.  There are various ways you can get your geek on to commemorate the occasion.

You can:

1. Watch all 6 movies (this one's obvious, but important nonetheless)
2. Have a lightsaber battle throughout your neighborhood (bonus points if you can get passerbys involved)
3. Go to a bar/restaurant with a live band and convince them to play the song from the Cantina bar
4. Have a Wookie calling contest from the tallest hill you can find
5. Head to Card Kingdom and try one of the several Star Wars themed games
6. Have a creative party and craft yourself some awesome Star Wars tchotchkes (head over to StarWars.com for some great ideas)
7. Get a Star Wars themed tattoo (only for advanced Fans)
8. Host a dramatic reading of one of the many Star Wars novels
9. Take some time to create your own Star Wars fan film (See ours here or check out some awesome ones here)
10. Be Vader for a day and tell your kids you are their father (or mother) in a loud and raspy voice as much as you can

Whatever you do, Have Fun!    And May the Force be with you!

Holy Movies Batman! - A Gotham Night To Remember In The Emerald City

Back before the Dark Knight, before Tim Burton's Batman, there was a Batman phenomenon that involved printed sound effects, cheesy puns and Adam West.  The Batman TV show from the 60's gave us an over the top, kitchy take on Batman that is still part of our pop culture society today...even if you didn't know it.  Between the first and second seasons of the TV show, a movie was released piggybacking on the its success.  And on February 28th you can experience this film like never before, with Adam West and Burt Ward!  The stars of the film will be on hand for a Q & A before the film, so if you having burning questions for the Original Dark Knight and his ward this is your opportunity. http://seattlecinerama.com/coming-soon/

Stop Motion Animation - Homegrown Movie Studio

Everyone at some point aspires to a creative profession.  Whether it's photography, design or artist, it will cross your mind if only for a fleeting moment.   For our oldest it has been film making for as long as we can remember.  Even at an early age he would spend hours watching the making of features of movies rather than the movie itself.  Knowing this we have encouraged him to try various types of filming.  Our latest foray has been stop motion animation.  By using a digital camera and simple editing software, we were able to shoot and edit his first two short animated films.  At first we thought the process would be difficult, but after our initial setup the most difficult part was keeping our subject in the correct position as we manipulated it.  Through the production we discussed how films are made, why film is projected at 24 or 30 frames per minute (the human eye perceives fluid motion starting at about that rate)  and what was going to happen when we fell short of that frame rate(slightly jerky motion). 

Enjoy!