When I like something, I like it. And, lately, I like the summer movie-viewing series high atop the venerable Ricardo Montalbán Theatre, aka The Montalbán, located dead center of Hollywood, on Vine Street just south of Hollywood Boulevard.
The above image of director Quentin Tarantino’s single-card credit for his kick-butt KILL BILL, VOL II (2004), a weird and wonderful movie, did not come from Google Images. It is an actual point-and-shoot photo of the big screen where Rooftop Movies at The Montalbán is hosting these marvelous movie parties.
KILL BILL is the cartoonish escapade in which two woman warriors, played by Uma Thurman and Darryl Hannah, engage mano-a-mano with a pair of nasty criminal brothers, played by David Carradine and Michael Madsen. It’s a gripping, very amusing, if tongue-in-cheek, mash-up of Kungfu and Western movie genres. We hadn’t seen it since it came out nearly twenty years ago, and it holds up beautifully. KILL BILL II is typical of The Montalbán’s roster of films — which tend toward medium-to-big-budget films of yore, popular stuff that may be do for a re-see. For instance, I’m looking at LA LA LAND, I saw it when it came out. A fun movie to see projected to be reconsidered critically.
The Montalbán movies are not free. They are not even inexpensive. It is the price of a premium movie ticket, $28. But gosh, it’s special and fun; you get stuff for the price of the ticket; there’s a raffle, live deejay, affordable drinks, excellent popcorn and snacks … and best of all, these people are nice. They are welcoming and cool. Maybe you can’t make a weekly habit of it, but once in a while, would be a great way to support this legitimate theater in Hollywood, and I promise, the ‘plein air’ setting with fantastic state-of-the-art headphones is a great way to see a film.
Rooftop Movies at the Montalbán | Four staircase flights up to the rooftop | thru summer ’23