The Best of Summer
September 2nd 2008 04:19
As Labor Day Weekend draws to a close, we all brace ourselves for the changes that come with the end of summer. Students get ready for school, families pack up the beach house and movie enthusiasts wait patiently for the holiday blockbusters. In my time thinking back on the days I wasted this summer, I couldn't help remember some of the movies that really stood out to me. In the coming months, as the winter seeps in and your DVD player gets more action, keep a look out of the following films that really made a mark for me this summer.
Top Movies of the Summer (Starting June 1st)
10. Bottle Shock
"Bottle Shock" came with no fanfare and was overlooked by many, however, those who went to see it no doubt came out pleasantly entertained. Shot constantly under the California sunlight, the movie tells the true story of the burgeoning Napa Valley vineyards in the 1970s as they worked to be taken seriously in the world of international wine. When they are given the opportunity to place their wines in a blind taste test against the renowned French wines, they can finally see whether their hard work will earn them some semblance of respect. With strong performances from Alan Rickman and Chris Pine, as well as capable turns from Freddy Rodriguez and Bill Pullman, the story draws us in as it unfolds. Mix in countless minutes of sunlight and vineyards and you have a strong and warm summer movie.
9. Baby Mama
I've always been a Tina Fey fan. I thought she was smart and clever on SNL and proved her merit as an actress and writer on the very witty and successful "30 Rock," In "Baby Mama" she plays a successful businesswoman who hires an unknown female to be her surrogate mother. Hilarity no doubt ensues. While not containing the amount of laughs that some of the summer heavyweights did, Poehler, who plays the surrogate, and Fey have great chemistry and make for a fun comedic duo.
8. The Wackness
Another completely underground summer hit, "The Wackness" tells the story of a high school senior growing up in NYC in 1995 amidst his parents financial struggle, his first experience with love and the rise of Notorious B.I.G. to rap superstardom. While the soundtrack alone, filled with hits from Biggie, Nas and the Wu Tang Clan, kept me locked into the movie, it was the coming-of-age story with a twist that left me satisfied. Josh Peck, who plays main character Luke Shapiro, carries the role off with a great mix of awkward shyness and witty bravado. For anybody who grew up during this time, the music, culture and dialogue are so rooted in the time period that you are immediately brought back to your own childhood. A great find.
7. Transsiberian
A clever Brad Anderson thriller starring Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson as two American tourists who run into trouble when they meet potential drug mules aboard the Transsiberian train. Things really pick up when the two characters becomes train roommates with Russian police officer Ben Kingsley (also in "The Wackness"). Harrelson is magnificent as a train-obsessed, socially awkward husband and Eduardo Noriega is equally compelling as one of the suspected mules. Brad Anderson deftly moves the story forward while keeping the tension until the last minute.
6. The Rocker
Some people are not fans of Rainn Wilson, I am not one of these people. I am a huge supporter of his work on "The Office" and his role in "The Rocker" is more of the same. He plays faded drum star, Fish, who is pulled into his nephews bands as a replacement and takes them to rock stardom that they hadn't imagined at first. I went in expecting a comedy wrapped around a feel-good story, but I got a movie that was complete with several moments that had me laughing out loud hysterically. Teddy Geiger, who plays the bands lead singer supplies the soundtrack that is upbeat and very catchy.
5. Tropic Thunder
While I was not as impressed with Ben Stiller's latest as I had expected to be after all the hype, it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. It missed the mark at times being more of an action movie than a comedy, but exceptional performances by Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. hold the movie together throughout. Anybody at all in the know regarding the workings of Hollywood inner circles will find hilarity in smaller moments, but others will no doubt enjoy moments of Stiller's overly fierce lead or Jack Blacks over-the-top comedic star.
4. Hellboy 2
Most Sci-Fi movies only cater to small segments of the American public, but Guillermo Del Toro's sequel is not your typical sci-fi film. The visuals are absolutely stunning. Del Toro, the director of personal favorite "Pan's Labyrinth" creates some amazing characters that are truly eye-catching. The movie contains the expected action sequences, but also delivers with strong emotional characters and some surprise scenes of exceptional humor. The Hellboy series gets lost in the shuffle by being deemed a second-rate comic book series, but it should really stand alone as something different. These movies are unlike anything you will see visually and don't follow the typical superhero formula.
3. Vicky Christina Barcelona
Woody Allen is hit-or-miss with many people, but in "Vicky" he reverts back to old form. Weaving together a story of multiple characters dealing with the major question of what makes them happy, Allen leaves his normal NYC digs and travels to Barcelona to principally follow a love triangle between Scarlett Johannsen, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. While all are exceptionally attractive, Cruz and Bardem really light up the screen with their passion and emotional spirit. The movie succeeds in expressing the desire that lies within everyone to find what makes them truly happy and how that can be more complicated than we'd like. The Barcelona setting makes the movie sparkle, filling the frames with striking architecture and brilliant Flamenco guitar music.
2. Pineapple Express
Believe the hype. Judd Apatow scores another hit. Whatever you want the title to be, the bottom line is that the movie is a smash. James Franco and Seth Rogen play two potheads on the run from the local drug gan after Rogen witnesses a drug-related hit. In typical Apatow fashion, we are thrust into a story about young men who are a little slow in growing up. Whether spending days getting high, dating high schoolers or struggling to dissect a friendship, the two leads are years behind the normal emotional progression of people their age. And therein lies the humor. However, what is lost in most Apatow films is his clever culture dialogue, second only to Tarantino. The movie is relevant, funny and a great time.
1. The Dark Knight
No, I am not ranking it this high because of anything that had to do with Heath Ledger. OK, that's a lie, it has to do with his performance. He is absolutely amazing as The Joker. He completely transforms himself so much that I couldn't be weirded out by watching a recently deceased actor because I forgot it was him. Christian Bale is brooding and bad-ass as ever and the movie is filled with humor, action and emotionally-trying casualties. All and all it was by far the most fun I had at the movies all year. Exceptional filmmaking.
There are some movies that I didn't see that I feel deserve mentioning because I want to see them really bad and predict that they will be very strong films. I wanted to give them some shout-out here.
Mongol, Frozen River, Elegy, I.O.U.S.A., In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Girl Cut in Two, Traitor and August.
Top Movies of the Summer (Starting June 1st)
10. Bottle Shock
"Bottle Shock" came with no fanfare and was overlooked by many, however, those who went to see it no doubt came out pleasantly entertained. Shot constantly under the California sunlight, the movie tells the true story of the burgeoning Napa Valley vineyards in the 1970s as they worked to be taken seriously in the world of international wine. When they are given the opportunity to place their wines in a blind taste test against the renowned French wines, they can finally see whether their hard work will earn them some semblance of respect. With strong performances from Alan Rickman and Chris Pine, as well as capable turns from Freddy Rodriguez and Bill Pullman, the story draws us in as it unfolds. Mix in countless minutes of sunlight and vineyards and you have a strong and warm summer movie.
9. Baby Mama
I've always been a Tina Fey fan. I thought she was smart and clever on SNL and proved her merit as an actress and writer on the very witty and successful "30 Rock," In "Baby Mama" she plays a successful businesswoman who hires an unknown female to be her surrogate mother. Hilarity no doubt ensues. While not containing the amount of laughs that some of the summer heavyweights did, Poehler, who plays the surrogate, and Fey have great chemistry and make for a fun comedic duo.
8. The Wackness
Another completely underground summer hit, "The Wackness" tells the story of a high school senior growing up in NYC in 1995 amidst his parents financial struggle, his first experience with love and the rise of Notorious B.I.G. to rap superstardom. While the soundtrack alone, filled with hits from Biggie, Nas and the Wu Tang Clan, kept me locked into the movie, it was the coming-of-age story with a twist that left me satisfied. Josh Peck, who plays main character Luke Shapiro, carries the role off with a great mix of awkward shyness and witty bravado. For anybody who grew up during this time, the music, culture and dialogue are so rooted in the time period that you are immediately brought back to your own childhood. A great find.
7. Transsiberian
A clever Brad Anderson thriller starring Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson as two American tourists who run into trouble when they meet potential drug mules aboard the Transsiberian train. Things really pick up when the two characters becomes train roommates with Russian police officer Ben Kingsley (also in "The Wackness"). Harrelson is magnificent as a train-obsessed, socially awkward husband and Eduardo Noriega is equally compelling as one of the suspected mules. Brad Anderson deftly moves the story forward while keeping the tension until the last minute.
6. The Rocker
Some people are not fans of Rainn Wilson, I am not one of these people. I am a huge supporter of his work on "The Office" and his role in "The Rocker" is more of the same. He plays faded drum star, Fish, who is pulled into his nephews bands as a replacement and takes them to rock stardom that they hadn't imagined at first. I went in expecting a comedy wrapped around a feel-good story, but I got a movie that was complete with several moments that had me laughing out loud hysterically. Teddy Geiger, who plays the bands lead singer supplies the soundtrack that is upbeat and very catchy.
5. Tropic Thunder
While I was not as impressed with Ben Stiller's latest as I had expected to be after all the hype, it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. It missed the mark at times being more of an action movie than a comedy, but exceptional performances by Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. hold the movie together throughout. Anybody at all in the know regarding the workings of Hollywood inner circles will find hilarity in smaller moments, but others will no doubt enjoy moments of Stiller's overly fierce lead or Jack Blacks over-the-top comedic star.
4. Hellboy 2
Most Sci-Fi movies only cater to small segments of the American public, but Guillermo Del Toro's sequel is not your typical sci-fi film. The visuals are absolutely stunning. Del Toro, the director of personal favorite "Pan's Labyrinth" creates some amazing characters that are truly eye-catching. The movie contains the expected action sequences, but also delivers with strong emotional characters and some surprise scenes of exceptional humor. The Hellboy series gets lost in the shuffle by being deemed a second-rate comic book series, but it should really stand alone as something different. These movies are unlike anything you will see visually and don't follow the typical superhero formula.
3. Vicky Christina Barcelona
Woody Allen is hit-or-miss with many people, but in "Vicky" he reverts back to old form. Weaving together a story of multiple characters dealing with the major question of what makes them happy, Allen leaves his normal NYC digs and travels to Barcelona to principally follow a love triangle between Scarlett Johannsen, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. While all are exceptionally attractive, Cruz and Bardem really light up the screen with their passion and emotional spirit. The movie succeeds in expressing the desire that lies within everyone to find what makes them truly happy and how that can be more complicated than we'd like. The Barcelona setting makes the movie sparkle, filling the frames with striking architecture and brilliant Flamenco guitar music.
2. Pineapple Express
Believe the hype. Judd Apatow scores another hit. Whatever you want the title to be, the bottom line is that the movie is a smash. James Franco and Seth Rogen play two potheads on the run from the local drug gan after Rogen witnesses a drug-related hit. In typical Apatow fashion, we are thrust into a story about young men who are a little slow in growing up. Whether spending days getting high, dating high schoolers or struggling to dissect a friendship, the two leads are years behind the normal emotional progression of people their age. And therein lies the humor. However, what is lost in most Apatow films is his clever culture dialogue, second only to Tarantino. The movie is relevant, funny and a great time.
1. The Dark Knight
No, I am not ranking it this high because of anything that had to do with Heath Ledger. OK, that's a lie, it has to do with his performance. He is absolutely amazing as The Joker. He completely transforms himself so much that I couldn't be weirded out by watching a recently deceased actor because I forgot it was him. Christian Bale is brooding and bad-ass as ever and the movie is filled with humor, action and emotionally-trying casualties. All and all it was by far the most fun I had at the movies all year. Exceptional filmmaking.
There are some movies that I didn't see that I feel deserve mentioning because I want to see them really bad and predict that they will be very strong films. I wanted to give them some shout-out here.
Mongol, Frozen River, Elegy, I.O.U.S.A., In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Girl Cut in Two, Traitor and August.
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