Well, I'm just going to go with what I've seen this year so far, instead of just the summer. I hope that's alright.
Favorites:
5. Oceans (With Pierce Brosnan narrating, how can you go wrong? I'm a sucker for the world under the waves, and Oceans for the most part delivers. Sure, there's a lot of things we've seen before: the [necessary] Great White leaping out of the water to swallow the seal whole, the mommy and baby whale, penguins... but there's some great new discoveries as well, such as a fish that has never been filmed other than in this movie. Oceans reminds you that there's more out there than we could possibly imagine, and it's great to be part of the mystery.)
4.The Other Guys ("Aim for the Bushes?". And with that line, The Other Guys may have one of the funniest scenes I've seen for a long time. Ferrel and Wahlberg make for a surprisingly good team, and while the story isn't the strongest, it's the chemistry of the different characters that really drive this comedy home. Michael Keaton, and his TLC quotes, are hilarious. Eva Mendes' interactions wither her husband [Ferrel] are always a treat, and the cameos are well placed. Also, look out for a couple of goons that resemble some key characters in some Tarantino films...)
3. How to Train Your Dragon (This movie is probably the best example of feeling the exhiliration of flight I've ever seen in a movie. Riding along the clouds, soaring past the ocean... well, it's a wonderful feeling to see that. Plus, this is one of the few Post-Avatar movies to actually use 3D in a way that actually enhances the movie in a meaningful way. And while the story isn't the most drastic one [Romeo and Juliet complex of bringing two warring factions together through, in this case, friendship between a boy and a dragon.], it's timeless for a reason.)
2. Inception (Okay, I have to put this out there. Hans Zimmer has created one fantastic soundtrack for this movie. Check it out, and take a listen to "Time", it's just beautiful. Secondly, with this movie, I declare Christopher Nolan king of the modern day blockbuster. Like The Dark Knight, Nolan has created a movie that so many people can enjoy, and yet he's never held back from his inital direction for the movie. The climax for this movie is so incricate, so delicate... yet it all holds together under the immense pressure of the circumstances surrounding it. The movie bends, but never breaks... and the audience is at the edge of their seat for every moment of it. I never really saw it as a Sci-Fi movie, or even a Heist movie... just a great one.)
1. Toy Story 3 (To say that Pixar has done it again... well, they have done just that. Still, they've done so much more. To make it this far into a series of movies... three titles, and come out with even more magic and heart than the first two, now that's a feat of magic right there. It's a movie about many things, like brotherhood, hope, and a childlike joy... and you're always at the edge of your seat, anticipating every second.The final scene... well, it touches the heart in a way that few movies have ever done. Plus, the fact that this movie kicked Transformers 2 out of the top 10 hightest domestic grossing movies earns it bonus points as well.)
Most Disappointing/Blech:
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Another movie that is by no means bad, but just somewhat disappointing. I really [really] wanted to like this movie. I think Edgar Wright is brilliant for his directing roles in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. As a video game nerd I love the references in the movie, both subtle and in your face. Still, I could never fall in love with the movie. I think the movie was just too in love with itself to let me in. Doesn't really help that Michael Cera once again played himself. There's some great one liners, and some of the Evil Ex's are great [Chris Evan's was fantastic]... but other than that... I felt like I was listening to indie rock at a bowling alley. It's just there.)
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (Contains none of the imagination of the original. The deaths are bland, and the characters are yawn-worthy. Don't know why I even bothered...)
2. Alice in Wonderland (When you think of Tim Burton, you think of all the zany and off the wall ideas he comes up with. Wheny you think of Louis Carroll, you think of all of the zany and off the wall ideas that he comes up with too. Then how can Alice in Wonderland play it so safe? It's maddening at how this moive plays out like so many before it. Now, it's not necessarily a bad movie in the sense of the word... but when it comes to what could have been... Alice in Wonderland is my biggest disappointment so far this year. Also, Mr. Burton... the creature is called the Jabberwock. The piece of literature is called the Jabberwocky. How you got that wrong... well it's quite beyond me.)
1. Clash of the Titans (It's cheese, and it's not Gouda. Also, if Avatar is how to do 3D right, then this movie is the antithesis. I actually laughed at the sheer awfulness of some of the 3D effects [where he throws the coin into the water... ugh]. It's just... not a good movie... bad way to start off the summer.)
