Summer Movies Part 2

Hey all,

Thought I would post on the second half of the summer blockbuster season. Managed to catch Transformers, Stardust, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Simpson's Movie. I already posted on Harry Potter 5 and Die Hard 4, and I have to be honest, with what I thought would have been the strongest summer movie seasons in history has been disappointing to me. I haven't caught Rush Hour 3, but by no means do I feel like that film will be burning down the box office.

The Bourne Ultimatum, which I thought would be good, was the weakest of the trilogy. It basically the same as the first two films, stretching the concept of the thinking man's action movie, but for me it got bogged down by the heavy plot and despite a really good fight sequence, I don't feel that the movie improved on what they did in the first two. I also feel like you wee missing the female lead in this film, in Identity it helped humanize a very stoic character in Damon, and in Supremacy it provided him with a purpose after her murder. In three the stoicism is just a bit heavy handed for me.

The Simpson's Movie was pretty good. For me it was just like the series, always fun to watch, but not something that you have to see. After 16 or 17 seasons of the show, its an institution now and you really can't push the envelope in ways that the South Park movie did, though they did try, adding come cartoon wang and curse words, albeit mild as they were. It's like a long episode, you are gonna see it at some point, why wait.

Stardust I caught Sunday and I was a bit disappointed. I felt they really changed the story a bit to much for my liking. I am sure that if you hadn't read the book then you will like it. A fantasy love story that they popped up for the big screen. I was really missing the longer introduction provided in the book and the really well written ending of the book. The intro in the book really set up the ending of the book with some good character twists and a provided what I thought was a great twist ending. In what I am assuming was an effort to trim time they cut all that and simplified those chapters to add a cross dressing sky pirate in Robert De Niro, who while being a character in the book, was nothing like is on screen counter part. I suppose I am a bit to much of a curmudgeon, I just wanted to see the story I read, and I was disappointed that they changed it so much. Jason and Autumn, whom I went with, both said they enjoyed it immensely, so this film may just be my taste.

Transformers I accept is entirely on me. I hated this movie. It just wasn't the Transformers that I grew up with. I hated that they all had CGI faces, trying to give them lips and expressions... their freakin robots! It came across poorly, and Optimus needed that face guard that he has in the series. Bumblebee as a Camaro was a shameless attempt to make him more relevant and cool looking (and product placement). Somehow Soundwave became a Gremiln or a munchie or something, I don't know what was up with his character. Why was one transformer a giant scorpion and all the rest vehicles? Why was there so much plot development with Shia Lebouf and next to none with the actual transformers? What exactly did Megatron transform into, a jet with a tail? I couldn't tell. I undertsand that everyone but me liked the movie and I can accept that, I just really hated it.

All in all i was really disappointed this summer. So many lackluster movies.
My top 3:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Live Free or Die Hard
Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (yeah I'm, surprised too)

(if you count all year I'd put 300 and Pan's Labyrinth up there as well)
Bottom 3:
Transformers
Oceans 13
Spiderman 3

Here is hoping that the fall and winter releases came pull some of the doldrums out of this season. Definitely on my list is 3:10 to Yuma, a remake of a really good western with Christian Bale and Russel Crowe, and the Golden Compass looks to be good, at least the best of the Harry Potter clones coming out this year.

There are a few others that may turn out well enough,
Resident Evil: Extinction, I liked the first two well enough. I am Legend, sci-fi Will Smith, The second Chronicles of Narnia film, Brad Pitt's Assassination of Jesse James western, 30 Days of Night, vampire horror. Personally n the terms of no plot action films, I gotta see Shoot'em Up with Clive Owen and War wit Jet Li and Jason Statham, both movies look like pure action, my kryptonite.

Not sure if I am alone in my estimation of these films, but that's my two cents. What's the point of a blog if not to bitch about stuff. I mean they got me to still go see these movies, right? You know that I would totally go see more of many of these franchises should they make another, all in the hopes that they would be better. Maybe not the Oceans movies, as I didn't like 2 or 3, but Certainly Spidey 4 or Pirates 4. Ah well, no one to blame but me.


End of Line.
Gerrad!