Celebrating movies over the summer

Going to the movies has never been more expensive. Ticket prices for adult admission have hit the $8 mark, with supposed "bargain matinees" or discount tickets for seniors and kids costing as much as $5.50.

But if you don't feel like shelling out a small fortune to take your family to the latest "Spider-Man" movie or the latest "Shrek" or the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean," there is a variety of cheap, or in some cases free, summer-movie alternatives.

The Sundance Institute (www.sundance.org) is sponsoring its 10th annual Outdoor Film Series, a community program that presents free screenings of independent and documentary features, and includes movies from previous Sundance Film Festivals, as well as "hidden gems and overlooked classics that deserve to be dusted off and enjoyed again," according to organizers.

The Outdoor Film Series kicks off with a screening of the 1979 comedy-drama "Breaking Away" on July 6 at the Park City Park. Additional screenings are scheduled July 9 at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City and July 11 at the Sundance resort in Provo Canyon.

Other films in the series include:

• "The Truman Show" (July 13, Park City Park; July 16, Gallivan Center; July 18, Sundance resort)

• "Kinky Boots" (July 20, Park City; July 23, Salt Lake City; July 25, Provo Canyon)

• "Never Cry Wolf" (July 27, Park City; July 30, Salt Lake City; Aug. 1, Provo Canyon)

• "Stop Making Sense" (Aug. 3, Park City; Aug. 6, Salt Lake City; Aug. 8, Provo Canyon)

• "Ocean's Eleven" (the 1960 film) (Aug. 10, Park City; Aug. 13, Salt Lake City; Aug. 15, Provo Canyon)

• "Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (Aug. 17, Park City; Aug. 20, Salt Lake City; Aug. 22, Provo Canyon)

Sundance also wraps up its annual documentary series June 7 with a free screening of "Black Gold" in the Park City Library.

Also, the local television station CW30 (www.cw30.com) is sponsoring Friday Night Flicks, a free series of screenings at Salt Lake-area parks, beginning June 8 with "The Karate Kid" at the Gallivan Center.

Devoted to '80s blockbusters, the series includes:

• "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (June 15, Liberty Park)

• "The Neverending Story" (June 22, Fairmont Park)

• "Back to the Future" (June 29, Wasatch Hollow Park)