Not the Top Ten Bengies List You're Looking For

 

The top ten list is traditional, though not guaranteed, as I learned this year. In prior years there were plenty of shows to see so the picking of the top 10 was challenging. I would know which movies I enjoyed and the others. 2024, though, was a challenge to find 10 movies we saw at the Drive-In. 

The list that follows is basically in chronological order, running from March to December,  practically 10 full months. We skipped the dusk-to-dawn shows, or we could have added another 8 or so to the list.

MARCH

Bob Marley One Love

JUNE

INVASION OF the body SNATCHERS. 

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

Scooby-Doo Doo and the BARCS

JULY

LION KING 1994

Inside Out 2

SEPTEMBER

Scout Drive In Camp In

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
LITTLE SHOP of HORRORS

DECEMBER

Wicked

RED one

In retrospect, One Love was a standout; Red One was better than anticipated, and Little Shop of Horrors survived the test of time. I saw BEETLEJUICE twice, almost 3 times., but missed the original when it ran. See you next year!

Bengies Top 10 for 2023, Barely

O, 2023, what happened?

Besides getting older and slower, the Bengies drive-in movie theatre had bad weather (fog, in December?) and a slew of R-rated flicks we skipped and a few kiddie flicks also given the slip. Still, the Scout Camp-In continues despite the usual suspect challenges (high staff turnover, slow tech progress).

Here are my annual "10 Best Movies I Watched At The Bengies" where "watched" is at least part of the film, if not the whole thing. 

Yes, let's start at 

Number One,

a Ten in Ten of Ten, including the crowd on a weeknight. For fun, we printed our pre-paid ticket order on pink paper. Plenty of folks dressed up, and the happy crowd made for more fun. The snickering jokes about Ken 

Hocus Pocus, in the rain, a second time on the big screen, is Number Two.

Number Three

Guardians 3

https://chaos.social/@jspath55/110392830400706164

The sequel to the sequel, which seemed almost like the same plot, with ennui for the raccoon that doesn't know it is a raccoon. Self -denial runs deep.

Four, and Counting

Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny

Phoned in...

Whatever "The Boogeyman" was. we skipped it. PG-13 or no.

And 5 Through 10

The Flash and the Spider Verse

https://chaos.social/@jspath55/110589657062948842

First time I recall a double feature with DC and Marvel! The Flash didn't bring back sixth-grade memories of science lab as I expected. (5,6)

Wonderful Life / Elf

Of these two, let's say I split the difference arriving late and leaving early. Elf was not as much of a wince as I recalled, though minimal dosing helped. And because I had other plans, did not stay through It's A Wonderful Life once the alternate reality began. Seemed a bit like now, sadly. (7,8)

Rebel Without A Cause / Forbidden Planet

https://chaos.social/@jspath55/110498676821941834

To round out the 10, two movies from the 1950s, around the time the Bengies opened, shown on their Drive-In Anniversary special--"FORBIDDEN PLANET" stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen AND Robby the Robot.

The Under 11

TMN Turtles, unshelled. All right, the Scouts liked it I guess.

Last, and Twelfth, like Iscariot:

Gran Turismo. I definitely asked for Barbie to play, but instead of a somewhat socially conscious show, we got another salute to burning petroleum and continuing our carbon dioxide emissions.

2022 (last year's write up, and links to past Top Tens)

jspath55.blogspot.com/2022/12/bengies-top-10-2022.html

Bengies Top 10 2022

 Bengies Top 10 2022

As in past years, I take a look at movies I've watched at the Bengies Drive-In near Baltimore. The theatre is a relic of the post-WW2 U.S. boom years, where cars and movies could live as one. The only drive-in left in Maryland, claiming to be the largest screen in the U.S.A, it can be a welcome escape from the small tube world to sit under the stars looking at the wide screen.

2021 ratings: (the longest season ever)

1. https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2021/12/2021-longest-bengies-season-ever-part-1.html
2. https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2021/12/2021-longest-bengies-season-ever-part-2.html

Each pick is one that I saw in person, though in some cases we didn't stay for the whole show/

March opening.

The marquee picture for 2 completely different Batman movies was taken in last February 2022. I commented at the time that we had only been unable to attend the drive-in in about 2 months, since they operated through December 2021.

I consider the Lego Batman movie as not qualified for the "best of 2022" because it was also the season opener in 2017. (I didn't see it then, apparently, per my best of 2017).

May

This marquee shot is misleading since we didn't get to the shows that weekend. I'm only including it because we saw both of the posted shows, just not on the same evening. I kind of liked the shot with the clouds. Doctor Strange was another escapist saga where the few seconds during or at the end of the credits was a memorable as any other segment in the production.

June

The epic "Everything Everywhere All At Once" almost got by us because we had other plans when it was showing, and then went off the bill. But it came back and I sat through Top Gun to then thoroughly enjoy the bizarrely surrealism of this unique creation. We had to rent it on DVD and watch a few scenes several times each in order to make a bit more sense. Of course, I rate this the top film of the year.

I had to ask Sean of the Bengies staff what was happening with the flipping from wide-screen to ultra-wide screen in different shots of Everything Everywhere; he said that was not a mistake but part of the edit. I guess I need to watch it one more time to try to see if the wide part is real, or fantasy. They got me!

I didn't get a shot of the marquee advertising a new documentary about the drive-in movie industry ("GOING ATTRACTIONS: BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN") though we we fortunate to be able to catch it an a preview. The upswing in outdoor movie attendance triggered by the pandemic allowed a few houses to continue operating, and a few people tried to jump start older or brand new locations. While an uplifting story, the financial realities may poke holes in a few plans. I didn't add this documentary into my "top 10" list as it's more a one-off.

July

Summer blockbuster season does not appear to have gone away due to the pandemic even if many schedules changed drastically. I noted about this marquee how many of the shows are sequels. Hint: 100%.

Thor rocked.

We didn't see the dinosaurs and didn't miss them though we did miss Minions.

September

Fortunately again this season the Bengies hosted the Scouts for a one-night camp-in. A double feature of kid-friendly picks, and good weather for once. One of my favorite events even if exhausting.

My remark a the time was I could not recall seeing a double feature that contained both D.C. and Marvel Comic franchises. Well done, teams.

November

Black Adam was refreshing.

We watched only the first reel of Till. I admit, given what we know of the story, and how times haven't changed enough, was sickening to the stomach. I can be a wincer.

I like the shot as I was able to get most of the rising moon intact if not flared.

December

Global climate change is bad; I try to prevent carbon consumption though am nowhere near 100% renewables. I sigh because it allows a drive-in to operate in these latitudes from March through December rather than the May through September of bygone times. We didn't need to rent an in-car heater and saw people with open hatches watching not through glass.

Drum roll for the top 10.

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Strange World
3. The Woman King
4. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
5. Black Adam
6. Thor (4)
7. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
8. The Batman
9. Spider-Man No Way Home
10. Till
11. D.C. League of Super-Pets

Yeah, it goes to 11 this year.

The "bottom 10" is pretty short this year. Top Gun takes 2 places, so jingoistic.

2021 The Longest Bengies Season Ever, Part 2

Follow-up to Part 1, which covered the winter months from January through March 2021, where the Bengies Theatre season opened months earlier than normal, leading to the longest season. In fact, probably the longest possible season given the drive-in would not operate on a New Years or Christmas week in the beginning or end of the year. How many weeks did they operate? Close to 50, I'd have to think.

April - December

1. Free Guy
2. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
3. Suicide Squad 2021
4. Ghostbusters Afterlife
5. Eternals
6. Respect
7. No Time To Die
8. Ron's Gone Wrong
9. Clifford The Big Red Dog
10. Space Jam: A New Legacy / The Mask (1994)

That's my top eleven for half (or 3/4) of 2021, in a fairly representative based on my recollections of the film slightly biased by weather, food intake, and crowdedness. 

The top two were shown at the Scout camp-in, our tenth so far. It was great to see first-run features, and other than The Mask, all on this list are new releases (whether planned for 2020 I am unsure). Of the two, I favored Free Guy for the special features and plot twists more than acting or directing.

Suicide Squad had the most imaginative scope even more than a James Bond or the 10 Rings, even. Brutal, and only cathartic if you have the stomach. For drive-in fare: perfect.

The last film we saw in 2021 was the newest Ghostbusters. As a late in life sequel, it had an uphill climb to be digestible, and with the least amount of the old crew as possible, a good tale. I was particularly moved by the many homages and nods to Harold Ramis, even with the modern studio bent to put virtual words and motions into the late population.

Eternals; spouse loved it. Will watch again on blu-ray.

The story of Respect was more hard-hitting than a run-of-the-mill biopic, and I'd have enjoyed it more in an indoor setting for some reason. Maybe not a big-screen epic, a big heart reveal.

Bond. 007. Still going. Great escapism. Expected chases and explosions, not disappointed. Daniel Craig is aging slowly, but I think he's close to done with the franchise.

I would not have included Ron's Gone Wrong if it didn't have that yippie streak of revolt and independence that so reminds me of the 60s. A kids picture with an adult moral. On the surface, about social media and technology, but underneath human social challenges exemplified by loneliness and exclusion.

Clifford, likewise, was adorable enough without major sweetness to quality for inclusion. I needed to get to 10 on the list only for my internal goal. Stretching the year into 2 separate "Top 10" lists required viewing more than (or at least as many as) twenty films through. Leaving 10 minutes into the start doesn't qualify either.

Space Jam hits at the buzzer.

Misses

Dune shows up on the marquee photo below in mid-November and I flinched and didn't go then. The bill wasn't held over to the next week, and I regret my call. Sigh. Good or bad, would have stayed through the end.

We saw trailers for Spider-Man which didn't show at the end of the year. Holiday classics took hold, which makes sense given there would be fewer than 100 customers by my guess. 

No images from April through June even though the Bengies didn't close more than a handful of scheduled dates through the whole year. I have the pictures, we just didn't go to those for whatever reason (don't like horror, too much animation, and yes, hard rain).

07-Jul-2021

10-Aug-2021

15-Sep-2021

12-Oct-2021

 

02-Nov-2021

18-Nov-2021

01-Dec-2021

2021 The Longest Bengies Season Ever, Part 1

---

In part 1, I want to share what attending the Bengies Drive-In during the winter was like, typifying the post-pandemic can-do attitude of the management and staff. At the end of the December 2020, the Bengies was one of the few attractions for entertainment, indoors theaters being dark for months. We attended end-of-year shows, I wrote a year-end review, and thought the drive-in experience was stopping until spring. But the show must go on.

Winter Shows

As there was again minimal snow, the theater could book showings. But, there was minimal new content and oldies were getting stale. The Bengies worked with another group to schedule films that would have been shown at The Charles if their house was open.

January 4

The first double bill in 2021 went from sublime to ridiculous; we stayed through intermission and into a few minutes of Borat 2 before heading out.

One Night In Miami we'd watched as a play at Baltimore's Center Stage; the movie version came out broader and to me less intense.

January 24th I messaged that there would be two Fellini Films [La Strada and Juliet Of The Spirits. New restorations--in Italian with--English subtitles. Alas, incorrect information.

January 24

"Eight cars on the field so far"

"And the evening ends early since the films have no subtitles."

A Fellini film is often surreal; seeing it at the drive-in in January was also. Almost seeing a restored print was sublimely surreal.

February

Hitchcock I can watch any time, any number of times. Maybe not all perfection, never disappoints.

The marquee street view of the Hitchcock bill [Vertigo and Rear Window] is seen below in a "coming soon" crawl for the Revival Sunday; I got this double feature of classics on a bright February morning.

Ghost / When Harry Met Sally

I had seen the second a few times and the first none I could remember. I liked both even on re-run. The winter temperatures and humidity didn't fog up the car windows. We were inside for all these features, with plenty of blankets. Not a pleasant time for everyone though!

The next double feature, on February 16, was 42 (The Jackie Robinson Story), and Judas and The Black Messiah. Judas would be my number one movie choice for 2021. Amazing story, and true to the times as I can recall them.

March

The third month stayed on the warm side, no snow, and moderate rain. The partial marquee image shows Tom & Jerry alongside Wonder Woman 1984.

We managed to avoid seeing any of T&J, while enjoying every moment of Wonder Woman. Excellent escapism for the one-year anniversary of the pandemic outbreak. 

This recap doesn't have a Letterman-style top 10 countdown, as I already picked number one and everything else is number two. Though the 10 minutes of Italian was almost a zero.

Bengies 2020: A Year of Classics

Once Upon A Time At The Bengies

Usually, I write a "top ten" movie post about the films shown at the Bengies Drive-In after the season ends. This year, of course, it is different.

First off, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in late winter, when the Bengies would normally be gearing up for their season opening. No films in March, nor April. Not even May, when I took this shot:

I thought, at the time, that we could contain this outbreak by following simple public health rules. It was not to be. By the time rules were formulated to allow people to go out to the movies it was June. I'll skip the controversy among the federal, state, and local governments about rules for masks, food preparation and mourn for what we lost.

Then, when the first features were posted on the marquee, it was a relief that we could actually attend. The Bengies was open every night, for weeks, the first time in many many years I can remember them having that many shows per week. I'm glad they were able to hire their full crews, and despite being at half-capacity by restricting parking to every other spot (their choice) they could bring some entertainment to us.

The Bengies, from their 2020 opening date through the end of the season (December 18-19) was a way for many of us to enjoy a little in the midst of chaos.

Sonic/Jumanji

Sonic The Hedgehog was released in February 2020. It would prove to be one of the few movies the Bengies (or any theater in the country) could show as first-run. Jumanji (the next level) was released in 2019, and, honestly, it was so much like the last Jumanji (2017) as to make no difference. Heather kept saying we saw this before. I'll have to re-watch the 1995 Robin Williams version to know how different the special features are. 

Did we enjoy Sonic? Sure. Despite the video-game origins, the kid-oriented PG rating, and king of hams Jim Carrey being the "bad guy" it was awesome to watch the action on the big screen.

For this show, and many others in 2020, we took advantage of the Bengies outside food permit to enjoy meals and leave the snack bar line to others.

4*/2*

Bengies Top 10 2019

Here we go again, another movie-viewing year in the books, and I'm reviewing photos of the Bengies marquee to decide my favorites for the season, which ran from March through November.

I've done this for a few year (links to prior posts below; okay, it's nearly 20 years now). My ground rules are: (1) the movie played at the Bengies Drive-In this calendar year, and (2) I watched it. The only minor exception has been movies I didn't see completely, whether due to waiting in line at the "sparkling refreshment stand", or nodding off to sleep for a few minutes, or, in rare cases, leaving the theater before credits rolled. With late night trippple features, that last caveat cannot be understated. Also, the movie could have been released in prior year.

When I started thinking of hit movies this year, no standouts came to mind. Ever more sequels, reboots, and franchises that blur together like a fused 35mm frame. While I think the Bengies had a better season weather-wise this year than last, I missed the weeks where the triumvirate of Aladdin, Toy Story and Lion King dominated the big screen. As noted below, I only saw one of those 3. Without little kids to escort, a double feature of only Disney fare isn't enticing enough to queue up. When shown as the early show in a mixed tableau however, I'm there.

Of the marquees shown in this post, I made it through 2 complete triple feature nights, a few more double features, and even stayed for just one more than once.

Numbers 1 to 3:

In the top 3 are: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Dora + The Lost City of Gold, and Terminator Dark Fate. Not quite a 3-way tie, as I think Terminator wasn't as enjoyable as the other 2. T:DF is nearly pure grindhouse fare, worth every bit of popcorn I consumed.

I particularly liked the scene in Dora where an odd substance consumption flipped the characters into an alternate universe à la Alice in Wonderland. Not quite fitting for the wholesome family values of the Scout weekend, as if anyone else noticed the dosing (the marquee with Dora is below).

Tarantino aimed for the big screen story, with 60's Hollywood theaters and marquees figuring into the scene-within-the-scenes, the opposite of breaking the fourth wall where there's 3 other walls inside the standard 3. List of locations here [ discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-ultimate-guide-to-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-locations ] that details the L.A. movie palaces including the Aquarius Theatre, Cinerama Dome, Fox Bruin Theatre + Fox Village Theatre, Pussycat Theatre, Vine Theatre, and the Vogue Theatre.

Next 3

---

Picks Three through Five include Green Book, Gemini Man, and Avengers Endgame. We were fortunate to see the first on the Bengies opening night in March. I'd heard about the plot over the winter, meaning it spoiled my ability to see a flick without preconceived notions. As a result, not quite as enjoyable as it might have been. Whether it deserved best picture Oscar is beyond me.

Gemini Man played late in the season, and like Green Book early, I'd heard a bit of the plot, particularly the different recording methods for each of the characters Will Smith plays. Knowing they are the same right from the start when the players on stage don't was disconcerting.

For Avengers, I was more fortunate in avoiding spoilers. On the other hand, it was predictable that the doomsday cliff hanger ending of the prior episode would unwind in typical comic book show must go on fashion. Who lives, who dies, and who stayed in limbo was the primary reveal. Alas, creating one after another do-or-die fight left me yearning for less, not more, of the story. Cannot fault the special effects in the most expensive and expansive blockbuster series out there, especially on the giant outdoor screen (3 Avengers movies are in the top 4 most costly productions per wikipedia; arguable if the Pirates series tops them).

Next 4

Last but not least this year are four more features, rounding out my top ten. This set was probably harder to sort out than the first 6 since I had more than 10 candidates for my list, and leftovers here would fall off the list rather than precipitate lower. I may still mention the almost-rans (definitely one for sure).

Three movies played at the 8th Annual Scout Camp-In at the Bengies this year. I've picked Dora in the top 3. The other 2 were Toy Story 4, and SpiderMan Far From Home, as shown in the marquee shot above. In a toss-up, I kept SpiderMan above the fold, and dropped Toy Story, one sequel too many (or two maybe). I missed Into The Spiderverse at the Bengies, which I think tops Far From Home. The twist of Spidey giving up a Tony Stark toy seemed a bit lame but workable enough. Another reason I get this in the top 10 was I saw it twice in 2019, and it held up on rewatch.

Shazam had a fresh take on superheroism, and not too close to the storyline of Big to matter.

Another Men in Black franchise, without Will Smith? Well. okay. I like goofy alien stories, always have since the days of Retief [ see, e.g.: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/362550.Retief_ ]. Was expecting more cameos (or any) and in-jokes. Bonus: Emma Thompson.

Finally, in the end of the season Halloween fright move genre, but more family friendly: The Addams Family. With animation comes the ability to exaggerate their physical even more than makeup, prosthetics and CGI could do, yet risks making it just a weird movie not having a story. Their nemesis as a real estate developer trying to manipulate public opinion is so dead-on it makes this episode a necessary (not evil) inclusion in the 2019 top ten.

Almost Ran

Missed most of Captain Marvel after seeing The Avengers. It was late, the first showing was exhausting for several reasons, and for some reason the pumpkin spice or French vanilla cappuccino didn't trigger the stay awake syndrome.

Shown in a few marquees above, shows that didn't make the top ten that I liked anyway:

• Abominable
• How to Train Your Dragon (3)
• Godzilla (2)
• Pokemon Detective Pikachu
• Toy Story (4)

All night show Labor Day weekend, also missed due to conflicts.

---

Not quite seen:

Elf and The Apartment ran November 30th, as the post-season-ending holiday special. We showed up for the lunch and small business sale in the afternoon, but had a conflict later and missed this show. Probably would have enjoyed the late show more than the early.

The Secret Life of Pets (2) would have been good, given the first installment.

Previously

• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2018/12/bengies-top-ten-2019-it-was-very-wet.html [2018]
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2017/12/2017-bengies-best-10-of-and-others-less.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2016/11/bengies-top-ten-movies-for-2016.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2015/12/bengies-top-ten-for-2015-in-my-eye.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2014/12/bengies-top-ten-movies-for-2014.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2013/12/bengies-top-ten-2013.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-ten-movies-at-bengies-drive-in.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2011/10/bengies-top-10-2011.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2010/12/bengies-2010-top-10-and-more.html
• https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2010/03/lists-of-movies-that-played-at-bengies.html [2001-2009]