So, a little over half way through the year and I’ve only seen seven films. Back in the height of my theater going days around 2005-2007, I’d have seen at least thirty films by now. I’m kind of embarrassed, but maybe I shouldn’t be. Most of the movies coming out look like garbage, so avoiding them was probably my best option. Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of the seven films I’ve seen so far this year.
1. Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen- Woody’s best film since Match Point, Midnight in Paris reminded me most strongly of The Purple Rose of Cairo and Radio Days, two of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a film about the negative impacts of nostalgia, but it’s also a celebration of its many healing effects. Owen Wilson is probably my favorite Woody stand-in ever (John Cusack is a close second).
2. Super 8 by J.J. Abrams- This film has recieved a decent amount of criticism for its third act, and I’d like to defend it. Nobody can adequately explain what is wrong with it to me. If you’re upset we didn’t know more about the alien, I don’t know why. The film is told (mostly) from Joe’s perspective, so we should only ever know what he knows. This was by far the most satisfying theatrical experience I’ve had in years. Those saying it doesn’t hold up with E.T. or Close Encounters: obviously. Why are you expecting that? It is certainly as good as most of the second tier Amblin productions from the ’80s, though.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II by David Yates- I’ve already written about this too much. Very strong ending to an uneven franchise.
4. Bridesmaids by Paul Feig- This movie was hilarious. It shows that a formula (in this case, the wedding preparation romantic comedy one) can work if it’s simply well written. Many hysterical sequences, and Kristen Wiig made even the most inconsequential lines smirk-worthy.
5. Paul by Greg Mottola- I was expecting a bit better of this film, considering how much I love Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz (all also co-written by Simon Pegg), not to mention 2009’s underseen Adventureland (also directed by Mottola). While Paul doesn’t really live up to any of those works, it’s still pretty funny, and kind of heartfelt. A lot of the jokes are pure fan-service, and this works more as a string of sci-fi and comic book references than a real feature film, but if you’re into sci-fi and comic books, you’ll have a good time.
6. Thor by Kenneth Branagh- When I walked out of this, I called it the best superhero movie since Spider-Man 2. I now realize that, while I still agree with that sentiment (fuck The Dark Knight—shitty last half hour=shitty movie), it’s not really saying much. Thor is a solid diversion, but it’s a little too forgettable to be particularly noteworthy.
7. Larry Crowne by Tom Hanks- I saw this with my mom for her birthday, and it’s not bad. It’s just not really good, either. Tom Hanks, whose first film That Thing You Do! is wildly entertaining, provides a workman-like turn behind the camera, and a slightly impressive one in front of it. It’s nice to see him do a comedy again, even if it is in this limp material. I blame most of the blandness of this film on the co-writer Nia Vardalos, the woman behind trash like My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Yikes.
The rest of the year is looking alright. The films I’ll likely see (or try to) see (in order of release): Captain America (I guess), Cowboys and Aliens (I guess), Attack the Block (supposedly great), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (my unfortunate duty as a fan), One Day (looks maudlin, but in ways I enjoy), Contagion (even though I hate half of his films, I continue to see every Soderbergh that comes out), Straw Dogs (obviously just to get mad at it existing), Restless (Gus Van Sant, obv), 50/50 (trailer is good), Take Shelter (ditto), The Ides of March (I like Clooney as a director), Wanderlust (David Wain is one of the best comedy directors around), The Skin I Live In (Almadovar, obv), Red State (Kevin Smith, obv), The Rum Diary (the director of Withnail and I is the main reason I’m interested, but Depp returning to Hunter S. Thompson might be worthwhile), Carnage (Polanski, obv), Hugo (Scorsese, obv), The Muppets (obv), The Descendants (Alexander Payne is great), The Sitter (I hope David Gordon Green doesn’t just make studio comedies for the rest of his career, but I’ll check it out), Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol (loved the third one, and I like Brad Bird, so despite the hideous title, I’ll see it), The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo (bad source material [and sorry guys, lame teaser], but Fincher makes it worth a look), Young Adult (I like all of Jason Reitman’s movies so far), Twixt (Coppola, obv), The Grandmasters (Wong Kar Wai, obv), The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (Spielberg, obv), and War Horse (Spielberg, obv).
Also still need to see Tree of Life, Meek’s Cutoff, and a bunch of other shit.
