Widescreen: Six ways to capture the magic of summer from your couch
It's not even June, but summerlike weather has already arrived. Normally, this would be cause for celebration, but this summer will be unlike any other summer we've experienced, one without many of our favorite activities.
Here are some things you can watch (and play) at home to capture a little of the summer magic that we'll need in the next few months:
'The Sandlot'
A great summer movie, a great kids movie, a great baseball movie. The new kid in town (Tom Guiry) joins the neighborhood pickup game despite the fact he knows nothing about baseball. And I mean nothing: When the kids need a new ball to play with, awkward Scott brings one from his stepdad's (Denis Leary) trophy room. One signed by Babe Ruth. (“Who is she?” Scott asks.) James Earl Jones elevates the movie with his late appearance, and there's a hilarious scene set at a carnival that I watched about a hundred times when I was a kid. (Available for digital rental/sale, and on Starz)
'Dazed and Confused' and 'American Graffiti'
Richard Linklater made the former in 1993, and it feels like a bookend to George Lucas' 1973 film. “Dazed” takes place in 1976 in Texas on the last day of school, and “Graffiti” takes place in 1962 California on the last day of summer. Both have a laid-back, meandering narrative that follows a large cast of people who would soon be stars. Lucas had Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and Mackenzie Phillips; Linklater had Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Milla Jovovich. (“American Graffiti” is available for digital rental/sale and on Showtime; “Dazed and Confused” is available for digital rental/sale and on Starz)
'Indian Summer'
Once a cable staple, this 1993 film has faded from memory; think “The Big Chill” goes to camp. Eight adults reunite and relive their childhoods at an Ontario summer camp in this light comedy from writer/director Mike Binder (“The Upside of Anger”). The likable cast of grown-up campers includes Bill Paxton, Diane Lane, Elizabeth Perkins and Kevin Pollak, and Alan Arkin plays the caretaker who brings them all together. (Available for digital rental/sale)
'Assassin's Creed Origins'
Summer vacation might not happen this year, but this 2017 video game feels like taking the ultimate virtual trip. You play as Bayek, a Medjay who conducts bloody business for Cleopatra, but the main attraction of the game is its setting: Ancient Egypt. You can explore tombs beneath the pyramids of Giza, climb the Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria and ride a camel across sand dunes. And you can take Instagram-worthy virtual vacation pics, too, with the game's photo mode. Don't like swordplay? The “Discovery Tour” mode turns the game into an interactive museum exhibit, no assassinations required. (Available for PS4, Xbox One, PC)
'Adventureland'
Speaking of vacation spots, Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart find love in the summer of '87 while working at an amusement park in this wistful coming-of-age comedy from Greg Mottola (“Superbad”). Filmed at the Kennywood park outside Pittsburgh, “Adventureland” boasts a soundtrack stacked with '80s hits and a supporting cast full of funny people like Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr and Wendie Malick. (Available for digital rental/sale, and on Starz)
Follow Sean (from a distance) on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.