Dan's Papers - May 22, 2009 - Summer in the Dark: Film Guide

With all the beaches, parks, outdoor dining stops and other sunny day pleasures that the East End enjoys, it only makes sense that we spend as much time in a darkened movie house as possible! But seriously, with so many aspects of life turning hectic until Labor Day, sometimes the escape of a film can provide a nice break from the outside world - and even possibly a moment to remember. With that, here's a serious scoop on what's happening on the big screen here in the coming months:

Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre (1 Bay St. 631- 725-9500) will once again cover the performing arts with aplomb, and that includes film as well. Be sure and check their schedule for new showings of classic American films with their "Picture Show" series - an ongoing opportunity to see these movies on the big screen for $5 a piece. There are also plenty of family-friendly films to see, as BST will continue its "Kidstreet" series on Saturdays at 11 a.m. ($7 per ticket) as well as new entries at the ready for the Rainy Day @ The Bay movies set to go when the weather goes wet. (Just be sure to call ahead or check baystreet.org for all details.)

Of course, with the summer now officially here, the blockbusters will be, well, busting at the local theatres. If you're looking to catch a flick, you have your usual choices: the United Artists locations in East Hampton (30 Main St., 631-324-0448), Southampton (43 Hill St., 631-287-2774) and Hampton Bays (119 W. Montauk Hwy., 631-728-8676), Sag Harbor Cinema (90 Main St., Sag Harbor, 631-725-0010) and Montauk Movies (3 Edgemere Road, Montauk) - where you can catch many of the yet-to-come anticipated Hollywood spectacles. And most impressively of all the theatres carrying mainstream films, the tiny Hampton Arts Twin (2 Brook Road, Westhampton Beach, 631- 288-2600) manages to handle both Star Trek-size cinema as well as independent pieces. However, you can still put a little "spring" in your step at The Parrish Art Museum (25 Job's Lane, Southampton, 631.283.2118) as their Spring Film Series closes with one last hurrah on May 29 with Before Night Falls at 7 p.m. ($5 members, $7 nonmembers). The tragic true tale of Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas starrs Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) in his 2000 Oscar-nominated performance.

Meanwhile, no need to get nervous that you missed the party - the Hamptons International Film Festival isn't actually slated until October 8. However, as a kick-off to the completion of its renovations, Alec Baldwin will present a HIFF warm-weather warm-up by bringing the winner of the Sundance 2009 Audience Award to Guild Hall (158 Main St. East Hampton, 631-324-0806) on May 22 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $20). Entitled The Cove, the film has garnered a ton of buzz and has been playing to select audiences around the country since March. To present it Mr. Baldwin will bring along Cove Director Louis Psihoyos for a Q&A session, as well as a yet-to-be-announced "surprise guest." As for the rest of this year's festival, tickets don't go on sale until September, and in fact, they're still accepting submissions for this year's festival over at 3 Newtown Mews until June 25.

If cinema that concerns world issues is your thing, no need to travel to Manhattan as the Westhampton Performing Arts Center (76 Main St., Westhampton Beach, 631-288-2350) once again offers a lovely set of international movies. From May 29-31, you can check out Goodbye Solo, a gripping tale of a Senegalese taxi driver and his fight to save a depressed Southerner from himself. Next, on June 13 and June 19-20, it's the quirky foreign film from director Sergei Dvortsevoy: Tulpan - a tale of the drama experienced by Kazakh sheepherders. And finally, from June 26-27, you can catch Shall We Kiss, an adult French romantic comedy that's a little more biting and curious than the light title implies.

And if you're a film lover looking for an off-the-beaten-path chance to not necessarily see a movie in a theatre but rent one for home, or talk about cinema at length, there are the interesting events that take place over at the Rogers Memorial Library (91 Coopers Farm Road, Southampton, 631-283-0774). They've added a new blog to their website (myrml.org/movies) which offers reviews of the films added to their DVD collection every week. In addition, they offer suggestions on related cinema and alert you to any special movie-related meetings and discussion groups that occasionally take place from time to time with speakers and special guests. Then over at the Hampton Bays Public Library (52 Ponquogue Ave., Hampton Bays, 631-728-6241), one can check out the "Friday Matinee @ The Library" showings on Fridays at 2 p.m. where each month will feature a focus on the films of either an actor or a director from the American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Lists" as well as other screenings of anything from locally-shot shorts to movies for the young ones.

Speaking of the kiddies, if you'd like to get them over to where the books are but aren't sure how to inspire them, be sure and check the schedule at The Hampton Library (2478 Main St., Bridgehampton, 631-537-0015) for when the next movie is running as part of their "Bridge Kids Events" series. Sure, there are several meetings for story time, but with chances to see some of Hollywood's recent children's flicks on a good-sized screen, there's no time like the summer to help shape the next generation of cinemaphiles and heck, even film critics.