Now Showing: A Blockbuster August at Aster's Senior Centers
Grab a seat and settle in — August brings a lineup that swings from Broadway to the high seas to a galaxy far closer to home than you'd think. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Aster's Senior Centers open the doors for a free movie and free popcorn, no ticket required — just an RSVP. Here's what's playing.
Mesa Downtown Senior Center — Thursdays at 12:30 PM
August 6 — West Side Story (2021, PG-13) Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning reimagining of the classic musical brings the Jets and the Sharks back to the streets of 1957 New York. Amid rival street gangs and a city on the edge of change, Tony and Maria fall for each other despite everything working against them — and every song, from "Somewhere" to "America," lands with fresh urgency.
August 13 — Project Hail Mary (2026, PG-13) This summer's biggest sci-fi event comes to the Downtown Center. Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he realizes he's humanity's last hope: he has to figure out what's causing the sun to die out and reverse it before it's too late — and an unlikely friendship along the way means he may not have to save the world alone. Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir (the author of The Martian), it's a smart, funny, and surprisingly moving ride.
August 20 — Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, PG-13) Leave it to a clever teenager to turn a day of playing hooky into a full-blown Chicago adventure. Between a parade downtown, a borrowed sports car, and a school principal hot on his trail, Ferris Bueller proves that a little nerve goes a long way. A pitch-perfect '80s comfort watch.
August 27 — Jaws (1975, PG) The one that started it all. When a great white shark begins terrorizing the beach town of Amity Island, a police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter head out to sea to stop it. Steven Spielberg's original summer blockbuster still knows exactly how to make an audience hold its breath.
Red Mountain Senior Center — Tuesdays at 12:30 PM
August 4 — Glory (1989, PG) The powerful, true story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first African-American regiment to fight for the Union in the Civil War. Anchored by Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning performance, it's a stirring tribute to courage and sacrifice.
August 11 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, PG) Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic follows ordinary people whose lives are upended after encounters with unidentified flying objects. Equal parts wonder and mystery, it's one of the defining films of its era — and still holds up as a beautifully strange piece of storytelling.
August 18 — The Wizard of Oz (1939, G) A tornado, a pair of ruby slippers, and a trip down the yellow brick road — Dorothy's journey from Kansas to the Land of Oz remains one of the most beloved films ever made.
August 25 — King Kong (2005, PG-13) Peter Jackson's sweeping adventure sends a crew of filmmakers and adventurers to the uncharted Skull Island, where they come face to face with a giant gorilla unlike anything they've ever seen. What starts as a thrilling expedition turns into a story of danger, romance, and tragedy on an epic scale.
Popcorn's on us. Every showing is free, and so is the popcorn — just RSVP ahead of time to reserve your seat. See you at the movies!
How to RSVP:
- Mesa Downtown Senior Center: Call (480) 962-5612, or stop by in person
- Red Mountain Senior Center: Call (480) 218-2221, or stop by in person
- Either location: Email cbs@asteraz.org
