The Central Park Film Festival returns this month with a week of FREE screenings of family-friendly films with a connection to New York City.
This year’s films include the film version of the Broadway musical Hair and the Muppets Take Manhattan.
The screenings begin around 8:00 p.m. at Central Park’s Frisbee Hill.
That’s the landscape north of Sheep Meadow, mid Park at 69th Street, which is accessible from both the east and west sides of the Park at 72nd Street.
No tickets are required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Bring a blanket and a picnic dinner.
Screenings are rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine.
SEE ALSO
Movies filmed in Central Park
The 16th annual Central Park Conservancy Film Festival is August 14-17, 2018:
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Hair (1979, PG)
Directed by Milos Forman (who died this year), choreographed by Twyla Tharp, and based on the popular Broadway musical of the 60s, this classic comedy-drama tells the story of Claude, a young man from Oklahoma who comes to New York City on his way to joining the Army and strikes up a friendship with a group of hippies in Central Park.
- It’s full of psychedelic and tie-die clothing, great music, and lots of big hair.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Crooklyn (1994, PG-13)
Directed by Brooklyn’s Spike Lee and written by Lee with his sister Joie Lee and brother Cinqué Lee, this semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband, and their five kids takes place in Brooklyn in 1973. The film features a memorable performance by the director himself.
- In 2017, the film was the winner of the mayor’s inaugural “One Film, One New York” contest, which invited New Yorkers to vote on which of five city-related films should be shown for free at cinemas across the five boroughs.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, PG)
Bronx-born director Stanley Kubrick co-wrote, directed, and produced this brilliantly witty political satire about Cold War politics and an accidental nuclear attack. Starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden as a gung-ho military man.
- This landmark film was the first commercially successful political satire about nuclear war, and still timely.
Friday, August 17, 2018
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984, G)
Directed by Muppet master Frank Oz, this fun confection of old-fashioned entertainment features Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and the whole Muppet crew striving to bring their variety show, “Manhattan Melodies”, to Broadway.
What else you need to know:
Gates open at 6:30 pm, movies begin at 8:00 pm, and guest DJs keep the crowd company while they gather.
Films will screen rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine. All films are open captioned. Bring a picnic and a blanket.
Be courteous to your neighbors – turn off mobile phones and keep loud chatter to a minimum.
To ensure that everyone can enjoy the films, the following items are not permitted, so leave them home:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Glass bottles
- Chairs
- Video cameras
- Tape recorders
The beloved summer tradition is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
All movies are open captioned, and rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine.
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The 2017 Central Park Film Festival featured –
Ever since her parents left her as a baby, Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) has been leading a hard knock life with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. Everything changes when hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) takes her in. Stacks believes he’s her guardian angel, but Annie’s self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it’s the other way around.
Ease on down the road in this re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy (Diana Ross) tries to save her dog during a storm and ends up in the Land of Oz. Dorothy learns that the only way to get back home is to see the Wiz (Richard Pryor), and is joined on her journey by a Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), a Tin Man (Nipsey Russell), and a Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross)
The Great Gatsby – 2013 (PG-13)
The Great Gatsby follows would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Macguire) as he comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, and bootleg kings. Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and is soon drawn into the captivating world of the super-rich, their illusions, loves and deceits, in this Hollywood version of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story.
Saturday Night Fever – 1977 (R)
Tony Manero (John Travolta), a nineteen-year-old from Brooklyn, lives at home and works at the local paint shop. He lives for the weekends at the disco, where he can show off his spectacular dance moves. When a big dance competition is announced, he wrangles the beautiful and talented Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) to be his partner. As the two train for the big night, they start to fall for each other, to the soundtrack of the Bee Gees.
Seeing this film one more time, on a giant outdoor screen, is an offer you can’t refuse. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don’s youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finally has the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), but when a strange alien turns Spider-Man’s suit black, he enters the fight of his life against a lethal mix of villains: the deadly Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Venom (Topher Grace), and the New Goblin (James Franco).
What’s your favorite movie with a connection to NYC?
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