I’m dating myself, but the first movie experience I can remember was seeing E.T. at the drive-in with my parents. It was the summer of ’82, I was 5, and the night was memorable because I spent half of it cowering behind my dad’s headrest, too terrified to watch scary guys in hazmat suits hunt E.T. down or bullies torment Elliot with some choice ’80’s playground insults. Obviously, I’ve been able to catch up on the parts I missed many times in the years since then, but never again while sitting under the stars on a warm summer night. That changes on Tuesday though, when Red Hook Flicks will screen the classic movie that makes everyone feel like a kid again as the second-to-last installment of its free Scary Monsters and Super Freaks series. I recently hit Valentino Park to see another beloved movie from my youth, The Lost Boys, with my boyfriend and my dog (yep, you can bring dogs that are “well-behaved,” which is a generous way to describe mine), and we were treated to a wonderful, mellow viewing experience on the water with a stunning view of the sunset, the Statue of Liberty, and both Coreys. Bring a blanket and cash to buy food and drinks from sponsors The Good Fork and Red Hook Bait and Tackle, and settle in under a moonlit sky to watch a bunch of kids pilot their bikes through a moonlit sky. Don’t forget the Reese’s Pieces! –K.H.
