Summer Arts Preview: Film

With schools out and temps rising, it’s no wonder why the movie theater is the place to be during those long summer months. Air conditioning and kid-friendly entertainment aside, theaters large and small are offering up plenty of big-screen goodness this season. And whether you’re looking for a comedic romp, a sleeper hit, or a good ol’ educational doc, there’s no doubt the S.B. film scene has something for you.

Case in point: Magic Lantern Films‘ summer series, which is focusing on showing the “best films you never saw.” On Sunday, July 5, and Monday, July 6, catch a pre-Bond Daniel Craig in Layer Cake, and on Thursday, July 9, and Friday, July 10, enjoy the 2005 comedic thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

At the box office, Michael Cera and Jack Black team up for prehistoric adventures in Year One on Friday, June 19. Just days later, summer blockbuster season kicks into high gear when Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on June 24. And if you’re looking for something a little more family-friendly, fret not; Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs lands in theaters on Wednesday, July 1, and the much anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince works its ticket sales magic starting Wednesday, July 15.

On the locally screening circuit, the Ojai Film Society will show Captain Abu Raed at the Ojai Theatreon Sunday, June 28. UCSB’s Arts & Lectures kicks off its summer season on Wednesday, July 8, at Campbell Hall with a double feature of Albert Lamorisse’s classic The Red Balloon and his equally impressive White Mane. A&L’s summer cinema continues with An Evening with Jean-Michel Cousteau and screening of Call of the Killer Whale on Wednesday, July 22, and the French drama Summer Hours on Wednesday, August 26.

And starting in July, the folks behind the Santa Barbara International Film Festival present the Alternative Film Series at the Lobero Theatre. The new series features Argentinean filmmaker Carlos Sorin’s life-affirming masterpiece, The Window, on Friday, July 24, and goes on to include globally recognized independents like Tokyo Sonata (Fri., Aug. 14) and The Headless Woman (Fri., Aug. 28).

Rounding out the summer months, A&L brings Lemon Tree to Campbell Hall on Wednesday, August 12. Magic Lantern presents Josh Whedon’s Serenity on Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1. And the cinephile event of the season, Quentin Tarantino’s WWII flick Inglourious Basterds, hits theaters nationwide on Friday, August 21.