Hot Summer Flicks

It’s August. We should be out sunbathing, holidaying and doing summer aesthetic things like parks and picnics, fairs and festivals, rooftop parties… all while basking in the sunlight. Instead, it’s still cold, raining and this never ending break is going to bankrupt me.

For those of you trapped in London right now, I’ve narrowed down and compared the best current releases for you to enjoy from the safety of the comfy indoors, either at home or in cinema for a slightly cheaper alternative to all those better things listed above.

Let’s talk about Girls Trip. Everywhere I turn I’m being told how original and hilarious this comedy is, which is a shock considering ‘comedy’ films rarely leave an impact on myself or anyone that I speak to. (The best was left before the 2000’s, but we’ll save that list for another occasion). When asking others what films they would definitely recommend, Girls Trip received an overwhelming response, with a fellow student adding that; ‘If there is one movie you should go and watch in the cinema this year, then you should make sure that it is Girl’s Trip. A feel-good movie packed with inappropriate jokes, an iconic cast and a hilarious script that will leave you quite literally screaming with laughter. The movie follows four women who rekindle their long-term friendship by taking a vacation in order to let loose and become one with their former college selves. Considered as the summer movie of the decade, Girl’s Trip will leave you wanting a ‘girl’s trip’ of your very own.’

Moving on to the highest budgeted film in European history, and also one of the most mixed reviewed films, let me clear the confusion for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Being a futuristic genre that’s both completely open to the imagination yet limited by borrowed ideas and concepts, it’s difficult to make a unique mark as a dystopian or science fiction film today. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets stands on its own regarding the complexity and multitude of ideas, jam packed into over 2 hours of mind mayhem. Renowned director Luc Besson emphasized his main inspiration and source of research being his imagination, quoting Einstein that ‘the imagination is more important than knowledge’ reflecting his films unique charm of exploring the depths of someone’s mind almost like a dream; beautiful and alluring yet lacking the necessary links and details to create a well-received film. Nonetheless, his goal as he told me earnestly is to make us question and talk, not to create a film that every critic will enjoy or forget the moment after watching. For that, he has succeeded, for Valerian is a film that leaves you wondering and finding more after every watch. For its ability to stun with unique characters, technological concepts and VSE, the film effectively explores our future whilst still contemplating modern concepts of gender, equality and immigration. Love it or hate it, it’s a work of art.

There are a tonne of outdoor cinemas and events for when the sun actually decides to make an appearance. One of which is a massive outdoors screening for La La Land at Ally Pally, on the 16th September. If you missed out on La La Land due to the over-hype and the ‘I don’t have the patience for musicals’ mentality, or if you just can’t get enough of it, this is your chance to re live every moment with a beautiful sunset backdrop. Speaking of La La, Soho house completely blew me away with its Portobello Electric Cinema when I first watched it. If you haven’t heard of this venue I promise you its worth going at least once. With the comfiest armchairs and theatre like atmosphere, you will definitely experience cinema at its finest.