Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

The Best Remaining Outdoor Summer Movies

By Nigel Chiwaya | August 17, 2012 7:20am

NEW YORK CITY— Every week during the summer, thousands of people line up down 12th Avenue. They carry chairs, blankets, snacks. And they wait for hours.

The crowd is brought to Manhattan's west side to enjoy what has become one of this summer's favorite pastimes — sitting on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and watching a movie.

"Crowds have been great," said Luke Sacks, director of public relations at the Intrepid, which shows movies like "Top Gun" after nightfall.

"We often have to turn people away because we just don't have enough space on the flight deck."

Things won't be calming down at the Intrepid, or at any of the other outdoor film series, anytime soon. August may be halfway finished, but there are still dozens of free outdoor films that will be shown across the five boroughs.

With genres from horror to adventure and comedy being shown, there are enough options to please even the most ardent film critic.

Manhattan

Manhattan's final two weeks of summer movies is all about cult hits.

The Intrepid wraps up it's regular slate of movies on Aug. 17 with a showing of "The Goonies." However, the museum will host a special screening of "Red Tails" on Monday, Aug. 20 with six members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the African American World War II pilots that inspired the film, in the audience.

Central Park's Summer Movie Series ends with a showing of "Clerks" on Saturday, Aug. 25, but there will be film screenings every single night during week running up to it.  Among the offerings are cult favorites Such as "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" on Aug. 22, "The Big Lebowski" on Aug. 23 and "Animal House" on Aug. 24.

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival will conclude on Aug. 20 with a showing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Brooklyn

The Red Hook Flicks series will be screening some classics, with "E.T." on Aug. 21 and "Young Frankenstein on Aug. 28. Both films start at 8:30 p.m. and will be shown at the Valentino Pier on Ferris and Coffey Streets.

McCarren Park will also screen two films. L magazine's Summer Screen film series will
show "Raising Arizona" on Aug. 22 and "Empire Records" on Aug. 29.

Finally, Brooklyn Bridge Park's "Syfy Movies with a View" series concludes with two films — an Aug. 23 screening of "Unforgiven," the 1992 western starring Clint Eastwood, and an Aug. 30 showing that will be determined by fan vote.

Queens

Film fans in Queens will have a more international flavor to their movies, as two film series in Queens are showing movies from around the world.

The Rootftop Film Series concludes its Queens film slate at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Aug. 17 with a free screening of "Cayo," a 2005 film from Puerto Rico. Over in Astoria, the Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema Series will be showing "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Spring," a film from Japan on Aug. 22.

Socrates' film series has had to deal with two rainouts this summer, but that hasn't put a damper on the crowds.

"It's a really popular program," said Ellen Staller, Director of Development and Communications at Socrates Park. "We get an enthusiastic response."

Elsewhere in Astoria, the Astoria Park Film Series has two films left to show — "Thunder Soul" on Aug. 20 and "Footloose" on Aug. 27.

The Bronx & Staten Island
Movie-goers in the Bronx and Staten island will each get one outdoor film before the end of August. In the Bronx, Soundview Park will screen "Puss in Boots" on Aug. 30, while "Kung Fu Panda 2" will be shown at CPL Thompson Park in Staten Island on Aug. 17.