Summer Movie Survey

One of my favorite blogs to read about films on line is The Film Experience. Recently, he featured a few different people answering a series of questions about their summer movie going experiences. I thought I'd steal borrow the survey and fill it out myself. Here goes...

Best Movie I Saw This Summer:
The Dark Knight Rises. I'm realizing not everyone loved it as much as I did, but I thought it was a perfect wrap up to the best superhero trilogy of all time. It was a thrilling, intense, dark, but ultimately uplifting film and I couldn't have loved it anymore.

Thing I Actually Learned (at summer movie camp!):
That maybe I was too quick to jump on that whole Blake Lively can really act bandwagon after her turn in The Town because she was certainly the weakest link in Savages.

Major Summer Crush:
Oh, where to start?? Michael Shannon in Premium Rush. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-man. Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman. The entire cast of Magic Mike.

Moment I <3 So Much I Thought My Heart Would Burst:
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Hushpuppy running through that infectious party scene with sparklers. So much beauty, innocence, hope, freedom.

Princess Merida, Katniss, or Hawkeye?
I'm a sucker for Jennifer Lawrence and The Hunger Games so Katniss all the way. We need more strong female characters being represented in young adult films. Women who have to fight for survival and not just lament having to pick over a boring vampire or an even more boring werewolf.

If Only "Hulk" Had Smashed...
Whoever thought that terrible ending for Premium Rush was a good idea. Way to (almost) ruin a perfectly fun late summer movie.

Mash-Up ~ Summer Movie Characters I'd Like to Introduce (and why):
Giovanni Ribisi from Ted and the cast of Magic Mike, because, even though I hated Ted, I loved Giovanni and his super sweet dance moves deserved a much better show case. Girls like skinny semi-creepy dudes, too, you know!

Rank the Magic Mike Strippers:
1. Magic Mike (Channing Tatum)
2. Dallas (Matthew McConaughey)
3. Ken (Matt Bomer)
4. The Kid (Alex Pettyfer)
5. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello)
6. Tito (Alex Rodriguez)
7. Tarzan (Kevin Nash)

At Least the Theater Was Air Conditioned:
Ted. I think I laughed once, although I can't for the life of me remember why.

Best Old Movie I Saw For The First Time This Summer:
Oldboy. What the hell took me so long?? It was FANTASTIC!

Line Reading That Stuck in My Head:
It's a movie that isn't released yet, but I've seen the trailer so many times and I think it might be the best line of the year... "Why don't you do what old men do - and die." -Joseph Gordon-Levitt from the upcoming Looper.

Contraband

My first movie of 2012. What can I say? Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, that's for sure. The good news here is the supporting cast. Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale are just fine as the leads but you can sign me up for any movie starring (or co-starring) Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, J.K. Simmons, and Lukas Haas. Personally, I would like to champion Hollywood to make a much, much better movie for Foster and Ribisi to co-star in and make that happen as soon as humanly possible. It's almost a shame to watch two of the most exciting character actors in the business get weighted down in this overwrought, cliched material.
But, more on that later.
Contraband stars Mark Wahlberg as a former smuggler turned family man who settled down with his pretty wife (Beckinsale) and two young sons to lead an honest life in New Orleans. However, his brother-in-law, Kate's (yes, that's her name in the movie, too) little brother (Caleb Landry Jones) isn't so smart. Despite tons of warnings, he got himself caught up in the smuggling business. When customs searches the boat he's smuggling drugs on, he throws the package overboard and finds himself in the hospital with a huge debt thanks to a particularly snaky smarmy bad guy played by the lovely Giovanni Ribisi. So, Wahlberg and his ex-smuggler bestie Sebastian (Foster) try to pay his debt but Giovanni isn't having it. He wants his money and he wants it fast. So Wahlberg and friends go to Panama via a boat captained by J.K. Simmons for one last heist.
And that's all of the plot that you'll get. There is a pretty significant plot twist that I won't give away (although, really, if you are a fan of a certain actor's work in general, you won't really be surprised by the twist, as I wasn't). If you are looking at Contraband as a fun way to kill two hours on a cold, winter's day then you won't be disappointed. It is an action filled movie that is interesting enough to keep your attention with likeable enough stars to make you cheer for them. However, Contraband isn't really anything to write home about. It has a mediocre script, at best. The dialogue is cliched and contrived. There is one particularly well directed scene that almost seems like a waste because the rest of the film is directed in a very hodge-podge, throw it against the wall and see what sticks kinda way. These characters aren't particularly complicated and well thought out or subtle. They are very two dimensional characters, with the exception of Sebastian and that's only because Foster is so damn good, so much better than just about EVERYONE else. And his performance makes up for a lot with me. This movie would be an utter failure without him (Ribisi and Jones are pretty spectacular as well, although they don't do as much with their flat characters). Foster makes this character come alive. He is a ridiculously talented actor who should probably be getting all of Ryan Gosling's roles (don't get me wrong, I love Gosling too... it's just a shame how underrated Foster is).
So, overall, Contraband isn't a complete waste of time or a terrible way to start off the 2012 movie year. It's fun if not forgettable and cliched. But Ben Foster makes up for A LOT with his complicated, dazzling performance. His performance alone brought my grade up at least a letter grade.
Grade: C+

Mini Reviews

I know I've been slacking lately - watching tons of movies and not updating about them. It won't happen anymore - promise. As for now, I'm going to right a bunch of small reviews just to get caught up...


Semi-Pro - The best thing about this movie is, for sure, the preview for Sex and the City that shows before the movie starts. Other than that, Semi-Pro is sort of a big, unfunny mess. Will Ferrell will keep on keeping on, for sure but I think he needs to stop with the sports movies. Any remotely funny part is in the trailer and Will Arnett can't even save this floundering mess. It's not a bad movie, per se, just boring and trite and unfunny. So far, I've only given one grade out that wasn't in the D family (at least my year end Worst List will have a lot of contenders).
Grade: D

10,000 B.C. - Seriously. I don't know what else there is to say about how bland and terrible the films of 2008 have been so far (with the exception of Cloverfield which wasn't even THAT good). I just hope things turn around with the release of Stop Loss later this year. Anyway, this movie is mild and boring where is should be bold and wild. It is plagued by weak dialouge and even weaker characters. Even the special effects are inconsistent at best. The only positive thing I can say about this movie is that Camilla Belle is perfectly cast. I've always thought her beauty is other worldly. She is of a different time and age but she deserves better surroundings than this.
Grade: F


Romance and Cigarettes - With a great cast that includes Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken and more, it's hard to imagine where this movie went oh-so-wrong. There are times when the movie is really funny and great (pretty much any time Winslet is on the screen) but other than that it's messy and often times ridiculous. Now, I love a ridiculous movie as much as the next person but this is so far past ridiculous into the realm of silly that it just can't be seen as good.
Grade: D


Silk - Starring Michael Pitt and Kiera Knightley (my god, are they not the most beautiful couple on the planet!? It was really like a battle of who has the better cheek-bones at times here), this movie takes place in the 1800's and centers on the silk industry (duh). It's long, it's boring, it's about romance and deciet and all that great stuff. Still, I found it at least slightly entertaining. The end was a great little twist. It was often too much of the same exact thing over and over again but Pitt and Knightley are engaging and the movie isn't bad so much as it is boring.
Grade: C


Things We Lost in the Fire - The thing that elevates this movie from below average to slightly better than average is Benicio Del Toro and his perfect portrayal of a heroin addict. He is always better than good and at times just perfect. I would have liked this movie even more if it was just about him. I could care less about Halle Berry, someone who is absolutely beautiful, but, let's face it kids, not a great actress. The fact that she has an Oscar and Kate Winslet doesn't makes me want to scream sometimes. But, enough about that. The movie is mostly anti-climactic and poorly written. Again, it's not necessarily bad. If you are a Del Toro fan than you should see it.
Grade: C+


The Gift - I saw this Sam Raimi directed movie years and years ago but didn't remember much about it. As I watched it, I did realize that I remembered how it ended (or else, the 'twist' is so absolutely obvious that a 3 year old could figure it out) but I still think it's an expertly done mystery thriller with a superb cast. It's got Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, J.K. Simmons, Gary Cole, Greg Kinnear and more. Ribisi really acts the hell out of this movie. He's easily the stand out. No one really does creepy yet oddly sexy quite the way he does. However, I was mostly really surprised by Reeves who is usually so wooden it's hard to find him enjoyable but he was strong here. Of course, Cate was Cate - beautiful, amazing, perfect in every way.
Grade: B+


Finally, let's talk about Gus Van Sant...
I officially take back all of the mean things I said about him after Finding Forrester. I also completely take back all the mean things I said about his upcoming Paranoid Park. He is officially one of my favorite directors working today after recently watching his 'Death Trilogy.' [Spoilers maybe... I mean... if you don't want to know that people die in the following movies.] A few years ago, I watched a movie called Last Days. It was loosely based on Kurt Cobain and starred Michael Pitt. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the time. Part of me absolutely loved how it meandered about and was more concerned with long takes of nature than actual story telling. Part of me wanted to call it a modern day masterpiece. Another part of me, however, wanted to know why I just wasted two hours of my life on this movie that could have been told in 10 minutes. But, Gus Van Sant isn't really interested in story, per se. He's more interested in all the beauty that is everywhere around us in this ugly world. The beauty is even more significant when being paralelled with such bleak concepts as suicide, murder and mass shootings. And, after watching the Death Trilogy individually and then together (thanks to movie night!), I can say I appreciate it more than ever. Maybe it's my current state of mind. I don't know. But Gerry, Elephant and Last Days are outstanding movies by themselves but together... they are just perfection. Elephant was easily my favorite of the three but all three are exceptional and worth watching either by themselves or together. I mean, if you have the patience for it. I've changed my grades since seeing the three of them together (something I don't like to do but I've made an exception here).
Elephant - A
Gerry - A-
Last Days - B+