ON THE GREEN: FREE FILMS UNDER THE STARS

NGL_16blindside5Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock star in a free Sunday night screening of ‘The Blind Side’ at Fair Haven Fields. Red Bank’s Movies in the Park lineup includes a July 21 airing of ‘Beetlejuice,’ below.

beetlejuiceIt’s still the best summer-movie deal under the setting sun and stars; a moveable feast of (basically) family-friendly, free flicks excitement that lights up the big inflatable screen and blockbuster sound system at parks and beaches all over Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Presented by Shore Flicks, it’s a cinematic slate that makes its seasonal return to the greater Red Bank Green this Sunday starting at Fair Haven Fields.

FAIR HAVEN: Screening just after sundown (approximately 8:15 pm), The Blind Side tells a fact-based story of football and family values centered around former homeless teen/ future NFL prospect Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) and the family of believers (led by Sandra Bullock in her Oscar winning turn) who give him the stability and support he needs to find the greatness within.

The irregularly scheduled series resumes on Monday, July 6 with How to Train Your Dragon 2; picks up three weeks later with the Tom Hanks favorite Big (July 27); and returns to Sunday night for the final entry on August 2, the Disney phenomenon Frozen.

Bring nonperishable food items (for Lunch Break and other local charities) along with the folding chairs and beach towels — and bring it around the corner for more.

RED BANK:  The longest-running of the many outdoor series presented by Shore Flicks, the weekly screenings at Riverside Gardens offer what’s arguably the most spectacular setting of all outdoor venues: the terraced amphitheater of the park (and those lovely complimentary Navesink River sunsets) combining with the energy of the dynamic downtown for an experience that’s one of a kind.

Films screen every Tuesday in July and August, with the schedule as follows:

7/7 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the nasty-fun original with Gene Wilder)
7/14 The 40th anniversary showing of Jaws
7/21 Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice
7/28 A rare showing of the 1980s cult fave Better Off Dead
8/4 JJ Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek (replaces the originally announced Marvel’s Avengers)
8/11 The relatively little-seen CGI animation The Book Of Life
8/18 The animated sequel Penguins of Madagascar
8/25 The hit CGI comix adaptation Big Hero 6

SEA BRIGHT: Meanwhile, on the municipal beach here, a bi-weekly Sunday summer schedule of comic fantasies commences on Sunday, July 12 with the original Back to the Future, followed with a Christmas-on-July 26 showing of Will Ferrell in Elf, the appropriately aquatic fish-out-of-water romcom Splash on August 9, and the return of Marty McFly in Back to the Future 2 on August 23.

Check here for a complete schedule of area events  — and follow Shore Flicks on Facebook or Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on weather-related cancellations or other schedule changes.