TOP FIVE FILMS OF THE SUMMER
Almost everyone likes to make a big deal about how bad movies are (I am most definitely one of them), but when you sit down and actually take a look, things aren't that awful. Sure, TRANSFORMERS 2: Revenge of the Fallen made $800 billion and so did GI JOE and blah blah blah. But there were also some great and even ground breaking films. I don't think 2009 will have the same impact of 1999 (look at the films that came out that year and you'll be blown away), but it's been a good year so far.So I've decided to make a list of my top five favorite films of the summer. Before I start counting down, let me say this, I DIDN'T see the three big indies of the summer: 500 Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, and Moon. I know that this is unforgivable but shit happens and life goes on. Had I seen those films, I have no doubt one or two or all three would have made the list. So for now, let's just say these are my top five films of the summer BESIDES those films.
You can read my entire review here, but I just want to say again this movie was freaking awesome. Sam Raimi's return to form couldn't have come at a better time and it couldn't have come with a better film. DRAG ME TO HELL is the perfect summer horror film. It's as fun as it is disgusting and it's as scary as it is ridiculous. I haven't had such a fun time at the theatre since SLiTHER and it makes me wish our old buddy Sam would forget about that guy in the Spider suit.
I'm no Trekie, but I can say I've seen every Star Trek film and watched every episode of The Next Generation, so I at least have a little background in this area. But what makes JJ Abrams STAR TREK such a great flick is the fact that you don't even need to know what Star Trek is. What's better is if you hate the franchise, this movie will make you a believer. Chris Pine was the bad ass everyone wanted young Kirk to be and while Zachary Quinto looked pretty lame in all the production photos, he was a total ass kicker in the film. Kirk and Spock never looked so cool which is quite the feat considering most people on earth thought they NEVER looked cool.
As a die hard fan of Quentin Tarantino, I've been waiting ten years for this film. Did it disappoint? Not in the least. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was everything I wanted it to be and more. But I have to say, QT writes his scripts as if you are watching the film and having read the Basterds script last summer, I felt like I had already seen the movie. But that doesn't matter. Seeing Hans Landa come to life was as sweet as a good strudel. Eli Roth surprised even me (a HUGE Roth fan). And then there was the ending. The ending to the film (which I honestly consider to be the greatest ending to any film of all time) was better in the theaters than it was in the script...and that's simply awesome.
DISTRICT 9 may be the most influential and groundbreaking film in ten years. Is it the new MATRIX? Maybe. But one thing is for sure, this movie was face melting. It's easily one of the most intense films I have ever seen but somewhere along the line I remember laughing. The aliens were disgusting and looked real, but I definitely remember loving them. And the social observations through the science fiction medium were like a breath of fresh air. Some believe this film will change the industry. It won't. But if there were more movies like DISTRICT 9, the world would be a cooler place.
How the hell could DISTRICT 9 be number TWO and not number ONE?! What is number one, you ask? Wait for it...wait for it....
That's right. THE BROTHERS BLOOM is not only my favorite movie of the summer but one of my favorite films in the past ten years. If you missed it in the theaters in the early summer, you are in for a treat when it comes out on DVD and Blu Ray at the end of September. The reason this film is so good is because it has everything you could ever want from a movie. It has heart, it has tension, it has love, it has action, it has people who wear cool clothes, it has con men....the list goes on. It's the type of movie that not only makes you smile but it makes you feel intelligent. It doesn't tell you a story, you experience the story. When the movie starts, you want to be friends with Stephen and Bloom and by the end of the film, you are. The film's writer and director Rian Johnson is, without a doubt, the best writer working today and I never thought I'd say that while Quentin Tarantino was still alive. But there is just something in Johnson's words that separates him from the rest of the world. Like a musician, his words come alive and refresh your spirit like water to a dying plant. And unlike most gifted writers, Johnson has an eye to match his pen. His visual style is unique, stylized and hip without trying to make his movie unique, stylized and hip. There are a lot of auteurs in this world, but no one has me more excited than Johnson. His next film LOOPER is a science fiction film which I'm DYING to know more about. If BRICK was a detective movie and THE BROTHER'S BLOOM is a con man movie, I can. not. wait. to see what his science fiction movie is going to be. Until then, I'm keeping THE BROTHERS BLOOM on repeat in my DVD player.
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