I was going to wait until after I saw Inglourious Basterds to do this, but with it now being September (pretty much meaning the end of the Summer Movie Season) and I'm not likely to get to see it for a while -if not until it's on DVD- I'm decided to do this now.
So, I'm going to surmise my take on this Summer's movies and reflect on my grades and ultimately the final grade for it. Will I buy it on DVD?
The Summer Movie Season as a whole? Pretty damn weak. Last Summer I went to see a movie nearly every weak, there was something "must-see" out that often, in fact weeks where nothing was coming out it was OK because TWO things came out the week before! This season? Not so much. Pretty light season and there were weeks where I went and saw something just to fill the void that is my life.
It's worth pointing out that in my "grading scale" I'm pretty generous. For a movie to get in the C's it has to be pretty damn terrible.
Wolverine:I gave this movie a "B" after seeing it. On reflection I'd probably take it a bit lower to a B-. All and all it was a wasted opportunity and a waste of characters. The movie is inconsistent with established X-Men movie lore (unless Sabertooth takes a bath in Rogaine and has a lobotomy at some point in the intervening time) and it just doesn't do much with what it has to work with. They could've focused a lot more on Wolverine's "growth" between being a child and when he meets Stryker (as we don't really need to see that part of his "life" as we already know what happens from the other X-Men movies) for the experiment that gives him the adamantium on his skeleton. A lot of missed opportunities here as Jackman is a perfectly cast Wolverine. Not likely I'll pick this one up on DVD unless/until Rifftrax does their take on it.
Star Trek: This was really the only must-see movie for me this Summer and it was well worth it. It got an A then and it gets an A now. I don't really like that they diverged from he "Prime Universe" and some of the decisions they made concerning the look/style of the Trek Universe, the characters and other aspects I can ignore all of that and just accept this as it's own thing. I'm not comfortable with it, but I can deal with it. The cast in this movie is damn-near perfect as they all do great jobs with these iconic roles. I just wish Quinto as Spock had a bit more "gruff" to his voice like Nimoy had. I guess Spock's balls haven't dropped yet. I will most certainly buy this one on DVD. In fact, I'll very likely buy it on Blu-Ray.
Terminator 4: This one I gave a B-. On reflection I'd probably drop it to a C+. It just wasn't that great, which is a shame because there's tons they could've done with this particular movie's set-up and they just wasted it. The action scenes in this movie weren't even that great. Not likely to get this one on DVD.
Up: Probably one of the "worst" Pixar movie I've seen. That said? It's still pretty damn great. It has a decent story and look but there's no real "gimmick" (talking toys, the mundane lives of monsters, a family of superheroes, a rat with culinary skills) to pull one in. The story itself is sweet and all but, honestly, I didn't care about the damn bird and I hated the kid. It's a very "meh" Pixar movie but it gets a "B" from me, although I likely won't get the DVD.
Year One: Jack Black, Michael Cera in a movie made by Harold Ramis?! How could it go wrong? Oh, it can. It CAN. A movie that is MADE of missed opportunity. When the movie was doing jokes on Biblical tales and times (Abraham on circumcision: "Believe me, this look is really going to catch on!") it was very funny. But those moments are few and far between and what is left is a lot of juvenile humor regarding eating poop and hairy or ball-less gay men in Sodom. The few "Biblical times" jokes in it are too far and few in between to make this movie worth seeing even once. I gave this movie a C back then, today it drops to a C-. Not one I will get on DVD.
The Hangover: This Summer's "Tropic Thunder" as the "comedy of the year." Hilarious movie, mostly from the brother-in-law character, that will leave you gasping for air. Got an "A" then, gets an "A" now. Only problem with it is that it's too short and Heather Graham only pops a boob for an instant. I will certainly get this one on DVD.
Transformers 2:: Ok, it's no secret that I didn't like this movie. It's no secret that I didn't like the first one. This one makes Transformers 1 look like a frigging' masterpiece. This movie is every Michael Bay cliche rolled into one and then multiplied by a billion. Look, I like Michael Bay he's made some fun movies (The Rock is one of my more favorite actions movies), but this movie just skull-fucks you for two half hours with nonsense. First of all, there's characters in it we don't need, entire sequences in it we don't need to further the "plot", "humor" sequences we don't need (and aren't funny. Sam's mom on hash brownies?
) and stuff we just don't need period. (Who really wanted to see Turturo's hairy taint?). Terrible, terrible movie and the the last hour of it is just one long action sequence where nothing happens. I actually fell-asleep during it for about 20 minutes and when I came-to I realized I hadn't missed anything. Not many movies you can miss 20 minutes of and not miss any plot-points. Got a D+ then, gets a D+ now. Certainly not getting it on DVD, not even Rifftrax can save this turd.
Julie and Julia: I liked Julia Child and I like cooking. Amy Adams is also really cute. This is a wonderful little movie that was a nice diversion from the splendor of the rest of the Summer. I likely won't get it on DVD as it has little re-watch value but it was a nice little movie with very few flaws. A+
G.I. Joe: A nice contrast to "Transformers" on the "action figures cum movie" front. Pretty good, if illogical on many fronts, action pieces (thankfully the "accelerator suits" bit was a small part of the overall movie) and lots of illogic to it. LOTS. Plot holes you can drive a tank-through. But it was a nice, fun, diversion and it'd be interesting to see what they do with this series. It's by no means a great action movie and the SFX in it are out of a video-game on a first-generation X-Box, but overall an OK movie. C+, but that's probably being a "bit" harsh considering my "scale." It just didn't feel right putting it in the B's. Rifftrax, if/when they do this, will rip this one to shreds. When they pick it up, I'll get the DVD.
District 9: Excellent movie. Not without its flaws but it's well made, with spectacular effects given its budget, and story (though my knowledge of South African segregation is limited) is very well executed and presented (even if the "documentary" and "traditional POV camera" styles conflicted with one another at times and even got confusing) and it has some great action scenes in it. A must-have on DVD for this "A" movie.
The Final Destination: The last movie I saw this "Summer" and only because it looked interesting and I enjoyed the others in the series. Nothing spectacular here it's the same old dance just a different tune. It's just funny to watch the over-the-top deaths in the movie which is really the only reason to see it. Just saw it for a diversion. I gave it a B- simply for that entertainment value alone. Not likely to get it on DVD.
So that's it. All the movies I saw this Summer (between the first of May and the end of August). Again, a weak Summer with only two movies I'll certainly get on DVD and a couple others I will only for the "riff value."
So, I'm going to surmise my take on this Summer's movies and reflect on my grades and ultimately the final grade for it. Will I buy it on DVD?
The Summer Movie Season as a whole? Pretty damn weak. Last Summer I went to see a movie nearly every weak, there was something "must-see" out that often, in fact weeks where nothing was coming out it was OK because TWO things came out the week before! This season? Not so much. Pretty light season and there were weeks where I went and saw something just to fill the void that is my life.
It's worth pointing out that in my "grading scale" I'm pretty generous. For a movie to get in the C's it has to be pretty damn terrible.
Wolverine:I gave this movie a "B" after seeing it. On reflection I'd probably take it a bit lower to a B-. All and all it was a wasted opportunity and a waste of characters. The movie is inconsistent with established X-Men movie lore (unless Sabertooth takes a bath in Rogaine and has a lobotomy at some point in the intervening time) and it just doesn't do much with what it has to work with. They could've focused a lot more on Wolverine's "growth" between being a child and when he meets Stryker (as we don't really need to see that part of his "life" as we already know what happens from the other X-Men movies) for the experiment that gives him the adamantium on his skeleton. A lot of missed opportunities here as Jackman is a perfectly cast Wolverine. Not likely I'll pick this one up on DVD unless/until Rifftrax does their take on it.
Star Trek: This was really the only must-see movie for me this Summer and it was well worth it. It got an A then and it gets an A now. I don't really like that they diverged from he "Prime Universe" and some of the decisions they made concerning the look/style of the Trek Universe, the characters and other aspects I can ignore all of that and just accept this as it's own thing. I'm not comfortable with it, but I can deal with it. The cast in this movie is damn-near perfect as they all do great jobs with these iconic roles. I just wish Quinto as Spock had a bit more "gruff" to his voice like Nimoy had. I guess Spock's balls haven't dropped yet. I will most certainly buy this one on DVD. In fact, I'll very likely buy it on Blu-Ray.
Terminator 4: This one I gave a B-. On reflection I'd probably drop it to a C+. It just wasn't that great, which is a shame because there's tons they could've done with this particular movie's set-up and they just wasted it. The action scenes in this movie weren't even that great. Not likely to get this one on DVD.
Up: Probably one of the "worst" Pixar movie I've seen. That said? It's still pretty damn great. It has a decent story and look but there's no real "gimmick" (talking toys, the mundane lives of monsters, a family of superheroes, a rat with culinary skills) to pull one in. The story itself is sweet and all but, honestly, I didn't care about the damn bird and I hated the kid. It's a very "meh" Pixar movie but it gets a "B" from me, although I likely won't get the DVD.
Year One: Jack Black, Michael Cera in a movie made by Harold Ramis?! How could it go wrong? Oh, it can. It CAN. A movie that is MADE of missed opportunity. When the movie was doing jokes on Biblical tales and times (Abraham on circumcision: "Believe me, this look is really going to catch on!") it was very funny. But those moments are few and far between and what is left is a lot of juvenile humor regarding eating poop and hairy or ball-less gay men in Sodom. The few "Biblical times" jokes in it are too far and few in between to make this movie worth seeing even once. I gave this movie a C back then, today it drops to a C-. Not one I will get on DVD.
The Hangover: This Summer's "Tropic Thunder" as the "comedy of the year." Hilarious movie, mostly from the brother-in-law character, that will leave you gasping for air. Got an "A" then, gets an "A" now. Only problem with it is that it's too short and Heather Graham only pops a boob for an instant. I will certainly get this one on DVD.
Transformers 2:: Ok, it's no secret that I didn't like this movie. It's no secret that I didn't like the first one. This one makes Transformers 1 look like a frigging' masterpiece. This movie is every Michael Bay cliche rolled into one and then multiplied by a billion. Look, I like Michael Bay he's made some fun movies (The Rock is one of my more favorite actions movies), but this movie just skull-fucks you for two half hours with nonsense. First of all, there's characters in it we don't need, entire sequences in it we don't need to further the "plot", "humor" sequences we don't need (and aren't funny. Sam's mom on hash brownies?
) and stuff we just don't need period. (Who really wanted to see Turturo's hairy taint?). Terrible, terrible movie and the the last hour of it is just one long action sequence where nothing happens. I actually fell-asleep during it for about 20 minutes and when I came-to I realized I hadn't missed anything. Not many movies you can miss 20 minutes of and not miss any plot-points. Got a D+ then, gets a D+ now. Certainly not getting it on DVD, not even Rifftrax can save this turd.Julie and Julia: I liked Julia Child and I like cooking. Amy Adams is also really cute. This is a wonderful little movie that was a nice diversion from the splendor of the rest of the Summer. I likely won't get it on DVD as it has little re-watch value but it was a nice little movie with very few flaws. A+
G.I. Joe: A nice contrast to "Transformers" on the "action figures cum movie" front. Pretty good, if illogical on many fronts, action pieces (thankfully the "accelerator suits" bit was a small part of the overall movie) and lots of illogic to it. LOTS. Plot holes you can drive a tank-through. But it was a nice, fun, diversion and it'd be interesting to see what they do with this series. It's by no means a great action movie and the SFX in it are out of a video-game on a first-generation X-Box, but overall an OK movie. C+, but that's probably being a "bit" harsh considering my "scale." It just didn't feel right putting it in the B's. Rifftrax, if/when they do this, will rip this one to shreds. When they pick it up, I'll get the DVD.
District 9: Excellent movie. Not without its flaws but it's well made, with spectacular effects given its budget, and story (though my knowledge of South African segregation is limited) is very well executed and presented (even if the "documentary" and "traditional POV camera" styles conflicted with one another at times and even got confusing) and it has some great action scenes in it. A must-have on DVD for this "A" movie.
The Final Destination: The last movie I saw this "Summer" and only because it looked interesting and I enjoyed the others in the series. Nothing spectacular here it's the same old dance just a different tune. It's just funny to watch the over-the-top deaths in the movie which is really the only reason to see it. Just saw it for a diversion. I gave it a B- simply for that entertainment value alone. Not likely to get it on DVD.
So that's it. All the movies I saw this Summer (between the first of May and the end of August). Again, a weak Summer with only two movies I'll certainly get on DVD and a couple others I will only for the "riff value."
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I thought Jackie Brown was really good, but IMO there's nothing in that film that compares with the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds.
