40 Films to See This Summer

The Film Stage ^ | April 27, 2022 | The Film Stage (staff)

[sphinx]

The summer season is upon us and, per each year, we’ve dug beyond studio offerings (though a few potential highlights remain) to present an in-depth look at what should be on your radar. From festival winners of the past year to selections coming straight from Cannes to genre delights to some high-flying spectacles, there’s more than enough to anticipate.

[sphinx]

Yes. Dear Comrades is excellent. I think most of us have found Death of Stalin by now. And Chernobyl. I also have The Way Back (2010 with Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, etc., not the more recent film by the same name), Within the Whirlwind (2009), Ashes in the Snow (2018), Balloon (2018), and Mr. Jones, (2019) on the list that I pass along every chance I get to teachers who deal with the Cold War era.

[Sans-Culotte]

one not to see is “The Batman” - saw it last night on TV- criminy what a load of racist crap- whining about ‘white privilege’

I did not care for the film either, but I did not pick up on it being "racist and about white privilege". The Riddler came off like a frustrated incel. Gotham was such a s___hole even the Batman had little effect on crime. I'd rather watch an episode of Batman - The Animated Series than that.

[sphinx]

let me see I will watch Outlaw Josey Wales, War Wagon, Tombstone, The Shootist, True Grit, Unforgiven, The good the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, Fistful of dollars, Absolute Power, Hang them High, 2 Mules for Sister Sara. to name a few..

I think I'm picking up a bit of a genre preference.

Don't overlook Old Henry, which came out last year. It's a throwback western, well done and, if nothing else, it suggests that the genre still has a pulse. Like the great westerns of yore, it's a morality tale.

[sphinx]

City of Ember. Thanks. I’ve added it to my watchlist. I had never heard of this one, which surprises me because the cast includes Bill Murray and (a very young) Saiorse Ronan. I’ve glanced at their filmographies more than once but this one never registered.

In my mind, Bill Murray is like Woody Harrelson: an older actor who pops up unexpectedly in all kinds of places one would not expect him, and he always elevates the material.

Hollywood mass produces rising young actresses, and Saiorse Ronan is one of the three best in her generation. After Brooklyn, Little Women, and Lady Bird, I will at least take a glance at anything she’s in. City of Ember was one of her earliest films, a year after Atonement, and I’m enough of a fan to be interested in seeing the early efforts — the “before they were famous” films — of really great actors: sometimes comic, sometimes rewarding, always interesting.

[sphinx]

You should check out Open Range. My favorite western that replaced Tombstone.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[sphinx]

“Downton Abbey: A New Generation” and “2000 Mules.”

Thanks for the recommendations.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Only a tiny few I have any interest in, Top Gun II at the top of my list.

[sphinx]

If you like westerns ... released last year: Old Henry

There are lots of good westerns, of course, but my schtick here is recent and upcoming movies. What has Hollywood/the film industry done for us lately?

There's plenty of woke stuff on which to pass, but good films are still being made and are hiding in plain sight.

[sphinx]

That’s ok. Most freepers probably don’t like what I like either. But I’ll keep pushing After Yang and Columbus anyhow.:) I don’t know how long Kogonada can keep doing what he’s doing — movies with no villains, no dysfunctional, self-destructive behavior to drive the plot, no nudity or sex scenes, no spandex, no zombies, nazis, car chases, etc. — but as long as he keeps it up, I’ll go along for the ride.

Quiet, meditative films aren’t for everyone, but K is a master of the craft.

I’m guessing most of us will watch the new Top Gun movie sooner or later, and most of us will probably like it.

Five years from now, the usual suspects will be griping that Hollywood doesn’t make any decent movies anymore — and they will point back to Top Gun II as the kind of thing Hollywood used to do in the good old days. Some folks simply refuse to look at a new movie, preferring to discover it five years later when it shows up randomly as “just added” on their streaming platform.

[Guenevere]

Thank you, it looks good!

[tallyhoe]

I forgot Quigley Down Under.. Earp.. Rio Bravo, El Dorado. Dances with Wolves..

[sphinx]

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ... Destry Rides Again ... Once Upon a Time in the West ... lots of good westerns.

But from time to time, in those occasional wild and crazy moments, I do like to watch something I’ve not seen three or more times already. Reruns get old after a while.

I’ve already recommended Old Henry, which came out last year. Do you have any other fairly new flicks to add to the canon?

[tallyhoe]

Lonesome Dove!

[dennisw]

Mayor of Kingstown -— TV series one season so far

[4bye4]

Yep she looked to be around 11 or 13 years old. I watch this film a least twice a year and it never gets old,Bill Murray plays one of his finest performances.

This was almost like the movie called John Carter, nobody knew who the heck John Carter was now if they had called it the true title John Carter of Mars it would have been a blockbuster...