Posts Tagged ‘movies’

When the sun goes down, the city parks become urban drive-in (or rather stroll-in) theaters. Below is a roundup of this summer’s outdoor films. So forget cozying up in the back seat of a car — those days are behind you anyway — just bring a blanket, a killer picnic and (maybe) the kids.

Movies Under the Stars
Pack a picnic, bring a friend and settle in for a night of premier movies, on the banks of the Hudson River. This year’s NYC theme features historically-themed Hollywood hits spanning three centuries of local history, from Age of Innocence to The Out-of-Towners.
When: Wednesdays, July 8 through August 12, 8:30pm or dusk.
Where: Pier I, West 70th St., 212-408-0219, riversideparkfund.org.

Riverflicks for Kids
In addition to gentle river winds and a view of the New Jersey skyline, Pier 46 is also the spot for Friday night family films, like The Wizard of Oz and Kung Fu Panda.
When: Through 8/21, movies begin at dusk around 8:30pm; Free.
Where: Hudson River Park at Pier 46, Charles & West Streets, hudsonriverpark.org.

Movies with a View
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s series offers a collection of films for adults and kids, from Paper Moon to The Return Of The Pink Panther — plus spectacular views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and the downtown skyline.
When: Thursdays through 8/27; movies begin around 8:30pm; Free.
Where: The Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, Brooklyn, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, enter off of Water St., or at Main St. in Dumbo, brooklynbridgepark.org.

Central Park Film Festival
Get a sitter for Sex & the City, but bring your tween to Twilight.
When: August 18 t0 22, 8pm (Gates open at 6pm); Free.
Where: Rumsey Playfield (enter at Fifth Ave. & 69th St.), centralparknyc.org.

HBO Summer Film Festival
Classic (and mostly grown-ups-only) flicks at Bryant Park are a Monday-night tradition. Highlights from this year’s lineup include Kramer vs. Kramer and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The park opens at 5pm so you can stake out a spot for your blanket. Throw in a picnic and a bottle of wine, and you and hubby can enjoy a (cheap) date night. Or, have him watch the kids and meet up with friends like you used to.
When: Mondays through 8/17; movies begin at dusk (8-9pm); Free.
Where: Bryant Park, bet. 40th & 42nd St. and 5th & 6th Ave., bryantpark.org.

Your friends and family are scattered across the globe (thank goodness), which means you’ve settled in the city by choice.

Nomadic parents-to-be are the stars of the new comedy Away We Go, starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and directed by Sam Mendes, opens in NYC today. This film follows the journey of an expectant couple as they travel the country in search of the perfect place to put down roots and raise a family. Of course, the pair encounters misadventures along with way, thanks to a wacky assortment of relatives and old pals (who are either moving to Antwerp or anti-stroller).

You can relate.

Visit filminfocus.com.

When it comes to gaining entree into the city’s best schools, it’s a toddler-eat-toddler world.

Nursery University, a documentary on the competitive and uniquely NYC world of preschool admissions, opens today. The film follows five families with different backgrounds through the process of placing their kids in pricey and prestigious Manhattan nursery schools. Preschool directors weigh in on the mass hysteria about getting into Harvard, while parents wrestle with the social conundrums that ensue. Anyone who has felt the day-after-Labor Day crunch will relate.

Call it stranger than fiction.

Visit nurseryuniversitythemovie.com.

CGI animation is great, but sometimes you can’t help but long for the classics.

Check out the lineup at Big Movies for Little Kids, a film series for ages 2 and up. A bi-weekly afternoon screening held every other Monday (except holidays) at Cobble Hill Cinemas in Brooklyn features old-timey favorites. Today catch a medley of Tom & Jerry cartoons, while Shirley Temple’s Curly Top debuts later in the month.

Pass the popcorn.

Visit bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com.

Your kids have been fascinated with films ever since spotting their first NYC movie set — for flicks way beyond the PG parameter.

Take them to something more age-appropriate: The 12th annual New York International Children’s Film Festival opens next Friday with animation, live action and experimental films from around the world. Included in this year’s lineup is the U.S. premiere of Mia and the Migoo, an eco-adventure that pits a young heroine Mia against profit-hungry capitalists (sound familiar?); the new Wallace & Gromit movie A Matter of Loaf and Death; and Dragon Hunters, an action-packed animated adventure from France. Little ones (with a short attention span) will get a kick out of Shorts for Tots, with mini-films ranging from 1 to 10 minutes. Tickets and a full schedule are available online.

When: 2/27 through 3/15; Ages 3+; $12-$25.
Where: DGA Theater (110 West 57th St. at 6th Ave), Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95thSt.), IFC Center (323 6th Ave. at 3rd St.) and Cantor Film Center (36 E 8th St. at University Pl.), 212-349-0330, gkids.com.

When it comes to movies, kids prefer to be in the middle of the action, not just watch it.

Tomorrow, the Tribeca Film Festival takes over a seven-block stretch of Greenwich Street for a day of family fun. Dancers, stilt walkers, storytellers, arts and crafts and face painters fill the fair, with a main stage featuring performances by the likes of Legally Blond: The Musical and New American Youth Ballet. The list goes on: kite flying, bubble making, chess playing, movie filming, tennis at the ESPN Sports Day and more.

Keeping in line with what the fest is all about – movies – the Tribeca Film Center’s screening room will be showing family flicks throughout the day at 375 Greenwich St. (first come, first serve). Most appropriate for little eyes is Meerkat Manor (ages 5+), a documentary about a family of wild African meerkats, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.

Surely the festival will pique an interest in the big screen – if not being on it, at least watching it.

When: Sat. 5/3, 10am-6pm, All ages; Free.
Where: Greenwich St. (bet. Hubert & Duane), tribecafilmfestival.org.