But with the summer winding down to its last days, audiences should use whatever vacation time they have left to view these three films before they leave Netflix.
American Graffiti (1973)
Directed by George Lucas and starring legends likeHarrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ron Howard,American Graffititells the interconnected stories of a group of teenage misfits through the streets of Modesto, California. Fans ofHappy Dayswill surely enjoy this film, as it sends audiences on a nostalgia-fueled road trip back to 1962, complete with classic cars, drive-in diners, drag racing, and rocking and bopping music.
With the leading players about to leave for college and say goodbye to their pals and crushes, this comedy-drama is an exciting and beautiful masterpiece that explores the universal struggle of transitioning to adulthood. Now couldn’t be a better time to watchAmerican Graffiti, as audiences can wrap up the sunny season by joining Curt, Steve, John, and Terry on their last summer night together.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
In this modern horror classic, couple Katie and Micah find themselves tormented by a demon after they move to their new San Diego home. Though Micah sets up cameras around the house and tries to deal with this supernatural threat himself, he only makes things worse for the two of them, especially as Katie starts to succumb to the demon’s evil influence.
Achieving incredible scares and nail-biting tension on such a shoestring budget,Paranormal Activityremains a benchmark part of the horror genre, achieving unprecedented success and reinvigorating found-footage storytelling in the late 2000s. Despite the excessive amount of handheld horror movies made over the past two decades, this particular film has not lost its ability to build incalculable terror and suspense in its audience.
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
This film has gone on to be one of DreamWorks’ more underrated animated adventures. Based on The Guardians of Childhood book series,Rise of the Guardiansfollows the rebellious spirit Jack Frost (Dungeons and Dragons‘ Chris Pine) as he teams up with Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman to protect the world from the evil boogeyman, Pitch Black (Jude Law), and his army of living nightmares.
Pretty much a fairy tale version ofThe Avengers, this unusual, family-friendly superhero film soars thanks to its terrific ensemble cast and fun, thrilling adventure that invokes the childlike power of faith and imagination. While that may sound cliché, this animated epic is still a wonderful and entertaining romp that should get audiences stoked for the next holiday season. It should also help alleviate the nasty superhero fatigue that set in with audiences this past year.
