Those plush seats and spine-jangling sound systems? Overrated! You want dimmed lights? How does twilight strike you?

And why shell out for one of those ultrawide, 20-foot curved whatchamacallit screens when a portable screen or even the side of a building will do just as nicely?

The vast majority of the moviegoing population heads inside for a date with Indy, Carrie, the Hulk or Hellboy. But the Southland offers plenty of options for cineastes who prefer their movies al fresco.

That's right, this summer outdoor films and mini festivals will be playing at a, er, "theater" near you. We're not simply talking drive-ins, that fast-dying staple of our parents' youth - although the Southland still has one of those. We mean piers and graveyards, parks and plazas.

And entertainment hubs. For the seventh summer, organizers of the Big Free Movie Night at Universal CityWalk will bring out some 200 chairs, set up their 18-by 20-foot screen, supply some extra entertainment and get rolling.

"We're providing really cool features for families who might not otherwise get to go to the movies," says Brian Bacica, general manager of CityWalk. "We're creating a festival atmosphere for the evening."

Below you'll find an assortment of outdoor movies and program scheduling. The programing is often eclectic, kid friendly or nostalgic - and you're entirely at the mercy of the weather, but the experience is certainly different.

Below you'll find an assortment of outdoor movies and program scheduling. The programing is often eclectic, kid friendly or nostalgic - and you're entirely at the mercy of the weather, but the experience is certainly different.

Big Free Outdoor Movie Night

Moonlight Movies on the Beach

Tuesdays at Granada Beach, 5101 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach; Wednesdays at Marina Green Park, east of Shoreline Village Drive, or Cherry Beach, Ocean Boulevard and Junipero Avenue, Long Beach

(562) 434-1542, www.alfredosbeachclub.com.

Rotating between a couple of beach locations, the free Moonlight Movies series also offers free popcorn and a serial each week. The projectors roll at dusk (around 8 p.m.).

"E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" (July8), "Blackboard Jungle" (July 9), "The Nutty Professor" (July 15), "Boomerang Big Bash" (July 16), "The Perfect Man" (July 22), "Casablanca" (July 23), "Back to the Future" (July 29), "North by Northwest" (July 30), "The Sting" (Aug. 5), "Singin' In the Rain" (Aug. 6), "The Breakfast Club" (Aug. 12), "Toon Takeover" (Aug. 13), "Jurassic Park" (Aug. 19), "West Side Story" (Aug. 20), "The Bourne Identity" (Aug. 26), "The Wizard of Oz" (Aug. 26).

Outdoor Family Classic Film Festival

Alta Vista Park, 715 Julia St., Redondo Beach

(310) 937-6606

If you like old black-and-whites, you'll enjoy this free film series. Movies being at dusk.

"Rebel Without a Cause" (July 18), "Some Like it Hot" (July 25), "Jezebel" (Aug. 1), "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (Aug. 8).

Bellflower Movies Under the Stars

Town Center Plaza, near Bellflower Boulevard and Belmont Street

(562) 804-1424, Ext. 2268.

Free screenings begin at dusk each Friday through Aug. 29. "Shrek the Third" (Friday), "The Last Mimzy" (July 11), "Surf's Up" (July 18), "Daddy Day Camp" (July 25), "TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)" (Aug. 1), "Evan Almighty" (Aug. 8), "Barnyard" (Aug. 15), "The Water Horse" (Aug. 22), "Curious George" (Aug. 29).

Movies Under the Stars

Lomita City Hall lawn, 24300 Narbonne Ave.

(310) 325-7110

Movies start at about 8:30 p.m. for this free series.

"Hairspray" (July 25), "The Water Horse (Aug. 15), "Ratatouille" (Sept. 19).

Summer Cinema in the Backyard

W Hotel, 930 Hilgard Ave., Westwood

(310) 208-8765

www.starwoodhotels.com/ whotels

Moviegoers can sit poolside and chow down on food from the W's Backyard restaurant while taking in a selection of MGM and Fox films. Admission is free.

"A Fish Called Wanda" (Sunday), "Revenge of the Nerds" (July 6), "Lars and the Real Girl" (July 13), "Annie Hall" (July 20), "27 Dresses" (July 27), "The Darjeeling Limited" (Aug. 3), "In Her Shoes" (Aug. 10), "The Usual Suspects" (Aug. 17), "Mystic Pizza" (Aug. 24), "Rain Man" (Aug. 31), "Weekend at Bernie's" (Sept. 7), "Some Like It Hot" (Sept. 14), "The Savages (Sept. 21), "Charlie Bartlett" (Sept. 28).

Drive-in at the Pier

Santa Monica Pier

Colorado and Ocean avenues

(310) 458-8901.

www.santamonicapier.org.

Free movie series screens Tuesday nights in August. The summer lineup has not yet been determined.

Evan Henerson (818) 713-3651

evan.henerson@dailynews.com