Best of SIFF 2016

TVOR must fess up to the obvious: she has totally dropped the ball on this whole writing about movies thing.  She can’t correct this failure, but does offer this take on the Best of SIFF 2016 films which will be shown from June 17th through 23rd.

TVOR has seen several of these offerings:

Burn Burn Burn--a very entertaining road movie about a couple of female friends tasked with distributing the ashes of their recently deceased buddy in various spots around the U.K.  This movie has the added appeal of dialogue that actually sounds like it could come out of the mouths of human females, an all-too-rare thing in movies.  Laura Carmichael, Lady Edith of Downton Abbey, is one of the leads.  She does not have a bitchy sister in this film.

Kedi--a documentary about street cats in Istanbul.  Pretty city, pretty cats.  You can tell by this description if this movie is your cup of tea.  It was TVOR’s.

Truman--in this Spanish film, a couple of old friends spend a few days together for the last time.  Not nearly as depressing as it sounds, the movie is very entertaining and well done, and won a bunch of Goya awards, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars.  Truman is the dog.

Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale--this movie is exactly what the title says.  It’s a documentary about a baby elephant.  Again, you can tell from this description if the movie is for you.  There’s very cool footage of the birth of Naledi, and also of her trying to crawl into a human’s lap.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople--in this very entertaining film from New Zealand, Sam Neil plays a misanthropic old guy on the run with a young foster kid.  Taika Waititi directed.

Girl Asleep--this Australian film won not only the Grand Jury award at SIFF, it also won a Youth Jury award.  It’s a tale of a 15 year old girl and her birthday party from hell.  TVOR liked a lot of the film, but a fantasy/dreamworld sequence didn’t work so well for her.  Obviously, the jurors did not agree.

A Man Called Ove--in this Swedish movie, a cranky old widower who has basically given up on life is dragged into the lives of his neighbors.  TVOR was prepared to dislike this crowd-pleasing film, but couldn’t help enjoying it.  Lead actor Rolf Lassgard won the Golden Space Needle audience award for his performance.

TVOR hasn’t seen the following films, but they made the cut for this Best of SIFF week of programming.

Spy Time--Javier Ruiz Caldera won the Golden Space Needle for directing this spy spoof, so TVOR is guessing that it’s pretty entertaining.

The Queen of Ireland--a documentary about Panti Bliss, an Irish drag queen who helped push a gay marriage referendum to success in that country.

Best of SIFF Shorts--there were 150+ short films in this year’s festival, so there are sure to be some winners in this selection.

Sand Storm--this Israeli film won the Grand Jury Prize in the New Directors competition.

Oddball--the Youth Jury Award winner for best Films4Families feature is an Australian film with a lot of animal action.

Middle Man--the Grand Jury prize winner for New American Cinema involves carnage and comedy and sounds intriguing.

Descriptions and scheduling information for Best of SIFF 2016 films is available at:

http://www.siff.net/cinema/best-of-siff-2016

And finally, also playing at the SIFF Cinema Uptown starting this week, are two more films that played during this year’s festival.

The Last King--this Norwegian adventure film set in the 11th century tells the story of an infant king being rescued and continually protected from bad guys.  There are lots of action scenes, which seem to happen mostly on skis, involving bows and arrows, swords, and all sorts of serious weapons.  It’s very entertaining.

Sunset Song--Terence Davies’ latest film follows a young woman in rural Scotland before and during World War I.  It’s a beautiful film to look at, the performances are good, and the mood is somber.  (It is World War I, after all.)  

So go to the movies!  And know that in addition to the summer studio fare filling up theaters, there are some smaller, satisfying films that may just tickle your fancy.  Oh, and speaking of tickling, there’s a film called Tickled that is opening in a few theaters, with more to follow.  You may not think you’re interested in a documentary about competitive tickling (in fact, you might find the idea distasteful), but rest assured, you are interested.  It’s about way more than it appears to be.

2015 Seattle International Film Festival

SIFF 2015 starts soon, and it's time for TVOR to fire up her blog.  She's been to a couple of other film festivals and seen some press screenings too, so she already has quite a few opinions about movies playing at the festival.  Now she's ready to share them.  Happily, the ratio of good movies to duds is very high, and SIFF 2015 looks very promising.

Here's what she thinks about what she's seen so far--she will update the blog from time to time and tweet daily suggestions.  You can find her at @tvoronfilm:

TVOR highly recommends this first group of films:

Being Evel--highly entertaining Evel Knievel documentary.

Best of Enemies--Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley “debate” during the 1968 political conventions, and become the first ever to insult and attack each other on American TV in the guise of “news”.

The Look of Silence--follow-up to The Act of Killing, about the 1965-66 murders of huge numbers of Indonesians.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine--this documentary needs no further description.

Corn Island--beautiful, almost wordless Georgian (the country, not the state) film in which a young girl and her grandfather raise a crop.  Way more engaging than the description would indicate.

Theeb--a young Bedouin boy in the Arabian desert in 1916.

Krisha--tough but very well-done film about a woman with substance abuse problems trying to re-engage with her family.

Love & Mercy--Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s struggles, with Paul Dano and John Cusack playing Wilson at various times in his life.  Excellent acting.

Frame by Frame--a documentary about Afghan photojournalists struggling in a country where taking photos used to be a crime and journalism is a dangerous profession.  The film is beautifully shot and the subjects’ work is stunning.

The films in this group are not quite as high on TVOR’s list, but she does like them and she thinks they’re worth seeing:

Ciudad Delirio--salsa and love in Colombia.  Great fun.

Tab Hunter: Confidential--engaging documentary about the most handsome man ever to hit Hollywood.

Margarita, With a Straw--this film about a young woman with cerebral palsy’s coming of age could have gone seriously sappy, but the film avoids that and is nicely done.

Villa Touma--a young Palestinian Christian woman goes to live with her aunts who are seriously living in the past.

1001 Grams--a nice little movie about weights and measures and love.

The Grump--an old man goes to live with his son and daughter-in-law, and they don’t do anything right.

Mirage--there’s a stranger, some local folks, and a high body count in this Hungarian quasi-western film.

For Grace--interesting documentary about Chicago restaurateur Curtis Duffy (you don’t need to know him or his restaurant to be entertained).

Results--Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, and Kevin Corrigan in an odd but entertaining film about a couple of personal trainers, a rich guy, and some other stuff.

7 Chinese Brothers--Jason Schwartzman and his totally awesome dog in a film in which not much happens but it doesn’t matter because the dog is so awesome.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl--a better-than-average dying teen movie.

Waterline--Polish police procedural (say that three times fast) with dead bodies, conspiracies, and secrets waiting to be revealed.

Virtuosity--behind-the-scenes documentary about pianists competing in the Cliburn Competition.

The New Girlfriend--Francois Ozon directs an adaptation of a Ruth Rendell novel, so you have some interesting sexual things going on, as well as some mystery.

I’ll See You in My Dreams--senior love (very attractive seniors, too) in a film that is well-acted and not entirely predictable.

Flowers--intriguing Basque drama which never really came together in TVOR’s brain, but it stuck there anyway.

The Golden Hill--the film-making in this Nepalese film isn't very slick, but the story of a young man with a university education returning home to visit his remote village is very engaging, and touches on some major issues in the country.  The film is beautiful to look at, too.

Frame by Frame--a documentary about Afghan photojournalists struggling in a country where taking photos used to be a crime and journalism is a dangerous profession.

This film wasn’t that great, but TVOR kind of liked it anyway:

Guidance--a former child star and current loser pretends to be a high school guidance counselor.

You can probably skip these:

Gemma Bovery--a French comic take on Madame Bovary, which is not particularly funny, unless you find a middle-aged man gawking at a young beautiful woman amusing.  And he isn’t even the most obnoxious character.

NN--this story about attempts to identify some of Peru’s “disappeared” 25 years after the fact just wasn’t as interesting as it should have been.

Red Rose--TVOR was really irritated by the idiocy of one of the main characters in this story of a young woman taking shelter in the home of a middle-aged man during Iran’s Green Revolution.  Guess which character behaves like an idiot.

Cooking Up a Tribute--a documentary about a top restaurant specializing in local foods which closes up shop for five weeks to tour the world and cook with the local foods of the places it visits.  It could have been much more interesting, especially if there had been less blather from the owners of the restaurant.

Best of SIFF

June 12, 2014

The Seattle International Film Festival’s 2014 edition has come to an end, which means that TVOR’s brain is filled with images from the many films she saw at the festival.  Fortunately, a few of these films will be showing up on screens soon.

First up for Seattleites is Best of SIFF, when audience favorites and award winners from the festival get an extra showing. They'll only have only one screening each at Best of SIFF, so act soon if you’re interested. Here are a few that TVOR has seen and can recommend.

In Order of Disappearance:  This was one of TVOR’s favorites of the festival, and she wasn’t the only only one.  Stellan Skarsgard is the avenging father in this Norwegian crime thriller, which is both bloody and hilarious.

Boyhood:  Richard Linklater’s latest is an amazing work, filmed over a twelve-year period, which tracks the life of a boy from first grade through high school in moments both big and small.

Borgman: Evil creatures vs. suburbia, and it’s basically no contest.  Funny, dark, and creepy, with some social satire mixed in.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared: Very entertaining and absurd story about an old guy who really gets around.

Dior and I: Knowledge of or interest in fashion is not necessary to enjoy this documentary about a new designer’s first collection as the head of the House of Dior.

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story: He’s Oscar the Grouch too, and if you like Sesame Street, you need to see this documentary.

Keep on Keepin’ On: A valentine to jazz great Clark Terry, who has mentored musicians from a young Quincy Jones to Miles Davis to his current protegee, a subject of this documentary.

And there are more movies playing at Best of SIFF, ones TVOR hasn’t seen yet, so she’ll be there, in her seat in the audience.  Please turn off your cell phone and don’t talk during the movie.

SIFF 2014

May 21, 2014

TVOR really did intend to do some blog postings from time to time during the past year--really!  It just didn’t happen.  So she’s sorry and all that, but she’s moving on.  Go see The Grand Budapest Hotel and Only Lovers Left Alive, if you haven’t yet.  And do see them on the big screen, as they’re lovely to look at.  See Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in as big and multi-dimensional a format as you can manage.  And see Million Dollar Arm, a family/baseball movie that isn't stupid.  TVOR has other plans for the next few weeks.

Her focus has switched from the regular movie marketplace to the Seattle International Film Festival.  It’s the 40th (more or less) of these monsters, and there’s much to see and celebrate over the next 25 days if you happen to be in Seattle.

Here are some recommendations on what to see, based on TVOR’s movie viewing at other film festivals earlier this year, and so far at SIFF:

In Order of Disappearance--a very funny, very bloody Norwegian crime drama, one of the highlights of the festival so far, in TVOR’s opinion.  Stellan Skarsgard channels his inner Liam Neeson as an avenging father in an increasingly absurd world.  

Hellion--a widower and his two sons try to deal with the death of a wife and mother.  Excellent kid acting in this one.

Obvious Child--a comedy about a young woman dealing with some serious stuff (getting dumped, pregnancy, financial insecurity) that manages to be very funny without trivializing the woman or her life.

Last of the Unjust--Claude Lanzmann’s follow-up to Shoah.

Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus--a well-done documentary about a political theater group in Belarus, the last dictatorship in Europe.

Class Enemy--a new teacher at a Slovenian high school is unpopular with his students, and things go south from there.

Of Horses and Men--weird Icelandic humor (TVOR means this in a good way)

Borgman--dark Dutch comedy about evil.  

The Internet’s Own Boy--very well-done documentary about Aaron Swartz, programmer extraordinaire and Reddit founder who committed suicide last year.

Living is Easy With Eyes Closed--lovely Spanish road trip movie about an English teacher obsessed with the Beatles.

The Keeper of Lost Causes--well-done Danish police drama

Dior and I--a fashion documentary you don’t have to care about fashion to find entertaining, this tells the story of new artistic director Raf Simons’ first collection at Dior.

Ballet 422--a documentary about a young choreographer making a new dance for the New York City Ballet.

Night Moves--very well-done drama about three eco-terrorists who target a dam in Oregon.

Frank--very weird movie, which TVOR thinks ultimately works, about a band whose leader always wears a giant papier-mache head. Funny and affecting.

#ChicagoGirl--The Social Network Takes on a Dictator--a documentary about a young Syrian-American girl who uses social media to help organize the revolution and Syria.  It shows the power, as well as the inadequacies, of Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Still Life--Eddie Marsan is wonderful in this lovely little film about a quiet bureaucrat who takes some tentative steps to break out of his shell.  TVOR has some quibbles with the ending, but it’s still worth the journey.

Lucky Them--TVOR saw a rough cut of this about a year ago, and liked it--the finished film should be lots of fun. Toni Collette plays a rock journalist and Thomas Hayden Church is a doofus documentarian in Megan Griffiths’ latest film.

Mystery Road--a murder mystery taking place in the Australian outback, with lots of interesting characters with complicated lives.

Big in Japan--an entertaining little fish-out-of-water road trip movie about a Seattle band who decide to tour Japan in an attempt to jump start their career.

Burkholder--in Taylor Guterson’s follow up to his first feature Old Goats, he uses much of the same cast in a story about trying to hold onto independence while aging.  Sweet, funny, and affecting.

Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang: well-done Spanish family movie about a group of misfits at a strict summer boarding school.

And here are a few movies to skip:

Words and Pictures--you might think, “How bad could a movie starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche, directed by Fred Shepisi, be?”  Well, the answer is that it could be very, very bad.  These are all talented people and this film is a horrible aberration.  TVOR blames the exceedingly lame script.

The Signal--cheesy indie sci fi.  Some of the costuming involved electrical tape.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter--an interesting concept, and nicely shot, but TVOR found the main character, a woman obsessed by the movie Fargo, to be seriously disturbed, with no one to help her.  The whole exercise became a mixture of tragic and pathetic.

Mood Indigo--Michel Gondry’s latest is beautiful to look at and very imaginative, but the script doesn’t hold up. Even Romain Duris and Audrey Tatou can’t save this one.  The first fifteen minutes are pretty great, though.

The Congress--another good director, Ari Folman, strikes out with this surreal film.  Again, talented people (the cast includes Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, and Paul Giamatti) and great visuals are undone by a bad script.

So, if you’re in or near Seattle, make your SIFF plans.  And if you’re not, don’t worry.

Some of these films will be released in movie theaters over the next few months, or available to stream or watch on TV or DVD.  Others may show up at your local film festivals.  Support them!

Summer movies

August 1, 2013

In mid-June, after several weeks of immersive viewing during SIFF 2013, TVOR’s movie-watching dropped precipitously.  This was a good thing, and she enjoyed spending much of the summer participating in the real world.  And it’s not like she was missing a whole lot, as Hollywood was not offering much of interest.  She does want to alert you to a few things worth coming inside to see, though.  Some of this summer’s earlier releases are still floating around--if you haven’t seen Much Ado About Nothing or 20 Feet From Stardom yet, do so if you can.

There are some newer options too--

Fruitvale Station:  This film’s release, coming as it does on the heels of the George Zimmerman trial, is another example of a young, unarmed black man being shot by a white man who obviously could not be trusted with a firearm.  It tells the real-life story of Oscar Grant, shot on the platform of a BART station early in the morning on January 1, 2009.  The film, covering the last day of his life, is a beautifully done portrait of an imperfect, but loved, and loving, man who did not deserve to die.  If you think you don’t want to see this because it will be too depressing, think again.  Yes, you know the ending of this film, and yes, it’s tragic.  But the film itself is wonderful and absolutely worth it.

The Way Way Back:  There’s no new ground broken in this coming-of-age story about a kid with a distracted mom, a nasty prospective step-dad, and too much time on his hands.  But the story of how he finds a place for himself working at a run-down water park makes for a nice time at the movies.  Toni Collette and Steve Carrell are the parental figures, and Sam Rockwell and co-writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are among the water park employees.  Allison Janney is wonderful, as always, as a neighbor who enjoys a cocktail.

Crystal Fairy:  Chilean director Sebastian Silva’s new film is about tourists so obnoxious--including one in particular, played by Michael Cera--that you wonder why any people in other countries can tolerate us at all.  Granted, they’re drug tourists, so they’re not always operating with clear minds, but still.  This is a well-made film, but be warned: you may find these folks tough to spend time with, especially if you like to think you’re a good tourist.  Gaby Hoffman plays the title character.

The Act of Killing:  This is not your ordinary documentary.  In the 1960’s, Indonesian pro-government death squads killed more than a million people suspected of being Communists.  Fifty years later, the perpetrators are still powerful.  And in this film, these same murderers re-enact their crimes (although they wouldn't characterize them as such) in the style of American movies, and generally seem quite proud of their actions.  This is a film that really gets under your skin--it’s appalling and amazing.

Finally, a couple of TVOR’s favorite documentaries from this year’s SIFF are available on TV.  Yes, you do not have to leave your couch to see two very fine films.

Our Nixon:  This film is made entirely of found footage, including Super 8 movies (shot by White House aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin), news footage, and the Nixon tapes.  Although the details are fuzzy, it’s amazing and mind-blowing, even if you already knew a lot about that crazy era.  And if you don’t know much about those times, maybe you’ll understand why the rest of us are kind of warped.  CNN is broadcasting Our Nixon on Thursday, August 1st at 9:00 pm, and a few more times thereafter.  Turn it on or fire up your preferred video recording system.

The Crash Reel:  TVOR was at first put off by the title of this film, but she got over it.  Be assured, it’s not just a series of horrendous wipe-outs, although the story begins with one of those.  The film tells the story of Kevin Pearce, a top U.S. snowboarder, and his family.  After Kevin suffered a severe brain injury in a devastating accident, he and they have worked to try to put back together his life in a way that is satisfying and safe for him.  It’s engrossing and very well-done, and you don’t have to be a sports fan to care deeply about the people in the film.  The Crash Reel is available on demand for HBO subscribers--the rest of you will have to wait a while.

Video notes:

The Maid:  Sebastian Silva’s 2009 film tells the story of a maid trying to hold onto her position in a changing household.  A black comedy that keeps the viewer guessing where it’s headed, this film is a winner.

The Descendants:  Before Nat Faxon and Jim Rash made The Way Way Back, they collaborated with Alexander Payne on the script of his film The Descendants.  If you haven’t seen it, you need to, and if you have, you may need to see it again.  Not even George Clooney looks good running in flip-flops.

Have fun at the movies!

The Best of SIFF--and more

6/14/13

Whew.  After 25 days of maniacal movie-going, TVOR is taking a break for a few days to reintroduce herself into the real world.  Which is very nice, actually, although she does miss those dark movie theaters.

Fortunately, although SIFF is over, Best of SIFF is just beginning.  A number of jury award winners and audience favorites will be playing at SIFF’s Uptown Theater.  Some of these films will be distributed and show up at various theaters around the country in the coming months, but some will be harder to find.  Seattleites might want to take advantage of the opportunity to see them while they can.  Here’s TVOR’s take on the offerings--

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola:  This romantic comedy from South Africa won the Golden Space Needle audience award for Best Film, and that’s no surprise.  The film is a delight, and we root for this couple to overcome the genre-required obstacles and get together.  And since he’s an Afrikaans boy and she’s a Zulu girl, there are quite a few obstacles.  Distribution has not been firmed up on this film yet, so see it while you can.

Our Nixon:  It turns out that Richard Nixon’s top aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin were making home movies of their time in the White House.  They were having a great time--or more accurately, they were having a great time until they started having a very bad time.  Our Nixon consists entirely of found footage, including the Super 8 footage shot by the three aides, news coverage, and subsequent interviews, with extra audio supplied by the Nixon tapes.  This is by no means a full account of the man or the presidency, but it’s an eye-opener, and very entertaining.  TVOR assumes the film will be available for viewing at some point, but doesn’t know when or where.  It’s another one you should grab the opportunity to see while you can.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks:  Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentarian (for Taxi to the Dark Side--he also made Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, among others) has done it again with this fascinating story about Wikileaks, and the people involved with it.  Neither Julian Assange nor Bradley Manning were interviewed for the film (Gibney and Assange could not agree on terms, and Bradley Manning is locked up) but the portraits that emerge from their writings, already existing film, and interviews with those that know them, are complex and may challenge any opinions you already have about them.  The film also gives a number of people the chance to speak their minds on the subjects of secrecy, leaking, and the consequences of both.  TVOR found much of what they have to say troubling if not downright appalling.  This is one to see, and you’ll have opportunities, as the film is in distribution now.

20 Feet From Stardom:  This documentary about backup singers will please anybody who loves the music these talented but largely unheralded artists help create.  There are interviews with ex-Raylettes, Ikettes, and singers who have worked with the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and others, along with the artists they supported.  And there’s lots of music.  This is another film that is being distributed, so see it in a theater with a good sound system!

7 Boxes:  A low-budget, fast-paced Paraguayan film about a young delivery boy who is tasked with delivering seven boxes from point A to point B in a busy public market. This film has great chase scenes involving hand carts.

Populaire:  A silly but entertaining French romantic comedy set in the late 50’s, with great costumes and art direction, and a plot revolving around a typing competition.  TVOR hasn’t heard anything about distribution on this one, so this could be your last chance...

Key of Life:  A Japanese comedy in which a total loser of a guy gets mistaken for a sophisticated assassin.  TVOR was less enamored than most with this film.  She really got to like the assassin and found the loser quite irritating.

C.O.G.:  This film, which many enjoyed, is based on an essay by David Sedaris.  It’s a well put-together film, with good acting, but TVOR would have preferred to have spent her time reading Mr. Sedaris’ work.

Decoding Annie Parker:  This film tells about the discovery of the BRCA “breast cancer” gene, and one woman who had it.  The film is certainly timely, but TVOR can’t really recommend it.  There is some wonderful acting, especially by Samantha Morton, as the woman battling both cancer and a medical establishment which refuses to believe that there could be a genetic aspect to it, but the film doesn’t really hold together--at least in TVOR’s opinion.  Many disagreed.

Fortunately, there are some other interesting movies that are opening around the country, films that can provide an alternative to the big summer blockbusters, or act as a palate cleanser between those mega-movies.

What Maisie Knew:  One of the best films TVOR has seen recently, this film, based on the Henry James novel, tells a modern-day story of a little girl who is the pawn of her divorcing parents.  Excellent performances all around, especially Onata Aprile as the little girl, and Julianne Moore as her mother.

Kings of Summer:  A wonderful coming-of-age film about three teenagers who decide to build a house in the woods and live it in over the summer.  Very nicely done, and Nick Offerman is wonderful as one of the parents.

Stories We Tell:  Actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley has done it again with this fascinating and very entertaining documentary about her own family (and her own parentage).  Fortunately for us, it’s about much more than that, and there’s something for all of us in it.

Much Ado About Nothing:  Joss Whedon adapted Shakespeare’s comedy, set it in modern times, and shot the whole thing in twelve days in his own home, using actors from his previous projects.  It’s a delight, even for suspicious Shakespeare fans, who don’t like their man to be messed with.  This film could generate a whole new group of Whedonites.

Wish You Were Here:  A gripping Australian film about the aftermath of a vacation gone horribly wrong.  Two couples go to a Cambodian beach town, and only three people come home.  Yikes!

Frances Ha:  Directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Greta Gerwig, this story of a lost twenty-something trying to find her way in New York is so much better than it could have been.  It’s not one of TVOR’s favorite genres, but this is a well-done example.

Dirty Wars:  Journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us on a voyage through U.S. covert military operations, things many of us find appalling, and which are occurring in secrecy.  TVOR thinks this should be required viewing for informed citizens.

The Bling Ring:  Sophia Coppola’s new film is a beautifully made film about an appalling group of teenagers who steal from celebrities--but not celebrities who are famous for having done impressive things.  No, they steal from celebrities who, for the most part, are famous for being famous.  TVOR doesn’t watch reality shows, has stayed relatively ignorant of this world, and didn’t enjoy the film.  And if there was a point, she missed it. Others, however, disagreed.

So that's what TVOR knows about summer movies at this point. Do go play outside, but when you come inside and want to see a movie, you now have some non-mainstream options.