A mix of five family-friendly films will grace a 45-foot screen in the shadow of the Space Needle starting this week, as part of the 2016 slate of “Movies at the Mural” at Seattle Center.
Each Saturday from July 30 to Aug. 27, crowds at the Mural Ampitheatre will be treated to a free screening of a classic or contemporary feature-length movie, starting at dusk (approximately 9 p.m.).
Movie goers are encouraged to bring low-back chairs, blankets, or bean bags for the first-come, first-served seating on the Mural Amphitheatre lawn. However, people are asked to leave their pets at home (service animals the exception), and umbrellas, audio or video recorders, large coolers or ice chests, and open flames (cooking) are prohibited.
Food and drinks are available nearby in the Seattle Center Armory, and at food carts on the Center grounds prior to the start of the film.
Each screening will also be preceded by a 6-to-8-minute short film chosen the curators of the Seattle International Film Festival.
For more information, visit www.seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural.
July 30:
Feature: ”The Princess Bride” (1987) — A staple of ‘top 100’ film lists, this fairy tale adventure classic stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and Mandy Patinkin, as a peasant farmhand and his companions work to win the heart of his true love. As a special bonus, this screening doubles as a “quote-along.”
Short: “Thumb” (2012) — After taking a loss in a ‘thumb war’ with his date, the main character sets off on a ‘Rocky-esque’ training regimen.
August 6:
Feature: “Mad Max: Fury Road’”(2015) — The fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise, a lengthy road battle ensues after Max joins a fleeing group of refugees and their fiery leader in a future desert wasteland. Stars Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Hugh Keays-Byrne.
Short: “The Missing Scarf’”(2013) — An award-winning computed animated short from Ireland, narrated by George Takei, that follows a squirrel who unearths problems deeper, and well beyond his own as he seeks out his scarf.
August 13:
Feature: “Galaxy Quest” (1999) — The cast of a long-since cancelled sci-fi series are tabbed by actual aliens to successfully accomplish an intergalactic rescue mission. Not that they understand the gravity of the situation at first. Stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman.
Short: “Invaders!” (2014) — An evil force of 8-bit invaders attack, leaving an expert gamer to save the world using only the weapons he has come to master.
August 20:
Feature: “West Side Story” (1961) — The classic award-winning story of young star-crossed lovers in New York City, caught in between a conflict of rival street gangs. Stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and Russ Tamblyn.
Short: “Danny and Annie” (2010) — An animated StoryCorps short about a pair of Brooklyn natives as they reflect on their nearly 30-year romance, from beginning to end.
August 27:
Feature: “Life of Pi’”(2012) — A coming-of-age tale that follows an Indian boy who survives a shipwreck that claims the lives of the rest of his family, leaving him stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger in the Pacific Ocean. Featuring Suraj Sharma, Rafe Spall, and Irrfan Khan.
Short: “The Lost Thing,” (2010) — Based on a book by Shaun Tan, an Australian animated flick that tells the story of a boy who finds a strange creature at the beach, and tries to find it a worthy home.