summer viewing

It's here!!! It's FINALLY here!!! (Summer, that is--we Canadians wait all year for this.) The air is filled with BBQ smoke and the scent of lilacs; the nights are warm and balmy and the days are long and bright. What better way to relax after an evening of bike riding, jogging, lounging in the park, etc. (or weather those rainy days at the lake) than watching a movie? I can't think of anything either. So here are a few favourites that will heighten your enjoyment of those moments:

La Dolce Vita (1960)

I first discovered this Fellini classic one summer in High School and it contributed to my decision to become a filmmaker. I didn't realize it then, but the Italian aristocrats' lives of leisure--long, aimless car rides, spontaneous swimming and sleepless nights of partying and ghost-hunting--strangely resembled my own episodic existence as an adolescent in summertime. In Marcello, a romantic observer rather than an active participant in the revelry, I recognized something of myself. But all of that aside, the sweetness and magic of this film (along with the ear-pleasing sound of Italian dialogue) make it the perfect waking dream to experience in summer.

The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010)

David Robert Mitchell apparently enjoys La Dolce Vita as much as I do, because his first indie feature owes a debt to it in terms of spirit and content. Don't get me wrong, The Myth of the American Sleepover is much more than an homage--it is a moving portrait of the end of summer, the end of adolescence, the comfort of the neighborhoods where we grow up, and the mystery of the wide world that awaits us. I happened to catch it at a festival last year and am thrilled to see it's getting released in July. I will be sure to remind you to go and see it when it comes out.

Superbad (2007)

Definitely one of the best mainstream comedies I've seen in recent years, this one tells a teenage story from a different angle, focusing on the painfully embarrassing, awkward side that many of us may choose to forget. Brilliantly written and performed, this is great fare for when you feel like a laugh. (Michael Cera's rendition of The Guess Who's These Eyes is a classic moment in cinema, if you ask me.)

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Another summer film about teenagers? Yes! Summer is fleeting, and so is youth. This small-town melodrama (my favourite genre, as you know) is, sadly, not very well-known. In glorious Technicolour, it tells the story of two young lovers torn apart by their raging hormones. It launched Warren Beatty's career as a movie star (and possibly as a prolific womanizer as well); I can see why Nathalie Wood's character literally went crazy for him. The acting is a little dated at times, but Kazan's use of water to represent sexuality would have been cutting edge in its day. This movie is perfect for necking with your sweetheart on a steamy summer night. I only wish I could see it at a drive-in!

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Mystery is another great summer genre. This classic by Norman Jewison was ground-breaking for its social relevance (the main character is an African-American detective investigating a murder in a small, racist town), but it is also a really entertaining, well-made film. The cops cruising by the window to ogle the exhibitionistic housewife and the fry cook dancing to Foul Owl on the Prowl in the deserted diner are especially priceless moments.

Rear Window (1954)

And finally...Hitchcock. I think all of his films make great summer viewing, but this one, a murder mystery set in the midst of an infernally muggy New York heat wave, especially so. Shackled by a broken leg, an adventuresome photographer is cooped up in his stifling apartment and hen-pecked by his girlfriend and housekeeper as a mystery unfolds across the courtyard from his window. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are delightful together, Thelma Ritter is a riot, and the voyeuristic device of shooting POVs through the protagonist's telephoto lens is cinematic perfection--pure pleasure, anytime of year.