Summer Movie Round Up

I went to see what will most likely be my last summer movie today, and it got me thinking: I haven’t posted a single thought about it on 4RC. Shame on me.

Wolverine *
I really liked the first two X-Men films, but the third was completely lost on me. Wolverine started off with one of the best opening montage sequence since The Watchmen. After that, it jumped around, and by the time film ended, I just didn’t care anymore.

Star Trek ****
I have mixed feelings about this film. TOS has a particularly special place in my inner geek, and part of me was sad to see that they made a TOS film that was better than five of the other TOS movies. I approached this movie fully expecting to kinda like it, but not love it. But J.J. breathed life into my childhood heroes and proves one of my friends favorite sayings: “it’s all about the story.”

Terminator Salvation ***
I think that after Seth Rogan, Christian Bale must be the hardest working man in Hollywood. I went into this film with a chip on my shoulder: the Sarah Conner Chronicles had just been canceled. Maybe that was why the film seemed to take forever to hook me. In the end, I didn’t really like John Conner – I don’t think he was meant to be liked. He had this weird destiny to play: he had to protect Kyle Reese long enough to send him back in time. Throw into the mix a new Good Guy Terminator and the appearance of the 80’s Arnold Terminator made for a big finale.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian **
I took one of daughters on a date to see this movie. It was so puny that I laughed all the way through. Not very deep, but was a laugh a minute. The humor was corny, which was a relief – so many kid movies today are simply 90 minutes of Fart and Booger jokes.

Pixar’s Up ****
Does this movie REALLY have the company’s name as part of the title? I did not like Wally or Ratatouille. But Up caught me by surprise at is a very tender film about an old man fulfilling a dream that he shared with his departed wife. I wasn’t expecting to cry in this film. Excellent all around.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
The film that made me mad at marketing. A solid PG-13, this film’s marketing targeted kids. With “ghetto” robots, a mom strung out on hash brownies, the main character being seduced by a hottie Decepticon. I could go on, but I have already let it go. The film was ok otherwise.

Bruno *
When Bhorat came out, it was so over the top that I could not believe that they got away with what they did. I was hoping Bruno would be the same, but it did not feel as authentic as the first film. It was very offensive, but, that’s kind of the point. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that funny (which was the point).

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince *
It had to happen: a Harry Potter film that I did not like. But, this could have been because of the baby that was crying behind me. Either way, they made it a much somber film to reflect the darkening tone of the books. But, I think what was lacking for me was the absence of fun. The book also had a somber mood, but, it was still a fun visit to the Potter Verse. Some things felt like they should have had a bigger punch (e.g. Malfoy and Snape and Dumbledore) that just did not pay off.

District 9 ****
This was a special movie for me. It was low budget film, a leading star that I had never heard of, a director I had never heard of, and the creative backing of Peter Jackson and Company. It reminded me of films from the 80s that only I really liked (e.g. Buckaroo Banzai) – but this film was really smart. It plays like a pseudo documentary, but more in the style of The Office than the “found footage” gimmicks of Blair Witch or Cloverfield. And like the office, they break the rules for the supposed documentary crew and you hardly question it (seriously, they were filming that?). For a science fiction film, this was refreshing.

Inglorious Basterds ***
The truth about QT is that I can either take or leave his movies. Generally, I enjoy them while at the theater, but quickly forget them. But, the thing that makes a QT flick is how psychopathic everyone tends to be. Usually, the psychosis is masked in dialog, but, the entire time, you have this knowing in the back of your mind that this will end very, very badly. For IG, I point to the meeting in the Bar Basement. Unfortunately, the last two chapters started to feel rushed, and I felt like that I was missing something.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra ***
I debated about seeing this film on screen. I played with the Vietnam error G.I. Joes when they were twelve inch figures, but gave them up around 3rd grade (I believe that Bullet Man was the last one I had). The 80’s Joes became considerably smaller, but had a cartoon that meant a lot to kids growing up in those days. So, all that to say, I had no investment in the 80’s Joes, so I had no expectations to live up to. Honestly, after Transformers, I wanted to pass on this. And, I am glad I did not. The difference between Transformers and G.I. Joe was that the latter embraced what it was – a cartoon brought to life. The action was big, the equipment looked like toys brought to life, the characters two dimensional, and the fun was amped up to 11 (although they only sustained about a five throughout).