Let’s just say it. Summer doesn’t officially start in LA until Cinespia at Hollywood Forever lights up the Fairbanks Lawn at one of our most favorite places in Los Angeles.
This year’s opening lineup is better than your 90’s DVD collection. It’s a perfect swirl of absurd, iconic and straight up legendary.
This year’s summer series is presented by Amazon MGM Studios. Yes, that MGM. The one with the growling lion that haunted your childhood and introduced you to cinematic greatness. They’re teaming up with Cinespia to bring these screenings to life in the most LA way possible. Yes, that’s the movies that are under the stars, on the lawn and with ghosts and legends just a few steps away. It’s big studio sparkle meets cult movie chaos and honestly, it’s giving.
The series kicks off Memorial Day Weekend with The Big Lebowski on May 24. This movie is pure chaos in the best way. It’s part stoner comedy, part noir fever dream and fully iconic.
It taught us that sometimes life just doesn’t make sense, but at least there’s bowling with Steve Buscemi. Jeff Bridges aka The Dude became a folk hero for the emotionally exhausted, and somehow made bathrobes and White Russians into a lifestyle. I’ve seen it more times than I can count and I still catch something new every time. It’s weird, it’s quotable and it’s as LA as it gets.
Then on May 25, the main event is our beloved Clueless. She’s 30 now but still totally buggin’ in the best way. This movie shaped an entire generation (myself included), taught us the spiritual value of a good closet and gave us one of the most quotable scripts of the 90s. Paul Rudd still looks exactly the same and it’s some kind of witchcrafty thing I do not understand. And if you’re wondering if I’m losing my mind that Clueless is turning 30 this year, the answer is yes. Yes I am. How is that even possible? I saw it in the movie theater three times in the summer of 1995.
But the event that truly made me gasp? Blue Velvet on May 31. That’s right. David Lynch’s eerie, erotic fever dream will be screening in the same cemetery where the man himself is now buried. I know LA loves a moment, but this is cosmic cinema. It’s haunting, hypnotic and deeply unhinged in the most beautiful way. Watching Blue Velvet surrounded by tombstones and palm trees isn’t just a vibe. It’s a full-blown séance for the surreal. It’s a love letter to movie lovers everywhere. Cinespia said it best in that
There’s no better way to celebrate the beloved director than at the site of his final resting place.
No lies detected. Hollywood Forever is a place where glamour and ghosts hold hands. Where legends like Paul Reubens, Gidget Gein, Johnny Ramone and now David freaking Lynch rest among us.and let’s be clear that these are the creative weirdo geniuses who made strange look sacred. This is a place where LA’s history is buried and its weirdest dreams come alive after dark.
If you’ve never been, here’s the rundown. You can chill like a life-size clown doll, but you’re not in Ben’s apartment and you’re not on a couch. You bring your blanket, your snacks and your favorite people. You can even bring your dog. You post up on the lawn and vibe with other nonconformists. It’s the kind of night where strangers become friends and movies feel like rituals. And I didn’t tell you this, but if your 40oz Stanley happens to be filled with a White Russian… that’s between you and The Dude.
Also, Brittany Murphy’s Tai is in Clueless and now rests at Forest Lawn. I know, different cemetery, but the fact that two of these films are anchored by actors who’ve passed makes this year’s lineup feel even more poignant. We don’t just watch these movies. We carry them with us. Like totally.
So yeah, I love The Big Lebowski. I love Clueless. I love Blue Velvet in all its pervy weirdness. And I super love this spooky, iconic cemetery that lets us laugh, cry, picnic and vibe with the afterlife. Welcome to summer in LA. Don’t forget your bug spray and, pro tip: I don’t know how the grass is always wet by the end of the night but bring a tarp or something so it doesn’t look like David Lynch’s ghost made you pee yourself a little.
Tickets and more info at: www.cinespia.org
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