Summer Guide Film Listings
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Remember to leave your film snob attitude back at Film Forum when you come out for this event otherwise youll be enraged by the noise, crowds and lack of interest in actually paying attention to the screen. But if you relax and have a few drinks in ya, itll be a much better experience. The fest kicks off June 18 with Annie Hall, then runs every Monday through August 20 with Psycho. Its a mixed bag this year, from 70s classics (The Sting, Paper Moon) to All the Kings Men (July 30) and To Sir, With Love (July 16). Perhaps the one that could turn out to be the most fun is The Thing (From Another Planet) on June 25, which has that perfect retro, outdoor feel. Films start at dusk (a bit after 8) and the lawn starts admitting people at 5 p.m. (we recommend getting there early). Visit www.bryantpark.org for more info.
Hudson River Flicks Hudson River Parks festival is actually two separate series: one for adults on Wednesday nights at Pier 54, the other for kids on Friday nights at Pier 46 through August 24. The adult ticket includes blockbusters with characters who overcome insurmountable odds. So it begins with Stallone in Rocky Balboa (July 11) and ends with Superman Returns (Aug. 22). How Beerfest (Aug. 15) fits into the picture alongside Gladiator (Aug. 8) and Stripes (Aug. 1) is anyones guess. Dont give up on the kiddie roster: Catching Back to the Future (July 27), The Wizard of Oz (Aug. 10) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Aug. 24) never gets old. Pier 54, at W. 14th St.; Pier 46, at Christopher St. Visit hudsonriverpark.org for the complete schedule.
River to River Festival Although better known as a music and performance festival, River to River also incorporates a mini-fest of movies on the Elevated Acre (55 Water St.). This year starts off August 7 with Gary Cooper directed by King Vidor in The Fountainhead. And to really get in the spirit of architecture, Caspar Stracke screens his short, No Damage, created from 80 different feature and documentary films showing NYCs architecture. Schedule includes New York-themed classics like Breakfast at Tiffanys (Aug. 14) and On the Waterfront (Aug. 21). Get it? But perhaps the most fun will be Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment (Aug. 28), a film every New Yorker should see. Films start at sunset (typically betw. 8-9). Go to rivertorivernyc.com for info.
Movies with a View: Brooklyn Bridge Summer Film Series Its true, it may be the most picturesque of the venues. Sitting, staring at a screen, the Brooklyn Bridge lit up behind. Ah just takes your breath away, doesnt it? Well, it all begins July 5 with a crowd pleaser, The Princess Bride. Then each Thursday another film is screened until it ends August 23 with a completely view of the city when Westside Story is screened. Dont miss The Day the Earth Stood Still (July 12) and Being John Malkovich (July 26). All films begin at sunset, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park at Bklyn Bridge Park: www.brooklynbridgepark.org for more info.
Rooftop Films Enjoy indie and documentary features on a Brooklyn roofs. Best of all, unlike other fests, this one moves indoors if it rains. Check out more than 200 short films and more than 17 features that have been submitted by indie filmmakers. Starts June 2 with a FREE (we like to hear that) sneak preview in Ft. Greene Park. Then, June 8 is the official opening night the Open Road Rooftop Project, on the roof of the former Seward Park High School (at Grand & Essex Sts.). Check rooftopfilms.com for the full schedule as well as ticket prices.
Celebrate Brooklyn Movies & Music Series At Celebrate Brooklyn its always a bit experimental, a bit of a riskand we like that. This year, the Alloy Orchestra performs live the score to Hitchcocks last silent film, Blackmail July 19. Then trumpeter/bandleader/musical archaeologist Steven Bernstein leads the Millennial Territory Orchestra in something really different July 27: new scores for a selection of Laurel & Hardy films. Then its a Bollywood in Brooklyn experience August 10 when DJ Rekha hosts and introduces the 1977 Bollywood classic, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin. Prospect Park Bandshell entrance at Prospect Park West & 9th St. in Park Slope, Bklyn. More info at CelebrateBrooklyn.org.
On the Waterfront From July through August, catch more the series of older, foreign films offered at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens. You can further catch that multi-culti feel with the music and food offerings. The schedule is not yet available, but you can be sure to feel a bit more highbrow while whiling away your time in the former riverside landfill that is now an incredible outdoor gallery and museum. Check www.socratessculpturepark.org for the complete schedule.
Celluloid Skyline Its not quite a film series (or outdoors), but its another way to up your film geek quotient. TCM presents Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies, a multi-media exhibit of digitally projected film clips and enlargements of rare production stills beginning May 25 and running for four weeks until June 22 in the Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. At some point there will also be free tours of film shoot sites. Exhibit open daily 10 a.m.-7 p.m., for more information visit GrandCentralTerminal.com