Movies On The Block

I’m a big fan of Movies on the Block and my favorite this season was the Muppet Movie. It was magical to hear the songs echo in the block!!!
Because I love the block so much, I’m doing a project on Grant’s Block. I am a student at RISD and I’d like to ask if any of you could share with me your stories with the block. Anything would be helpful, your love, hate, suggestions, memories or any thoughts. Thank you very much for all your help!

Love, Love, Love this benefit of living in the city! Thank you for keeping this tradition alive! One small request… please add 1 – 2 other movies for kids! Very hard to find fun cheap things to do with them and this would be great!

What a second, I can review movies on the block? I can review PVD’s best free night out.
This is a must — you have not experienced a PVD summer if you’ve never attended movies on the block and the 2015 season looks like it is going to be the best yet!
JAWS!!!
Oh and looking for some movie snacks?
How about some Like No Udder (LNU) … Yes please and thank you.
Looking for a drink … Perhaps a grown up beverage?
They sell beer.
Really I challenge you to find a way to spend a summer night in the city.

Admittedly, as a visitor from New York City, I may have expected too much from this great outdoor event. I was concerned about a crowd, so I showed up an hour early to stake out a spot. With 45 minutes to go, there still was no AV equipment, so my friend started to get nervous. There were a few different food trucks /​carts, but vegetarian options were limited (except for the Like No Udder truck). So, my friend got antsy, and we went off in search of food. As we were leaving, the AV equipment arrived.
When walking back after dinner, we saw that they space had filled with people, and the sound and video quality were great.
So, I write this review for the following reason: as a visitor to the city, it’s important to know exactly what you have to do to make this event great for you (because it can be great!!!).
Here goes:
— Don’t get there an hour early. Get there 20 – 30 minutes early to stake out a spot.
— Bring a picnic. If you don’t have a picnic basket packed in your suitcase, pick up food on your way there (but don’t bring dessert! There are lots of dessert options around.)
— With that picnic, bring a bottle of wine or some beer.
— Come with friends!
This event was highly suggested for me to do, and I can see why… I just didn’t know how to do it to soak up all its glory. And for that, my friend and I ended up missing most of the fun!

Movies on The Block in Grant’s Block is the perfect way to spend a Thursday evening in PVD during the warmer months. A good movie, a couple lawn chairs, some snacks, and perhaps an adult beverage, what’s not to like?
They generally show classics or otherwise agreeable films, and it’s free, so how can you complain? So much better than sitting in your living room and watching Netflix (although I do a great deal of that as well).
Check up on Facebook, twitter, and the like to see what movie is playing, get there nice and early to get a seat, and you’re good to go!

Movies on the Block has become one of my favorite pass times during the late spring to fall. Every Thursday I look forward to heading downtown, laying down my blanket and cuddling up with a cold beverage to one of the many awesome cult hits or other chosen flicks. The idea is so cool, movies from the Godfather to Wes Anderson films to the Breakfast Club, all projected on the wall near the bocci area of Grant’s Block off of Westminster. People bring lawn chairs, blankets, snacks and drinks, and as many friends as possible to enjoy an awesome and free night out.
The scene is always a good crowd and I’ve never been let down by obnoxious neighbors or crabby security. I dig that they usually serve snacks, drinks, and whether it’s legit or not to byob, you usually can if you are sneaky. I was quite nervous when Tazza went out of business last year and the future of MOTB was uncertain (at least I felt that way). I was so relieved when I saw the lovely poster on the former Tazza window, showing that thankfully, the 2014 season was good to go.
This past week was Thelma and Louis, and it was so great of Aurora to allow them to go indoors due to inclement weather forecasts. It’s also cool that Trinity has taken over the snack and adult beverage portion of what Tazza used to provide. Looks like Movies on the Blocks future is bright indeed, although there is nothing like a beautiful Summer’s night in Grant’s Block. My Thursday evenings are booked through October.

I’ve been going to Movies on the Block for 3 years now. This year for the first time for purposes of rain evasion, they moved it indoors to nearby Aurora. As much as I love sitting outdoors on a nice day, I actually really enjoyed watching it at nearby Aurora because they already had chairs set up and there weren’t extra noises from cars, headlights, etc to distract from the movie.
Even with the potential for additional noise and distraction sitting outside, I really have loved my experiences going to Movies on the Block over the years. Sitting on the ground hurts my back, so I always bring a chair of my own, and for the most part people with chairs are respectful to people will blankets by not sitting in front of them. There’s a basic understanding among movie-​goers.
Over the years there have been some really great movies in the mix, including everything from Psycho to The Breakfast Club and so much more. I love that this free outdoor movie event has been continuing for years, and even with the closing of Tazza which partially hosted it, I’m glad to see it still going strong.