Since it’s the 4th of July weekend, which usually signifies the official kickoff of summer and all, I thought it would be fun to cobble together a list of really “hot” movies.(ed. note- the 4th has past but the summer remains, enjoy!) You know-as in sweaty, steamy, dripping, sticky, sudoriferous cinema (get your mind out of the gutter!). If you’re like me (and isn’t everyone?) there’s nothing more satisfying than gathering up an armload of DVDs (along with a suitcase of Diet Dr. Pepper) and just happily pissing away the long holiday weekend ensconced in my dark, cozy media room.

So anyhoo, as a celebration of the season, I present (in no particular ranking order) my Top 10 “summer perspiration films”, or, “The SPF 10”, if you will. I’ve added a “runner up” for each selection, which would make for a perfect double bill, if you are so inclined:

Body Heat- A bucket of ice cubes in the bath is just not enough to cool down this steamy noir. Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 homage to Double Indemnity blows the mercury right out the top of the thermometer. Kathleen Turner is the sultry femme fatale who plays William Hurt’s hapless pushover like a Stradivarius (“You aren’t too smart. I like that in a man.”) The combination of the Florida heat with Turner and Hurt’s sexual chemistry will light your socks on fire. Outstanding support from Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston and an up-and-coming character actor named Mickey Rourke.

Runner up: The Hot Spot

Dog Day Afternoon-As far as oppressively humid hostage dramas go, this 1975 “true crime” classic from the great director Sidney Lumet easily out-sops the competition. The air conditioning may be off, but Al Pacino is definitely “on” in his absolutely brilliant portrayal of John Wojtowicz (“Sonny Wortzik” in the film), whose botched attempt to rob a Brooklyn bank turned into a dangerous hostage crisis and a twisted media circus (the desperate Wojtowicz was trying to finance his lover’s sex-change operation). Even though he had already done the first two Godfather films, this was the performance that put Pacino on the map. John Cazale is both scary and heartbreaking in his role as Sonny’s dim-witted “muscle”. Keep an eye out for Chris Sarandon’s memorable cameo. Frank Pierson’s whip-smart screenplay was based on articles by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore.

Runner up: Key Largo

Cool Hand Luke-Paul Newman shines (and sweats buckets) in his iconic role as the title character of this 1967 film, a ne’er do well from a southern burg who ends up on a chain gang. He’s busted for cutting the “heads” off of parking meters while on a drunken spree, but by the end of this sly allegory, astute viewers will glean what his real crime is: being a non-conformist. Stuart Rosenberg’s direction is assured; as is the script by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson (there he is again!) The highlights include Strother Martin’s “failure to communicate” speech, Harry Dean Stanton singing “The Midnight Special”, the, um, car wash scene and of course George Kennedy’s Academy Award-winning supporting role. The cast also includes Ralph Waite, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, Anthony Zerbe (Dog Boy!), and Joy Harmon as the, um, car wash girl. Did I mention the car wash scene?

Runner up: Brubaker

Do The Right Thing-Director Spike Lee wastes no time turning up the heat in this provocative allegorical dramedy about race relations in America, filtered through a day in the life of Brooklyn’s multi-ethnic Bed-Stuy neighborhood. From the opening credits, which literally explode onto the screen with a muy caliente Rosie Perez busting some serious moves to the strains of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”, to the jaw-dropping climax, this is one of those rare films that manages to engage mind, body and soul all at once. One of the few films on the subject that is not afraid to admit to and confront the fact that bigotry comes in all colors. I think it remains his finest work to date. The cast includes Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito.

Runner up: Summer of Sam

Swept Away -The time-honored “man and woman stuck on a desert island” scenario is served up with a heaping tablespoon of class struggle and an acidic twist of sexual politics in this controversial 1975 film from Italian director Lena Wertmuller. A shrill and haughty bourgeois woman (Mariangela Melato) charters a yacht cruise for herself and her equally obnoxious fascist friends, who all seem to delight in belittling their slovenly deck hand (Giancarlo Giannini), who is a card-carrying communist. Fate and circumstance conspire to strand Melato and Giannini together on a small Mediterranean isle, setting the stage for some interesting role reversal games (with definite S&M overtones, I should warn you). This film has a polarizing effect on viewers, which I think can be attributed to its fascinating feminist dilemma: How does one react to an obviously talented and self-assured female director with unmistakably misogynist leanings? BTW, in case you are curious about the Guy Ritchie/Madonna remake? Two words: Stay away.

Runner up: Castaway (Nicolas Roeg)

A Streetcar Named Desire -I’m here to tell ya-nobody could create a “simmering dysfunctional family reaching their boiling point in a southern hothouse atmosphere” scenario like the great Tennessee Williams. Put that together with a smoldering young Marlon Brando in a sweat-soaked T-shirt and you’ve got yourself an “SPF” classic. Brando’s unforgettable turn as boorish rage-aholic Stanley Kowalski really gets under your skin. A young and sexy Kim Hunter shines as the long suffering Stella, and Vivian Leigh’s realization of the beautiful but thoroughly deranged Blanche Dubois is the stuff of acting legend. Karl Malden is excellent as well, in the first of three collaborations he would take on with Brando (On the Waterfront and One-eyed Jacks were to follow). Williams adapted the script from his play (with Oscar Saul) and Elia Kazan directed.

Runner up: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

In the Heat of the Night - “They call me MISTER Tibbs!” In this classic drama (which won 1967’s Best Picture Oscar) Sidney Poitier plays a cosmopolitan police detective from Philly who gets waylaid in a torpid Mississippi backwater, where he is reluctantly recruited into helping the bigoted sheriff (Rod Steiger) solve a local murder. Poitier absolutely nails his role; you feel Virgil Tibb’s pain as he tries to maintain his professional cool amidst a brace of surly rednecks, who throw up roadblocks at every turn. While Steiger is outstanding here as well, I always found it ironic that he was the one who won “Best Actor in a leading role”, when in reality Poitier was the star (it seems Hollywood didn’t get the film’s message). Sterling Silliphant’s brilliant screenplay (another Oscar) works as a crime thriller and a quintessential “fish out of water” story. Director Norman Jewison was nominated, but didn’t score a win. Future director Hal Ashby won for Best Editing. Quincy Jones composed the soundtrack, and Ray Charles sings the theme. The inspiration for Blazing Saddles? Beverly Hills Cop? Discuss.

Runner up: Mississippi Burning

The Day the Earth Caught Fire- Written and directed by Val Guest (Quatermass Xperiment), this cerebral mix of conspiracy a-go-go and sci-fi drama from the Cold War era is a sort of precursor to the X-Files. Nuclear testing by the U.S. and Soviets triggers a mysterious and alarming shift in the Earth’s climate. As London’s weather turns more weirdly tropical by the hour, a Daily Express reporter (Peter Stenning) begins to suspect that the British government is not being 100% forthcoming on the possible fate of the world. Along the way, Stenning enjoys some steamy scenes with his love interest (sexy Janet Munro). The film is more noteworthy for its smart, snappy patter than its run-of-the-mill f/x, but still makes for a compelling story. Co-starring the great Leo McKern!

Runner up: Last Night(Don McKellar)

The Wages of Fear -The primeval jungles of South America have served as a backdrop for a plethora of sweat-streaked tales, and this 1953 existential adventure film from director Henri-Georges Clouzot sits atop that list. Four societal outcasts, who for one reason or another find themselves figuratively and literally at the “end of the road”, hire themselves out for an apparently suicidal job transporting two truckloads of touchy nitro over several hundred miles of bumpy jungle terrain for delivery to a distant oilfield. It does take a little time for the “action” to really get going; once it does, you won’t let out your breath until the final frame. Yves Montand leads the fine international cast. Clouzot co-scripted with Jerome Geronimi, adapting from the original Georges Anaud novel. The 1977 William Friedkin remake Sorcerer has its detractors, but I recommend a peek.

Runner up:Fitzcarraldo


The Year of Living Dangerously- An irresistible mix of tense political thriller and sizzling love story, set in an exotic locale. Director Peter Weir transports us back to a very dangerous year in Indonesia (1965), when the government of President Sukarno was cracking at the seams. Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver portray an Australian radio journalist and a British attaché, respectively, who get caught up in the brewing conflict (and each other). Linda Hunt steals the show (and snagged a Best Supporting Actress Oscar) in an astounding gender-bending turn as local photographer “Billy Kwan”. Kwan is a fascinatingly complex character who vacillates between playing the matchmaker and the puppeteer, for his own enigmatic reasons. Weir’s sense of place and atmosphere is beautifully realized, ably assisted by DP Russell Boyd’s Oscar-winning cinematography.

Runner up: Under Fire