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What would summer be without at least one trip to the beach? Truthfully, for me one trip is about enough. I have way too many childhood memories of sandy sandwiches and horrific sunburns. And from a swimming perspective, ever since I first saw “Jaws,” I’m strictly a pool man.

Film scholars may differ on the top Bogart-Bacall outing, but for me it’s their second film, “The Big Sleep” (1946), directed by the inimitable Howard Hawks. It is, first and foremost, the quintessential private eye picture, along with the earlier Bogart classic, “The Maltese Falcon” (1941). The film succeeds in spite of the fact that its dense, twisty plot leaves most viewers slightly bewildered at the closing credits.

To understand the power of “the cinema” in our past, and the comfort and escape it offered our forebears, we need only think back to the Great Depression, when many people would skip a meal to be able to afford going to the movies.

“England and America are two countries divided by a common language.” That famous quote is most often attributed to gifted playwright George Bernard Shaw, who was actually Irish. It’s not just witty but wise, containing a core truth. We’ve always had an innate curiosity about our cousins across the pond, because though we do share a language, we are different in so many other ways.

“There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.”

With warmer weather, our thoughts naturally turn to travel. We recall past excursions that helped form us and fantasize about adventures yet to come. Since Homer penned “The Odyssey” in the eighth century B.C., journeys have inspired a wealth of literature and art. Often a mission or quest is involved, though it may not be a conscious one. Quite often, voyages of discovery only reveal themselves after the fact.

A while back, we did a piece isolating some of the best, most biting dialogue from the world of film noir, that dark, often hidden underbelly of society portrayed in movies from the forties and fifties where no one can be trusted and everyone talks wise.

“Dying is easy, comedy-that’s hard.”

With the arrival of Spring and the sense of new beginnings, my contrarian spirit has me thinking about great endings. Great movie endings, to be precise.