This past week has seen plunging temperatures, frost-covered windshields, and everyone bundled in endless layers of winter clothing...and that was just in Florida!
Throughout the country, winter 2022 is undoubtedly packing a weather wallop with snow-covered landscapes that look as if they will never thaw and single or negative digit thermometer readings causing double and triple takes.
It's time to dream some warm-weather dreams. As you do, there are plenty of movies that can assist with this, from blockbusters, like 1975's Jaws, with its summer on a New England island setting to the dramatic, like Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, with its explosive setting of a summer heatwave in Brooklyn.
But, what follows are some alternative option movies that celebrate the calm and comfort that comes with warm weather.
Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock's thriller is not only one of the most brilliantly staged films of all time, but its setting of summertime in New York City only adds to the proceedings.
A glimpse into what life was like before air conditioning was a regular part of home life includes images of sleeping on fire escapes, open windows (obviously), and struggling to get a good night's rest during a muggy evening. All enough to remind you that warm weather comes with its challenges, too (but we will take it right now)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
When director David Lean's epic tale of army officer T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), who led Arab troops during World War I, was released, its sweeping, grand images of the blazing hot desert were so impactful that rumors swirled that ice cream and soda concession sales soared at movie theaters. There was also a rumor that this was due to some theaters turning down their air conditioning.
Regardless, you may want to stock up on cold beverages, no matter how cold the temperature is outside, as you watch this wondrous, award-winning masterpiece.
The Endless Summer (1966)
The surfing movie. In this documentary, surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August travel worldwide looking for that perfect wave. The music, the settings, the waves! You can feel the splash of the salt water and the smell of the sunscreen.
Meatballs (1979)
Another warm-weather ritual is summer camp, and the pinnacle of summer camp movies is Meatballs. Horror movie fans may point to Friday the 13th, but for the sheer good-natured, and now seemingly innocent, fun, it's got to be Ivan Reitman's comedy.
Wiseacre, out-of-control Bill Murray, campfires, "Olympic" competitions, and the sense of freedom that comes from months of no school are all here. "Are You Ready for the Summer?" this movie musically asks...we sure are!
In an episode of Cheers, the residents of the sitcom bar were attempting to answer the thoughtful question: "What's the sweatiest movie ever made?" Body Heat was one of the first answers.
Rightfully so, as writer-director Lawrence Kasden's thriller, inspired by Hollywood's classic film noir era, about an attorney (William Hurt) who begins an affair with a married woman (Kathleen Turner), which leads him down a dangerous and deadly path.
The film (which, ironically, co-stars Cheers' Ted Denson) takes place during summer in Florida, and the mugginess is tactile. There's a good reason "Heat" is in the title, not just for the weather, but also for the film's now notoriously sexy scenes, which paved the way for similar films, such as Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.
But Body Heat was the film that first brought...well, the heat...in more ways than one.
Club Paradise (1986)
Yes, this movie should have been a lot better with the talent involved- stars Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Jimmy Cliff, and director Harold Ramis. However, there is still so much fun to be had watching this comedy about at a threadbare Caribbean resort.
And there's no lack of postcard-pretty vistas of Jamaica, where Club Paradise was filmed. Despite the shenanigans in the film, it may even inspire a much-needed island getaway and invite laughs from a brilliant scene involving Moranis and a windsurfing board.
Back to the Beach (1987)
Both a parody and a loving tribute to the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello "Beach Movies" of the '60s. And, Back to the Beach stars Avalon and Funicello, who reunited, for the first time in 22 years, for this goofy and lovable film.
Frankie and Annette re-discover their beach roots when visiting their daughter (Lori Loughlin), who just happens to live near the beach in the film.
Plenty of nostalgic sand, surf, and songs follow. There are also co-stars and cameos from Connie Stevens, Don Adams, Bob Denver, Jerry Mathers, and Pee-Wee Herman, who sings "Surfin Bird!"
If nothing else, the retro-fun of Back to the Beach will warm your heart.
Point Break (1991)
An amazing action film by director Kathryn Bigelow. Keanu Reeves is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates a group of bank robbers, led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), who are also surfers.
Like Endless Summer, with excellent surfing sequences, this lifestyle is topped only by some gonzo and beautifully-directed action sequences.
Appreciation for Point Break has grown since its initial release over thirty years ago and with good reason. This is a jolt of visceral filmmaking that will bring the heat to a cold-weather day.
The Sandlot (1993)
Kids playing baseball in their neighborhood go hand-in-hand with summer vacation, and The Sandlot goes hand-in-hand with capturing that summer vacation feeling.
Set in 1962, co-writer and director David Mickey Evans crafted a loving reflection of childhood and friendships that only becomes more beloved with each passing year.
If you've never seen it? Well, "You're killing me, Smalls!"
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
One of Disney's most off-beat animated features centers on an anti-hero, a foul-tempered space alien, Experiment 626, later dubbed Stitch, who crash lands in Hawaii and is befriended by an eccentric little girl named Lilo.
Directed by Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois, Lilo & Stitch not only has a tone and vision that's all its own, it could almost double as a marketing travel brochure for Hawaii. Sure, it's animated, and the backgrounds are stylized watercolor-like paintings, but they are all so well done that you can feel the warm breeze and distinct culture in every scene.
Partner with Disney's other Hawaiian-themed animated film, Moana, for the perfect double feature.
So pull the shades, crank up the heat, grab another blanket and get to your couch, to ignore the snow, the wind, the cold, and binge-watch some or all of these films. If nothing else, they'll pass the time and get us closer to spring!
