Free Outdoor Movie Screenings in NYC This Week (8/1-7)

It's the first of the month and there are movies to be seen.

Aug 01, 2011

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Once you pull yourself away from listening to Bone Thugs announcing that it's the first of tha month (we're assuming you celebrate this occasion in the same way we do), be sure to check out all the free movies you can watch outdoors in NYC this week. Oldies, new ish, cartoons—Gotham has everything. And anyway, if you get the right group of people together, the movie doesn't matter all that much.

Here we go.

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid (2010)

When: August 1, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Crotona Park (1682 Boston Rd)

Have the Smiths surpassed the Jacksons now that MJ is gone? Discuss.

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

When: August 1, 7:30 p.m.
Where: West 10th St. (Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk)

Watch RDJ inject some much needed silliness into the increasingly dark monster that is superhero movies. Remember when fighting crime used to be fun? You know, before Christopher Nolan? 

Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke

When: August 1, 5:00 p.m.
Where: Bryant Park (40 West 40th St)

Paul Newman invented swag with his performance as a self-destructive prisoner in a Southern jail who genuinely does not give a fuck. The movie opens with Newman decapitating parking meters. Just because.

Killer Tomatoes

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

When: August 3, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Pier 1-Riverside Park South (475 Riverside Drive)

In this 1978 cult classic a government task force tries to stop deadly tomatoes. We're not kidding.

Monsters Inc.

Monsters, Inc.

When: August 3, 8:15 p.m.
Where: Barretto Park

This wildly imaginative story follows the humdrum lives of monsters that spend their lives trying to scare children. A dark horse candidate for best Pixar flick.

The Fighter

The Fighter

When: August 3, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Hudson River Park- Pier 63 (40 River Rd)

Much of the boxing is by-the-numbers, but Christian Bale's performance is captivating. And even more electrifying are the performances from the actresses who play Marky Mark's sisters—pitch perfect casting for a hilarious and scary female cabal.

Clueless

Clueless

When: August 3, 7:00 p.m.
Where: McCarren Park (780 Lorimer Street)

The worst part about being a cool teenage girl is that soon no one will remember who Alicia Silverstone is.

An American Tail

An American Tail

When: August 4, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park (1 Main Street)

A very expensive (by the standards of 1986) cartoon about immigration. A family of mice flee Russia for the States. Fun ensues.

Metropolis

Metropolis

When: August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Prospect Park Bandshell (Prospect Park West and 9th Street)

The silent classic, now in its totally unedited form, about robots, the future, and "progress" holds up like a motherfucker. Michael Bay, you wish your movies looked this good.

The soundtrack will be provided by the accomplished Alloy Orchestra.

Dragon

How To Train Your Dragon

When: August 5, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Hudson River Park- Pier 46 (40 River Rd)

From Wikipedia: "The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a teenager named Hiccup aspires to [be] a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at finally gaining the tribe's acceptance, he finds that he no longer has the desire to kill it and instead befriends it."

Question: Is this more or less ridiculous than the plot of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes? Discuss.

E.T.

E.T.

When: August 5, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (1 Intrepid Square)

Spielberg's classic may convince you that you can fly using a bicycle and an alien, but please be sure to check that you're using the correct alien lifeform when you attempt this. We know someone that didn't check; they can no longer walk. 

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