28 Aug Watch Films From Up High at the Rooftop Film Club

I love escaping to another world when I watch a movie. Typically, we watch our movies in a dark theater or in the comfort of our own home. But, earlier this summer, I went to a movie in an outdoor theater in Athens, Greece where the Acropolis is seen lit up above us. Sitting in the open air with dynamic surroundings takes one away to another place.

And now, in Los Angeles, you can enjoy a movie on a rooftop in Hollywood while feeling like you are in the middle of a movie set with the big bright neon lights above.

Outdoor movie screenings aren’t uncommon in Los Angeles. You can watch movies in a cemetery, an amphitheater, a park or a hotel courtyard. These are all fun activities to do in the summer with friends. You pack your picnic and hope to get to the space early enough to mark out a central spot where you can spread out. Hopefully you can see over the heads of the people in front of you who brought lawn chairs when you forgot yours. And then you hope you can hear the sound of the movie clearly over the sound of people talking or chomping on food.

At the Rooftop Film Club none of these things are a concern. Founder Gerry Cottle Jr. and Partner Nick Frow launched Rooftop Film Club in London in 2011, showing screenings of lovable classic films, cult favorites and new releases atop multiple rooftops throughout London, and then New York. Now they have set up the Rooftop Film Club on the rooftop of The Montalban, a historic 1927 theater on Vine Street, just south of Sunset Blvd.

Wander up five flights of stairs to the rooftop of The Montalban to watch classic movies, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Goonies, Jaws, Cinema Paradiso, Dirty Dancing, The Breakfast Club, Grease, Casablanca and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Tickets are $15 (plus service charge) and you don’t have to bring anything with you. Super comfortable pin-striped deck chairs are provided on the astro turf covered rooftop, as well as personal wireless headsets so that the sound is clear and uninterrupted. It is like you are watching the movie by yourself and you are not distracted by any annoying chatterboxes around you.

After you walk up five flights of stairs to get to the rooftop, you will have worked up your appetite and will be ready to enjoy the available food and drink. Hache LA, a burger stand with locations in Silverlake and Irvine, is serving up their Karma Burger, topped with karma sauce (a standout secret recipe), melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion on a fluffy signature bun for $7.00 including tax. Vegetarians can get a house-made non-soy veggie patty made with barley and leeks for $1.00 extra. And, finish with a smooth and creamy cookie butter frozen custard made onsite with liquid nitrogen for $6.75. You can wash it all down with the refreshing mixture of fresh-squeeze strawberry basil lemonade for $3.75. Craft beer and wines are also available, as well the typical popcorn and candy if you just have to stick with tradition.

If you are looking for somewhere new to catch an old movie, try the Rooftop Film Club. I was there for the first night where they showed the aptly titled Sunset Blvd. And, here is a list of upcoming scheduled films:

Friday, August 28, 2015: Blade Runner
Tuesday, September 1, 2015: Casablanca
Wednesday, September 2, 2015: The Breakfast Club
Thursday, September 3, 2015: Cinema Paradiso
Saturday, September 5, 2015: Back To The Future
Tuesday, September 8, 2015: Breakfast At Tiffany’s
Wednesday, September 9, 2015: Ghostbusters
Thursday, September 10, 2015: Jaws
Friday, September 11, 2015: The Goonies
Saturday, September 12, 2015: Top Gun
Tuesday, September 15, 2015: Dirty Dancing
Wednesday, September 16, 2015: Reservoir Dogs
Thursday, September 17, 2015: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Saturday, September 19, 2015: Grease

Summer may be coming to an end, but it’s LA afterall, and weather allows us to continue outdoor activities until the big rain storm comes…..if that ever happens.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.la.rooftopfilmclub.com. Doors open at 6:00 pm and screening time is at 8:00 pm. Public Parking is available at 1627 Vine Street, in a parking lot adjacent to The Montalbãn and costs $10 if you enter after 6pm. The nearest Subway Station is the Hollywood/Vine Station.