Film, food, and fresh air: Options for outdoor dinner and a movie
Rooftop Cinema offers a chance to be outdoorsy and artsy at the same time.
Spending summer nights seeing nothing but blockbuster movies usually results in smelling like musty air-conditioning and the stale popcorn you ate for dinner. But thankfully, Madison has plenty of options to see fine films in the fresh, breezy nighttime air, with actual meals to complement whatever is happening on screen. The A.V. Club offers these pairings of outdoor film and food options so a perfect night’s weather won’t be wasted in a stuffy theater or restaurant.
Films and food for the refined palate
What to watch: Rooftop Cinema
For five years, Madison Museum Of Contemporary Art’s Rooftop Cinema short film series has been Madison’s avant-garde antithesis to the battling robots and cartoon animals that typically fill local movie theaters in June. Of the five nights of film, the two spotlighting the works of filmmakers John Smith (June 4) and Al Jarnow (June 25) offer a great opportunity to not just sample each filmmaker’s work, but to dig in and see the common notes across their portfolios, gaining some insight into their process and creative vision.
Where to eat: Fresco (227 State St., 608-663-7374)
Before or after the show on the rooftop, stop in at Fresco to grab a bite from its “Fresco Fives” late-night menu, where for a scant $5 you can pick up any of a number of specials, including tarragon chicken salad, risotto cakes, or a buttermilk beignet. The patio of the restaurant is the perfect place to gather with a small group of cinephiles to discuss the merits of the formalist style and other jargon that goes down easier with chocolate-filled pastries and barbecue sliders. Just bear in mind that grabbing a cocktail with that snack will cost considerably more than five bucks, and having one too many could make understanding the avant-garde a tad tougher.
Comfort movies with comfort food
What to watch: Lakeside Cinema
The free weekly film series on the Memorial Union Terrace will be spending the summer in high school, exploring the theme with the likes of Mean Girls and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, along with some other questionable inclusions (Spider-Man?). The Aug. 16 screening of Superbad should be one of the biggest draws of the series, and likely the most entertaining, between all the drunken quoting sure to go down and the revolted looks from parents walking their kids behind the screen when Seth describes drawing “this real big, veiny, triumphant bastard.”
Where to eat: Memorial Union Brat Stand
To complement the predictable-yet-comfortable Lakeside Cinema fare, head to the Brat Stand for staples like brats, burgers, and sweet corn until 9 p.m. Unfortunately, that means the stand closes right around when the movie will likely begin, so grab a brat and a pitcher right when you arrive, then take on the challenge of finding an empty table for the show. Don’t forget some bug spray to ward off unwanted insect audience members.
Keeping it granola
What to watch: Films In The Courtyard
Four Star Video Heaven and the Willy Street Co-op will team up again at the end of the summer for the Films in the Courtyard series, screening documentaries celebrating Mother Nature in the seating area in front of the Co-op each Saturday at dusk between Aug. 14 and Sept. 4. In addition to docs on the Tar Creek disaster and the eat local movement, the series features some Wisconsin Film Fest 2010 graduates, including Paddle To Seattle, the Golden Badger-winning documentary about two friends paddling homemade kayaks through the Middle Passage from Canada to Washington. For bonus Star Wars references, arrive early—a short from the “Chad Vader” series filmed just inside the building will precede each screening.
Where to eat: Willy Street Co-op (1221 Williamson St., 608-251-6776)
There are always plenty of healthy snacks to be found at the Co-op, but “Viva Las Veggies” on Aug. 14 promises a grilled veggie cookout that will put the artery-clogging glory of other summer festival food to shame. Hang out in the courtyard in front of the Co-op for a late lunch at the cookout, chat with members about sustainability and cinema, take in a walk or bike ride around Lake Monona, and finally trek back to the courtyard by dusk to catch the inaugural film of the series, Paddle To Seattle. Making a day of the free film series could trick even the most sedentary of Madison cinephiles into a day of healthy living.
