So last year I decided to structure my blog about the first four months differently than in previous years. Realizing I still hadn’t really posted the distinctions between why one film gets a certain grade over another, I decided to use my annual blog for January-April to do so. This year, I decided it was a good idea to do the same thing, just to give newer readers an opportunity to catch up. You’ll also find the movies I’m looking forward to most this summer. I hope you enjoy!
Brian’s Grading System
=A+ (4 Stars out of 4)– Craft, story & storytelling merge to the highest levels of the art form. It doesn’t have to be perfect- it just has to sweep one off their feet as they’re watching. The three movies that have hit this level of greatness are: Joe Wright’s riveting “Hanna”, Gore Verbinski’s gonzo animated film “Rango”, and Duncan Jones’s intriguing sci-fi thriller “Source Code”.
=A (3 1/2 Stars)– There’s not quite enough heft to stand up to the cream of the crop, but damn if films here don’t come awfully close. The surprising number of films that got here include: Edgar Muniz’s “On Parade”, the Ed Helms comedy “Cedar Rapids”, the Korean revenge thriller “I Saw the Devil”, the romantic sci-fi drama “The Adjustment Bureau”, the touching family true story “The Music Never Stopped”, James Wan’s terrifying horror film “Insidious”, and the grotesque end-of-world movie “The Taint”.
=A- (3 Stars)– Artistic ambitions fall short here, but entertainment value is still high. If you find a film rated this on my favorites list, that shows how well it worked. See the Gothic love story “Jane Eyre”; Paul Giamatti as a family man in trouble with money and intimacy in “Win Win”; the moving short love story “Awoken”; the courtroom thriller “The Lincoln Lawyer”; Robert Redford’s period assassination drama “The Conspirator”; Zack Snyder’s visually thrilling epic “Sucker Punch”; the short sci-fi thriller “Obsolescence”; the alien invasion battle film “Battle: Los Angeles”; Russell Brand’s funny comedy remake “Arthur”; and the exciting teen action movie “I Am Number Four”.
=B+ (3 Stars)– Still a lot of fun, which is very rarely enough to make my favorites’ list, but art this is not. Strictly entertainment. See the Nicolas Cage grindhouse funhouse “Drive Angry 3D”; Kevin McDonald’s swords-and-sandals epic “The Eagle”; the Farrelly Brothers’s marriage comedy “Hall Pass”; the Bradley Cooper thriller “Limitless”; and the Liam Neeson suspense drama “Unknown”.
=B (2 1/2 Stars)– Has some entertainment value, but also a lot of flaws that you can’t really overlook. Still worth recommending, though. Check out the Simon Pegg-Nick Frost comedy “Paul”; the Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher rom-com “No Strings Attached”; and the low-budget mockumentary “festival”.
=B- (2 1/2 Stars)– Slightly entertaining. Barely makes the grade. Almost not worth recommending. Almost. Watch Michel Gondry’s problematic “The Green Hornet” and the short film “Socks and Cakes” for a couple of examples.
=C+ (2 Stars)– Still has some intrigue, but overall too flawed to recommend. Two such films are the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston comedy “Just Go With It” and the 3D cave adventure “Sanctum”.
=C (2 Stars)– I have a soft spot for parts of it, but otherwise, not worth your time. The ridiculous Nic Cage fantasy film “Season of the Witch” is a good example of this film.
=C- (2 Stars)– Still has some good left in it, but trust me, you can do better. The laughable romantic werewolf film “Red Riding Hood” barely made the cut here.
=D+ (1 1/2 Stars)– Barely below C- level; might have something going for it, but still pretty bad.
=D (1 1/2 Stars)– Too bad to care that the soundtrack rocks it, or that T&A is ample. Just not worth thinking about. In other words, if you haven’t seen the economic “comedy” “A Glaring Emission”, consider yourself lucky.
=D- (1 1/2 Stars)– Maybe one good thing here. The rest is dreadful. Case in point, the stoner fantasy “comedy” “Your Highness”.
=F (1 Star)– The bottom of the barrel. The worst of the worst. Nothing but trash belongs here. So far nothing I’ve seen rates this low. This summer might change that.
10 Movies to Watch This Summer
1. “The Beaver” (5/6)- We all know the path of self-destruction that has led Mel Gibson to this point. Now I want to see his redemption through his art, starting with this dramatic comedy from director-star (and Gibson supporter) Jodie Foster. Mad Mel is said to deliver one of his best performances. If the trailer is any indication, I can’t wait to see this film.
2. “Thor” (5/6) & “Captain America: The First Avenger” (7/22)- We’ve seen the trailers. We’ve shared in the skepticism. Next Friday we begin to see whether Marvel has succeeded in bring two of their trickiest, and most iconic, superheroes to the big screen in a way that doesn’t immediately dash our hopes for 2012’s ambitious “Avengers” film.
3. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part II” (7/15)- It’s fitting that the most successful franchise in modern film history (outside the never-ending Bond series, and yes, I’d argue it’s more successful than “Star Wars”) is going out ten years after it began. And even now, Potter mania is as alive as ever with people who can’t wait to see the conclusion as Harry and Voldemort do battle once and for all. Count me as one of those muggles.
4. “Green Lantern” (6/17)- While Marvel has been taking care to build to the cinematic legacy of their superheroes, DC Comics and Warner Bros. has had difficulty getting their own franchises off the ground into a cohesive universe. This summer, we see the true beginnings of DC’s build-up to the Justice League of America with Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a pilot for the military who finds himself recruited by an interplanetary squad who helps protect the galaxy. Reynolds seems ideal for the role, but the real question is whether director Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale,” “Edge of Darkness”) can make this fantastical universe come to life successfully for audiences. I’m betting he succeeds.
5. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (8/5)- Ten years ago Fox tried to resurrect their “Apes” franchise with Tim Burton and Mark Wahlberg. The results were, well, a bit surreal. Now the Apes are rising again, this time with modern mo-cap technology allowing Andy Serkis to bring to life the character of Caesar (played by Roddy McDowell in “Conquest of” and “Battle for”) as he leads an uprising of evolved apes to revolution. Don’t be surprised if Fox finds their monkey “Planet” rebuilt by Labor Day. The question is if they know where to go from this point.
6. “Cowboys & Aliens” (7/29)- Now that he’s become well versed in large-scale action movies with the first two “Iron Man” films, director Jon Favreau is bringing another startling comic book world to life in this tale of, well, cowboys and aliens. But the big draw in this film is the star pairing of the most recent James Bond (Daniel Craig) with Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). And the best part? Not in 3D. Look for this film to play long for a late summer entry.
7. “Super 8” (6/10)- When I was figuring out my most anticipated both for the whole year and this summer, I always have forgotten to include this mysterious monster movie written and directed by J.J. Abrams in the vein of producer Steven Spielberg’s ’70s films such as “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The reason is simple– despite its pedigree, this film has seemed to be flying below radar. One thing I can’t deny– if this is as good as it looks, it’ll be one of the summer’s biggest success stories, and maybe even an Oscar contender come years end.
8. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (5/20)- If you had asked me after 2007’s bloated “At World’s End” whether I was interested in further adventures of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, my answer would have been a resounding, “no.” (Of course, I was saying “no” even after the wildly entertaining first film, but that’s a story for another day.) Four years later, I’m ready for more Captain Jack, as Depp and Geoffrey Rush’s wicked Barbossa set sail for the Fountain of Youth with Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane (as Blackbeard), and director Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”) in place of Gore Verbinski. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what they have in store.
9. “X-Men: First Class” (6/3)- After Brett Ratner brought the Marvel mutants to the point of ridiculous with the rushed and too convoluted “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and with 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” further floundering the franchise’s early success, Bryan Singer returns as a producer for director Matthew Vaughn (who was once going to direct “Last Stand”) in this intriguing prequel before Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) became enemies. Like “Pirates,” this franchise has a lot to make up for with fans, but if the trailers are any indication, I think Vaughn and Singer are ready to create a rebirth of this franchise.
Also on my radar: This summer is loaded with potential fun. I mean, loaded. Just look at this list past my top 11: “Cars 2” (6/24), the sequel to Pixar’s 2006 hit that might be another gem for the studio, or just a marketing bonanza that will help the bottom line; “The Tree of Life” (5/27), the latest cinematic tone poem from the reclusive Terrence Malick, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn; “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (8/26), a scary looking horror thriller by producer Guillermo del Toro that’s been awaiting release for too long; “Winnie the Pooh” (7/15), Disney’s hand-drawn return to the beloved characters of A.A. Milne’s stories; “The Hangover 2” (5/27), Todd Phillips’s Bangkok-set follow-up to his 2009 smash– lightning may strike twice, but with comedy you never know; “Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom” (5/27), yet another animated sequel that possibly didn’t need to exist, but the first one was so good one hopes Dreamworks won’t ruin another franchise; “Larry Crowne” (7/1), a sweet looking romantic comedy with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, and directed by Hanks; “Priest” (5/13), another religious-themed action film from the director and star of 2010’s “Legion”– hopefully they have another minor success on their hands; “Midnight in Paris” (5/20), the latest Woody Allen comedy, this time with Owen Wilson in the Woody role– can Allen find his groove again?; “Something Borrowed” (5/6), a romantic comedy about a best friend (Ginnifer Goodwin) who falls in love with the husband-to-be of Kate Hudson– hopefully it’ll be a sweet and funny treat; and “Transformers: The Dark of the Moon” (7/1), the third film in Michael Bay’s alien robot series– Bay is promising a better movie than 2009’s “Revenge of the Fallen,” but I’m not terribly optimistic (I am hopeful, though).
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
www.myspace.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/cinemanouveau
