So the year is half over already which means we're half way into the summer season and we've done away with the underrated spring months which are known to not really matter. For those of you who think springtime at the movies just dish out the forgetful garbage pay close attention to this list, perhaps there are films you have not seen yet. Anyway here we go.1. In Bruges: Kind of an odd name and a quirky premise which probably is the reason it passed a lot of people by, but this film is a funny, tough, and touching look at an aged old hitman and his young protege who are stuck in the tourist friendly Bruges awaiting instructions from their boss. The film is full of plenty surprises, lots of action and witty dialogue worthy of David Mamet. Brendan Gleason, Colin Farrell, and Ralph Feinnes are all at the top of their game which makes this film by far the best I've seen so far.
2. Wall-E: Wall-E is a little robot who is cleaning up Earth's waste while all of mankind is away on a 700 year+ cruise as they await the time they can return. The film is a sweet intelligent movie that does not dumb down to kids, it does what the classic Disney animated films did and tells the story through picture rather than words. Wall-E is looks at life with an E.T. -like curiosity, but his love for fellow robot Eve contains the kind of longing and pathos of Chaplin, this is a very special movie.
3. Shine a Light: Martin Scorsese's concert film of the Rolling Stones may not be as influential as "Woodstock" or his own "The Last Waltz", but it's full of energy from a filmmaker who obviously is a great admirer of the band and the Stones themselves who may have withered in looks but contain more energy than most young rock bands today.
4. Fugitive Pieces: A touching film about a young boy who escapes from the holocaust and is brought to Canada and raised by a Greek who found him. The film goes back and forth from what seems to be three different periods, but it becomes a moving tale of trying to let go of the past, and trying to live happily.
5. Leatherheads: George Clooney's underrated romantic comedy about the early years of pro-football was a real treat to see. Clooney does a great job in capturing the period and the cast seems to have fun in re-creating the spirit of the old screwball comedy even though the pacing wasn't as fast. But this is also a comedy with a message of not conforming and playing by your own rules which is something Clooney the artist seems to strive for.
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Couldn't avoid getting this film on. You might say there isn't anything special about this one but it accomplishes what it set out to do and that is to make it an entertaining summer film from start to finish. After so many movie franchises tried to take themselves too seriously, it's nice to see that Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford never lost the spirit of the past Indy movies and stuck with the same Saturday Matinee Serial formula that fit so well with the first films. As far as Summer Blockbusters go, this has so far been my favorite.
Well that's it, I'd love to hear what you think are the best films so far or worst for that matter. Is there a hidden gem that should be shared with others? Let me know.
1 comment:
You beat me to this blog entry! Since 1999, I realized that I had difficulty remembering EXACTLY how I felt about the films from the first six months of the year, so I started to do a mid-year top 5. But rather than do it on July 1, I gave it an extra two weeks and did it on July 15 since the first two weeks of January rarely have a new release worth seeing- and so 7/15 was closer to a true half-year date. So I will have my top 5 next Tuesday, but I will say that at least one prominent film from your list will make my cut.
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