If you think about it on paper, Rooftop Films, a film festival that makes stops throughout the city over the course of the summer, made a great choice selecting Coney Island as one of its venues.

Who wouldn’t want to spend a warm summer night redolent with the sea, surrounded by Coney Island’s unique appeal, watching a movie on a big screen with some pals or gals?

It seems like a great night.

It’s why I was so psyched to go.

Rooftop at Coney Island - photo courtesy of Rooftop Films

And I wasn’t the only one.

“I thought it’d be an interesting venue,” said one Rooftop-goer, Steven, while sitting on Coney’s sand waiting for the first of the night’s 12 short films.

“We’ve been to a couple others (of the Rooftop fests), and it’s fun.”

Rooftop Films prides itself, like many other local film festivals, as being a bridge between much of the pop culture-sodden public and underground filmmakers.

According to its mission statement, “Rooftop Films is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire diverse communities.”

“We are a collective collaboration between filmmakers and festivals, between audience members and artists, between venues and neighborhoods.”

It provides $1 from every ticket it sells to fund local production, is present at local schools, and rents its equipment out at reduced rates, and that’s good (I know, very good), but at how much of a cost for the viewers? Surely there must be a middle ground.

In my pieces about Bryant Park Film fest and Tropfest, I spoke about the authentic, lie-down-and-chill vibe of both fests (both benefitting from Bryant Park’s comfort). Those two festivals are a joy to be at. And I realize that perhaps they don’t have the same goal financially as Rooftop, but they certainly do a better job environmentally.

But —and I understand that not everywhere is as packed as Coney Island— Rooftop was flooded with solicitors, some gimmicky pre-film AT&T thing where you text a number and it shows up on screen, on-stage fire-breathers, and the unfortunate Coney Island frequenter oblivious to movie-watching crowds.

The fest has a goal, and an admirable one, but doesn’t seem to know how to deliver yet.

But in regard to the films, it does a pretty good job, and it was great to see some local filmmakers at work.

“Odysseus’ Gambit,” a film about a Filipino-American chess-player, who makes all of his money off low-wage street bets, was a really cool and original bite of New York life.

And “The Best Thing I Ever Done,” a film about Di Fara, a corner pizza shop, who don’t settle for anything less than perfection was heartwarming and memorable.

At The Show

The films, overall, were a pleasure, (the fest also shows feature films, it showed Ghostbusters in Coney on July 2) and the fest is respectable, but perhaps (despite its appearance on paper) Coney Island is not the best place to show films.

Fortunately, there will also be films shown in Socrates Sculptures Park in Queens, Metrotech Commons, and The Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn, and these should all be better venues than the beach at Coney.

Even if only for absence of bumping sounds from bumpy rollercoasters.

I could possibly be spoiled from the great Bryant Park Film Fest and Tropfest (and I understand not everyone is partnered up with HBO and Hugh Jackman), but Rooftop should be able to make their setting a bit more movie, setting-oriented, rather than seem kitschy.

I’d definitely give Rooftop another chance —hey, maybe I was just in a weird mood—, but it definitely wouldn’t be at Coney Island.

One of the fest’s best films was “A Man Named Magick”, a 12-minute dive into the life of a New York street-style magician. Magick, the titular character, specializes in common street gimmicks— card tricks, floating rings, levitations, etc. He goes around impressing the unsuspecting, catching a few bucks along the way, but the film also provides a fresh sentiment about the slow decay of magic, and how, no matter how common it actually is, only a few people really appreciate it.

Perhaps Rooftop Films can learn a trick from Magick.

–Nick Gallinelli

Bryant Park was bustling once again, as a mass picnic of many-a-film-fan pitched its blankets on the park’s large lawn for the first Monday of the summer-long Bryant Park Film Festival.

The Nefarious Shower Scene - photo courtesy of Bryant Park

“I’ve come out every year for the past four years,” said one girl and her friends waiting on line to get in, making it a point to see “one of the original horror films.”

As mentioned in the Ultimate Guide to the Bryant Park Film Festival, the year’s first showing was Alfred Hitchcock’s meticulous, semi-experimental horror, Psycho. We’re sure you’ve heard of it, and we’re sure you’re scared of it.

But aside from pairing with HBO to bring us many classics, from noirs as bleak as Maltese Falcon to fantasies as joyful as Wizard of Oz, the park offers a feeling of leisurely frivolity and a spot to see a flick on a big screen, but not in the confines of a movie theater.

“I like being outside, and although sometimes it’s hard to hear, it’s much more exciting than being in a theater,” said Rian, who was with a group of fellow girlfriends.

The park filled up quick with moviegoers, but that’s just part of the movie-going. At 5 o’clock, when the lawn officially “opens”, if a lawn could open, attendees race from the gates determined to find a prime viewing spot, and spread outward, quickly flurrying the lawn with blankets and bags, almost as if it’s choreographed.  Scattered on the blankets are groups of friends, romancing couples, and the straggling solo-artist, all ready to enjoy the grass just as much as the film.

One pair of friends, actually, didn’t even know what movie was playing, but was just out on the grass to grab a seat and catch some fresh air.

But if you prefer a chair to the ground (I wouldn’t be surprised), while BP’s grass is filled to its last blade with cinephiles, the surrounding horseshoe of shops and eateries also plays host to the casual viewer; the less-zealous, hungrier one.

One couple, though, had a definitive reason why they were there.

Bryant Park Film Fest's Lawn - photo courtesy of Flickr Commons

“She’s leaving for France in a little while,” one fellow said, pointing at his girlfriend, “and we’re trying to spend some time together.”

“You have to get here early,” his girlfriend echoed, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing: “so you’ve got a few hours to just chill before the movie starts.”

Psycho made for an eerie walk home, and a reignited apprehension toward people named Norman, but a great experience and getaway in the center of the city.

Besides, how often is the front row the best row at the movies?

Next week’s filming: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

–Nick Gallinelli

The screen is already up for this year’s Bryant Park Film Festival, and we’re very excited to indulge our nostalgia and catch some classics this year.

Bryant Park - photo courtesy of Flickr Commons

As part of a tradition since the early 90s, HBO, starting May 18, is set to deliver quality oldies on The Great Lawn every summer Monday at 5 PM. The festival, a staple of Midtown, draws huge crowds all summer long, providing films for the most casual watcher and also for the most discerning cinephile. The festival runs for ten weeks throughout the summer, and there are plenty of great films to catch –evidently, HBO knows its movie stuff.

It’d be great to have the time, but given that it might be tough to open up your schedule every Monday, we at New York Press have compiled a list of the best Bryant Park Film Festival movies to make time for this summer:

Psycho- May 18 – Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

Arguably Hitchcock’s most influential and scariest film, the seminal fright-fest has had viewers scared to shower for over 50 years (or is it just me?). Norman Bates, the movie’s villain has become a cultural icon –Patrick Bateman in American Psycho isn’t just coincidence– and Hitchcock’s incessantly-studied shower scene is simply awesome. Bring a friend for the walk home after this one.

Wizard of Oz – July 2 – Judy Garland, Toto, 1939

If only because it’s summer, and you might dance into the sunset like Dorothy, you should definitely get around to the park during the festival’s third week. Flying monkeys can be somewhat scary, but the music and imagination, as you’ve probably witnessed before, is perfect to see during the summer.

On the Waterfront – July 9 – Marlon Brando, 1954

This starts off a bit slow, maybe too slow, but picks up to become one of the best crime dramas in cinema. Brando is great, plain and simple. In the year of its release, Elia Kazan and his crew won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. Bear through the beginning and the muffled dialogue, and you won’t be disappointed.

Raiders of the Lost Ark – August 20 – Harrison Ford, George Lucas – 1981

My personal favorite. Whenever I flip the channels and this is on TNT (it happens very often) I never flip again until it’s done. Non-stop action and a bunch of super-loud punches and whip cracks always make for greatness.

According to Bryant Park’s site, there are no chairs, tables, or dogs allowed. The lawn opens up at 4 PM, so bring your blanket and enjoy a fun night every Monday this summer.

–Nick Gallinelli