What can you expect from a relationahip that begins at a funeral? The delightful cult classic Harold and Maude. (Paramount)
Well it seems like every week I'm finding new places to see old movies. Just when I was fearing that people were retreating into their home theaters and that the community film going experience was on its way out, places like Stone Brewing Co. prove me wrong. So thanks to Mike Palmer for alerting me to the Stone Late Night Movie showings happening every Wednesday night from now through the end of August - it's classic movies in a beer garden! (Gee, wonder if they'll be showing Strange Brew ?!)
The next screening will be the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude on May 28 at 9pm. You could say this is a life-affirming film about death, and that would at least convey a little of the film's off-kilter style. Rarely, though, has a film been so perfectly cast. Ruth Gordon's zest for life practically leaps off the screen and Bud Cort's baby-faced bewilderment sums up the angst of a generation of rich kids left to their own devices. I never grow weary of watching this film. It also holds a special place in my heart because Bud Cort was the first person I ever interviewed professionally, and I couldn't have picked a better celebrity. I was in my early twenties and struggling with recording equipment that was atrocious. So Mr. Cort waited patiently while I set up and then offered to just sit in silence for a few minutes if that would help me relax. He was so gracious and accomodating that it made the whole experience pleasant. So that combined with the fact that Harold and Maude is a delicious black comedy, make it one of my all-time favorite films. So grab a sunflower and head over to the Stone Late Night Movie.
Palmer, who is listed as the art director describes the experience as: "Stars up above you, the frogs and crickets singing away behind you, a classic movie in front of you, and in your hand, your favorite beer. Sounds magical, doesn't it? Indeed it is."
Stone Brewing Company's screening venue.
Each week movies are projected onto a twelve foot wide screen located in a lush, secluded, boulder-lined one-acre garden. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, as they settle in for a night of food, beer and movie watching. No tickets are necessary, and persons under 21 will not be admitted. The Stone World Bistro & Gardens is located at 1999 Citracado Parkway in Escondido For more information visit www.stonebrew.com/movies
There will also be a trivia contest with prizes. So brush up on your Harold and Maude trivia. Do you remember what Old Globe Theater actor plays a priest? Or how many times Harold commits suicide?
