summer movie lovin’

Well as we now enter the awkward teenage stage of the movie year sandwiched between the exciting fun of childhood (summer blockbusters) and the mature thought-stirring of adulthood (oscar buzzed flicks), I figured it was probably time to look back at what the summer brought in movies. So we’ll take a look at what I saw this summer in a few different areas and I’d love to see what you all think and saw that maybe I didn’t catch.

Best Animated Feature:
Wall-E
Does Pixar know how to fail? They are the most consistent moviemaking entity in the world. They have yet to make a flop or a failure. They have had some less that STELLAR efforts, but these movies are still great. I saw this on the big screen with my girlfriend Heather and it was most definitely worth the price of admission. I remember saying to her after we left the theater, “It’s amazing how much I cared about two robots, one of whom can barely speak.” And that’s what they did so well for me, is made the robots human and easy to identify with. It also offers a cautionary tale for our consumerist society, an extreme example of what could be our future. A barren dystopic vision is not what one thinks of when they think of an animated film, but it’s what you see when the film opens and the story of human evacuation unfolds and we meet our hero. But like I said, that’s not what really pleased me about this film, it was the humanity of even the robotic characters. Keep up the good work Pixar, can’t wait for UP!


Best Comedy:
Tropic Thunder
While I haven’t seen Pineapple Express, I feel I can safely say that Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer. The film works on two different levels and is Ben Stiller’s best production in years. First off you have the basic madcap comedy that the script and situation bring. But it also is a really great look at Hollywood archetypes: action hero, stupid comic, and serious method actor. Great performances from Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. as the headliners only add to the film’s overall hilarity. And let’s be honest any movie that can help revive Tom Cruise’s career is worth a look, and Cruise is an ace in his limited role. See this movie.

Best Comic Book Movie:
Iron Man
Now before anyone says “What about The Dark Knight?” Hold your horses, we’ll get there. I am speaking specifically in regards to what was the best comic movie of the summer and for me it was Iron Man. Downey Jr. again offers a stellar performance as he makes a pompous playboy into a character worth so much more. This, to date, is the best superhero origin film as Tony Stark’s transformation is palpable and meaningful. We are given a believable and identifiable gallery of villains, from terrorists to power-hungry corporate executives. I can remember leaving the theater and thinking “That rocked.” It had everything a comic book movie should, a heroic turn from the star, villains to hate, great action, and JUST enough over the top reality. Take note, IM2 will be hitting theaters in 2010!

Best DVD Rentals:
King of California, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
King of California- This was a pleasant surprise for me actually and a movie I’m not sure is getting the press it should. The story is fun, the performances are strong, and this movie just makes you feel good. Here’s a quick synopsis, Michael Douglas plays a father who is recently released from a mental institution and moves back with his teenage daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). We quickly find out that the father, while institutionalized, discovered a diary which details the whereabouts of a treasure long hidden. The movie follows the two of them as they search for the treasure and each other in a new dynamic. Really great little film, that just leaves you feeling good. Definitely worth a rent.

Walk Hard- Judd Apatow’s only real “failure” at the box office. It should have a good run on DVD. This movie is hilarious, John C. Reilly (Cal Naughton Jr from Talladega Nights) should be a star and after seeing this you will know why. Walk Hard is a sendup of the recent spate of musical biopics like Walk the Line, Ray, and Dreamgirls. Reilly plays the lead character Dewey Cox and really is dynamite throughout. It’s unfortunate that it did so poorly at the box office because it may deter big film companies from investing in Reilly. It chronicles the fake troubador’s life ripping on all of the conventions of these musical movies, complete with songs written for the movie, which caused me to laugh out loud. The movie’s hits don’t stop and the ending is a joyous occasion. If you haven’t yet, make a point to check this one out.

Best Film
The Dark Knight
See I told you we’d get there! Now the distinction I’m making here is that Iron Man was a straight comic book and The Dark Knight was just so much more. There’s not much more that I can say that hasn’t already been said. This movie is a FORCE. It blows up the expectations of a comic book movie and moves out of that frame entirely. Heather Ledger’s performance as the Joker is excellent as you know unless you’ve been combing yetis in the Himalayas for the last 2 months. Aaron Eckhart has a powerful role and Christian Bale’s Batman is good, but his Bruce Wayne is better; but what really stuck out for me beyond Ledger was Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon. He is understated, conflicted, and powerful, the monologue he gives to close the film is spine-tingling and I think it’s worth a note that this is the same guy who plays Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies. Could he look much more different? An excellent turn in an excellent movie. The acting is top notch, but they would be nothing without the story being told. A conflicting movie which pits good vs. evil and then asks what is good and what is evil? It blurs lines, creates questions, answers some and then drops your jaw. It calls into question the power of one man and the unstoppable forces he must attempt to quell. Pushing the limits of good and evil is the heart of comic canon, no matter the hero and villain, and this movie attacks the question of limits in a wholly terrifying manner. There is just so much in this movie that’s good it’s hard for me to fit without running very long on this post. So suffice it to say, The Dark Knight is incredible. It’s daunting and has totally redefined expectations for what the future of summer blockbusters can bring. This is a must see.

Well that’s what I’ve got for summer movies, I’m looking forward to the adulthood of movies, but it doesn’t create that same type of excitement as those first summer blockbusters do. I’m sure we’re in for some good stuff, it’s just not as much fun. How excited are you for the “Award Season Movies?”