Since moving to D.C., each summer has brought outdoor summer films. It used to be a handful of movies shown on the Mall and then, as inflatable screens and other tech became cheaper, you could spend five nights out of seven somewhere in the area watching a movie. I literally built it into my annual movie plans — “Oh, there’s no need to see that at the theater; everyone will be showing Jumanji: The Next Level this summer, and it will be fun to watch it under the stars.”

But despite setting summer movie schedules way back in February and early March, the only places I hear about still doing outdoor movies this summer are out in the ‘burbs, where they can run them as literal drive-in’s, but charge $40 a car. I’d be willing to throw something in the kitty, but not $20 a person.

So, now I’m thinking Rudi and I should do our own weekly summer movie festival this summer and watch some seasonal favorites (in addition to whatever new releases come our way).

Here are some of the movies I associate with summer:

• Dirty Dancing
• the Indiana Jones movies
• Beach Blanket Bingo and its sequels
• Stand by Me
• The Parent Trap
• Mamma Mia!
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Got any quintessential summer movies you recommend we add to my list?