Your Free Summer Movie Guide

I'm home sick today and while there's plenty to catch up on, I'd rather talk about the fact that Memorial Day is this weekend which officially allows summer to start. One of the best parts about New York in the summer (besides the smell of garbage) is all the free outdoor movies. From parks, to the river, to roof tops to an aircraft carrier, there are a ton of unique places to watch your favorite films! It's pretty safe to assume that the screenings start at dusk (8ish) but check the sites below for full details. Without further adieu, here is your FREE summer movie calendar:

May 16th- Car Wash- Habana Outpost
May 23rd- Beverly Hills Cop- Habana Outpost
May 28th- Top Gun- Intrepid
May 30th- Do the Right Thing- Habana Outpost
June 6th- Breaking Away- Habana Outpost
June 9th- Up in the Air- Pier A Park Hoboken
June 11th- The Young Girls of Rochefort- Central Park – Cedar Hill
June 13th- Dance With Me- Habana Outpost
June 16th- TBA- Pier A Park Hoboken
June 18th- 8 Women- Washington Square Park
June 19th- Field of Dreams- Intrepid
June 20th- Fame- Habana Outpost
June 21st- Goldfinger- Bryant Park
June 23rd- Edward Scissor Hands- Pier A Park Hoboken
June 24th- Buena Vista Social Club- Prospect Park Band Shell
June 25th- Same Old Songs- Washington Square Park
June 25th- Mama Mia- Snug Harbor
June 26th- Spiderman- Roosevelt Island
June 27th- Footloose- Habana Outpost
June 28th- Carousel- Bryant Park
June 30th- Grease: Sing-along- Pier I
June 30th- Blow Up- Shangri La Studios
June 30th- Grease (Sing a long)- Pier A Park Hoboken
July 1st- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Ortine
July 2nd- A Woman is a Woman- Tompkins Square Park
July 4th- Rambo- Habana Outpost
July 5th- The French Connection- Bryant Park
July 7th- Flood Tide- Socrates
July 7th- NeverEnding Story- Pier I
July 7th- The Hangover- Pier 54
July 7th- Say Anything- McCarren Park
July 7th- Say Amen, Somebody- Morningside Park
July 7th- Kiss Me Kate- The Old Stone House
July 8th- Laura- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
July 8th- Annie Hall- Brooklyn Bridge
July 8th- Azur and Asmar- East River State Park
July 8th- I Bring What I Love- Morningside Park
July 8th- The Witches- Ortine
July 9th- The Wizard of Oz- Hudson River Park’s Pier 46
July 9th- Love Songs (Les Chansons d'Amour)- Tompkins Square Park
July 9th- Ghostbusters- Intrepid
July 9th- Streetball- Unisphere
July 9th- Jaws- Snug Harbor
July 11th- Victory- Habana Outpost
July 11th- Oceans 11- One Front Street
July 12th- My Man Godfrey- Bryant Park
July 12th- Good Hair- St. Nicholas Park
July 13th- Goonies- Valentino Pier
July 13th- Shrek 3- Crotona Park
July 14th- The Secret of Kells- Socrates
July 14th- I Love You, Man- Pier 54
July 14th- Pan's Labyrinth- Pier I
July 14th- Labyrinth- McCarren Park
July 14th- Girl Shy- The Old Stone House
July 14th- Nina Simone Great Performances- Marcus Garvey Park
July 14th- Avatar- Pier A Park Hoboken
July 14th- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs- Al Oerter Recreation Center
July 15th- Double Indemnity- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
July 15th- Monsters vs. Aliens 3D- Brooklyn Bridge
July 15th- Bolt- East River State Park
July 15th- Still Bill- Marcus Garvey Park
July 15th- James and the Giant Peach- Ortine
July 15th- Hairspray- Betsy Head Memorial Playground
July 16th- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs- Pier 46
July 16th- Tosca: The Movie- Central Park – Cedar Hill
July 16th- We Paint Houses with Paint!- Unisphere
July 16th- Close Encounter of the Third Kind- Snug Harbor
July 16th- Transformers- Bellevue South Park
July 17th- Zoolander- Roosevelt Island (Rain date)
July 17th- Brooklyn Transformations Short films- Fort Greene Park
July 17th- Bee Movie- Michaelis-bayswater Park
July 18th- A Bronx Tale- Habana Outpost
July 18th- TBA- One Front Street
July 19th- The China Syndrome- Bryant Park
July 19th- Freedom Riders- St. Nicholas Park
July 20th- Deep Blue Sea- Valentino Pier
July 21st- Inkheart- Pier I
July 21st- The Proposal- Pier 54
July 21st- Swedish Short Films- Socrates
July 21st- Romeo + Juliet- McCarren Park
July 21st- Asbury Shorts New York- The Old Stone House
July 21st- Casablanca- Van Cortlandt Park Indian Field
July 21st- Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun- Jackie Robinson Park
July 21st- Amelia- Pier A Park Hoboken
July 22nd- 3 Chaplain films- Prospect Park Band Shell
July 22nd- Sunset Boulevard- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
July 22nd- The Big Lebowski- Brooklyn Bridge
July 22nd- Night at the Museum- East River State Park
July 22nd- Salt- Salt Marsh Nature Center
July 22nd- Slap The Donkey- Jackie Robinson Park
July 22nd- The Fantastic Mr. Fox- Ortine
July 22nd- Shark Tale- Bloomingdale Park
July 23rd- The Great Muppet Caper- Pier 46
July 23rd- The Goonies- Intrepid
July 23rd- Castaway on the Moon- Unisphere
July 23rd- Madagascar- Snug Harbor
July 23rd- Antz- Maria Hernandez Park
July 24th- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Roosevelt Island
July 24th- Wizard of Oz- Cpl Thompson Park
July 25th- Flash Dance- Habana Outpost
July 25th- TBA- One Front Street
July 26th- Monty Python and the Holy Grail- Bryant Park
July 26th- The Spirit of Salsa- St. Nicholas Park
July 27th- Big Wednesday- Valentino Pier
July 28th- The Fall- Pier I
July 28th- District 9- Pier 54
July 28th- Daisies- Socrates
July 28th- Dead Man- McCarren Park
July 28th- Bee Movie- Soundview Park
July 28th- The Other Side of the Water- St. Nicholas Park
July 28th- Piper Film Workshop- The Old Stone House
July 28th- Date Night- Pier A Park Hoboken
July 29th- Broadway Danny Rose- Elevated Acre
July 29th- Mother India (21st Century Remix)- Prospect Park Bandshell
July 29th- All About Eve- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
July 29th- Rear Window- Brooklyn Bridge
July 29th- Finding Nemo- East River State Park
July 29th- The Princess and the Frog- St. Nicholas Park
July 29th- Evan Almighty- J Hood Wright Park
July 30th- Monsters vs. Aliens- Pier 46
July 30th- Finding Nemo- Salt Marsh Nature Center
July 30th- OrzBoyz!- Unisphere
July 30th- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs- Faber Park
August 1st- Little Shop of Horrors- Habana Outpost
August 1st- TBA- One Front Street
August 2nd- Rosemary's Baby- Bryant Park
August 2nd- West Side Story- Astoria Park Lawn
August 2nd- Those Who Remain- St. Nicholas Park
August 3rd- Jaws- Valentino Pier
August 4th- Big Fish- Pier I
August 4th- Julie and Julia- Pier 54
August 4th- Starship Troopers- McCarren Park
August 4th- TBA- Socrates
August 4th- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs- Pier A Park Hoboken
August 4th- The Wizard of Oz- Barretto Point Park
August 5th- Auntie Mame- Elevated Acre
August 5th- Brokeback Mountain- Brooklyn Bridge
August 5th- Aladdin- East River State Park
August 5th- Evan Almighty- St. Mary's Recreation Center
August 6th- House of Usher- Prospect Park Bandshell
August 6th- Freaks- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
August 6th- Big- Pier 46
August 6th- Raiders of the Lost Ark- Intrepid
August 6th- Amreeka- Unisphere
August 6th- Hairspray- Highland Park
August 7th- Conspiracy Theory- Roosevelt Island
August 7th- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs- St. James Park
August 8th- To Wong Foo- Habana Outpost
August 8th- TBA- One Front Street
August 9th- The Goodbye Girl- Bryant Park
August 9th- Fame- Astoria Park Lawn
August 9th- Reel Sisters of the Diaspora- St. Nicholas Park
August 10th- Secret of Roan Inish- Valentino Pier
August 11th- Stranger than Fiction- Pier I
August 11th- Public Enemies- Pier 54
August 11th- Point Break- McCarren Park
August 11th- TBA- Socrates
August 11th- The Fantastic Mr. Fox- Pier A Park Hoboken
August 11th- Shark Tale- Mill Pond Park
August 12th- The Country Girl- Elevated Acre
August 12th- Dream Girls- Brooklyn Bridge
August 12th- Lion King- East River State Park
August 12th- Antz- Betsy Head Memorial Playground
August 13th- Invasion of the Body Snatchers- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
August 13th- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs- Pier 46
August 13th- The Man Who Bottled the Clouds- Unisphere
August 13th- Ghostbusters- Bellevue South Park
August 14th- TBA- Great Hill Central Park
August 14th- The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang- St. Nicholas Park
August 14th- Transformers- Bloomingdale Park
August 15th- Krush Groove- Habana Outpost
August 15th- Soundtrack For A Revolution- St. Nicholas Park
August 16th- 12 Angry Men- Bryant Park
August 16th- Lion King- Astoria Park Lawn
August 16th- Up- Cunningham Park
August 16th- Rise Up- St. Nicholas Park
August 17th- TBA- Little Bay Park
August 17th- Splash- Valentino Pier
August 18th- Star Trek- Pier 54
August 18th- TBA- Socrates
August 18th- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs- Pier A Park Hoboken
August 18th- Kung Fu Panda- Joyce Kilmer Park
August 19th- The Muppets Take Manhattan- Elevated Acre
August 19th- Blues Brothers- Brooklyn Bridge
August 19th- Toy Story- Maria Hernandez Park
August 20th- Night of the Living Dead- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
August 20th- Annie- Pier 46
August 20th- Rocky- Intrepid
August 20th- Bombay Summer- Unisphere
August 20th- Ghostbusters- Cpl Thompson Park
August 21st- TBA- Great Hill Central Park
August 21st- Nighthawks- Roosevelt Island
August 21st- Lilo and Stitch- Cpl Thompson Park
August 22nd- Cocktail- Habana Outpost
August 23rd- Bonnie and Clyde- Bryant Park
August 23rd- March of the Penguins- Astoria Park Lawn
August 23rd- The Blind Side- Cunningham Park
August 24th- TBA- Little Bay Park
August 24th- Cabin Boy- Valentino Pier
August 24th- Fame- Mineral Springs, Central Park
August 25th- TBA- Socrates
August 25th- Taking of Pelham 1,2,3- Mineral Springs, Central Park
August 26th- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Brooklyn Bridge
August 26th- Saturday Night Fever- Mineral Springs, Central Park
August 27th- Rosemary's Baby- Tony Dapolito Rec Center Rooftop
August 27th- Those Who Remain- Unisphere
August 27th- King Kong- Mineral Springs, Central Park
August 28th- Toy Story- Van Cortlandt Park Indian Field
August 28th- *Viewer's Choice*- Mineral Springs, Central Park
August 29th- Michael Jackson Tribute- Habana Outpost
August 30th- Casablanca- Cunningham Park
August 31st- TBA- Little Bay Park
August 31st- Princess and the Frog- Valentino Pier
August 31st- Toy Story- Cpl Thompson Park
September 2nd- *Public vote*- Brooklyn Bridge
September 5th- Indiana Jones- Habana Outpost
September 7th- Life Aquatic- Valentino Pier
September 12th- Saturday Night Fever- Habana Outpost
September 14th- Pirates of the Caribbean- Valentino Pier
September 19th- The Last Dragon- Habana Outpost
September 26th- Urban Cowboy- Habana Outpost
October 3rd- The Mighty Ducks- Habana Outpost
October 10th- Shaft- Habana Outpost
October 17th- Batman- Habana Outpost
October 24th- Elvira- Habana Outpost

Things noticed: You can catch Monsters vs. Aliens twice (7/15 & 7/30) but only Brooklyn Bridge Park has it in 3D (will they be passing out glasses???). Rosemary's baby is also on the schedule twice (8/2 & 8/27), apparently the August heat brings out the freaks (which is being shown on 8/6). There are 2 muppet films (7/23 & 8/19), one for kids and one for Manhattanites. You can also catch 1/2 of the Indiana Jones series with Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Intrepid and the Last Crusade at Brooklyn Bridge Park. That should nicely compliment my viewing of the The Holy Grail last month at the Huckleberry Bar. If you missed Huckleberry's screening you could substitute Monty Python's quest on July 26th in Bryant Park. And finally, be a little more creative than Movies Under the Stars when you're naming your fest.

In addition to the outdoor screenings:
Huckleberry Bar continues their indoor screenings every Monday. Currently, they're on a films about music series (note: this is different than a musical series). More info here.

The Rubin Museum of Art presents Cabaret Cinema every Friday (I guess they got their liquor license back so the screenings are free w/$7 bar minimum). More info here.

Kate's Joint in the east village was playing films in the bar on Mondays, That may still be happening

Regal Cinemas is having a free summer family film festival at theaters in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, but you'll have to be free early in the day to catch them. More info here.

Like German Cinema? Who doesn't. This summer, the Neue Gallery presents Weimar on Screen every Monday at 4pm. More info here.

The Church Lounge at the Tribeca Grand Hotel has free screenings twice every Sunday. More info here

The Sony Wonderlab has free screenings every Saturday. More info here.

Arlo and Esme has free screenings (along with free popcorn) every Tuesday. More info here.

The Raspberry Brothers have a residency at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. MST3k style movie mocking every Tuesday. More info here.

Also, keep an eye on your public libraries! Free screenings abound! More info here and narrow your search type to film

For more info on the outdoor venues visit the links below:
Intrepid Summer Movie Series- "Celebrating some of our favorite heroes"
Movies with a View at Brooklyn Bridge Park- Come out early for DJs and a short film before the feature. (Moved this year to the new Pier 1)
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival- Get there early, the lawn opens at 5!
Outdoor Cinema at Socrates Sculpture Park- Each week film, food and performances focused on a different culture
Roosevelt Island Outdoor Movie Series- The tram is down, but the movies are on! Featuring Films the were filmed on the island!
Movie Nights on the Elevated Acre- Classic New York features paired with independent shorts. This fills ups fast, so get there early (Opens at 6)!
Movies Under the Stars (Pier I at 70th St)- Movies for those who believe in escaping into a good book. Appropriate for tweens and teens as well as adults. This year's theme: Tall Tales.
RiverFlicks for Grownups (Pier 54)- Watch all of your favorite blockbusters from 2009
RiverFlicks for Kids (Pier 46)- New and classic films for the whole family
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center Rooftop Film Series- July: Film Noir, August: The Vault of Horror Flicks
Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park Band Shell- A series of films played with live music scores. $3 suggested donation.
Summer Screen- McCarren Park Ballfields (Bedford and North 12th)- Movies with "a nod to our adolescent idols and crushes"
Summer Starz- East River State Park (N 8th St and Kent Ave)- Family friendly films
Films on the Green- Tompkins Square Park, Central Park, Washington Square Park- French musicals
Movies on the Waterfront- Astoria Park Lawn- Family friendly movies on the Astoria waterfront
Passport Fridays at the Unisphere- Celebrate a different culture every Friday with dance/music and a film
Red Hook Summer Films- Valentino Pier- Films about water with a view of Lady Liberty
Movies Under the Stars at Habana Outpost- Make yourself a margarita on a bike blender while you watch films allllll summer
Reel Harlem- Morningside, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, and St. Nicholas Parks in Harlem- Films mostly feature black music, arts and activism. Events also include short films and music
Movies Under the Stars- Cunningham Park Queens- Free popcorn and some award winning films
Brooklyn Film Works- The Old Stone House, Washington Park Brooklyn- Classic films culminating in films by students age 12-16
Movies Under the Stars- Snug Harbor Staten Island- Come out to the Neptune Fountain Stage early for music from local bands.
Movies Under the Stars- Pier A Park, Hoboken, NJ- Yes it's in Jersey, but it's just as easy to get to Hoboken as a lot of the outer boroughs. So hop on the PATH to check out a series of just released films with the Manhattan skyline as your backdrop.
Ortine Cafe- 622 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, NY, 11238- July is Roald Dahl month! Can't wait to see what August will bring
One Front Street- The Kings County Cinema Society has started a film series every Sunday on the wall of Grimaldi's in Dumbo. I'm excited to see what they'll bring us!
Imagenation Film Festival- St. Nicholas Park, Harlem- Show up early for performances before the films.
Parks Summer 2010 Movie Series- In a park near you- If there weren't already enough film festivals in city parks this summer, the Parks Dep't is taking the show on the road and bringing family friendly films to a park near you. And while most film fests pick a day of the week this is typically every Wednesday-Saturday. Yes some of the films and locations repeat but can you really blame them? And besides maybe it'll be easier to find a showing that works with your schedule.
Central Park Film Festival- This year's theme "Iconic New York." The film's are at the Mineral Springs, which is just north of Sheep Meadow at 69th St on the western side of the park.

Whew! I hope you're happy.