The FORT90 FILM CLUB is back with another QUADRUPLE (kinda/sorta) feature presentation! With all four flicks reinforcing a simple fact of fire: summertime is when much of our fondest memories are formed... but for the most part, it’s also stuff that we’d all rather forget happened:

LONG WEEKEND - It's the ultimate “nature strikes back” movie, thanks in part to the best possible victims that one could have for such a thing. In a last-ditch effort to save their clearly broken marriage, two of the most irritating yuppies imaginable decide to leave the city and lose themselves in the wilderness. Almost immediately they begin treating each other like total garbage, which is whatever, but when they take their rage out against the environment and the animals that reside within, THAT is when their troubles truly begin. A classic pre-Mad Max example of Ozploitation, Long Weekend might also be one of the finest horror films to hail from the 70s, period.

THE SWIMMER – Perhaps it's not such a shock to hear that a movie that was advertised with the tagline “When you talk about The Swimmer, will you talk about yourself?” managed to break everyone’s brains upon its release, hence why many (including myself) regarding it as a genuine cinematic masterpiece. It’s rather innocent, almost quirky concept of a guy who decides to take a dip in every single body of water on his way home completely belies the film’s completely subversive, even insidious intentions. And for those who have (understandably) rolled their eyes at others who refer to Classic Hollywood in reverential tones, it is guaranteed that said individuals will come to discover that star Burt Lancaster actually deserves every bit of his acclaim.

LAST SUMMER – Not to be confused with the half a dozen or so forgettable films that all share the same title, this late 60s hidden gem may reside in the back of your head for a long time to come. Simply put, it’s the story of three sophisticated NYC kids who are young and dumb (as well as gorgeous and privileged), specifically what happens with an awkward fourth teen from Cleveland shows up to disrupt the dynamics. The “sensitive yet brutal coming-of-age drama” description has been used so often that it is a cliché, yet Last Summer is proof positive that such films are themselves often trite, as well as disingenuous; Last Summer depiction is honestly cruel, because sometimes growing up is just as repugnant as well. WARNING: this film contains content that some will find disturbing, viewer discretion is HIGHLY advised.

DOUBLE SUICIDE: JAPANESE SUMMER – Not be confused with Masahiro Shinoda’s Double Suicide, this other effort by Nagisa Oshima predates his more famous works, specifically In the Realm of the Senses & Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and has a far more convoluted plot compared to the previously described movies. It’s another film about a trio, but this one includes a sex-obsessed woman, a suicidally depressed man, and another guy that’s a wannabe tough guy. A series of circumstances results in them being taken prisoner by a gang, as they prepare for the final showdown with their rivals. Forget John Cena & company; THIS is the suicide squad you’ve been looking for.