Now Playing: How to Throw a Backyard Movie Night

Candy Cups
What’s a movie without some Twizzlers, gummy bears and M&Ms? Pre-portion out candy in small plastic cups for your guests to enjoy alongside popcorn and root beer floats. Check out these local spots that will satisfy any sweet tooth:
Chocolate Delicacy, 28 Gilbane St., Warwick, 884-4949, chocolatedelicacy.com
Pearls Candy and Nuts, 4 Eddie Dowling Hwy., North Smithfield, 769-1166, pearlscandyandnuts.com
Sweenor’s Chocolates, 21 Charles St., Wakefield, 783-4433; Garden City, 43 Hillside Rd., Cranston, 942-2720, sweenorschocolates.com
Sweet Lorraine’s Candy Shop, 211 Waseca Ave., Barrington, 694-1128, sweetlorrainescandy.com

Photography by Angel Tucker.

Popcorn Perfection
Pop some kernels over a backyard campfire and provide shakers with sweet and spicy toppings, or let Inpopnito do the work for you. The popcorn makers offer several delicious, out-of-the-box flavors including bacon and waffles, coconut caramel, salt and vinegar, Newport Cheddar and, yes, even Rhode Island coffee milk. Purchase popcorn in smaller, individual-sized bags, or pick up a movie theater-sized party pack for everyone to share.
Inpopnito, 387 Thames St., Newport; 818 Jefferson St., Fall River, Mass., 617-817-1241, inpopnito.com

Technically Under the Stars
A movie night requires just a few key components to run smoothly: a projector, movie player, screen and speakers. Pick up the tech essentials and a large white sheet (to use as a screen) at big box stores like Best Buy or Target, or let FunFlicks, an outdoor movie rental equipment company, take the hassle out of the logistics for you.
FunFlicks offers sound system and projector rentals along with a variety of blow-up movie screens that include an epic sized forty-footer. As a host, you provide the movie, snacks and family and friends, and FunFlicks provides the equipment plus a technician to deliver, set up, host and remove the audiovisuals afterwards. FunFlicks, 383-9277, funflicks.com

Get Comfy
The best way to watch a movie is curled up in some blankets, so bring the inside outdoors and get comfy. Check out these local businesses for outdoor pillows and blankets; there’s no need to rough it.

For pillows
Balanced Design
These colorful indoor/outdoor pillows are sewn in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the fabrics are hand-printed in Rhode Island. Plus, the pillow inserts are 50 percent regenerated fiber made from recycled plastic bottles and 50 percent feathers, unless otherwise noted. The zipper closure means covers can be washed. 264-0767, balanced-design.com

The Bunkhouse Plaid wool outdoor blankets from Northwest Woolen Mills in Woonsocket will keep you comfy and cozy. Photography by Angel Tucker.

For blankets
Northwest Woolen Mills
We’re mad for plaid, in this case Bunkhouse Plaid wool blankets perfect for snuggling on the couch, stashing in the back of the car or, in this case, a cool summer evening outdoors. They come in a variety of colors and are loom woven, soft and a generous sixty-two by eighty inches. 235 Singleton St., Woonsocket, 769-0189, northwestwoolen.com

Photography by Angel Tucker.

Rhody Reels
Not sure what to play on the (homemade) big screen? Try these films with connections to the Ocean State. By Kaitlyn Murray

Kid-Friendly
Underdog
Rated PG, 1 hr. 24min.
A beagle must use his newfound superpowers to defend his beloved city from a mad scientist.

RI Tie-In: Filmed in Providence.
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
Rated G, 1 hr. 33 min.
Based on a 1987 Japanese film, Hachi tells the heartwarming story of a college music professor who bonds with a puppy he finds at the train station.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Bristol and Woonsocket. The main character also commutes to Providence in the film.

Romantic
27 Dresses
Rated PG-13, 1 hr. 51 min.
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Jane finds her love life takes a turn for the worse when her sister gets engaged to Jane’s boss, who also happens to be the man of her dreams.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Newport, Charlestown, East Greenwich and Providence.

Dan in Real Life
Rated PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.
A widower and single father finally finds love again during a trip home for a family gathering — but things get complicated when he learns the object of his affection is actually his brother’s girlfriend.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Providence, Newport, Jamestown, Westerly and other parts of Rhode Island. A majority of the film is also set in the Ocean State.

Moonrise Kingdom
Rated PG-13, 1 hr. 34 min.
Feeling misunderstood by their respective guardians, two infatuated pre-teens run away together, causing a local Scouts group to lead a search party.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Hopkinton, Newport, Conanicut Island and Prudence Island.

Meet Joe Black
Rated PG-13, 2 hr. 58 min.
Death takes the form of an attractive young man and asks a media mogul to teach him about life on Earth, falling in love with the mogul’s daughter in the process.
RI Tie-In: Scenes filmed at Aldrich Mansion in Warwick.

Drama
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Rated PG, 2 hr. 24 min.
Based on the 1925 classic novel of the same name, The Great Gatsby follows Nick Carraway as he becomes fascinated by the lavish lifestyle of his neighbor and is drawn into his circle, only to witness obsession and tragedy.
RI Tie-In: Scenes filmed at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport.

Measure of a Man
Rated PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
In the 1970s, a bullied teen develops a bond with a Wall Street executive that changes his life.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Providence and North Kingstown.

Irrational Man
Rated R, 1 hr. 35 min.
A tormented philosophy professor attempts to find a will to live and enters into a platonic relationship with his student.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Newport, Providence and other Rhode Island locations. The film is also set in Newport.

Historical
Amistad
Rated R, 2 hr. 35 min.
In 1839, the Amistad sails from Cuba to America carrying African slaves as its cargo, but the captives successfully mutiny, forcing the courts to decide if they are legally free citizens of another country or runaway slaves.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Newport.

Comedy
Dumb and Dumber
Rated PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.
Two not-so-bright friends embark on a journey to Aspen, Colorado, to return a briefcase full of money to its rightful — and beautiful — owner.
RI Tie-In: Scenes filmed in Providence and Cumberland. The duo’s adventure also begins in Providence.

Me, Myself and Irene
Rated R, 1 hr. 56 min.
A Rhode Island state trooper with multiple personalities is tasked to protect a woman on the run from her ex-boyfriend and corrupt police officers.
RI Tie-In: Scenes filmed in Newport, Jamestown and Narragansett. The film is also set in Rhode Island.

Thriller
The Purge: Election Year
Rated R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Former Police Sergeant Barnes becomes head of security for a presidential candidate targeted for death because of her vow to eliminate the Purge if elected.
RI Tie-In: Filmed in Providence and Woonsocket.

Action
True Lies
Rated R, 2 hr. 21 min.
A secret agent tracks down nuclear missiles to protect the United States and discovers his wife may be having an affair with a used-car salesman.
RI Tie-In: Scenes filmed in Newport.