Folks in Montgomery County are reporting cinematic sightings of body snatchers, light sabers and fava beans!
Olney Theatre Center is screening weekly outdoor movies at the Root Family Stage on Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
“We have a brand new stage here so we should get people out here,” Director of Curated Programming Kevin S. McAllister told WTOP. “We have chairs, we’ve got plenty of space, you can lay out in the grass, have a bottle of wine, we’ve got concessions, we’ve got a bar, it’s a great pay-what-you-can experience. … We’re focusing on the decades this year. Every week we’re going to be showing a prominent movie from a specific decade.”
It kicks off by saluting the 1950s with “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) on Sunday, July 16.
“It’s so cult-loved and appreciated and it really just set the tone for what a lot of sci-fi and horror have become today,” McAllister said. “When you watch that kind of movie that was written and created over 70 years ago, it’s a great tribute to people who grew up watching those movies at the time, but also it really opens an invitation to people who are new to these movies to get a sense of the greatness that horror and sci-fi comes from.”
The series next honors the 1960s with Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Psycho” (1960) on Sunday, July 23.
“The ’60s in America were such a building time just in terms of everything was changing, everything was evolving and people were really testing the waters,” McAllister said. “Alfred Hitchcock was leading the way in a lot of regards, examining human flaws in its human form. I was really intrigued by this movie. … The movie is scary because it’s really about everyone. It’s about the person next to you, the person you think you know but don’t.”
His pick from the 1970s is George Lucas’ space blockbuster “Star Wars” (1977) on Sunday, July 30.
“I’m a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan,” McAllister said. “I chose this movie because it speaks to everyone on every level in every generation in every part of the world in every language. There’s no person on the planet who was not affected by ‘Star Wars.’ … It’s a timeless classic at this point. It was written and created like 50 years ago, but it’s also speaking to a generation 500 years from now. … The imagination in it is just ridiculous.”
Representing the 1980s is John Hughes’ coming-of-age gem “The Breakfast Club” (1985) on Sunday, Aug. 13.
“This is definitely for teens and for people who are from my generation,” McAllister said. “This is selfishly one of my favorite movies. It really just speaks to generations of teen archetypes: the idea of the jock, the princess, the nerd, and just how they all work together. It’s a great film that’s literally about kids in detention and how people from all walks of life just learn to get along. It speaks to a larger message, but at its core it’s fun and mindless.”
The series wraps in the 1990s with Best Picture winner “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) on Sunday, Aug. 20.
“I’ve always loved this movie,” McAllister said. “I like movies that make people think, I like movies that have great acting, I like movies that have interesting twists, I like movies that have compelling characters — and Clarice and Hannibal Lecter are just timeless. They are amazing, they’re well-acted, Jodie Foster and Sir Anthony Hopkins are just surreal. When that movie came out, it was all everyone talked about … the fava beans and the chianti.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
