What makes a good summer movie? Is it the time of year the film is set? Is it the weather and that sweet golden hour look? Or is it just the vibe? For our film lovers, we’ve got it all to kick off summer 2023.
The Kings Of Summer: This is underrated movie royalty. Freedom is the main pursuit in this quick-witted deadpan coming-of-age story as three high school friends leave their dull home lives for a homemade house in the woods. All goes well until the love interest of Joe, (Nick Robinson) the leader of the three runaways, enters the scene, which complicates their once hospitable woodland paradise. Yes, you may be wondering where the adults are in all this but fear not. The combined brain power of Joe’s Dad (Nick Offerman) from Parks and Rec and the chief of police Mary Lynn Rajskub also known as Gail the Snail from Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, means all will be okay … right? Either way, Kings Of Summer is a fantastically fun time of a flick and is well worth a watch if you feel like a little break to your own woodland paradise this summer.
The Batman: It’s been a dull overcast day. The summer weather you were promised did not appear. Wind and rain push against your bedroom window and you need your film fix. If you haven’t already, this is the occasion. Watch The Batman. Film noir and a worthy adversary to the Christopher Nolan films. Robert Pattinson is imperious as the brooding, socially distant-capped crusader. The modernised Riddler (Paul Dano) hits all the right Gotham-destroying notes and the mystery element which opens from the first scene does not let up. If you find a summer’s night like this, The Batman may do the trick.
500 Days of Summer: Ok, so maybe this is cheating. 500 days of summer is not your typical boy meets girl; girl meets boy love story, as it states in the opening narration. And it also refers to Summer, the name of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s love interest (Zooey Deschanel), rather than the season. However, this inventive rethink on the romantic dramedy could be the perfect flick if you find yourself deep in the feels following a seasonal fling this summer. Equipped with the infamous expectation vs reality scene and a mild criticism on the hopeless romantic, there are more than one ways to view this film. But, whatever way you do, this cult classic is more than worth a watch.
Torna Mulconry