The 2011 Summer Movie Season is over…for me, at least.
It’s still hot as hell, but we’ve seen the last of the big, loud, summer blockbusters. Emphasis on blockbusters, because the dregs of August like Fright Night and Conan the Barbarian aren’t blockbusters.
So what better time to go back and look at what was good, bad, and just okay.
The good was good, going on great. Case in point: we got a Terrence Malick movie. The Tree of Life was a fall/winter release that just so happened to pop up in late May. It challenged moviegoers and ended up infuriating a majority of them (which led to this beautiful disclaimer that one movie theater had to post up).
Another sign of a good summer: the best Woody Allen movie in years. Midnight in Paris is a wonderful movie and it’s astonishing that it was released the same weekend as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Who The Hell Cares. Allen’s newest does what all films should do, which is ignite the imagination and takes us somewhere only movies can take us. The same can not be said about 80% of all movies out there.
Switching over to the bad and mediocre movies of the summer; they were lazy, frustrating, and sometimes majorly disappointing. The biggest failure of the summer was Super 8. The one question I keep asking myself when I think about the movie is: why?…sigh.
Here’s a rundown of all the films I’ve seen this past summer:
The Good
- Midnight in Paris – Great movie. It’s Woody Allen’s best since Vicky, Christina, Barcelona. I love the fantastical aspect of the movie. It reminds me of his Purple Rose of Cairo, which is an incredible little movie. In Midnight… Owen Wilson does a great job of “doing Allen”, without making it sound hokey or a caricature. It stands, at the moment, as my favorite movie of the year. (4 out of 4)
- The Tree of Life – Amazing. A movie that definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s cerebral and filled with beautiful imagery. For those with the will-power to sit through and appreciate what it’s trying to say, it’s an amazing accomplishment from a visionary of a director. (3 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes – The biggest surprise of the summer, in my opinion. There was some stunning CGI work in the film, the best I’ve seen in years. Also it’s quite something when I care more about the ape characters than I do the human ones. This is the District 9 of the year. A sci-fi movie that opens up the imagination and engulfs me in the storytelling. (3 out of 4)
- Bridesmaids – The funniest movie of the summer. Thankfully, it’s not a The Hangover rip-off (like The Hangover: Part II was), but a very funny movie with a great cast. It may be unfocused at times, but it still brings the comedy. (3 out of 4)
- Attack the Block – There’s is a lot to like about the movie. Its big problem is it tries to be too much like an Edgar Wright movie without being an Edgar Wright movie. But, the effects, music, editing, and story (thin as it may be) still kept me thoroughly entertained all the way through. (3 out of 4)
- X-Men: First Class – Good going on great. I’m in need of a second viewing to see if the movie is just as good as I think it is. Michael Fassbender is outstanding as Magneto, and the big fault of the movie was him not being in it more. (3 out of 4)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – A very well done finale. Emotional and action-packed; it was a satisfying end to an overall good movie series. It made me care for certain characters that I didn’t care too much for previously. (3 out of 4)
- Friends with Benefits – Better than I expected. From the director of Easy A comes a movie that I like almost as much as Easy A (which I loved). One thing that stood out was the on-location scenes that showcased some beautiful New York City locales. The story is a little on-the-nose but it handles the subject matter with enough brain and heart to separate itself from the regular rom-coms. (3 out of 4)
- Crazy, Stupid, Love. – I’m enjoying the current trend of romantic comedies (Friends with Benefits included). Smart, clever, and original. My only big problem with the movie is that it becomes too “convenient” for its own good. (2 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Captain America: The First Avenger – Campy and explosive fun. Kinda messy but overall good. Made me care for the lead character and it got me excited for the further adventures of Captain America (and The Avengers). (2 & 1/2 out of 4)
The Acceptable
- Fast Five – Surprisingly entertaining. Especially when you look at the other films in the series. It contains the best blockbuster action of the year. It succeeds in the brainless, adrenaline-fueled carnage, but it lacks in the logic and storytelling department (no surprise there). (2 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Horrible Bosses – One of the better comedies of the summer. It was entertaining enough and it had a lot going for it. It has an incredible cast; Jason Bateman and Jamie Foxx being the standouts. And a good original story; Strangers on a Train meets The Hangover. It doesn’t go as far as it should and plays it too nice at times. (2 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3D – Good visuals and good use of 3D; awful storytelling. Better than the second, at least. (2 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Bad Teacher – A quasi-remake of Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant. I enjoyed the fact that Cameron Diaz’s character went over the edge at times and didn’t pay for her sins in the least. All that being said, it was still just an okay comedy with the potential of something better. (2 out of 4)
The Bad and Disappointing
- Thor in 3D – This is one of the movies that turned me completely off on 3D. In 3D it was too damn dark and nothing really popped off screen. Really, nothing else popped off screen. The action was okay, the characters were flat, and the plot was filled with too much of the less-interesting Earth side plot. Too much “meh” for a Marvel movie. (2 out of 4)
- The Hangover: Part II – Same movie as the first The Hangover. I say about 60% of the movie was recycled. Was this an intentional, ballsy move from the filmmakers? A take on the sequels and remakes out there? A grander experiment in what the audience expects and what the filmmaker can deliver? …I didn’t care. (2 out of 4)
- Super 8 – Okay…this movie has no right being as mediocre as it is. I dozed off during the final act, which says a lot. (2 out of 4)
- Green Lantern – It was okay enough to sit through, but it’s nothing to revisit and it’s nothing to be excited for. (1 & 1/2 out of 4)
- 30 Minutes or Less – Disappointing. The leads are naturally funny people in real life but they are so constricted by the lame plot that it all ends up being a lost cause. Pineapple Express is the kind of fun, exciting movie that the people behind 30 Minutes or Less were aiming for but they fail miserably. (1 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Cowboys & Aliens - This is how not to do an alien invasion movie. This is the kind of summer blockbuster that gets ruined by its many writers. Convoluted and sporadic. I didn’t care for anything onscreen. What a waste of both Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. (1 & 1/2 out of 4)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 3D – I defended the last two movies, but I couldn’t defend this. Boring, boring, boring. Overblown and unfocused. Only one minute is worth watching. One solitary minute. (1 out of 4)
Advertisement
