Smells & Sounds of the Summer Movie Season

Featuring the 10 Movies You Should See This Summer

Close your eyes - imagine ice cubes are clinking into a glass. 

Do you hear that? The fizzing of a Coca-Cola and the popping of popcorn? 

You can smell and taste it, can’t you?  

Are you transported to a movie theatre? Because I sure am. 

While the movie theatre is the epitome of the smells and sounds of movie night, I am just as drawn to my childhood memories at home. 

I remember the smell of popcorn from our kitchen. My parents did the old-school method of using a saucepan, moving it back and forth over the stovetop until the kernels popped up and the lid couldn’t stay on any longer. From there, it went into a big bowl with just the right amount of salt. 

Small, blue-speckled tin bowls (think camping vibe) were brought out and we all got one passed around. It left just the right greasy residue on your fingers. Writing this, my mouth is watering. 

Scientifically, popcorn makes any movie 78% better. 

Now that I’m an adult, I try to replicate that magic for my kids. Instead of the blue bowls that are still at my parent’s house, I ordered plastic popcorn buckets for our house. Food just tastes better with the right vessel (see Chipotle forks or a Coke in a glass bottle). 

My wife prefers microwave popcorn, and to her credit, there’s something about that fake butter scent that is hard to pass up. While I prefer the classic, stove top, pan rattling affair, any of these avenues lead to an enhanced movie-watching experience. 

When I make popcorn on the stove, I still FaceTime my dad to ensure I use the right amount of oil and kernels to get it right. I could just write the recipe down, but maybe I’m a creature of habit. Maybe that’s a subconscious way of keeping family movie nights of my youth alive. 

Now that it’s almost summer, it is the perfect time to look ahead to the upcoming summer blockbuster slate.

Read on for some recommendations of upcoming movies in theatres from now through Labor Day weekend.

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10 Summer Movies You Should Watch

• Fast X - May 19

  • The family franchise adds Jason Momoa and EGOT winner Rita Moreno to the crew in this latest installment. While the first film started with stealing VCRs and TV/DVD players and the ninth movie had them in space, what else can they possibly do here?

• The Little Mermaid - May 26

  • Disney’s run of live-action updates continues “Under the Sea” with new music from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - June 2

  • The sequel to the highly acclaimed first film — this time, Miles Morales has to face other Spiders in order to save the world.

• Elemental - June 16

  • The newest Pixar movie looks to be another deep movie about family (remember Inside Out, Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo - heartstrings, watch out) 

• Asteroid City - June 16

  • Wes Anderson brings another all-star ensemble cast together, this time set in the 1950s in the American desert.

• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - June 30

  • Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones, need I say more? Ok, I will — it’s the perfect time for him to receive an honorary Oscar.

• Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - July 14

  • Tom Cruise is back to keep cinema alive — this time as Ethan Hunt, in perhaps the best action franchise out there. Somehow, the stunts are even more insane. This is the one I’m most excited to see this summer.

• Oppenheimer - July 21

  • July 21 has been saved on my calendar for a double feature since the release dates of this and Barbie were announced. I’m seeing this one first because a movie about the development of the atomic bomb will need a lighter afternoon/evening viewing to take the edge off. 

• Barbie - July 21

  • Margot Robbie is Barbie. Greta Gerwig follows up Little Women with another take on an iconic IP. We’re in good hands. Ryan Gosling looks to be a hilarious Ken. Christmas in July comes four days early.

• The Equalizer 3 - September 1

  • Spend Labor Day weekend watching Denzel Washington take care of business. Also, it’s Man on Fire reunion with Dakota Fanning, if you like that sort of thing.

I cannot wait to spend hot summer days in the theatre with a big Coke and popcorn. Or I’ll get the projector out and watch movies in my backyard for a neighborhood film festival.

Either way, see you at the movies!

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Readers, what movie(s) are you most looking forward to this summer? What snacks do you get when you go to the theaters? Let us know in the comments!

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