There’s nothing like a free outdoor movie on a hot summer night in Syracuse.

The Everson Museum of Art is turning one of its outer walls into a giant movie screen this summer, screening four films for its Film Under the Stars Series.

It’s an event you bring your own seats, blankets and snacks to, but the films are free. The project is sponsored by theEverson, Oncenter, Light Work and Urban Video Project and Syracuse University.

Thursday is Family Film Night, with a screening of Pixar’s “WALL-E” at 8:30 p.m.

The heartfelt feature is about a kind, waste-collecting robot, named WALL-E, who is trying to clean up a desolate and polluted Earth. He meets another robot, EVE, who takes him on a journey through space, back to a ship inhabiting the fat, lazy remnants of the human race.

The animated 2008 masterpiece creates an intensely emotional story with complex characters, even though the two protagonists are robots who can only beep at each other. Every sound and facial expression comes together in this visually immersive love story between two robots. It is a story that also has a lot to say about consumerism, pollution and global warming. There’s something for everyone in this Pixar gem.

The next screening, on July 27 at 8:30 p.m., is Date Night Under the Stars featuring “Casablanca.”

The classic 1942 film stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, an American ex-patriot running a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco, during the early days of World War II. Countless immigrants are fleeing from Casablanca to America, among them Rick’s old flame Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman. Only local authorities, transit letters, a bunch of Nazis and her husband stand in their way.

“Casablanca” is carried by its star power. Humphrey Bogart is a movie star in every sense of the word. From his surly facial expressions to the way he delivers his lines, even down to how he smokes a cigarette, exudes his star quality. The chemistry between him and Bergman is electric, transcending the narrative as they try to evade the Nazis. Ending on a bleak runway with a plane shrinking in the distance, it’s clear why it’s still a classic 60 years later.

The last two films are part of Sci-Fi Under the Stars, beginning with 1954’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” on July 27 at 8:30 p.m.

Starring Kirk Douglas, along with James Mason as maniacal Captain Nemo, the film is based on Jules Verne’s famous undersea adventure novel. It follows a ship hand, played by Douglas, and two intellectuals taken captive by Nemo on his sophisticated submarine during the late 1800s. They explore the vast ocean depths, finding much more than they bargained for.

Despite having archaic graphics by today’s standards, the nautical adventure is a captivating story. Douglas gives an entertaining performance as the daring sailor making trouble on the sub, while the others marvel at fantastical technology and undersea wonders. There are plenty of sunken ships and watery graves, but the film is about possibilities more than action.

The final film in the series is “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” airing on August 22 at 8:30 p.m.

The 1957 film follows Scott Carey, portrayed by Grant Williams, who begins shrinking in size after being exposed to radiation. The doctors and his wife are powerless to help and Carey gradually enters a new and unfamiliar world in his own home.

Ultimately, the film is about survival. Despite taking place mostly in a living room and basement, Carey struggles to stay alive when the rest of the world has forgotten him. The whole premise is comical, but somehow scaling a flight of steps and fighting off vicious predators like cats and spiders becomes a riveting journey. The smaller Carey gets, the harder he fights to survive.

Published on July 18, 2012 at 12:45 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu