Provided by Universal Pictures
Audio By Carbonatix
Summer is blockbuster season, and local theaters are screening some massive movies, new and old, in July. In addition to rare formats for an upcoming cinematic behemoth from Christopher Nolan, catch classic American films, foreign selections from Spain and Latin America, and more. Here are our picks for the best films to see in South Florida this month.
“The Odyssey” at AutoNation IMAX Theater
A new Christopher Nolan film is less a blockbuster than it is a block-leveler, a magnitude 10 on the Richter scale of cinematic hype. And the director’s latest film is likely to push that number up to 11, because he’s made an absurdly ambitious reimagining of Homer’s “Odyssey,” the Greek epic that you probably vaguely remember reading in high school. Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and a slew of Hollywood A-listers, “The Odyssey” will be playing pretty much everywhere, but as with many massive event movies these days, there are a number of special ways in which you can see the film. Coral Gables Art Cinema will show the film in 70mm, which is great. But if you really want something special, make the drive up to Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science, one of a handful of venues in the world equipped to show movies in IMAX 70mm, the format in which Nolan shot the film. Though opening weekend is almost entirely sold out, the theater is running the film daily through mid-August, meaning you should have at least one chance to see it the way it was meant to be seen. And hey, it took Odysseus ten years to get back to Ithaca — what’s a week compared with that? Opening Thursday, July 16, at AutoNation IMAX Theater, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale; mods.org. Tickets cost $25.
AV Club at Miami Beach Regional Library
This month, AV Club hits the beach for a primer on South Florida’s Art Deco history. The movie screening series will feature 16mm films focusing on the fight to preserve South Beach’s architectural heritage, along with a brief introduction to historical preservation and a tour of Art Deco buildings. If you’re bothered by Miami’s constant construction of tacky new condo towers and its lack of reverence for history, this event might be just what you’re looking for. 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22nd St., Miami Beach; 305-535-4219; mdpls.org. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.
“Filmed in Peru” series at the Tower Theater
Peru isn’t really thought of much in the annals of global cinema, and as the films in this multi-venue showcase illustrate, that has a lot to do with its turbulent history. “Filmed in Peru” takes place at theaters across South Florida this month, but we’re zeroing in on a double feature at the Tower Theater on July 24. First up at 6 p.m. is the period piece “1982,” following a preteen boy in the Andes whose life is upended when his father is accused of terrorism during the country’s Lost Decade in the 1980s. More contemporary is the coming-of-age story “The Innocents” (“Los inocentes”) at 8:45 p.m., following an urban youth’s struggles to break free from the culture of toxic masculinity within his neighborhood gang. Saturday, July 24, at the Tower Theater, 1508 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-960-2936; miamifilmfestival.com. Tickets cost $14.95 for individual films and $23.56 for both via filmedinperu.com.
Past July screenings:
“Jaws” at Coral Gables Art Cinema
Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water, Coral Gables Art Cinema is bringing Steven Spielberg’s classic blockbuster “Jaws” back to theaters for a very special Independence Day screening and barbecue reception. It’s hard to think of a better way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary than with one of its most famous and beloved films.
Our Take: In one fell swoop, Steven Spielberg inaugurated the blockbuster era of American filmmaking by elevating the monster movie genre from schlock to seriousness with “Jaws,” building a new moneymaking formula for Hollywood to follow in the process. With its nostalgia-tinged vision of small-town Americana beset by a destabilizing, inhuman force of nature — in this case a killer shark terrorizing a New England beach town — the director established many of the themes he would carry on throughout his career and shifted American cinema’s priorities from the morose drama of the New Hollywood era towards entertaining, effects-driven sci-fi and adventure movies. The film’s marketing and release strategy — opening in as many theaters as possible and heavily promoting it through mass media — established a new paradigm for how studios would promote their most commercial, crowd-pleasing films. But none of it would have worked if the film weren’t thrilling, entertaining and scary — not as terrifying as something like “The Exorcist,” but scary enough to keep millions of theatergoers coming back for more (and away from the beach). 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4, at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 786-472-2249; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $10 to $11.75.
“Romería” at Coral Gables Art Cinema
Spanish director Carla Simón’s summertime drama of youthful self-discovery is the perfect counterprogramming for the blockbuster season. Coral Gables Art Cinema is showing the film for one week starting on Friday, July 10. Plus, it’s a second chance to catch the film if you missed its run at the Miami Film Festival.
Our Take: Here’s what we said about the film back in April: “A sun-dappled vacation visiting long-lost family in the northeastern Spanish city of Vigo forms the backdrop for teenager Marina’s (Llúcia Garcia) exploration into her Gen X parents’ wild lives and untimely deaths. Dramatizing events in her own life, Simón elegantly pays tribute to the post-Franco generation’s reckless embrace of freedom and the difficulties of never having known one’s family. Think of it as a Spanish answer to “Aftersun.’” 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4, at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 786-472-2249; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $10 to $11.75.
“The Drama” at Rooftop Cinema Club
Kristoffer Borgli’s twisted rom-com only left theaters a few months ago, but rather than catch it on streaming, “The Drama” is a film that absolutely benefits from being in an audience, experiencing all the cringe and craziness it has to offer with others. Seriously, hearing people react to the plot twists in this one is almost as fun as the movie itself.
Our Take: A simple question anchors the unhinged premise of “The Drama”: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? When bride-to-be Emma (Zendaya) confesses her enormous secret to fiancé Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and two friends just days from her wedding, it turns out to be darker and thornier than anyone expected, a shocking omission that taps into one of America’s most difficult ongoing political and cultural issues. While Borgli’s attempt to shock the audience by injecting a hot-button issue into the film feels a bit exploitative and needlessly provocative, the extremely entertaining comedy of errors that ensues keeps the film from sinking too deeply into political discourse. Rather, it’s the need for discourse and pointless punitive action that fuels the conflicts in the film and asks us to consider whether they’re worthwhile. As “The Drama” goes on, Emma’s secret doesn’t just make Charlie rethink his entire relationship — it makes us in the audience interrogate why the characters are reacting the way they are, and whether Emma is more of a victim than a perpetrator. In the end, it brings us to a new understanding of love as a force that overrides obstacles. 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, at Rooftop Cinema Club South Beach, 1212 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; rooftopcinemaclub.com. Tickets cost $22.75 to $29.
