It was the first day of fall today, which means the summer movie season has ended. Is it just me or does it seem like summer movies just keep popping up no matter where you are. While it's true, the fall is the time for more artsy or "prestigious" films to come out, but when it comes to box office, I don't see many people lining up to see them. But let's with hold my cynical view of movie-goers for the moment and reflect on a season gone by. While I dread most of what comes out in the summer, I was met with some pleasant surprises. I avoided some of the more talked about movies (ie. "Transformers 2" and that 3-D guinea pig movie), so I was able to catch some of the more hidden gems of the summer. We'll start with May.
As it turned out, I didn't really get to the cinema much during this month, it mostly had to do with the crumminess of the movies. But I'm here to talk about the ones I did see. My summer started with "Star Trek" a reboot to the old television series starring new faces playing the old characters. "Star Trek" became an acclaimed main stream hit and proved to the wide audience that the franchise wasn't dead. What I failed to realize was why so much fuss? The film was praised for its depiction of a more character driven story where we get to see the emergence of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the clan, but this is deceiving. Because we get to see Kirk's father die in an overly sappy way that could've been played for laughs , and we get to see Spock's mother die, means this film can suddenly be called character driven? Wrong, if you look at those scenes, they are cut from any real emotion, they serve as merely explanations as to why the characters act the way they do. The scenes were played as too melodramatic and didn't have the right tone to give an emotional response.
J.J Abrams who is some kind of television wonderkind missed the boat on the emotional level, but he did get the right actors to play the roles. When the film stopped trying for the phony emotion, it became somewhat enjoyable thanks mainly to the cast who could make this new reboot worth watching.
After "Star Trek", I waited patiently till near the end of the month, passing by "Terminator:Salvation" (McG's just not my cup of tea), "Angels and Demons" (Couldn't bring myself to watching "The DaVinci Code") and "Night at the Museum 2" (Never saw the first one). I finally came to a film I wanted to see which was Pixar's "Up". As I've said before, it is without a doubt Pixar's finest hour, and deserves to be mentioned with some of the classic animated films ever made. "Up" is a special treat for film lovers of all ages. The beginning starts with the meeting of two young kids name Ellie and Carl. Ellie craves adventure, while Carl does have the spirit, he's the more timid of the two. We are treated with a long wordless montage of Ellie and Carl as they grow up, get married, and grow old together. Ellie dies leaving Carl a lonely widower. Spending his life as a balloon salesman, he decides to turn his house into a flying machine, escaping spending his life in a retirement home, and pursuing his and Ellie's dream of going to Paradise Falls. His trip is interrupted by a rather bothersome boyscout who accidentally hitches a ride with him. When they get to Paradise Falls, even more surprises develop involving a talking dog named Doug, and a species of bird long thought to be extinct.
"Up" is a special movie of its kind, a mature film for both adults and children. The great thing about "Up" and all of Pixar films is how they can handle serious subjects in such a joyful and accessible manner. We start with one of the most poignant moments this year in movies with a summary of a married life. These were two people who were deeply in love with eachother, you get the sense that they really did share a life together, and not a word is spoken. Ellie is barely shown, but after her death, her loss is felt throughout the rest of the film. This might seem too dark for an animated film directed towards kids, but like the title, the remaining film lifts us up into something that transcends the usual animated movie. "Up" becomes a warm, funny, and heartwarming, when I think about it I can't help but smile.
The month of May ended the same week "Up" came out, for since I missed the last couple of weeks, I thought a double feature was the perfect remedy. I then indulged my darker side and went to see Sam Raimi's fun horror film "Drag Me to Hell". I can't say horror is my favorite genre. Horror seems to be going through a downward spiral these past few years mistaking the genre for torture porn. Yes I am one of those who doesn't feel "Saw" and "Hostel" have much horror elements in them. Raimi of course began his career in horror, and "Drag Me to Hell" was a return to his roots. The story is simple, a poor bank clerk (Allison Lohman) who has a moment of weakness and selfishly denies an old gypsy woman an extension on her mortgage is then told by said gypsy that in four days, she will be DRAGGED TO HELL! The rest of the film is filled with nifty BOO! moments. The film is actually rated PG-13 which means most gore is left off screen, Raimi depends more on sound effects, and lighting cues to create a spooky mood. The best way to watch "Drag Me to Hell" is to dim the lights in your house and snuggle close to someone who doesn't mind being grabbed when there during scary parts.
"Drag Me to Hell" was sadly treated as another mindless horror film, when it was something with a bit more intelligence and humour. It unfortunately died a box office death, but I'm thinking Raimiphiles will resurrect this film on DVD and it will gain the cult status it deserves.
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