So this was a pretty successful summer as far as movies go. There were some misses, but overall I kept going back to the theater week after week and was not disappointed. Now that Labor Day has come and gone, the summer blockbusters are also sadly done. We will have to wait until next year for what could possibly be even greater than this year, with the new Harry Potter, Transformers 2, Watchmen (!!! I hope...), G.I. Joe, Dragonball, Akira (maybe?). Too many to name but it could be insane. Before I can look ahead to next summer, I have to reflect on this one. The best movies of the summer. Another top 5 list...a couple honorable mentions are Hancock (I continue to believe that Peter Berg is one of the best working writer/directors) and Step Brothers which was hilarious. Much funnier than the two other big budget comedies, Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder.
#5 Hellboy 2Great follow up the the first one. I thought the story was great but really, it was the visuals that did it for me. It might be one of the most imaginative, colorful, alive atmosphere I have ever seen on film. I have seen some great special effects before, but Del Toro is a master at them and really gave this movie every thing he had.
#4 Hamlet 2Just barely got in before Labor Day, but this movie was hilarious. Not actually a sequel to Hamlet, but about a guy who writes a musical called Hamlet 2. Steve Coogan is hilarious throughout and the rest of the cast is just as funny though I can't help but wish my boy David Arquette had more lines. Probably the most fulfilling comedy of the summer. Definitely should be this years little Indie that could. Go see it! It's still expanding into more theaters and should be out for a while.
#3 The Dark KnightI know, I know... #3? But the more I see it, the more I like Batman Begins better. Don't get me wrong. I loved the movie. I think Heath Ledger gave one of the greatest villain performances (or any performance for that matter) of our generation. He
was The Joker. It was crazy good. But the story had so much going on, and yet not a whole lot at all. I thought they could have almost made two different movies out of this. I think the Two Face story line suffered a little bit because of the need to end that one and The Joker. No need to explain or recap, I'm sure you've all seen it at least once. I loved this movie, but it wasn't the best of the summer.
#2 Wall-eWaaaAAAAAAllll-EEeeee, indeed. What a great movie. In my book this is an oscar contender for best movie, not just best animated. It was great. Kind of amazing actually. If you haven't seen it, it might be playing in some theater near you. Go see it. Pixar continues to blow me away with great movies. I actually can't think of another studio that only puts out classics every time they release something. It's insane. Great characters, great story, great everything.
#1 Iron ManMy favorite movie in forever. I was so hyped for this movie it was almost impossible to live up to my expectations, but somehow it surpassed them. It was perfect. I could have had a little better final battle, but I can't complain. The rest of the story was amazing. It held true to the comic even though it updated a little. I thought Terrance Howard could have done a little more to be like James Rhodes but hopefully he'll have that chance in Iron Man 2. Much better story and acting than The Dark Knight. I thought Robert Downey Jr. was as much Tony Stark as Heath Ledger was The Joker. Probably not an Oscar nod for Jr. but it was still something special. It comes out on dvd in a few weeks so if you never saw it in theaters, pick it up on dvd.
Anyways, I'm out. You probably don't agree but I've seen about every movie worth seeing this summer (though I lived in Michigan for most of the summer so I missed some indie releases that I feel would have made this list like Son of Rambow or The Promotion). Well, that's it. Go big...
-M, p, z & shredder
oh ps - Entourage ruled last night. I like where it's headed. I was worried after last season but it seems to have gotten back on track. Also that new series True Blood is awesome.
