SUMMER MOVIE WRAP-UP

Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means two things; this underwhelming 2012 summer season is drawing to a close and, the exciting news, its Telluride time!

First to wrap up the summer. I only felt compelled to write one entry over the past few months, that of course was ‘The Dark Knight Rises’,  the rest of May, June, July, and August…crickets.  ‘Hunger Games’ in late March marked an early and promising beginning to the blockbuster season however, less Whedon’s ‘The Avengers’ and ‘TDKR’, I was left wondering where the excitement and spectacle went during the hottest summer on record.  Here’s the rundown, broken into three telling categories:

Films that were great or lived up to expectations: ‘The Avengers’, ‘TDKR’ (not for some but reference my entry for explanation), ‘Magic Mike’

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Films that were either so-so or didn’t live up to expectations: ‘The Dictator’, ‘MIB III’, ‘Snow White and The Huntsman’, ‘Prometheus’, ‘Brave’ (although I thought it was better than many), ‘Madagascar 3’, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’, ‘Savages’, ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’, ‘Bourne Legacy’, ‘Expendables 2’, ‘Premium Rush’

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Flops: ‘Dark Shadows’, ‘Battleship’, ‘Chernobyl Diaries’, ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, ‘The Watch’, ‘Total Recall’

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Notes: Now obviously there is room for debate on some of these, I personally would put ‘Brave’ in the lived up to expectations category however the general consensus was a good not great picture.  Additionally, overall the animated genre hasn’t thrown anything great out this year.  You’ll also note the omissions of any type of rom-com or indie film on this list; this was done on purpose because I don’t think those genres play a significant role in rating a summer season.

All that aside, the ratio is definitely negatively skewed, or at very least, middle heavy, in comparison to the last two or three summers this is a glaring variance.  I’m not going to go through film by film but I would venture to guess I’d have double the number of films that were great or lived up to expectations the last three years.  As I’ve stated in previous posts the summer season is rarely immersed with a bounty of Oscar hopefuls, what the summer season usually promises though is solid ten dollar entertainment, something we desperately needed in the triple digit heat but hardly received.

On a positive note, the summer did provide a number of indie hits that could come into play throughout awards season; ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, and ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ were all highlights.

Most importantly the Telluride Film Fest is finally here!  This will be my first time attending and I will be there Saturday-Monday.  Films that were announced today that I intend to see: ‘Amour’, ‘The Act of Killing’, ‘The Central Park Five’, ‘Ginger and Rosa’, ‘The Hunt’, ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’, ‘The Iceman’, and ‘Rust and Bone’.  It is also rumored ‘Argo’ might screen in the mountains, plus Marion Cotillard will be honored and be in attendance, here’s hoping for a chance meeting.  I will post an entry when I return to summarize the experience, then Oscar season will officially begin!

TFF website: http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The most anticipated film of the summer and maybe the year hit theatres in tragic fashion.  The egregious act of a lone gunman in Aurora, CO on the night of July 20^th was nothing short of horrific.  I saw ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ the following afternoon and must say there was an ominous feeling in the theatre, a palpable nervous tension.  Once the film began the excitement took over and the audience’s attention was on the screen.  Above all else my thoughts go out to all of the victims, their families, and their friends.

‘Rises’ suffers from a fate all too familiar with sequels; its predecessor set the bar so high.  I saw the film a second time this weekend and can safely say after the letdown (which is really too strong a word) of the first screening I was able to focus on ‘Rises’ as an independent entry.  Less Ledger’s Joker and a tighter story arc ‘Rises’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ really are in the same class.  ‘Rises’ also introduces some elements absent from the first two films in the series, an amazing female performance (Anne Hathaway as Selina Kile) and a true “epic” feel.  I think once viewers and hopefully the Academy can look at ‘Rises’ on its own without the ‘Dark Knight’ comparisons or view all three films as a collective whole, the appreciation for what Nolan has created will begin to surface.

On to the Oscar chances; much like ‘Hunger Games’, which I outlined earlier this year, and recent critical and commercial blockbuster successes, ‘Rises’ might have trouble succeeding when it comes time to give away the hardware.  ‘Rises’ benefits from the fact it and ‘The Avengers’ are the only two blockbusters capable to make a lot of noise on the awards circuit this year.  Also, in historical terms, this has been an extremely weak year for film; if the year ended tomorrow I have no idea who I could even deem worthy of winning a lead acting award.  However, considering the buzz surrounding the upcoming fall season, that could change very quickly.  The “x factor” so to speak is going to be whether or not the Academy wants to recognize the trilogy as a whole, much as they did with the ‘LOTR: Return of the King’.  In 2004 ‘King’ won 11 Oscars while the first two films combined for merely 6 statues.

‘Rises’ will be in the running for all the technical categories (effects, sound, ect.) but could surprise in a few spots if things go in its favor.  I think Hathaway is strong dark horse candidate for a supporting actress nom and again considering the weak acting field so far this year it just might happen, it really comes down to if the fall season is as loaded as some critics and Oscar pundits are lauding.  I think Nolan was robbed in ’09 when he wasn’t nominated for Directing and ‘The Dark Knight’ was snubbed in the Best Picture category as well.  I expect ‘Rises’ to score noms in one if not both of those categories this year as a consolation prize for Nolan’s previous lack of recognition.  I really hope we see something similar to 2004 for ‘Rises’, double digit wins will be highly unlikely but if it can pull out double digit noms and maybe 5 wins I think it would be warranted.

Only a few more weeks until the summer season is officially over, and once it is, I will return to outline the chances of any films to grab noms from what once again has been an underwhelming last couple of months.  Then it’s road trip time; going to Telluride Labor Day weekend to get my first taste of world class film fest action. 

NOTE:  You have to admire the class shown by Christian Bale going to visit the victims just days after shooting, he wasn’t representing the studio, he went on his own accord, a heartfelt gesture amid all the agony.

Oscar Chances:

Best Picture: Highly Likely

Best Director: Possible

Best Supporting Actress (Hathaway): Possible

Best Score: Possible

Technical Categories: Lock