AN EVIL BEAR WHO SMELLS OF STRAWBERRIES: The summer movie season is just about over, and having still not seen Inception I can count the number of truly awesome summer movies I've seen this year on one finger: Toy Story 3. Everything else disappointed me in one way or another -- Dinner for Schmucks and Iron Man 2, especially, given the talent involved -- and the second-best movie experience I had this summer was probably when I finally saw Adventureland on cable.
Hopefully, you've got better things to report. [Last year's summer movie round-up is here.]
And, seriously, next time AFI or anyone else does a Greatest Screen Villains list, Lots-O'-Huggin'
Bear has to make the list. That's Oscar-quality work from Ned Beatty.
The only movie I really liked this summer was "The Other Guys," which had me laughing consistently. "Inception" had its moments, and entertained me for two and a half hours, and I liked the ending, but it ultimately fell short of great; "Toy Story 3" just bored me. Hate hate hated "Iron Man 2," which I wish I could have walked out of; I did walk out of "Despicable Me"; all the good moments of "Cyrus" are in the trailer. "Kick Ass" was acceptable, but I'm not going to see it a second time.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Inception and The Kids are Alright. The Mormon Proposition was okay, but could have been better. Girl Who Played with Fire was a disappointment after Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Didn't see anything else...
ReplyDeleteYeah, it has not been a strong year thus far. Salt was a'ight, but I would have appreciated an actual enidng rather than something that felt like an ending for a TV pilot. Also, I think "A-Team" was underrated--I was not a huge fan of the series, but it was ludicrous action done with its tongue planted firmly in cheeck, in contast with "Expendibles," which has all the ludicrousness with none of the humor.
ReplyDeleteI admired Kids are All Right, in part for not beating us over the head with a political statement when it would have been very easy to do so, and the performances are all top notch, but I felt that it didn't quite fully connect with me.
ReplyDeleteAgree that Lotso is al all-time great villain, and I feel the need to add that the stuffed Lotsos you buy from Disney actually smell like strawberries, and the smell has not worn off after 2 months. It is highly disturbing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I still need to see Kids Are All Right. Duly noted.
ReplyDeleteSummer pix I dug (besides TS3): Winter's Bone, the even-more-restored Metropolis...and that might be it. Inception was a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI just saw Scott Pilgrim this weekend and loved it. Also loved Piranha, but that's not for everyone and the 3-D was awful. I liked Inception and loved TS3, but that's about all the movies I've managed to see this summer. Oh, I saw Prince of Persia, which was brainless and had a very nice assist from Jake Gyllenhall's hair.
ReplyDeleteThat is terrifying. The smell hasn't even tapered a little?
ReplyDeleteLoved Toy Story 3, and really liked The Kids Are All Right. Inception was cool, but won't stay with me past this summer.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, nothing. "Eat Pray Love" was pretty bad, and I say that as a lifelong Julia Roberts fan. Despicable Me was just okay. I can remember three or four times this summer when I felt like seeing a movie but there was nothing out I wanted to see. Really looking forward to fall movies.
I liked Inception, but don't know that I loved it. TS3 was great. Contra Ted, I really enjoyed Despicable Me. And Scott Pilgrim was probably the most fun I've had in a movie theater in a long time.
ReplyDeleteI also saw Scott Pilgrim this weekend and loved it, so that's three for me (TS3, Inception).
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering to what extent this summer's cruddy movies were partially the last linger of the WGA strike. That strike ran November 2007-February 2008, which seems to me to be the preproduction/script time for movies that would be coming out now, certainly big movies with a lot of lead time involved.
ReplyDeleteToy Story 3 was the only great movie I saw this summer as well, but I also enjoyed The Kids Are All Right, Scott Pilgrim and even The Switch quite a bit. And I found Cyrus interesting as well, though it was kinda cringe-inducing. I would have enjoyed The Kids Are All Right even more if the overwhelmingly positive reviews hadn't given me unrealistic expectations going in.
ReplyDeleteAll right, I will make sure I succeed at being productive on my baby quilt making this week and see inception on wednesday or thursday. I want to be sure I see it in theatres because it won't be as moderately cool as I hear it is on my tv.
ReplyDeleteVery little. There was also a talking one available, but it was way to creepy to have in the house.
ReplyDeleteSaw and loved TS3, Inception and The Tillman Story. Looking forward to seeing Scott Pilgrim and perhaps The Other Guys, but a very weak summer overall.
ReplyDeleteNot being too hard to please, I've enjoyed most of the films I've seen this summer, and I've seen quite a few. Ramona and Beezus was number one for me. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed TS3. Ironman 2 was excellent....especially since it was the first (non-midnight) matinee of the day and the theater was loaded with geeks. Robin Hood was probably the best Robin Hood movie I've seen thus far. A-team was exactly what I expected/wanted from an A-team movie. Inception was enthralling once, but obligated to go a second time, I was a bit bored. I wouldn't have seen Despicable Me except my brother said it was fun, and I have to agree. And I had a good time at Letters to Juliet, Karate Kid, Knight and Day, and Eclipse.
ReplyDeleteSalt was passable, and I agree with Matt about the ending.
The Last Airbender....easily my least favorite film of the summer and the biggest disappointment.
There are a couple of movies that I want to see and have not yet (Despicable Me and The Kids Are All Right). Iron Man 2 was okay, but not as good as it should have been. I had some serious issues with Inception. Set aside that there do seem to be some serious holes in the theory and plot, there is something about the editing that (to me) went for showy at the expense of comprehensibility. When you're confused as to which dudes in the matching outfits are your dudes and which are the other dudes (or some such), it makes it even harder to concentrate on the plot and theory of the movie and to develop any reason to care for the characters. And that's just my big problem with the movie.
ReplyDeleteSo: it leaves TS3 as easily the best movie that I saw this summer. Really, it wasn't even close.
I'm with you on A-Team. I never really watched the show, so I didn't care about that aspect. I just liked that it was kind of an old-fashioned action movie. Cool stuff blowing up, funny lines, and some American bad guys without being actually anti-American. I really hate it when movies that are essentially brainless entertainment try to make a political statement.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I still say that although Iron Man 2 didn't have that surprising thrill of the first one, it still was a hell of a movie.
Winters Bone is the best movie I've seen this summer (well, I saw 8 1/2 and the new Metropolis at a revival theater but they don't really count for this. I don't know if it's lingering in any theaters, but it's like Veronica Mars meets Breaking Bad in the Ozarks.
ReplyDeleteThe most fun I've had at the theater all summer was Piranha 3D, which is very over-the-top but obviously not for everyone. (Although! I don't like horror movies and I liked this one.)
Otherwise, Inception, TS3, The Kids Are All Right are my other highlights.
Haven't seen inception yet, but otherwise the best movie I saw over the summer was Toy Story 3, while my favorite was Scott Pilgrim.
ReplyDeleteMissed out on a lot of this summer, but I Am Love was fantastic once it finally made it to the US. Tilda Swinton is great, the settings are lovely, the story pretty damn good. Slight issues with the music thrusting itself to the front of the movie, but besides that it's definitely worth seeing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll just note that this is a discomfort expressed by someone who chose the handle "Gobo," and who I'm guessing therefore has a high tolerance for puppet-like creatures! :)
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who couldn't stand Scott Pilgrim? I wanted to punch every single one of those characters in the face. Repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteMissed TS3 and so I can't comment but Inception, Mother and Child and Kickass for me. But the most surprising one was Knight and Day. It had a lightness of touch, deft storytelling and delivered on all fronts. I can stand up and say I don't like Tom Cruise but I do like Tom Cruise movies.
ReplyDeleteTo your comment @bellawifer I do understand the need to punch but was so captivated by the craftsmanship in the film that I kind of ignored all problems related to characterisation.