Summer movie recommendations: 5 must watches to fill downtime

Lily Cole
Deputy Editor

Looking for some new flicks to check out over the summer break? Here’s five recommendations of movies to fill the downtime.

Moonrise Kingdom
Rated PG-13, romance/comedy

Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola and directed by Anderson, the film follows two 12-year-olds, Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward), on a journey of childhood romance, action and acceptance.

After running away from Camp Ivanhoe and Khaki Scout summer camp led by Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton), Sam meets Suzy. They go into the wilderness on a comedic adventure of fishing, hiking and camping to reach a specific location. The two are discovered and pursued by Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and the Khaki Scouts. The film is a modern-day depiction of the Genesis flood from “The Bible.”

This is a perfect summer film–providing suspense in the most laughable way possible.

Mamma Mia!
PG-13, musical/comedy

In the style of a jukebox musical featuring songs by ABBA, the film is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. It’s a story about following your dreams and taking risks–if you do, it may end up better than you ever imagined.

Bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), days before her wedding, lets slip to friends Lisa (Rachel McDowall) and Ali (Ashley Lilley) that she invited three men–her potential fathers–to her wedding without letting her mom, Donna (Meryl Streep), know. The mother-daughter duo dance and jive, with an ensemble cast of Pierce Brosnan as Sam, Colin Firth as Harry, Stellan Skarsgård as Bill, Julie Walters as Rosie, Christine Baranski as Tanya and Dominic Cooper as Sky.

If you want to get your groove on with some friends this summer, then Mamma Mia! is for you.

Call Me by Your Name
R, romance/drama
The movie has adult themes and content that may be aggravating to viewers.

Based on the book of the same name by André Aciman, the movie was directed by Luca Guadagnino, and the screenplay was by James Ivory. With the themes of love and self-acceptance, the movie is a metaphor for the oneness of love.

17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and his father, Samuel (Michael Stuhlbarg), live in rural Italy. When Samuel invites a 24-year-old graduate student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), to live with the family over the summer and help with his academic paperwork, Elio and Oliver enwrap themselves in a romantic relationship that leaves them questioning love.

This is a movie chronicling coming of age, how it affects people, and how love is a central part of the human experience. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking movie that deals with identity, give this one a watch.

Aquamarine
PG, family/comedy

Loosely based on the young adult novel by Alice Hoffman of the name and directed by Elizabeth Allen, this movie has themes of hope and love.

Aquamarine follows two girls, Claire (Emma Roberts) and Hailey (Jojo), on a mission to stop Hailey from moving. When a mermaid, Aquamarine (Sara Paxton), washes up on shore, the two girls try to help Aquamarine get out of an arranged marriage by proving to her father that true love exists in return for a wish.

Everlasting youth and understanding what growing up means–this movie is perfect for a blast from the past.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
R, horror/mystery

 The movie has adult themes and content that may be aggravating to viewers.

 A 1997 slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Kevin Williamson, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a relic of its time following the end of the 90s slasher era. It was loosely based on the book of the same name by Lois Duncan.

When four friends, Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Barry (Ryan Phillippe), accidentally hit a pedestrian, they go to great lengths to cover it up. A year later, the four are stalked by a hook-wielding man who “knows what they did last summer.”

If you’re looking for a movie that’s a little cheesy and campy at the same time, I Know What You Did Last Summer is definitely a movie to put on your movie list.

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