Saving the Best for Last?
As we soon head into the final full month of summer, I find myself reflecting on what seasonal cinematic offerings have thus far lured me into the theaters these past few months, and whether or not they represent hours of my life I wish I could but never will get back.
I’m actually a little surprised (or am I?) by how infrequently I’ve seen something on the big screen this summer. Maybe it has something to do with having a busy schedule or dedicating a big chunk of my free time to watching the entire Battlestar Galactica series and two seasons of True Blood in the luxury of my home? Or maybe I’ve been a bit more selective when deciding what I’m interested in seeing; patiently waiting for the seemingly endless string of sequels, or re-makes, or films inspired by old television shows, or cartoons, etc…to leave the multiplexes, making room for material that is at the very least fresh, and with any luck entertaining and/or thought provoking. Yes, this seems to be the case for me. How about you?
The summer, and by that I mean Hollywood’s definition of the season (as in beginning in May), started off promisingly enough. First out of the gate was Iron Man 2 (May 7) with audiences ($310 million domestically to date) and critics (73% on Rotten Tomatoes) alike giving the flick a big thumbs up. I, too (2?), enjoyed Iron Man 2 and hoped that it was reflective of the quality, or at least entertainment value, of the balance of blockbusters waiting in the wings.
IRON MAN 2
But it became pretty clear with the release of the VERY disappointing and pointless Sex and the City 2 (read my review) and the not very well received Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time flicks that Iron Man 2 was actually the exception to the rule.
Most films released in June had little to no appeal to me: Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Karate Kid, The A-Team, Knight & Day, and Jonah Hex to name more than a few. I did see Toy Story 3 (June 18) though and thoroughly enjoyed it. But as was the case with Iron Man 2 the month before, Toy Story 3 represented a water drop of sizzle in a sea of fizzle.
TOY STORY 3
I took most of the last two weeks off from work in order to (a) do some much needed clothes shopping, (b) hang out with friends and (c) check out some potentially worthwhile films. I’m glad that I did. July has been the most rewarding of months in terms of movie-going. Hmmm…maybe the studios are saving the best for last in hopes that memorable films will not be forgotten in the fall when Oscar talk officially begins?
Of course, Inception, was one of the films I saw; in fact it was at an advance screening, thereby protecting me from being impacted by all of the (worthy) hype surrounding the film’s release. As I wrote on my Facebook page at the time: “Can I just say how refreshing it is to see a summer blockbuster that actually encourages you to use your brain? Top 10 of 2010 contender, for sure”. And it’s true. Sure, there’s a time and a place to leave your brain at the door when watching a film but it shouldn’t be ALL of the time, I think you’ll agree.
INCEPTION
The other two films I saw, and recommend, are as follows: The Kids Are All Right, with shoe-in Oscar contenders Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and (sexy) Mark Ruffalo; and the very atmospheric well acted Sundance winner, Winter’s Bone, which was actually released in June but I didn’t get the opportunity to see it until July. Don’t be surprised if young actress Jennifer Lawrence gets a Best Actress nod from Oscar.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
WINTER'S BONE
So it looks like there have been some direct hits and misses with this summer’s movie releases. I wonder what August has in store for audiences? Will the season end with a bang or a whimper?
Cheerio,
S.R.
