Posts tonen met het label My Summer of Love. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label My Summer of Love. Alle posts tonen

maandag 6 juli 2020

Five to Watch - Sweltering Summer Movies

We’re in the middle of summer. For a lot of people the best time of year (not for my btw). I decided to focus on films where the heat got cranked up, once you might not know, are overlooked or underrated. Here are five sweltering summer movies you should watch.

Now and Then (1995)
Four girls who met in 1970 when they were around twelve, meet twenty years later and notice the differences. What connected them all that time was an unsolved murder in 1945. The film is nice to watch, because of the good performances of both the young actresses and the older versions of them. It’s the ‘girl version’ of “Stand By Me”, which is much better, but “Now and Then” is a sweet and relatable coming-of-age story.

Do the Right Thing (1989)
A colorful, individualistic magnification of of a multi-racial New York neighborhood, full of tension. In less than 24 hours, the residents are led to a boiling point, partly because of the summer heat, partly because of intolerance. The hatred is mainly directed towards the Italian owners of a pizza joint. A film full of brutality and double standards, which definitely established director Spike Lee’s reputation. It’s a beautiful piece of work. And even though it won’t be for everyone, I think you should all give it a go.

Call Me By Your Name (2017)
It’s the summer of 1983. The 24-year-old American research assistant Oliver comes to Northern Italy to assist Professor Perlman. He impresses his seventeen-year-old son Elio, who falls in love with Oliver to his own amazement. It’s a prize-winning film adaptation of AndrĂ© Aciman’s novel of the same name, directed by Luca Guadagnino. All praise is understandable, because “Call Me By Your Name” is a fantastic film. It’s sparkles, it’s intimate and honest. I fell in love with it right away and the summer is the perfect time to watch it.

The Way Way Back (2013)
Against his will, shy fourteen-year-old Duncan has to spend the summer at the beach house of the arrogant Trent, his mother Pam’s new boyfriend. Luckily, the grief is alleviated by a charming neighbor girl and a job at the local water park. Here he befriends owner Owen (a great role by Sam Rockwell). It’s a coming-of-age film that offers surprises in term of content and is refreshingly sincere in tone. A kindhearted film with a great cast.

My Summer of Love (2004)
A pleasant countryside drama about the growing intimacy between two British teenage girls during a sweltering summer in Yorkshire. Bored teenager Mona is a working class girl who is mothered by her brother Phil, a reborn Christian. Mona’s adoration for sophisticated Tamsin sets the relationship between sister and brother on edge. Intimacy and increasing tension of all kinds are convincingly portrayed, driven by an intelligent screenplay and strong acting.

zondag 6 maart 2011

50 Books Challenge - # 12: My Summer of Love by Helen Cross

Title: My Summer of Love
Author: Helen Cross
Story: It’s 1984 and one of the hottest summers Yorkshire’s seen. It’s the kind of woozy heat to lose your mind in. Mona is fifteen years old. She’s a drinker, a thief and a fruit machine addict. Things are already going badly in the pub where she lives with her obese step–brother PorkChop. But when Mona meets posh Tamsin Fakenham, a sassy girl with beautiful breasts, an actress mother and a sister who’s died of starvation, things very quickly get much worse...
Start: march 2nd 2011
End: march 6th 2011
Comment: I saw the movie first, which was truly great. It's different from the book. And better and I think that most people who love the movie, will hate the book. Well, I didn't hate it, because it was easy to read and at some points really funny, even though it's a bit dark sometimes. Cross found a good balance between shocking drama and humor. I didn't like Mona at all and I didn't understand her actions. I have more sympathy for Tamsin, however I would never befriend her in real life. She lies about the worst things but I have more understanding for her for some reason. I can't really explain why. It doesn't happen very often that I like the movie over the book, but with "My Summer of Love" that's just a fact.
Rating: 3/ 5