City of Night – Free Movies at TIFF, Harbourfront, and Dundas Square

 

Around this time last week, I mentioned all the summer movies I was planning on skipping (one of which has now been nudged back to next March). At the time, I alluded to the fact that shrugging off such potential idiocy left me time to catch up on other cinematic opportunities my fair city had to offer. I neglected to mention how much fun I find summer in this city where movies are concerned, since it actually allows one to have the joys of the communal movie-watching experience and the open-air activity that summer offers.

Toronto through the hears has become pretty darned good at hosting outdoor movies series, to the point where there are now three big ones that carry through the heart of the summer with probably at least a half-dozen more that I’m not aware of.

Harbourfront has a great collection this year; culling a series they are calling Rise of The Underdog. Beyond the fact that they will be showing some badass modern choices like THE SOCIAL NETWORK and OFFICE SPACE, they have given me a personal bit of happiness. Their final showing will be a Viewer’s Choice between THE KARATE KID, RUDY, ROCKY, and BILLY ELLIOT. If you listen closely, you can hear Lindsay’s head exploding as she finds it impossible to choose between four of her favorite films.

The Lightbox got into the act last year and has come back for more in 2012. Going a little bit more old school, they are screening a series of classics as part of TIFF in The Park: Screwball Comedies. On these nights you’ll be able to stretch out on the lawn and soak up some cinematic joy courtesy of Carey Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Barbara Streisand, Henry Fonda, Holly Hunter, and Clark Gable.

Finally there’s Dundas Square, which in many ways got this whole phenomenon started eight or nine years ago. Matter of fact, they are responsible for one of my favorite experiences – watching BLADE RUNNER surrounded by so much neon and advertising that it felt like we were part of the film. This year they’ve decided to cull together a programme of cult classics…and of the three screening series, this one interests me the least. For starters, I don’t think I qualify films like BRAZIL and THE PRINCESS BRIDE as “cult”. What’s more, it feels like Dundas Square has shown a lot of these films as part of other programmes in the past and is now just rearranging their DVD shelf. Oh well, I can’t complain about free – and I will be there for HAROLD AND MAUDE.

Now if you’re still reading and thinking to yourself “What good does this do me? I don’t live in Toronto”, I vote you look around. If you live in a larger town, or even close to one, odds are there is something like this happening near you this summer. With a quick glance, I found such events happening in London, Washington DC, and San Francisco. If it’s not happening in your area – why not look into staging such an event? (Really – how hard could it be?)

Back to the locals, here’s the full schedule for what’s happening in Toronto. Times are all approximate – the curtain usually goes up “at sundown”

June 19th @ 9pm: TOMMY (Dundas Square)

June 26th @ 9pm: PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Dundas)
June 27th @ 915pm: TROUBLE IN PARADISE, 1932 (TIFF)

July 3rd @ 9pm: DAZED AND CONFUSED (Dundas)
July 4th @ 915pm: MY MAN GODFREY (TIFF)
July 4th @ 9pm: OFFICE SPACE (Harbourfront)

July 10th @ 9pm: HAROLD AND MAUDE (Dundas)
July 11th @ 915pm: THE PALM BEACH STORY
July 11th @ 9pm: ZOOLANDER (Harbourfront)

July 17th @ 9pm: MONTY PYTHON QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL (Dundas)
July 18th @ 915pm: RAISING ARIZONA (TIFF)
July 18th @ 9pm: WHEN WE WERE KINGS (Harbourfront)

July 24th @ 9pm: THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Dundas)
July 25th @ 915pm: HIS GIRL FRIDAY (TIFF)
July 25th @ 9pm: NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Harbourfront)

July 31 @ 830pm: DO THE RIGHT THING (Dundas)
August 1 @ 9pm: MR AND MRS SMITH, 1941 (TIFF)
August 1 @ 9pm: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Harbourfront)

August 8 @ 9pm: THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (TIFF)
August 8 @ 9pm: WHIP IT (Harbourfront)

August 14 @ 730pm: THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Dundas)
August 15 @ 9pm: WHAT’S UP, DOC? (TIFF)
August 15 @ 9pm: WHALE RIDER (Harbourfront)
August 14 @ 915pm: LABYRINTH (Dundas)

August 21 @ 8pm: BRAZIL (Dundas)
August 22 @ 830pm: THE LADY EVE (TIFF)
August 22 @ 840pm: MONEYBALL (Harbourfront)

August 28 @ 8pm: HUSH HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (Dundas)
August 29 @ 830pm: IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (TIFF)
August 29 @ 850pm: “Audience Choice” (Harbourfront)