She's donating.

Dying to see Inception at a big theater in Brooklyn, but you can’t dream upon dream of dropping $12.50 for the ticket? (And that’s not even counting the sustenance you’ll need for the 2.5 hour extravaganza). Well then, plant this idea somewhere deep in the ice fortress of your subconscious: You get a free movie ticket every time you donate blood at the bloodmobile on Court Street. And you can do it today. (more…)

David Hemmings and Veruschka von Lehndorff in Blow-Up

London in the ’60s was one of those places and brief moments in time that we think almost compares to modern-day Brooklyn when it comes to ‘cool’. It was a swingin’, mod-wearing time—an era so many of us would have loved to live through. And this Wednesday, we might get a pretty good taste. Future Cinema, the British event company behind feats of live, immersive, multimedia cinema, has crossed the pond for the first time (straight to Brooklyn) with one of its extravagant creations: Antonioni’s iconic 1966 classic Blow-Up, tomorrow night, Jun. 30, at Shangri-La Studio in Greenpoint. (more…)

Colin Hearts Kay is the kind of movie we can’t help but love: It’s shot entirely on location in Brooklyn, with a soundtrack by talented up-and-coming Brooklyn bands and most importantly, made on a pea-sized budget. This veritable ode-to-Brokelynites about a guy, a girl and a break-up is having its world premiere tonight at the Brooklyn International Film Festival (Brooklyn Heights Cinema, 9 p.m.). And on Sunday, CHK has been honored with closing out the 10-day fest. That show’s all sold-out, of course… except for the TWO FREE TICKETS we have to give away to one lucky Brokelyn reader. (more…)

Believe it or not, the affordable big-screen movie isn’t dead. And by affordable, we mean FREE. This summer, Brooklyn’s home to at least a half dozen spots where you can take in a good-old cinematic experience without cracking the wallet. Check out these venues where you can get sticky seats, rowdy crowds… and a movie, no snack-smuggling or cash transaction required. (more…)

If you haven’t had the chance to check out this totally rad New York Times map of Netflix queues by zip code, you must. Click on the map and it’ll take you to a Times page where you can find out the top 10 rentals in your neighborhood with a roll of your mouse. The fix seems to be in for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which claims the most #1 spots among BK zip codes, followed by Milk (Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park and Fort Greene) and Rachel Getting Married (Red Hook, Park Slope); Twilight (Ditmas Park, Canarsie); and Tyler Perry, the Family that Prays (Brownsville, East Flatbush). There’s lots of overlap among the lists, but who knew Paul Blart: Mall Cop was such a blockbuster? (No. 7 in Bergen Beach; various cameos elsewhere). Anyway, we’re not even going to kid ourselves that you’re still reading this post anymore, so we’ll leave the rest to you and your mouse…

Life before cable. Photo by Getty Images.

I canceled my cable a few months ago. It had to be done—my Cablevision bill was $124.67 a month. But you can’t expect a girl to live without TV: If you prick me, do I not bleed? Yes, I can stream many, many things on my laptop, but I have a lovely—and massive—32” Sony Trinitron across from my couch. Also, I have the bad habit of checking my email while I’m watching things, and that’s hard to do when everything is happening on one screen.

With a little maneuvering, however, I’m getting most of my favorite programs and an almost unlimited trove of films for roughly $18 a month, which means I’m saving around $1,250 a year. Read on for my easy three-step-no-cable survival strategy. (more…)

Warriors, come out to play-ay…. the first of today’s top two Brokelyn-approved free events: “The Streets of Brooklyn in Film,” a free film fest examining Brooklyn’s gritty image in film, including The Lords of Flatbush, the French Connection, and of course, the 1979 classic about our favorite band of leather-vested  hard-luck hooligans. Read an interview about it in The Local. Today from noon to five at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Isand University Spike Lee screening room, room 122 in the Library Learning Center. No address listed on the release for this, but the campus is at Flatbush and Dekalb.

Event #2: SCORE! a gigantic swap at the BKLYNYard, an outdoor music space on Carroll Street between Nevins and Bond. The big giveaway, today from 11 to 6, is sponsored by local groups (FreeNYC, Newmindspace, RefugeNYC, MeanRed Productions), attendees are encouraged to bring clothing, books, music and kitchen miscellaney to trade for others’ toss offs. Unclaimed merch will be collected by Rock and Wrap It Up, an anti-poverty group that distributes donations to non-profits throughout the city. Find out more here BKLYNYard.

Fred Flare photo by Stefan Tonio

For the Brooklyn teen in search of ways to stretch that ever-waning allowance dollar, five ways to work it out:

GREENPOINT
What happens when you gather all the cutest merchandise one could possibly find and put it in one store for sale? You get Fred Flare (left) The brand with the ultimate cute factor has been an online shop for over 10 years, with affordable and stylish findings: clothing, accessories, home goods, etc.  But they just recently opened a physical location in Greenpoint. With nice employees and a cheerful design, this little store could be the happiest place in Brooklyn. Fred Flare, 131 Meserole Ave, 718-349-1257, www.fredflare.com. (more…)