There is something sweet and savory in the oven, a playlist of movies queued up via old-school DVDs, and the party lights are on for a mandatory dance session. Here is your guide to the best summer night with friends:

The Treats

If you like it sweet— homemade smoothie bowls. It’s like ice cream but healthy and the toppings are just as fun.

If you like it salty— try a margarita pizza. It’s light and easy and perfect for summer. Plus who doesn’t like pizza?

The Movies

If you want to laugh:

Stranger than Fiction: the perfect reminder that life is messy and unpredictable. It’ll make you laugh and cry, and will touch your heart in a meaningful way.
Lady Bird: a coming of age, emotional cyclone that is as endearing as it is “clutching-the-sides-of-your-stomach-funny.”
The Birdcage: A classic Robin Williams movie, that will have you laughing from start to end. Quite possibly a manifesto for the queer millennial.

If you want to cry:

Steel Magnolias: stock up on the tissues for Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, and Sally Field in all their glory.
Million Dollar Baby: a female boxer and an aging trainer…..oh plus Morgan Freeman. This move is heart-wrenching but inspiring, and the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank is pure chemistry.
American Animals: I remember leaving the movie theater with my friend completely balling after this film. Also, I am obsessed with Evan Peters. “Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen are four friends who live an ordinary existence in Kentucky. After a visit to Transylvania University, Lipka comes up with the idea to steal the rarest and most valuable books from the school's library. As one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history starts to unfold, the men question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives are simply misguided attempts at achieving the American dream.”

If you want to scream:

Tyrel: Bilge Ebiri from the NYT put it best, “The stranger the movie gets, the more accurate Tyrel feels.” If you loved Get Out, you will love this one.
Rosemary’s Baby: High-class horror at its finest.
Suspiria: Watch the newest version with Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton, before you watch the 1978 version because it might be confusing. Don’t worry— it’s just as scary.

The Music (Albums):

some like it hot (and sweaty):

some want to sing along:

photo at the title belongs to me

The Best Summer Night