The NY Daily News has a story on outdoor movies in Brooklyn this summer. Nice quote from Kim Maier, director the Old Stone House.
Moviegoers can enjoy a film with a view at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Looking for cheap thrills, romance and comedy this summer? It's all out there under the Brooklyn sky.
Free or cheap movies will be playing in borough parks and on rooftops this summer for Brooklynites on a budget.
Projectors
and wide screens will stretch from DUMBO to Bay Ridge from May to
August, showing flicks as diverse as "Paper Moon," "Toy Story," "Dr.
Strangelove" and "Fame."
"Rich or poor, good times or bad,
people love to be entertained," said Kim Maier, executive director of
The Old Stone House, which runs free outdoor movie screenings in Park
Slope's Washington Park.
"When the money is tight, going to the
movies can be a $50 evening," said Maier. "This is very easy on your
wallet because it's free."
Not only are the movies free or
low-cost, but viewing locations are among Brooklyn's most beautiful,
from the waterfront to some pretty borough parks.
At the
Narrows Botanical Garden in Bay Ridge, three movies will be shown in
July and August, including the classic Audrey Hepburn thriller "Wait
Until Dark."
While the Bay Ridge screenings usually attract up
to 500 people, things may be different this year. "I expect we'll have
a better turnout because of the economy," said garden president Joan
Regal. "But we have 4.5 acres of land."
Over in Prospect Park, two movies will play in June and August, featuring a live music score and a sing-along.
Meanwhile,
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Movies With a View program, which is in its 10th
year, will show classics such as "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid"
and "The Return of the Pink Panther" Thursdays from July 9 to Aug. 27.
"We
get 3,000 to 4,000 people an evening. Every seat is a waterfront seat,"
said Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Executive Director Nancy Webster.
This year's theme is "Stolen Summer," featuring eight films
dealing with capers and thievery, from stolen cash in "Catch Me If You
Can" to a stolen heart in "Edward Scissorhands."
The films were
chosen by a group of borough film committee volunteers who vote on
which flicks make the final cut. "There's 10 of us on the committee and
we battle out ideas," said committee member Howard Leibowitz, 60, of
Midwood. "It's not easy to pick eight films out of the millions that
are out there."
In Williamsburg's McCarren Park, the Summer
Screen series will show six films from July to August and will feature
appetizers from local restaurants for under $2.
The borough's
priciest option is the Rooftop Films' program, showing all independent
films. The sites are on the roofs of Brooklyn Tech and Automotive High
and on top of the old American can factory in Gowanus. Although this
ticket costs $9, it also comes with a live band pre-show and an open
bar following the movie.
"It's a really good deal and people are still going to see films and music," said Rooftop Films' Danielle Courtesis.
"It's a really good option for people on a tight budget."