SW recommends hot movies
By Tatat Bunnag
The Songkran Festival has just passed, but the long hot summer will still be with us for a while in the Land of Smiles. Along with the stifling heat, summer usually means school holidays and plenty of parties.
If you can't make it to a beach during the summer break, one good way to escape from the sweltering weather is to catch a cool movie, either in an air-conditioned cinema or with a group of friends in the comfort of your own home.
With that in mind, Student Weekly decided to put together a list of some great movies that suit the summer season.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
(Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2006)
Little Miss Sunshine was one of the best summer movies of 2006. It's an oddball comedy-drama that also manages to be touching.
The film is about the dysfunctional Hoover family and their chaotic road trip. The family's youngest daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) has signed up for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, and the family is taking her to California for the competition, where she hopes to prove that she's not a loser.
Little Miss Sunshine has a lot to say about life's expectations and disappointments. It's full of love and laughs, and is a fun flick to watch during the summer holidays.
500 Days of Summer
(Directed by Marc Webb, 2009)
As the film's opening makes clear, 500 Days of Summer is not a love story, but rather a story about love. The film is wonderfully refreshing and avoids the usual romantic comedy cliches.
The movie is about a charming young woman named Summer (Zooey Deschanel), her boyfriend Tom (Joseph Gordon- Levitt), and the 500 days of their relationship. The film focuses on the highs and lows of their relationship with quirky humour and some sadness.
500 Days of Summer is a must-see for romantics, indie film fans and anybody who wants to enjoy an unusual romantic comedy this summer.
The Kings of Summer
(Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, 2013)
The Kings of Summer is an American independent coming-of-age comedy-drama. Although made with a low budget, the film is good enough to have won an award at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival.
The film is about a group of rebellious teens. Three friends — Joe (Nick Robinson), Biaggio (Mois?s Arias) and Patrick (Gabriel Basso) — get fed up with their parents and decide to run away from home and build their own house in the woods. A warm story of friendship soon develops.
The Kings of Summer has just the right combination of comedy and drama to make it a highly enjoyable experience.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
(Directed by Nicholas Stoller, 2008)
From the same filmmakers behind the hits Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin is Forgetting Sarah Marshall, another romantic comedy-drama that makes good summer viewing.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall stars Jason Segel as Peter, a man who takes a holiday in Hawaii in order to cope with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell). However, Peter soon finds out that his ex-girlfriend is staying at the same holiday resort with her new boyfriend.
This film also features a parade of popular comedians including Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd and Russell Brand. Romantic comedy fans are sure to enjoy this movie, while the beautiful Hawaiian scenery will make you wish you were spending your summer there!
Hula Girls
(Directed by Sang-il Lee, 2006)
This heart-warming Japanese film is based on a true story about people living in the cold, northern coal mining town of Iwaki in 1965.
The town is facing a bad situation since the main industry of mining coal is coming to an end. In the face of this problem, a group of local girls decide to create a Hawaiian Center and learn hula dancing in the hopes that the town will be saved by becoming a Hawaiian tourist attraction.
Beautiful Japanese actress Yu Aoi won an award at the 2007 Japan Academy Prize for her powerful performance in this film. Hula Girls is an inspirational movie and a delight to watch.
stifling (adj): very hot and humid
sweltering (adj): uncomfortably hot
oddball (adj): strange or unusual
touching (adj): making you feel sympathetic and emotional
dysfunctional (adj): not working in a successful way
loser (n): a person who is regularly unsuccessful, and that other people have a low opinion of
flick (n): a movie
cliche (n): done or used so often that it has become predictable and boring
quirky (adj): strange or unusual in an amusing and enjoyable way
rebellious (adj): unwilling to obey rules or accept normal standards of behaviour, dress, etc.
mining (n): the process or industry of getting coal or other minerals from under the ground
inspirational (adj): providing hope, optimism and new ideas
delight (n): something that gives you great pleasure
