Before Stranger Things... well, before Stranger Things there were a lot of things. But some of the same DNA that makes Stranger Things so much fun—watching a lovable group of kids face off against a monstrous threat—was present in 2011's Attack the Block, a film directed by Joe Cornish, produced by Edgar Wright, and boasting a fantastic turn from John Boyega, who'd go on to stormtrooper it up in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Landing around the same time as the 2011 England riots, Attack the Block, for all its thrills and all its jokes, also brought a fair amount of economic and racial subtext. Technically, it's a monster movie about kids fighting space aliens, but actually, it's about a whole lot more—and it pulls it off in a way that's super-fun and super-smart. If you haven't seen it—or if you just haven't seen it in a while—well, that's something you should fix.
So, lucky you: Tomorrow night, the NW Film Center's showing Attack the Block as part of its Top Down: Rooftop Cinema series, which goes down on the roof of downtown's Hotel deLuxe parking garage. There'll also be food, drinks, and pre-movie music from Small Million. The whole experience should be a goddamn delight.
And even MORE lucky you: Courtesy of the NW Film Center, I've got five pairs of tickets to tomorrow night's screening to give away to Blogtown readers. Want to win a pair? All you've got to do is email me by 4 pm today (Wed Aug 10), and make sure the subject line of your email is "Believe." I'll pick five winners and email 'em back. Have at.