FREE OUTDOOR MOVIES in NYC 2009!!!

(Picture taken from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Movies With a View web page.)

OK, summer's coming up and that means there's a whole lotta FREE stuff going on in The City! There's the free concerts in Central Park and Prospect Park and the River to River Festival. There's the Make Music New York! Festival which I've already blogged about. There's all the parades and block parties and street fairs and the beaches and pools, and there's the FREE outdoor movie festivals!

As someone who loves movies who is also really broke (I've been out of work for waaaaay too long), I can't tell you how excited I am about all the upcoming outdoor movie festivals that happen every year in New York City. I know you can just rents these, or Netflix them, but there's something so much cooler about seeing a movie in a large crowd. Especially in a large crowd of New Yorkers out under the night sky.

One of my favorite outdoor movie festivals has already started, Habana Outpost's Outdoor Movie Series. Habana Outpost is a badass eco-cafe in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood that screens classic and cult classic movies in their fabulous courtyard from May to October. This year the Outpost kicked it off right with the Brooklyn themed cult classic, The Warriors. Their line up this year is amazing as always (with Star Wars, Jaws, Batman, Do The Right Thing, Scarface and Child's Play to name a few). I'm also excited about Dog Day Afternoon at Bryant Park, Taking of Pelham 123 on the Elevated Acre, Evil Dead 2 at McCarren Park, Raising Arizona at Brooklyn Bridge Park, both Iron Man and The Dark Knight on the Hudson, Shaft in Central Park and the Purple Rain Sing-Along in Prospect Park.

Overall, It's going to be a great summer for outdoor movies. Below I compiled the complete schedules for some of the bigger outdoor movie festivals. They are all completely FREE. Some let you bring in outside food, others have food and drinks for sale. Believe it or not, this list is not complete. There's tons of smaller parks and gardens in the five boroughs who are also screening free movies.

Oh, and I highlighted some "must sees" in purple.

Habana Outpost Brooklyn's Outdoor Movie Series
Every Sunday in the courtyard of Habana Outpost (757 Fulton Street at S. Portland Ave in Fort Greene, Brooklyn). Movies start at 8 pm. Come early if you want a seat. No Outside food or drink. They have Six Point Ale on tap for $2.50.

Sunday, June 7... Way of the Dragon
Sunday, June 14... Salsa
Sunday, June 21... Saturday Night Fever
Sunday, June 28... Do The Right Thing
Sunday, July 5... Jaws
Sunday, July 12.. Scarface
Sunday, July 19... Drunken Master
Sunday, July 26... Friday
Sunday, August 2... Beat Street
Sunday, August 9... Star Wars
Sunday, August 16... School Daze
Sunday, August 23... Purple Rain
Sunday, August 30... See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Sunday, September 6... Moonwalker
Sunday, September 13... The Pest
Sunday, September 20... Kings of New York
Sunday, September 27... City of God
Sunday, October 4... Flash Gordon
Sunday, October 11... The Untouchables
Sunday, October 18... Batman
Sunday, October 25... Chucky: Child’s Play


Bryant Park Film Festival

Monday, June 15... The Sting
Monday, June 22... Breaking Away
June 29... Gold Diggers of 1933
Monday, July 6... Dog Day Afternoon
(New York in the 70's, Al Pacino robs a bank to pay for his lover's sex change.)
Monday, July 13... How Green Was My Valley
Monday, July 20... Harold and Maude
Monday, July 27... The Defiant Ones
Monday, August 3... Kramer vs. Kramer
Monday, August 10... The Magnificent Seven
Monday, August 17... Close Encounters of the Third Kind


Films on the Green; Washington Square Park
Films on the Green goes Green. For its second year running, the popular free outdoor French film festival will feature movies about the environment and the beauty of the natural world. Films begin at sundown.

Friday, June 12... March of the Penguins
Friday, June 19... Microcosmos
(a spectacular look into the tiny world of insects.)
Friday, June 26... The Big Blue

Summer Screen; McCarren Park
This year SummerScreen will take place at the ball fields at McCarren Park on the corner of Bedford and North 12. Films begin at dusk. Come early to get a seat. No outside food or drink.

Wednesday, July 8... Reality Bites
Wednesday, July 15... Evil Dead 2
Wednesday, July 22... 24 Hour Party People
Wednesday, July 29... Wild at Heart
Wednesday, August 5... Fame
Wednesday, August 12... Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Movies With A View; Brooklyn Bridge Park
Movies With A View returns for its 10th Anniversary Season. Come down to the park to enjoy an eclectic line-up of films and breathtaking views of the NYC waterfront and the Brooklyn Bridge. DJs from Brooklyn Radio kick off the evening, spinning tunes as the sun sets, while RICE sells delicious dinners onsite. Complimentary bike valet provided by the fine folks at Transportation Alternatives.

Thursday, July 9... Raising Arizona
Thursday, July 16... The Maltese Falcon
Thursday, July 23... Paper Moon
Thursday, July 30... To Catch A Thief
Thursday, August 6... The Return Of The Pink Panther
Thursday, August 13... Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
Thursday, August 20... Catch Me If You Can
Thursday, August 27... Edward Scissorhands


River Flicks; Hudson River Park
Movies begin at sundown (about 8-8:30 p.m.) Free popcorn is available, beverages and other snacks are available for purchase. There is a limited amount of seating available.

For Adults (Pier 54):
(Theme: "I Know What You Saw Last Summer")
Wednesday, July 8... Iron Man
Wednesday, July 15... Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wednesday, July 22: The Dark Knight
Wednesday, July 29... Hancock
Wednesday, August 5... Tropic Thunder
Wednesday, August 12... Sex and the City
Wednesday, August 19... Pineapple Express

For Kids (Pier 46):
Friday, July 10... The Wizard of Oz
Friday, July 17... Kung Fu Panda
Friday, July 24... Ghostbusters
Friday, July 31... Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Friday, August 7... Muppet Movie
Friday, August 14... Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Friday, August 21... Curious George

Special: FIERCE Presents Paris is Burning (Pier 54)
Thursday, June 25... Paris is Burning
(In 2005, FIERCE launched the Safe Space Saves Lives Campaign to ensure the needs of LGBT youth of color were not forgotten in the wake of the development of the Christopher Street Pier. As apart of FIERCE's Safe Space Saves Lives Campaign FIERCE was able to win a victory and get the Hudson River Park Trust to screen Paris Is Burning on the pier. 8:30 pm.)

Summer on the Hudson: Movies Under the Stars
Pack a picnic, bring a friend and settle in for a night of premier Hollywood movies. This year’s theme is Nieuw York/New York--films that span the centuries--in honor of the Henry Hudson Quadricentennial. Riverside Pak South, Pier 1 in Manhattan. 8:30 pm.

Wednesday, July 15... Wall Street
Wednesday, July 22... Dinner at Eight
Wednesday, July 29... The Out-of-Towners
Wednesday, August 5... Drums Along the Mohawk
Wednesday, August 12... Sweet Smell of Success

Outdoor Cinema at Socrates Sculpture Park
Come to Socrates Sculpture Park and celebrate the cultural diversity of Queens. Sample regional cuisine, picnic on the grass, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers and see international films on a large-format screen - all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. Performances begin at 7 pm, films begin at sunset.

Wednesday, July 15... The Betrayal (Laos/Thailand) 2008
(Extraordinary personal documentary about a family's journey from wartorn Laos to the streets of New York.)
Wednesday, July 22... Contempt (France) 1963
(French New-Wave master Godard creates his most lavish and thoroughly enjoyable movie, an audacious meditation on modern moviemaking, literature, and marriage.)
Wednesday, July 29... Lou Reed's Berlin (U.S.) 2007
(Lou Reed's ambitious song cycle about a couple's drug and violence-filled downward spiral was turned into a live concert experience.)
Wednesday, August 5... Waltz With Bashir (Israel) 2008
(Dreamlike and personal, this unique and affecting animated feature looks at war through the memories of soldiers who fought as young men.)
Wednesday, August 12... Tulpan (Kazakhstan) 2008
(Set in the wide-open steppes of Kazakhstan, the film follows the adventures of a young dreamer who tries to win the hand of his alluring neighbor, the only eligible bachelorette for miles.)
Wednesday, August 19... Gomorrah (Italy) 2008
(This gripping based-on-fact drama about the Italian crime underworld is both riveting and realistic.)


River to River Fest: Movies on the Elevated Acre
Located at 55 Water Street (between Old Slip and Broad Streets), the Elevated Acre offers breath-taking views of the East River, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Heights. Films start at 8 pm.

Monday, July 6... The Seven Year Itch
Monday, July 13... The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
(Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and hold its passengers for ransom.)
Monday, July 20... West Side Story
Monday, July 27... Sweet Smell of Success


Central Park Film Festival
Movies begin at 8 p.m. at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, August 18... Shaft (1971)
Wednesday, August 19... Ocean's 11
Thursday, August 20... Sex & The City
Friday, August 21... Twilight
Saturday, August 22... Viewer's Choice
Men in Black, Goldfinger or Desperately Seeking Susan
(Visit http://www.7online.com/ to vote between July 15 and August 15.)


Celebrate Brooklyn; Prospect Park Bandshell
Music & Movies on NYC’s largest outdoor screen. 7:30 pm, gates open at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, June 20... La Nave de los Monstruos (The Monster's Ship) with live score by Ethel and Gutbucket
(The nation’s premier rock-infused, postclassical string quartet, Ethel teams up with the wild art-rock group Gutbucket to perform a new original score to 1959's Mexican science fiction classic.)
Thursday, August 6... Purple Rain Sing-A-Long with Escort
(To celebrate the 25th anniversary of "one of history’s greatest pop albums" and the film it inspired, Celebrate Brooklyn invites you to don something lacey and ruffled and come get your Prince on.)




Video I took during one of the most memorable scenes of the cult classic film The Warriors being shown in the courtyard of the eco-cafe Habana Outpost. You can hear people laughing, saying the lines with the movie and clinking beer bottles together like the film's antagonist, Luther (leader of the Rogues).