General-admission tickets won’t go on sale until Friday, April 21, the same day that pre-film concert performers will be announced, but VIP Experience party-bus packages are on sale now at denverfilm.org.
“Our eighteenth season is full of films that haven't flickered across our big screen under the stars in the past but are destined to enter FOTR's cult-classic constellation,” says Denver Film Society festival director Britta Erickson,in a statement. “We open and close the season with films that turn super-bad things like high school and tornadoes entertaining. And along the way, we offer glimpses of some serious dancing, some great Gaultier duds and some tiny figurines that make everything awesome.”
Behold the 2017 Film on the Rocks season.
Superbad — Tenth Anniversary
Monday, May 15
Hard to believe that it was only ten years ago that Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Oscar-winner Emma Stone made their hilarious first impressions on us in Superbad, a modern comedy classic penned by then-newbie writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. The teen comedy pushed the boundaries of the ratings system, garnering a hard R rating that truly offered the best canvas to display memorable high-school debauchery and angst.
Rogue One
Monday, May 22
The open sky at Red Rocks is made for the stars, and what better way to dream of the galaxy far, far away than with a screening of the newest chapter in the Star Wars universe, which set box-office records last Christmas for the venerable franchise and still acts as a pacifier for anxious franchise fans until Episode VIII comes out in December 2017?
Long Strange Trip — Premiere
Thursday, May 25
Film on the Rocks usually caters to cult classics, but this year a new film will be making its Colorado debut, and the legendary venue is truly the only place worth celebrating its subject: the Grateful Dead. Director Amir Bar-Lev’s epic documentary will jump to Amazon in June, but this screening will stay in line with the strong Film on the Rocks tradition of pairing music with film. The screening will showcase an all-star tribute to the Grateful Dead, and proceeds from the show will benefit Dead & Company 2017 nonprofit tour partners HeadCount and REVERB. “Whether you are a Deadhead who fondly remembers those three-night stands that the Dead used to mount on our hallowed stage between those two glorious red rocks or just a lover of great music documentaries, it should be a trip like no other.” says Erickson.
Dirty Dancing — Thirtieth Anniversary
Monday, June 5
Start practicing your watermelon-carrying skills and put on your dancing shoes, because everyone’s favorite ’80s romance is going to grind its way into your heart and lap. Heartthrob Patrick Swayze stars in one of his greatest roles, reminding you that “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Choose your own wedding adventure.
Keith Garcia / Universal, WB, Paramount, Miramax, 20th Century Fox
Monday, June 12
Because June is wedding season, Film on the Rocks is letting its fans vote for their favorite wedding-themed film via Westword beginning April 27. Films in the running include Father of the Bride, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Kill Bill Volume 1, Melancholia, Bridesmaids, Princess Bride, Sixteen Candles, Steel Magnolias, The Graduate, The Wedding Singer, Wedding Crashers and The Hangover. Voting will take place April 27-May 4 at westword.com/freestuff. The winner will be announced May 12, leaving you plenty of time to find a date and an ugly dress. Erickson notes, “Twelve films made it through our film caucus to end up on the ballot, because we think more choices are better than less, even if they only represent one party...the wedding party.”
The Fifth Element — Twentieth Anniversary
Monday, June 19
Luc Besson’s sci-fi spectacular gets a special 4K restoration in time for its birthday. This screening is a goodwill reminder to its fans that Besson is still capable of producing exciting and original fantasy cinema, a notion that will be tested this July when his new show of futuristic razzle-dazzle, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, hits screens with hopes of living up to its cinematic older brother.
The LEGO Movie
Monday, July 17
Everything is awesome, and this family-friendly animated blockbuster returns to the screen to illustrate our decades-long love for everyone’s favorite multicolored bricks. The Lego Movie stars the voice of Chris Pratt as a LEGO buddy clueless about his immense hidden power.
The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Thursday, July 20
The Film Society’s Cinema Q Film Festival runs July 19-23 at the Sie FilmCenter, but this year it's taking the festivities up the road and holding a big ol’ gay party at Red Rocks, complete with a screening of this beloved tale of three drag performers on a trip across the Australian outback, changing outfits and minds along the way. Expect to see drag in many forms at the show, but wear heels at your own peril on those stairs.
Twister
Monday, September 11
After a month-long break, Film on the Rocks returns to close out its season and say goodbye to the talents of late actor Bill Paxton with a screening of this hit film about tornado chasers. What better way to experience the film than in an outdoor venue, worrying about the speed of any passing breeze?
General-admission tickets, $15, go on sale Friday, April 21. Prices go up the day of the show, at the Red Rocks box office. VIP Party Bus packages are available now at denverfilm.org. On show nights, gates at Red Rocks will open at 6:30 p.m., with musical and comedy acts performing at 7 p.m. Movies start as darkness falls.
