Next Saturday (August 1st) at West Seattle Outdoor Movies, it’s the Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter 1987 comedy “Raising Arizona“:

But before we spend too much time looking ahead – here’s the story of this weekend’s movie night, the slightly shower-splashed showing of the 1992 Seattle-set, grunge-rock-laden romantic comedy “Singles.”

First, there was the surprise guest in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard – a car. The courtyard is not a public parking lot, but somehow, a car was parked right under the movie screen as the gates opened in early evening, and no one came to claim it. So it became a part of the evening, including gathering the audience for a group “selfie” with it:

The pre-show entertainment, playing to stage left of The Car, was the movie-tune band Stay Tuned – we caught part of their version of “Gangsta’s Paradise” (from 1995’s “Dangerous Minds“) on phone video:

(Before they finished, people in the back row were waving lighters.) By then, by the way, as befitting the screening of a Seattle movie, one shower had passed through. And while some drizzle followed later, a determined core crowd remained, buying $135 worth of raffle tickets to benefit the night’s spotlight nonprofit, Northwest Center:

The movie itself was memorable for the rueful laughter when those of us who hadn’t seen it since the ’90s realized that one Seattle issue hadn’t changed: The male protagonist, played by Campbell Scott, was an engineer working on a plan to solve Seattle traffic – in hopes of getting hundreds of thousands of people out of their “single-occupancy vehicles,” he came up with something called the Supertrain. Politicians, represented by Tom Skerritt as the mayor of Seattle, told him no. Meantime, a running gag in the movie involved the status conferred by an apartment accessorized by its own offstreet parking space – rendering the presence of The Car (which was claimed by the time we returned to Hotwire for a coffee beverage late this morning) all the more apropos. And here we are still talking about parking, traffic, and transit almost a quarter-century later.

Also seen in the movie: West Seattle rock stars plus the crash scene filmed at California/Charlestown (though most of the rest of the movie featured scenery from Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and downtown). If you’ve never seen “Singles,” find it online (and if you’re interested, read director Cameron Crowe‘s diary of making it, here). Meantime, next Saturday is the third of six Saturday night West Seattle Outdoor Movies this summer – see the full schedule here.

Saturday night, we’re co-sponsoring the West Seattle Outdoor Movies screening of “Singles,” the 1992 movie set and filmed in then-grungy Seattle. (At least one West Seattle scene, a commenter pointed out after our last preview.) WSOM events feature raffles to benefit a featured nonprofit, with sponsors rounding up raffle prizes; at right, we’ve decorated a “bucket of grunge” stuffed with mega-local items … thanks to donors including Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor and movie host), Zippy’s Giant Burgers, West Seattle Bowl, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and the West Seattle Junction Association. This week’s beneficiary is Northwest Center, headquartered just east of West Seattle. Gates open at the Hotwire courtyard (4410 California SW) at 6:30 pm – bring your own chair/blanket; movie’s at dusk (9-ish), with preshow entertainment. Concessions are a nonprofit benefit too – presented by and benefiting the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. See you there!

The Seattle grunge-rock love (sort of) story “Singles,” from 1992, is up next at West Seattle Outdoor Movies, Saturday night (July 25th) on the wall in the courtyard at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. That’s where a sizable crowd watched “Zoolander” open this year’s WSOM series last night – many were staked out more than an hour in advance:

Each movie night’s sponsors bring something unique – last night’s slate included Quadrato with pizza and The Beer Junction with root-beer floats:

Longtime WSB sponsor Westside Dermatology was a sponsor last night too. Rainier Roller Girls were both the pre-show entertainment and the raffle beneficiary (bring a few bucks for raffle tickets if you can – the movie itself is free):

And every week, concessions will be sold by (and benefiting) the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which brings along its “guess how many Lincoln Logs” jar:

Next week, we’re co-sponsoring “Singles” with Elliott Bay Brewing; live music is the preshow entertainment, courtesy of “Stay Tuned, The Band“; raffle beneficiary is Northwest Center. The movie’s at dusk; gates open at 6:30. Preview the rest of the season’s slate (with sponsors and entertainment) here.

That’s the screen in the courtyard outside Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) at 4410 California SW, where you can get coffee or an ice-cream bar (among other things) while you’re at West Seattle Summer Fest, and imagine what it’ll be like one week from tonight (Saturday, July 18th), when this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series kicks off! “Zoolander” is the first movie, followed by “Singles,” “Raising Arizona,” “Big Hero 6,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The movies are free – there’s preshow entertainment, raffles to raise money for local nonprofits, concessions provided by and raising money for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society … While you’re at Summer Fest this weekend, come see us on the north side of the Information Booth (California/Alaska) and pick up a free WS Outdoor Movies button (with the robot logo) and card listing all the movies (so you can put it up on the fridge or wherever).

It’s one of our favorite summer-event posters every year – and today, it’s out:

Click the image for a larger view of this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies poster by Horsepower Design, listing not only the six movies that will be screened on Saturday nights in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard – starting July 18th – but also the pre-show entertainment, sponsors, and nonprofits benefiting from each event’s fun(draising) raffle drawing(s). Here again, if you missed it two weeks ago, is this year’s movie list:

Sat, July 18th: “Zoolander,” 2001 (trailer above; PG-13)

Sat, July 25th: “Singles,” 1992 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 1st: “Raising Arizona,” 1987 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 8th: “Big Hero 6,” 2014 (PG)

Sat, Aug 15th: “Guardians of the Galaxy,” 2014 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 22nd: “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 1975 (R)

Admission is free; concessions will be sold this year by, and as a benefit for, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. Hotwire’s at 4410 California SW, just north of the Junction post office. (We’re proud to be a co-sponsor again this year – see the full sponsor lineup across the bottom of the poster.)

(WSB photo from past WSOM season)
Thanks to everyone who answered the call for suggestions for this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series, six summer Saturday nights featuring free films at dusk in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor), now just a month and a half away, with co-sponsors including WSB. The lineup is set – and the leader of the movie pack, Hotwire’s Lora Swift, has two requests. But first, the movies!

Sat, July 18th: “Zoolander,” 2001 (trailer above; PG-13)

Sat, July 25th: “Singles,” 1992 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 1st: “Raising Arizona,” 1987 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 8th: “Big Hero 6,” 2014 (PG)

Sat, Aug 15th: “Guardians of the Galaxy,” 2014 (PG-13)

Sat, Aug 22nd: “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 1975 (R)

(“Rocky” ended its monthly Admiral Theater run last fall, so this will be its first screening in West Seattle in almost a year.) Now, the requests:

NONPROFITS WANTED: Every movie night includes a raffle to raise money for local nonprofits. If yours is interested, please apply now! You’ll have to contribute a few items for the raffle and have a rep there on your movie night as well as two volunteers. By the way, sponsors contribute cool raffle items too, all season long, so the raffle items aren’t ONLY from the beneficiaries.

PRE-SHOW ENTERTAINMENT WANTED: Lora is recruiting variety acts to perform in the courtyard before the movie (times TBA, since the movie starts at dusk and that gets earlier as the summer goes on) – go to this link (CL) to find out more.

The e-mail address for charities and pre-show entertainment is the same: westseattlemovies@gmail.com

ALSO: This year’s concessions will benefit, and be run by, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. For more about the series, check out the official website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

(WSB file photo of West Seattle Outdoor Movies audience in Hotwire courtyard)
The dates are set for the 2015 season of West Seattle Outdoor Movies – six summertime Saturday nights, July 18th to August 22nd, in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) at 4410 California SW. If you are brand-new to West Seattle this year – it’s our area’s only outdoor movie series, free admission, concessions and raffles to benefit local nonprofits. And the movies are chosen with community input – this means you! The online suggestion box is open right now – what movie would you like to see? While the series is intended to be mostly family-friendly, that does NOT mean it’s limited strictly to G-rated movies. To avoid recent reruns, here’s what was shown in the past three years:

2014’s movie lineup was “Gravity,” “Spice World,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “The Blues Brothers,” “The Goonies,” “Frozen”

*2013′s movie lineup was “Goldfinger,” “Devil Wears Prada,” “Muppets,” “Avengers,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “This Is Spinal Tap”

*2012′s movie lineup was “Pretty in Pink,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Lion King,” “Iron Man,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Top Gun”

We invite you to comment here with suggestions, and/or e-mail them to westseattlemovies@gmail.com!

P.S. Local businesses/organizations interested in co-sponsoring the series (we are proud to be on board again this year) are also invited to contact Hotwire proprietor/Outdoor Movies ringleader Lora Swift, same e-mail address as above.

Full house at @WSMovies – with 'Frozen' in about half an hour – last WSOM of the year! pic.twitter.com/fTHLIZtI8p

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 24, 2014

It’s wall to wall in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction for this year’s sixth and final West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation, “Frozen” – with movie time coming up around 8:15 (amazing how sunset/twilight suddenly get so much earlier as the season goes along). As requested, diaper donations for WestSide Baby have come in from moviegoers.

WS Baby also benefits tonight from concession and raffle proceeds, which are fundraisers for a different local nonprofit each week. Lots of sponsors make the series possible; PB&J Textiles donates the concessions each week, and we at WSB are happy to have been the media sponsor again this year. Every week also features spotlight sponsors for that movie – tonight’s lineup includes Bend n Move, which just led a round of Zumba:

Tonight also featured a free barbecue courtesy of West Seattle Christian.

P.S. Watch these pages next spring – we’ll let you know when movie host and emcee Lora Swift (above – of Hotwire and more) sends out the call again for movie suggestions.

The sixth and final West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of 2014 is a biggie – last year’s Disney hit “Frozen,” on the big screen in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) this Saturday night, free. Come early – while 6:30 pm is the official “gates open” time, there’s really no way to lock down the courtyard, so when it’s a hot movie, stakeouts might start sooner. Preshow entertainment will be courtesy of Seattle Balloon Arts – and there’s a free community barbecue too, courtesy of West Seattle Christian, a longtime supporter of the movie series (as are we). The movie starts at dusk, which is probably going to be around 8:30 pm this time around.

Along with bringing your own chair/blanket, bring diapers! Every week there’s an official community nonprofit beneficiary for concessions and raffle tickets, and this week it’s WestSide Baby, whose main mission is to “cover little bottoms” all over the region. Movie mastermind Lora Swift tells us that every packet of diapers you bring will get you three raffle tickets. See you Saturday – 4410 California SW, next to the post office on the north end of The Junction.

7:20 PM: Just as soon as the gates opened at 6:30 pm, the first of what looks to be another sizable West Seattle Outdoor Movies crowd started staking out spots in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), where “The Goonies” will be onscreen at dusk. If you’re going, don’t procrastinate! This is the second-to-last movie of the season (already!) – WSOM wraps up 2014 next Saturday (August 23) with the blockbuster “Frozen.”

7:51 PM: Just added that updated crowd view.

When we published the call for West Seattle Outdoor Movies suggestions this year, 10 commenters – from Al to WSResident – nominated 1985’s “The Goonies.” As announced in May, it’s on the schedule for next Saturday (August 16th) on the big screen next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). It’s free – just bring your own chair/blanket as moviegoers do every Saturday night of WSOM; here’s part of last week’s crowd:

Big turnouts this year and this Saturday is bound to bring the same, so don’t wait until the last minute; gates open at 6:30 pm. There’s plenty to do before the movie; this week’s pre-show band is Layered System, promising blues and jazz. Raffles and concessions benefit a local nonprofit each week, and this Saturday it’ll be Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (which is getting ready for its big mural unveiling two days before movie night). The screen’s in the courtyard at 4410 California SW – see you there! (P.S. “Goonies” is the second-to-last WSOM show of the year; the finale on August 23 is “Frozen.”)

Gates are open for tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies event in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) and a lot is going on, long before “Spice World” hits the screen at dusk.

(WSB photo, substituted for Instagram snap originally posted here Saturday night)
Free slices from Pagliacci (a WSOM sponsor, as are we), free photobooth [above], and after 8 pm, a fashion show. All free. You just bring a chair/blanket and if you can, a few bucks for nonprofit-benefiting raffle items and concessions. 4410 California SW, right next to The Junction’s Post Office.

Last Saturday, this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series opened with drizzle/mist as the audience watched Sandra Bullock in space (above, a preshow photo as the crowd started to gather). Today, a midsummer deluge. But THIS Saturday – clear skies and warm temperatures are promised. So plan to set up your chair/blanket in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) courtyard for “Spice World”:

Movie’s free – as are a fashion show and photo booth! Bring money for concessions and raffles to benefit local nonprofits (and Hotwire is open pre-show, with espresso beverages, smoothies, and more). Gates open at 6:30, movie at dusk (9-ish).

Two updates as we get closer to tonight’s first West Seattle Outdoor Movies event of the season, with “Gravity” (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, 2013) onscreen in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor). Two updates:

*One of tonight’s sponsors, Pagliacci Pizza, is bringing slices – free! (first come, first served)
*Movie’s free but it would be great if you could bring a **nonperishable food donation** for local food-bank clients

Again, the gates open at 6:30 pm; the movie starts at dusk, which tonight means around 9 pm, and earlier each subsequent week. Bring your own chair/blankets. Raffle tickets will be sold – prizes vary each week – proceeds go to local nonprofits, as is the case with concessions (popcorn, candy, beverages). The full-season lineup of six movies is on the official site at wsmovies.org. (WSB is proud to again be WSOM’s media sponsor.)

(Trailer for “The Goonies,” scheduled for August 16th)
You made suggestions … organizers discussed, searched, decided, confirmed … and now, as just announced by Lora Swift of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), next to the courtyard transformed into an under-the-stars movie theater six Saturday nights each summer, we have the lineup for the 2014 edition of West Seattle Outdoor Movies – we’ve linked each movie’s name to a trailer clip (except for the much-requested “Goonies,” :

Saturday, July 19th: Gravity (2013) PG-13

Saturday, July 26th: Spice World (1997) PG

Saturday, August 2nd: Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – PG

Saturday, August 9th: The Blues Brothers 1980 – R

Saturday, August 16th: The Goonies (1985) – PG

Saturday, August 23rd: Frozen (2013) – PG

Again this year, pre-show entertainment will be featured, and Lora’s starting the search now; you’ll get the chance to buy tickets for raffles to benefit local nonprofits; and PB&J Textiles will sponsor concessions, with those proceeds also going to local nonprofits. This year, the WSOM committee is inviting nonprofits to request inclusion on the recipient roster; e-mail Lora for more information on how that works – lora@hotwirecoffee.com – and she asks that you “include contact information and short paragraph and/or weblink about the non-profit.” If you are or know of a potential pre-show act, same address, and that’s also where to inquire if you’re interested in applying to help with sound this year.

New to West Seattle/never been to WSOM before? Admission’s free, since the series is supported by sponsors (including WSB). Gates open early; you bring a chair and/or blanket and stake out a spot; movies start at dusk, which means the time gets earlier as the six-week series goes by. (Scroll through this WSB archive to see some of our past coverage.)

Hello, Cleveland! Er… West Seattle. ’80s rockumentary spoof “This Is Spinal Tap” wrapped this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies season this past Saturday night (WSB coverage here) with a full house in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). Proprietor Lora Swift has just sent an 11-point list of this season’s highlights:

*Six movies ranging from the classic James Bond Goldfinger to The Muppets, Spinal Tap and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

*More than 1,500 people attended this year

*More than $1,900 raised for charity

*Community BBQ

*Media support from the West Seattle Blog

*Gift certificates donated from local businesses

*Live music before the shows

*An 18” Stonehenge

*Shoe auction to raise money for a local animal-advocacy group

*Food drive

*Robots

Watch here, and the official website, next spring, for news about West Seattle Outdoor Movies’ 2014 season!

7:12 PM: If you’ve already seen “This Is Spinal Tap,” tonight’s feature at this summer’s final West Seattle Outdoor Movies event, you will likely know the significance of the structure shown above with movie host Lora Swift, proprietor of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), next to the courtyard with the big screen. It’s one of tonight’s raffle prizes, too! (This evening’s beneficiary of raffles and concessions is the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – the movie itself is free.) Preshow band Those Guys is about to start playing; the movie will be on at dusk, likely around 8:30 pm, and the courtyard is filling fast, so if you’re coming, don’t procrastinate!

7:29 PM: Forgot to mention – you’ll often find sponsors with freebies, and indeed, Emilee from Dr. Gerald Wolff‘s dental office on the other side of the courtyard is here with goodie bags:

Rocking the courtyard – Those Guys:

West Seattle Outdoor Movies (for which WSB has been the media sponsor again this year) run for six consecutive Saturday nights in July and August every summer – watch WSB in the spring for news of next year’s series!

Very busy Saturday ahead in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), with two events on tap, and you’re invited to be part of both!

GROUP GARAGE/CRAFT SALE – WITH SPACES STILL AVAILABLE: 9 am-3 pm Saturday (August 24), Hotwire is hosting a group garage & craft sale; proprietor Lora Swift says, “We still have some spaces left, so if people would like to join in they can e-mail me, lora@hotwirecoffee.com. The spaces are FREE 10×10 spots and all are welcome. We are taking garage sales, craft booths, artists, just about anything you would like to sell.” Load-in will be at 8 am.

‘SPINAL TAP’ CLOSES OUTDOOR-MOVIE SEASON: Then on Saturday night, also in the courtyard (4410 California SW), the comedy/rock classic “This Is Spinal Tap” (trailer here) wraps up this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series. Doors open at 6:30 so you can stake out your spot (BYO chair/blanket); movie’s at dusk, 8:30ish. Free, but concessions and raffles raise money for local nonprofits, so bring a few $ if you can!