Beat the Heat With These Great Summertime Flicks

As we find ourselves amid monsoon season, treat yourself to a summertime blockbuster to beat the midafternoon, pre-monsoon heat.

The Loft
Cult Classic Series (every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.): On Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, The Loft will show neo-noir thriller Lost Highway. This film is a classically David Lynch flick, rich with hallucinatory imagery, delightfully bewildering plot twists and profound analysis of the human psyche—Lost Highway bends the rules of conventional storytelling and challenges the convention of time and logic.

Social Justice Summer (every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.): This series aims to pair hard-hitting social justice issues with cinema, as audiences are invited to explore important issues through film. Leading community experts will be present after every showing to hold community talkbacks. This Wednesday, July 19, the Global Justice Center will air a free screening of I Am Not Your Negro. This must-see documentary examines the Civil Rights movement, connecting African American history with the contemporary #BlackLivesMatter movement. This movie delivers a gripping confrontation of black representation in mainstream culture, and journies into the lives and deaths of three Civil Rights legends: Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

Mondo Mondays (every Monday at 8 p.m.): Diving directly into the strange, wonderful and unorthodox realms of mondo movies, this series is sure to deliver a weekly dose of weird. This Monday, July 19, enjoy Cheerleader Camp, an iconic piece of 80s slasher cinema. At Camp Hurrah, something possesses the contestants, coaches, judges and grounds staff to K-I-L-L. Rife with bloody pom poms, bad rap, sleazy boyfriends and graphic violence, Cheerleader Camp is a premiere piece of 80s slasher sex comedy.
National Theatre Live: This Loft series presents the best of live British theatre on the silver screen. On Tuesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, July 20 at 11 a.m. enjoy a showing of Saint Joan. Watch as history's charismatic Joan of Arc is depicted by actress Gemma Arterson in this classic George Bernard Shaw play.

More details on all of above at loftcinema.org.

Cactus Drive-In Theatre
Cactus Drive-In Summer Showings (every Thursday in July at 8 p.m.): Indulge in the iconic drive-in experience at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet this Thursday, July 20. The Cactus Drive-In Theatre Foundation welcomes audiences to watch the timeless and beloved 80s flick: The Princess Bride. This isn't your run of the mill fairy tale—nay, with Rodents of Unusual Size, Pits of Despair, and Cliffs of Insanity, this movie is a comfortable classic, fit for children of all ages. Will love conquer all? Will good prevail against evil? Or is it simply inconceivable?

More info at cactusdriveintheatre.com.

Cinema La Placita
Cinema La Placita Summer Series (every Thursday at 7:30 p.m.): Take a trip downtown and enjoy the Cinema La Placita's continuing outdoor summer film series. This Thursday, July 13, enjoy a legendary piece of resistance cinema. Do the Right Thing, is a groundbreaking examination of race relations in America. Directed by the iconic Spike Lee, this movie spans the length of a day and examines the whole spectrum of life and culture in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. By the end of the movie, Lee challenges audiences to decide whether anyone truly does the "right thing" when it comes to race. In addition to the showing, audiences are invited to enjoy the cash bar and food truck on site.

More info at cinemalaplacita.com

The Fox
Classic Film Series: At 7:30 this Saturday, July 15, head on down to the Fox Theatre and view the latest flick in their continuing Classic Film Series: There's No Business Like Show Business. This 1954, black and white musical-comedy-drama depicts the trials of the Donahue family and their time in the showbiz.

More info at foxtucson.com