Film & TV Lunch Club: July 2020 - Summertime
Skate Kitchen, A Bigger Splash, The Kings of Summer
We may not be able to go on holiday as usual this summer but we can live vicariously through cinema and television! With this in mind, the titles to watch for discussion of this month’s theme of ‘Summertime’ are listed below in the July Selection.
The suggestions I received from people who attended the last meet up are much appreciated, as are the responses online. Many of the titles shared weren't available on the main streaming services (and I looked on iPlayer, ITV player, 4OD, etc!) but they are all included in the long list of suggestions.
☀️July Selection☀️
The Kings Of Summer | Official UK Trailer | Studio Canal UK
1. Skate Kitchen (2017; Dir: Crystal Moselle) - Triple F Rated
Drama: Camille, an introverted teenage skateboarder from Long Island, meets and befriends an all girl, New York City-based skateboarding crew called Skate Kitchen.. Included with Amazon Prime.
2. A Bigger Splash (2015; Dir: Luca Guadagnino)
Drama/Thriller: A Bigger Splash is a dazzling, sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock 'n' roll under the Mediterranean sun. From Luca Guadagnino, director of the Academy Award-nominated 'I Am Love', and starring Ralph Fiennes (Spectre), Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Matthias Schoenaerts (Far from the Madding Crowd) and Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel). Included with Amazon Prime.
3. The Kings of Summer (2013; Dir: Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
Adventure/comedy/drama: Three teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Included with Amazon Prime.
🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬
Other notable films/TV shows suggested for the theme:
o What We Did on Our Holiday - A family of five is off to Granddad's big 75th birthday party at an uncle's estate in rural Scotland. The parents are separated and hope their three kids won't mention it. The kids love, can talk with, and will do anything for, Granddad..
o Unrelated - A woman in an unhappy relationship takes refuge with a friend's family on holiday in Tuscany.
o Celine and Julie go Boating - A mysteriously linked pair of young women find their daily lives preempted by a strange boudoir melodrama that plays itself out in a hallucinatory parallel reality.
o Gimme the Loot - When their latest work is buffed by a rival crew, two determined graffiti writers embark on an elaborate plan to bomb the ultimate location: the New York Mets' Home Run Apple.
o 500 Days of Summer - An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.
o Roman Holiday - A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
o American Graffiti – A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
o Do the Right Thing - On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
o Dirty Dancing - Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.
o Mama Mia! / Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA
o The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.
o Y Tu Mama Tambien - In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
o Bhaji on the Beach - A group of women of Indian descent take a trip together from their home in Birmingham, England to the beach resort of Blackpool. The events of the day lead them to better mutual understanding and solidarity.
o Shirley Valentine - Shirley is a 42-year-old Liverpudlian bored housewife, who takes a holiday trip to Greece, meeting a local man who bolsters her self-confidence. She evolves and transforms to the point of finally being unrecognizable by her husband.
o Little Miss Sunshine – A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
o Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d'un été) - A documentary about the everyday lives of ordinary Parisians, done in the style of cinéma vérité.
o Pierrot le Fou - Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.o o o o Moana - In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches Moana's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.
o Eighth Grade - An introverted teenage girl tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school.
o Long Way Round - This documentary series follows actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on a motorcycle trip around the world.
o Midsommar - A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
o Jaws - When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
📽 At the Movies 📽
Films out, or coming soon, at the [home] cinema, which fit this theme are:
Days of the Bagnold Summer - A teenager spends his summer listening to heavy metal music and trying to get along with his librarian mom. Simon Bird's (Will in The Inbetweeners) directorial debut. Rent on the BFI player for £4.50.
Waves - Traces the journey of a suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. Also available to rent on the BFI player!
🔜 Next Month 🔜
The theme for August will be YOUTH (to mark International Youth Day on 12th August) - I'm interpreting this as films for, featuring and about young people, but if you have any other ideas we will be open to them!