Catching Up with Our Summer Movie Blindspots
We watch a lot of movies, but we haven’t seen everything. This month we’re tackling our personal summer movie blindspots!
Before Midnight
Even the idyllic backdrop of coastal Greece couldn’t keep the Before trilogy’s Jesse and Celine from coming to blows. Sadly, nor could it save the movie for me either. That’s no slight against the film and its greater statement on timeworn love, but rather my own personal intolerance for such a vicious display of vanity. The first two films, while equally as vain and indulgent, had a sweetness and hopeful rhythm to them. But if I were seated next to these two at a scenic Greek cafe, I would get up and move in a heartbeat, so why bother spending two hours with them in a movie? —Kevin Prchal
The Sandlot
For as often as The Sandlot has its characters wax lyrical about America’s favorite pastime, it’s interesting to discover how little the movie is really about baseball. The Sandlot has become a cult favorite over the years and perhaps it’s no wonder why, given how the film explores the spirit of adolescent adventure, framed through the nostalgic summer experience of spending an excessive amount of time with friends. Aside from having appropriately juvenile humor and obvious family appeal, The Sandlot works as well as it does because it focuses on the bonds of friendship, forged in this case on a dusty patch where time is freely wasted by boisterous kids who just so happen to play baseball. —Elliott Cuff
Independence Day
I was expecting Deep Impact and I got a mix of Armageddon and Men in Black. Listen, I probably will never watch this one again, but I respect it. From director Roland Emmerich, who not only gave us the sequel but also such classics as White House Down and The Patriot. Out of the star-studded cast I was most excited about Buckwheat from Little Rascals (Ross Bagley) and baby Mae Whitman. Also, it must be said that Bill Pullman is devastatingly good-looking and way too cool as President (AND COMBAT PILOT?) His speech certainly did not disappoint. So many plot lines to keep track of, but don’t worry—they all converge as expected. And the aliens can speak English? Okay! Way too many great lines to pick a favorite, but this one was up there: “Forget the fat lady, you’re obsessed with the fat lady!” —Natalie Pohorski
Bergman Island
This Mia Hansen-Løve joint follows a married filmmaker couple spending a working retreat on Fårö, an island off the coast of Sweden where director Ingmar Bergman lived and worked. Though the interpersonal drama is a challenge, the Scandinavian summer vibes around it are enviable: bicycle rides along rural roads, quiet writing sessions in rustic Nordic homes, swimming in the Baltic Sea, ambling through the sparse yet idyllic landscape. It’s a nice hang for those of us who aren’t into beach season. —Chad Comello