We’re almost there; shining sun, warmer weather, live music you can here from anywhere in the city. It’s just about summer. It doesn’t take much to get me in the summer-y mood, but a good movie never hurts.  The following are some of my summertime favorites.

Dazed and Confused

The year is 1976 and some Texas teenagers are about to head out for the first night of summer vacation.  Richard Linklater’s nostalgic classic Dazed and Confused is the ultimate summer hang out movie.  Its got everything you need, baseball, new friends, a party to go, and knowing next school year is really going to be different.  On top of the road-trip worthy soundtrack full of 70s staples from Fog Hat, Alice Cooper, Rick Derringer, and more, this movie is also filled to the brim with faces before they became famous like Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, and perhaps most famously, Matthew McConaughey who just has one iconinc delivery after another.  Dazed and Confused is available to rent on most digital platforms, is currently streaming on MGM+, Showtime, and the Criterion Channel, or you can pick it up on Blu-ray or UHD.

Summertime

My next summertime favorite is, well, Summertime from Lawrence of Arabia director David Lean.  A woman entering her 50s, played by Katherine Hepburn finally takes the Venice vacation she’s always dreamed about, but finds it’s not quite the life fulfilling experience she had been hoping for — until she meets an Italian shop owner.  There’s a beautiful melancholy at play here as Hepburn’s lonely character navigates if she’s entering an autumn romance in her life or if it’s simply a summer fling. Best of all, its all set across the gorgeous background of Venice and, forgive the cliché, the city is as essential as any character here.  An all time great look at our expectations of experience and the potentially transformative possibilities of a get away.  Summertime is available to rent on most digital platforms, is currently streaming on Max and the Criterion Channel, and also has an absolutely stunning Blu-ray from Criterion.

Love and Mercy

For generations, the music of the Beach Boys has been a staple of summer and  having “Fun, fun fun”, but the history of the band and its creative lead Brian Wilson are far more complex than songs about surfing and racing your dad’s car.   If you recently watched the new documentary on Disney+ about the band and want to continue your Beach Boy immersion, 2014’s Love & Mercy is one of the best music biopics out there.  It tells the story of Brian Wilson during two integral moments in life. First we have Wilson played by Paul Dano during his 1960s efforts to create the monolith that is the album Pet Sounds and its failed follow up Smile.  It features the best music creation scenes in any movie that I’ve seen.  John Cusack then takes over Brian Wilson duties in the 1980s where we have another story of middle aged summer love blooming and saving a lost, and in this case heavily exploited person.  The 60s summer vibes are impeccable and, for me at least, love, music, and summer are the perfect trifecta.  Love & Mercy can be rented digitally, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Starz, and Tubi, and is also on Blu-ray.

Jaws 3-D

Finally, we’ve come to the greatest summer movie of all time and the movie that kicked off the trend of summer blockbusters almost 50 years ago, Jaws.  However, I don’t need to tell you to see Jaws. You’ve either already seen it or people have already been telling you your whole life to watch it. So, go watch it.  No, we’re looking at one of its sequels that’s been maligned for almost as long as the original has been celebrated. I’m here to tell you Jaws 3-D is good, actually.  Like the Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise before it, this sequel brings the action to an aquatic park in Florida and also like the Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise, this time its in 3-D.   I think this movie is hated for two reasons. First, the original is a perfectly paced and shot masterclass from perhaps the most famous Hollywood director, Steven Spielberg. Jaws 3-D certainly isn’t a Steven Spielberg movie. Second, for the past four decades, most people haven’t been able to actually watch it in 3-D. In 2-D, all the gimmicky shots look dumb instead of fun.  However if, you ever get a chance to see to see this in its newly restored state either at a special theater showing or on 3-D Blu-ray using a 3D tv or VR headset, I can’t recommend it enough. A wildly entertaining disaster movie with in your face effects that make it feel like an amusement park ride in all the best ways.  It’s big and fun — just like a summer movie should be!