Summertime is the season of superheroes in the cinemas, but for those with a taste for a different kind of movie, local venues and festivals will deliver.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art shows comic romance “Barcelona Christmas Night” June 24-26; Italian comic drama “The Complexity of Happiness” July 7-10; Brazilian rodeo drama “Neon Bull” July 14-17; Colombian family drama “Land and Shade” July 14-17; German crime thriller “Victoria” July 21-24; “In Harmony,” a French romance, July 28-31; French unemployment drama “The Measure of a Man” also July 28-31; and “Art Ache,” a British romantic comedy, Aug. 11-14. Also the annual “Summer Sizzle Under the Stars” series of classic films includes “Trouble in Paradise” June 30; “Love Me Tonight” July 8; “The Gay Divorcee” July 15; “My Man Godfrey” July 22; “The Lady Vanishes” on July 29; and “Holiday” Aug. 12. Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., in Hartford. 860-278-2670, thewadsworth.org.
The Connecticut LGBT Film Festival runs from June 3 to 11 in Hartford. The lineup includes comedies “Me, Myself and Her,” “That’s Not Us” and “S&M Sally”; dramas “Summertime,” “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party,” “Closet Monster,” “Spa Night” and “Summer Nights”; documentaries “An Act of Love,” “Strike a Pose” and “Women He’s Undressed”; and men’s and women’s shorts blocks. outfilmct.org.
Wesleyan University’s Center for Film Studies’ annual “Hollywood Icons” July series honors Elizabeth Taylor. The lineup is “National Velvet” July 5, “Father of the Bride” July 12, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” July 19, and “Giant” July 26. Admission is free. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. each day. Marc Longenecker, programming and technical director, will introduce all the films. Address: 301 Washington Terrace in Middletown.
Southington Drive-In, 995 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, shows classic family-friendly movies every Saturday night all summer, at affordable prices. This year’s lineup is “Grease” on June 4, “Frozen” on June 11, “Jaws” on June 18, “Minions” on June 25, “Jurassic World” on July 2, “Kung Fu Panda 3” on July 9, “Avatar” on July 16, “Aladdin” on July 23, “Home Alone” on July 30, “Inside Out” on Aug. 6, “Ghostbusters” on Aug. 13, “Big Hero 6” on Aug. 20, “Zootopia” on Aug. 27, and “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” on Sept. 3. southingtondrive-in.org.
Greenwich International Film Festival is scheduled June 9 to 12, showing 35 features and 18 shorts in locations in Greenwich and Stamford. Some standouts are the Connecticut premiere of acclaimed documentary “Newtown”; a doc about Hartford-raised TV icon Norman Lear; a tribute to filmmaker Ondi Timoner, including a screening of her doc “The Nature of the Beast,” about a Hartford slaying; the comedy “My Blind Brother” starring Charlie Hewson, of Darien; and the drama “The Fundamentals of Caring” by Rob Burnett, of Greenwich. Full slate: greenwichfilm.org.
