It’s summer Brooklyn: Get outside and watch a movie!

July 16, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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By Mary Frost

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

In parks, on rooftops and inside other unusual venues, summer brings increasingly popular film series festivals to Brooklynites who revel in the availability of both traditional and alternative films, music and filmmaker appearances under the stars.

On Thursdays, thousands bearing picnic baskets and blankets crowded the lawn at Brooklyn Bridge Park for the “SyFy Movies with a View” summer film series. The nighttime events includes classic favorites (last week’s film was “E.T.”), DJs from Brooklyn Radio, shorts from BAMcinématek and local food vendors. Filmmakers and actors are frequently on hand.

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Rooftop Films, meanwhile, provides a wandering schedule of outdoor and rooftop events. This Friday they will be presenting a program of shorts at MetroTech in Downtown Brooklyn. On Saturday the films move to the roof of The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus. And on Mondays they bring underground shorts to Coney Island.

Why head outdoors when Netflix is available? “It’s an opportunity to hang out in a public space with friends at night and see some good movies,” said Isaac Fen, a media worker in DUMBO. “I’ve seen films in Brooklyn Bridge Park, McCarren Park, Prospect Park,” he added.

Even better, most of the movies are presented free of charge. At $13 for a typical film in Downtown Brooklyn, a family can save a bundle by taking advantage of the free flicks.

Some sort of film program is available almost every summer night somewhere in Brooklyn. In Red Hook, a local crowd gathers on Tuesdays for “Red Hook Flicks,” sponsored by local businesses. More traditional fare like “Blade” and “Young Frankenstein” are on this summer’s schedule. In Fort Greene, the Habana Outpost restaurant provides outdoor movies on Sunday nights.

Meanwhile, over in Williamsburg, the “Free Wednesday Movies” series bring huge crowds to McCarren Park’s ball fields. (Next week: “Raising Arizona.”) East River State Park, also in Williamsburg, presents the SummerStarz series focusing on the family audience such as “Puss In Boots” to the waterfront on Thursdays.

Bay Ridge has its own film series along with entertainment on several Fridays at the Narrows Botanical Gardens. On August 3 the feature is Mae West in “I’m No Angel.” (Probably not for kids.)

Celebrate Brooklyn occasionally features films as well. On July 28, bring the kids for “The Muppet Movie Sing-a-long” in the Loser’s Lounge.

Outdoor Movies This Week:

Rooftop Films at Coney Island: Monday, July 16, 7 p.m. music; 8:30 p.m. film: “Manhattan”

Red Hook Flicks: Tuesday, July 17, 8 – 8:30 p.m. Popeye cartoons; followed by “Tremors”

McCarren Park, Williamsburg: Wednesday, July 18, 6 p.m. Dustin Wong; 6:45 Tim Harrington; 7:30 Talk Normal, followed by “Raising Arizona”

SyFy Movies With a View in Brooklyn Bridge Park: Thursday, July 19, music at 6 p.m., movie at sunset: “Slumdog Millionaire,” with short “Odysseus’ Gambit by Àlex Lorca Cercos” and DJ Emch Subatomic.

East River State Park, Williamsburg: Thursday, July 19, 6:30 p.m. music by The Dirty Sock Trio followed by “Puss in Boots”

Rooftop Films at MetroTech: Friday, July 20, 8:30 p.m. music, followed by a number of short films.

Rooftop Films in Gowanus: Saturday, July 21, 8 p.m. kids chess event; 8:30 p.m. live music; 9 p.m. “Brooklyn Castle”

Habana Outpost, Fort Greene: Sunday, July 22, 8 p.m. “Princess Bride”


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