Thoughts on the Summer '08 Movie Season

I saw a lot of movies this summer. Much more than I ever see, ever. It was sort of a symptom of my new job, where I would have random hours to kill and should not be sitting in a bar. So now that the summer movie season has closed, I thought I would share some thoughts on what I saw. Feel free to disregard as intellectual indulgence, or to agree/insult my intelligence on the comments section.

Film of The Summer: Tie, The Dark Knight and Iron Man
Ya, D.K. was brilliant, took the genre to new places, Heath Ledger is the greatest villain, blah blah blah. Its true, it was amazing and changed was can be accomplished both for comic book movies and summer blockbusters. I still contest that there is no way to separate the worth of the film from the tragedy around it, and so one must accept a level of over-hype, even if the movie was spectacular. I would rather focus on the other great movie of the summer that was not marred in ghoulish promotion.

Iron Man, in its own way, also marked an evolution in the genre. It created a more adult protagonist in its hero, focused more on character than action, and created a new producing power in Marvel Films. Yes it lacked the scope of Dark Knight, but it also had the burden of being the origin story, and played that role in the most interesting and engaging way since, well since another emotionally troubled millionaire donned a wacky suit to make the world a better place. Also, it sets the stage for an interacting universe of these movies, which would have any fanboy stoked.

Granted, I am giving Iron Man some bonus points, because it was not a sequel and did not have the creepy ‘honor the dead’ vibe. In all honestly, it’s an interesting time to be a comic book fan, as the rest of the world just saw the potential you always knew was there.

Comedy of the Summer: Tropic Thunder
It seemed that there was way more comedies than action films this summer. While some sucked, and some underperformed, one rose well above the ranks. Featuring a cool premise and over packed with acting talent, this is both the funniest and most enjoyable comedy of the summer by far. It is true that it could have been sharper on its lampoons, and Stiller tried to give himself the best material to little avail, but that ‘never go full retard’ scene is just damn funny anyway you slice it. Also important is…

Actor of the Summer: Robert Downey Jr.
Sorry Heath, but with a one-two punch, its all Rob’s summer. He found the right amount of glee and pathos to make Tony Stark a great character (It was pitch perfect casting), and he knocked it out of the park with his role in Tropic Thunder stealing every scene he was in with a role that could have been both offensive and annoying in a lesser actor’s hands. He has been doing great work for years, never phoning in a role no matter the situation, and he has hit his stride in ’08.

Letdown of the Summer: Step Brothers
Either you love Anchorman and hate Talladega Nights or vise versa (which is the correct way), most people enjoy Ferrell and McKay. Sadly, their latest outing was less a movie and more a series of skits with Ferrell and Reilly acting like morons. The secret to these films seems to be to surround Ferrell with people far more talented than him (Sacha Baron Cohen, Steve Carrell, etc.) so when Ferrell falls flat, there is always someone to pick it up. This film lacked those players, so a lot of Ferrell’s and Reilly’s stuff just fizzled in this weak plotted work.

Best Movie I didn’t see: Wall E
I am getting to a point where there is no need to see Pixar movies anymore. I just assume they are wonderful and save myself the emotional journey. It is far more efficient.

Best ‘trying to save a mediocre movie’ performance: Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk
While a vast improvement from the original in many ways, this film was not that great. Incredible Hulk’s secret weapon was Roth’s performance as a special ops agent juicing on low grade super soldier serum. There is one scene where he literally (as Hubris and I hoped Sam Eliot would some day do) tries to hunt the Hulk with a bowie knife. Oddly enough, the original film’s biggest problem was a lack of a good villain, and in this film, that was the one thing they got spot on.

Best Showtime at 2am find: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
Very dumb movie. No shock there. Yet is Adam Sandler movie is funnier than you would think. It has some inspired casting (John Turturro got paid!) and a couple of hilarious moments. Granted, I would not recommend paying money to see it, but if come across it during some late night channel surfing, a good find.

That’s my take on this summer’s film fare. I may do more of these movie posts if I have something to say, and keep seeing so many movies. Don’t worry, we will soon return you to your regularly scheduled programming (Coming up next week, Q and Teach split a bottle of Jameson and get banned from Jersey City).

Peace.