Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

The trailer for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter has been released and I saw it for the first time this morning. I've always loved American History, particularly learning about the Civil War.  I suppose that may have something to do with the fact that my grandfather is a huge Civil War buff, and it has been around as a family topic of discussion from time to time.

Honestly I'm not sure why there haven't been more movies specifically about Abraham Lincoln up until now (at least to my knowledge), and this year we are getting two of them: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Lincoln staring Daniel Day Lewis (who coincidentally looks creepily like him).  I fully intend on seeing both; Lincoln for a more serious portrayal of the man, the war, the history, etc... and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter for the whimsical ridiculousness of it.  I'm liking the trailer so far.  Totally plausible that Abraham Lincoln could not only save the Union from ruin, but also take down some bad ass vampires with a large ax as well. Didn't realize that Tim Burton was a producer on this project, which is intriguing.  Take a look below.



What do you think?

bad dates...

Happy Valentine's Day!  No, this post is not about the perils and pitfalls of a bad date; which given the fact that it's Valentine's Day, could totally be an appropriate topic of discussion.  No, rather than do that I'm choosing to write about one of the true loves of my life.  Who you ask?  Well if you didn't get the reference from my title, that'd be the one and only, Indiana Jones.

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Yes Dr. Jones, that means you.  Ever since the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, I knew that there was something special there.  If you need to ask why, then I'm not exactly sure what is wrong with you or where you've been since Indy was released in 1981, but I'll explain anyway.

First off he's a total nerd.  He's a professor who super smart, gets super excited about things like discovering the lost city of Tanis, and gets to wear a spiffy bow tie. He finds clues in libraries that everyone else seems to miss.  It's kind of awesome too that he's a hero who is scared of stuff; not something you find all the time. Ask him to land a plane that he doesn't know how to fly; sure why not.  Ask him to come face to face with a snake?  Not really his bag. Hey, if I fell into a vat of snakes as a teenager I'd probably be pretty scared of them too. Clearly despite his fear of snakes and love of reading, Indiana Jones can kick ass.  He can throw some punches, wield his whip, get dragged by a tank, hop onto a horse and ride off into the sunset like the hero he is.  Selflessly brave, not to mention super handsome, and all in the pursuit of knowledge... or you know, the woman he's off to save (or get captured with).

So here's to you Indiana Jones! You've been making this lady smile for quite some time. 

(just stay away from the dates)

In honor of my love for the one and only Indy, I give you "Raiding The Lost Ark: A Filmumentary By Jamie Benning"  I stumbled upon it today and its pretty incredible; a sort of comprehensive commentary on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with audio clips from the film makers, photos, interesting facts, etc... over the course of the movie. Hope you enjoy!

Raiding The Lost Ark: A Filmumentary By Jamie Benning from jambe davdar on Vimeo.

Bogie, Indy and E.T.

One of my favorite things to do during a DC summer is take advantage of any one of the outdoor movies shown around town.  In the last few years quite a few of them have popped up.  There is of course Screen on the Green and various others scattered around the area, but this summer I’ve pretty much stuck with the Capitol Riverfront Film series. 

Every Thursday night for eight weeks this summer, movies are shown in Tingey Plaza down by the Navy Yard. You go with friends, you set up your blankets, bring dinner, bring “beverages” (in plastic Pour House cups) and you get to just sit out on a gorgeous night, under the stars and enjoy.  This particular venue was my locale of choice partially because it’s very close to where I live on the Hill and so walking home is easy. They’ve also just had a really fantastic line-up this summer (not to mention snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy and usually a DC food truck or two parked around the plaza).

Highlights for me this year were Casablanca, 

Raiders of the Lost Ark

and E.T.  

There is just something so great about hearing Bogie's voice boom out across the plaza, or Indiana Jones running from the enormous boulder in the opening sequence of Raiders on a big screen, or Elliot flying with ET in his bicycle over the night sky while sitting under the stars yourself. 

One word of caution if you decide to go, very often in venues such as these port-o-potties very likely might be your only option. Also, frequenting outdoor movies (not to mention concert lawn seats) has set me on a quest to find the perfect low to the ground camp chair (amazing how difficult they are to find), but that's another story.  Regardless catching a summer flick outside is totally worth it.

The series isn’t over yet, there are two more weeks of movies which I unfortunately won’t be able to attend, but if you are in the area I would recommend it.  If not, there’s always next summer!