Summer is here! Days are longer and family and friends come together to beat-the-heat in the movie theaters. A Summer film becomes a blockbuster when it reaches such wide appeal that it becomes a must-watch cultural event. Below are a few Summer Blockbuster staff picks. Stop by the second floor display to revisit Summer memories, or catch up on big Hollywood films.
Taryn says "I’m a sucker for all things Marvel, from the Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil TV shows, to basically every Avengers-related film Joss Whedon has orchestrated. I may have a small crush on the Incredible Hulk, whether played by Edward Norton or Mark Ruffalo, but my favorite of the superheroes currently on the Avengers cinematic roster is Captain America. I even own a set of Captain America: Civil War glassware designed by Mondo – if you remember this fact, you’ll win at MI Librarian Trivia Night, for sure! Captain America the Winter Soldier sets up a lot of what’s to come in the Marvel cinematic universe, so even if you think you don’t like Cap’ because he’s just too apple pie, you should check this film out, make a big bowl of popcorn, and enjoy!"
Craig recommends A Summer Place which is based on the novel of the same name, written by Sloan Wilson and in the Library collection. This 1959 romantic drama film is about teenage lovers from different social classes who get back together twenty years later, and must deal with the passionate love affair of their own teenage children by previous marriages. The movie stars Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee as the children. This melodrama caused a stir in the late '50s for its racy look at marital infidelity and forbidden teenage love.
Deb and Myles recommend Jaws. A Steven Spielberg film based on a novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws was the highest grossing film of all time previous to Star Wars. Starring Roy Scheider as a heroic police chief, Richard Dreyfuss as a levelheaded oceanographer, and Robert Shaw as a swashbuckling shark-hunter. Jaws is the tale of a giant great-white that attacks humans off the coast of a small New England town. The score, composed by John Williams, famous for the “duh nuh” sound on cellos, won an Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score. Was Jaws a thriller or a horror movie? Was Jaws 'man vs. nature' or just another monster movie? Watch again and ask yourself, why is Jaws so scary?
Myles recommends Alien 3. Alien was the summer blockbuster that allowed for the lucrative Alien franchise still active today. While Alien 3 did not get the critical acclaim of the original science-fiction thriller, I happen to like it the most. In Alien 3 Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, is an outcast who finds herself trapped in a penal colony battling an alien without the firepower and teamwork of the previous Alien films. It features unforgettable scenes like Weaver shaving her head, and Weaver birthing an alien out of her chest. Look out for Alien: Covenant in theatres in 2017.
