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’

3

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’

12

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

7

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/