There’s no bigger season on the movie release schedule than the summer season. Back in the day…meaning the early 90s, the movie summer season started Memorial Day Weekend. Then slowly, the weekend crept up to the first week in May, which is pretty much where it is now. Yes, there’s usually a big movie on the third or fourth weekend in April, but that doesn’t count.
On my podcast, Forgotten Cinema, we discuss movies that we contend are forgotten by audiences for a variety of reasons. And this past July, we took on movies that were released during the summer season. Of course, we’ve titled it Forgotten Summer, because we’re pretty obvious on the podcast.
Let’s reminisce together about the 5 summer movies we chose.
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Forgotten Cinema Podcast: Flight of the Navigator
The only thing I remembered about this movie was the kid, David, flying the spacecraft with that metal steering mechanism…and that was it. And that’s only 5 minutes of the movie! I totally forgot about the time jump plot device or David’s brain full of universe schematics. Did I even pay attention when I first watched this many, many years ago?
The other thing I remembered from back in the day was being confused as to whether the voice of the spaceship was Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) or not. Who the heck was this Pall Mall guy in the credits? Obviously, as a kid, what did I know? Revisit an 80s film that is often forgotten in the wake of The Goonies, E.T., Gremlins, The Monster Squad and Mac and Me (Just kidding).
I also recommend the 2020 documentary, Life After the Navigator, which explores the life of Joey Cramer, who played David, and the personal issues he’s been battling ever since the late 80s. An interesting behind the scenes look on the movie and the lives it touched.
War of the Worlds (2005)
Forgotten Cinema Podcast: War of the Worlds
Steven Spielberg mining the emotion and feeling surrounding the events of 9/11 while adapting the classic H.G. Wells story in the process, War of the Worlds is a forgotten summer movie in the realm of Spielberg’s filmography.
Hear me out. When discussing his filmography, when do you get to War of the Worlds? Yes, your age is probably the biggest variable in your list of Spielberg movies. Even if you take his sci-fi films, you’re talking E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and for some, his latest Disclosure Day, before you even think about Tom Cruise trying to keep his family safe during an alien invasion.
It's also a movie that needs to be revisited because there are some awesome set pieces that don’t get talked about enough.
Blown Away (1994)
Forgotten Cinema Podcast: Blown Away
The summer of 1994, when we’re talking action movies, was all about the summer of the bus that would blow up if it went over 50 miles per hour. (Speed, of course) Action movies in the 90s were riding the wave created by the 80s, including 1988’s Die Hard, which saw a police officer, a regular working stiff, take on international terrorists. And that spawned countless other movies with regular stiffs just doing their job in extraordinary ways.
Add Blown Away to that mix. Jeff Bridges is part of the Boston PD Bomb Squad, but guess what? You’ll never believe this. There’s a mad bomber (Tommy Lee Jones) on the loose looking to blow up the bomb squad! The irony is as thick as Jones’ Irish accent. This movie has some fun, 90s action moments. It’s not perfect…but what movie is?
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Forgotten Cinema Podcast: Kingdom of Heaven
First, let’s be clear. We’re talking about Ridley Scott’s director’s cut, which is exceedingly better than the original theatrical release in 2005. All those questions you had, all the confusion, from the theatrical release are no longer here because shockingly when you don’t cut those subplots from the movie, it makes sense.
Remember how great Edward Norton was in the movie? You don’t? Yeah, because he was barely in the theatrical release. He’s a full-fledged, supporting character in the director’s cut as the Leper King Baldwin. He adds more to the movie, and to Orlando Bloom’s main character, Balian, and his personal journey. I recommend you check out the director’s cut, especially if you thought the original had potential. That potential is proven true here.
White Water Summer (1987)
Forgotten Cinema Podcast: White Water Summer
If you’re as old as me, and we don’t need to get into specifics here, then you may vaguely remember seeing this movie on TV somewhere and wondered when did this Kevin Bacon-Sean Astin movie come out in theaters. Unless you lived in the Pacific Northwest for a month in the summer of 1987, it never did. After a small release in an area of the country the studio thought might be interested in the movie, the weak box office returns convinced them otherwise.
To the home box office! This movie is a wild ride. It’s all over the place. At first, you think you’re getting a coming-of-age movie with Vic (Bacon) teaching four kids about the beauty of the wilderness. Sure, his methods seem mildly extreme as he treats the teens like adults, but then it turns to downright maniacal. These kids are rock climbing on the side of mountains with little safeguards! There is definitely a lawsuit in Vic’s future.
Astin does double duty here. He shoots the movie two years prior, then it’s shelved. He returns, much older, to record scenes as our narrator/guide for the story. He’s giving us commentary, as an older version of the character, but also it feels oddly like he’s remarking about the making of the movie itself.
The Summer Ends, But Movies Don’t
Forgotten Cinema doesn’t stop at the summer. We roll through each and every week, bringing a new movie to discuss. We’ve covered films from the 1950s to the 2020s. We’re a movie discussion show, not movie reviews. There are hot takes, but never bad takes. You can find us at our website, and throughout all the social media portals.
About the Author:
Michael Field has been telling stories his whole life—on film sets, behind microphones, on the page, and in late-night writing sessions that stretch until morning. From short films and feature scripts to podcasts, digital series, and novels, he is drawn to characters who wrestle with identity, legacy, and the choices that define them.
Over the years, he has directed more than a hundred shorts, co-created the Forgotten Cinema podcast, and written scripts that blend pulp adventure, supernatural mystery, and human drama. His novels carry that same mix of heart, danger, and imagination, expanding his storytelling into new mediums and audiences. Storytelling isn’t just his career; it’s the way he moves through the world.
Website: MichaeldField.com
Podcast: Forgotten Cinema
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