Snooch to the Nooch!
This has been a crazy busy summer for me. Work has been slammed, and working me ragged. My artistic pursuits and blogging have been fruitful and invigorating. And I’ve been watching new movies like its no tomorrow. It took me a while to get to some films, but when I did, well, it wasn’t always worth it, but it certainly gave me a lot to right about. I hope you enjoy this year’s run-down of the summer’s best (and worst), as well as a look at what this fall has in store.
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
www.myspace.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/cinemanouveau
End-of Summer Best/Worst/Oscar-Worthy:
Best Film: “The Beaver” (A+); This first category is for the indie films that struck a nerve with me, and left a lasting impression that, in many cases, floored me. First up is Jodie Foster’s remarkably moving dark family comedy with Mel Gibson in an Oscar-caliber role as a husband and father whose depression leads him to turn to a beaver puppet for guidance in getting his life back on track. With a gross of less than $1 million (the lowest of Gibson’s career as a leading man), it’s obvious fans aren’t ready to forgive Gibson his personal transgressions, but those who saw it had a difficult time forgetting it. Far more successful at finding their audiences were Woody Allen’s delightful comic fantasy, “Midnight in Paris”, and Werner Herzog’s haunting documentary, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”, which led to some of the best reviews of either filmmaker’s careers. Another unexpected four-star film is the intelligent and moving character drama, “Missing Pieces”, which isn’t available for wide release yet, but will hopefully make an impact once people are given the chance to watch it. Even further on the fringes were two shorts their makers led me to– the wicked satire “Madeleine Zabel”, and the Allen-esque comedy “Perry St.” –as well as the historical drama, “There Be Dragons”. Yes, I know Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” was the critical fave of the summer, but I’d take any of these films over another meandering Malick tone poem any day.
Best Entertainment: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” (A+); If you prefer your cinematic pleasures with popcorn, Hollywood raised the bar more than some critics would give them credit for, starting with David Yates’s thrilling finale to the decade-long money factory Warner Bros. built out of J.K. Rowling’s novels. While Potter’s journey came to an end, a couple of franchises began again over at Fox, as the swinging ’60s comic book thriller of “X-Men: First Class” and the rejuvenated monkey adventures of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” built solid foundations for future stories. Marvel Studios delivered two of their trickier superheroes to theatres with style and substance in “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”, while Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling had inspired teamwork as modern men looking to capture true love in “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”. And what geek didn’t get a kick out of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg’s return to their gloriously wasted youth making movies with “Super 8”, a film that might have the longest shelf life because of how Abrams and Spielberg capture what it was like to be young, impetuous, and in love with the potential of what cinema had to offer.
Worst Film: “Priest” (D+); Yes, there are several pro critics who would disagree, but there are a lot of August films I still haven’t seen. This early summer entry, based on a graphic novel about priests battling vampires, was both uninspired and sloppy looking, never good for a movie during the summer months.
Worst Disappointment: “Green Lantern” (B-); Yes, I still found quite a bit to like out of Martin Campbell’s adaptation of DC’s Emerald Knight, which marks the first time anyone has brought someone other than Batman and Superman to the big-screen from the comic icon’s stable of superheroes. Sadly, the ideally-cast Ryan Reynolds was wasted in a tone-deaf and dreary looking space epic that sets DC’s plans for their Justice League back considerably. Plans for a sequel remain, but what I’ve heard isn’t instilling confidence.
Biggest Laughs: “Horrible Bosses” (A-); In a summer of big box-office for R-rated comedies, only this revenge comedy made with the big laughs to go with the over-17 subject matter. Others, such as “30 Minutes or Less”, “Bad Teacher”, “The Change-Up”, “Bridesmaids”, and “The Hangover Part II”, played off of familiar subject matter and gags, or just couldn’t find that balance of story and absurd laughs. With an overqualified cast and an inspired scenario, “Horrible Bosses” put the all other laugh-fests to shame.
Biggest Surprise: “Midnight in Paris” (A+); This summer had a great number of artistic surprises, like Mel Gibson’s turn in “The Beaver” and the prequels “X-Men: First Class” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, both of which regained former glory for wilted franchises. But I’m gonna go with Woody Allen’s wonderful comic fantasy, which opened to raves at the Cannes Film Festival, and then became the legendary filmmaker’s biggest hit ever at the box-office, and also his greatest potential for Oscar glory in years. I know I’m hoping the film will land in the top 10 this year.
Biggest Dud: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (B); Yes, “Green Lantern” and “Cowboys & Aliens” were bigger financial duds, and “The Hangover Part II” was a distant cry from the 2009 blockbuster comedy, but the fourth film in Disney’s “Pirates” film series squandered any good will the franchise had left on a well-cast and interesting story that director Rob Marshall is unable to invigorate with the same energy Gore Verbinski brought to even the most bloated movies in the billion-dollar enterprise. Now please, Disney, no more.
Most Gratuitous Cash-In: “Cars 2” (B). Wow, am I really putting a Pixar film in a category other than that of my favorites and best films of the summer? Indeed. While Pixar stuck the landing with its creatively inspired “Toy Story” sequels, this action-adventure follow-up to the studio’s least-acclaimed effort to date exists solely because of the financial windfall from the first “Cars.” When you sell billions of dollars of merchandising, who cares if the adults who love your films think it’s a good idea. The movie itself is an entertaining romp, but it lacks the heart and imagination of Pixar’s finest work. Hey, even the best are allowed to make mistakes every once in a while.
Favorite Performances: Instead of trying to come up with something to write about each performance/character, I’m just gonna be running them down for you: Mel Gibson, “The Beaver”; Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; Chris Evans, “Captain America: The First Avenger”; Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Jennifer Aniston, “Horrible Bosses”; Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Jodie Foster, “The Beaver”; Steve Carell, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Jennifer Lawrence, “X-Men: First Class”; Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Michael Fassbender, “X-Men: First Class”; Mark Boone Jr., “Missing Pieces”; Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris”; Jason Bateman, “Horrible Bosses”; Charlie Day, “Horrible Bosses”; Jamie Foxx, “Horrible Bosses”; Will Farrell, “Everything Must Go”; Joel Courtney, “Super 8”; Riley Griffiths, “Super 8”; Chris Hemsworth, “Thor”
Oscar-Worthy Mentions:
In a break from my usual practice, I’m just gonna go with the ones I’d most like to see nominated (and so far occupy slots in my own Oscar ballot) rather than listing everything.
Best Picture: “The Beaver”; “Midnight in Paris”; “Missing Pieces”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”; “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “X-Men: First Class”; “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; “There Be Dragons”; “Super 8”; “Thor”
Best Director: Jodie Foster, “The Beaver”; David Yates, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Kenton Bartlett, “Missing Pieces”; Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; Matthew Vaughn, “X-Men: First Class”; J.J. Abrams, “Super 8”; Joe Johnston, “Captain America: The First Avenger”; Kevin Chenault, “Young Islands”; Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”; Roland Joffe, “There Be Dragons”; Kenneth Branagh, “Thor”
Best Actor: Mel Gibson, “The Beaver”; Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Steve Carell, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris”; Mark Boone Jr., “Missing Pieces”; Will Farrell, “Everything Must Go”; Joel Courtney, “Super 8”; Brad Pitt, “The Tree of Life”; Chris Evans, “Captain America: The First Avenger”; James McAvoy, “X-Men: First Class”; Jason Bateman, “Horrible Bosses”
Best Actress: Jodie Foster, “The Beaver”; Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”; Julianne Moore, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Best Supporting Actor: Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; Hunter McCracken, “The Tree of Life”; Michael Fassbender, “X-Men: First Class”; Daniel Hassell, “Missing Pieces”; Anton Yelchin, “The Beaver”; Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Rupert Grint, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Riley Griffiths, “Super 8”; Christopher Jordan Wallace, “Everything Must Go”; John Lithgow, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; Kevin Bacon, “X-Men: First Class”; Kevin Spacey, “Horrible Bosses”
Best Supporting Actress: Marion Cottilard, “Midnight in Paris”; Jennifer Lawrence, “The Beaver” & “X-Men: First Class”; Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Taylor Engel, “Missing Pieces”; Jennifer Aniston, “Horrible Bosses”; Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Elle Fanning, “Super 8”; Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Best Original Screenplay: Kyle Killen, “The Beaver”; Kenton Bartlett, “Missing Pieces”; Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; Kevin Chenault, “Young Islands”; J.J. Abrams, “Super 8”; Dan Fogelman, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”; Roland Joffe, “There Be Dragons”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steve Kloves, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer, “X-Men: First Class”; Dan Rush, “Everything Must Go”; Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, “Captain America: The First Avenger”; Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne, J. Michael Straczynski, Mark Protosevich, “Thor”
Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino, “Super 8”; Alan Silvestri, “Captain America: The First Avenger”; Alexandre Desplat, “The Tree of Life” & “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Marcelo Zarvos, “The Beaver”; Stephen Warbeck, “There Be Dragons”; Harry Gregson-Williams, “Cowboys & Aliens”
Best Original Song: “The Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Alan Menken & David Zippel); “All That You Are” from “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (The Goo Goo Dolls); “Collision of Worlds” from “Cars 2” (Robbie Williams & Brad Paisley)
Technical Oscars Run-Down: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” (Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design); “X-Men: First Class” (Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Film Editing); “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing); “Super 8” (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography); “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Cinematography); “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing); “Thor” (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction); “Green Lantern” (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Design, Best Art Direction); “The Smurfs” (Best Visual Effects); “Cars 2” (Best Sound Editing)
Summer 2011: The Complete Moviewatching List:
The A’s: “The Beaver” (A+); “Midnight in Paris” (A+); “Missing Pieces” (A+); “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” (A+); “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (A+); “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (A+); “X-Men: First Class” (A+); “Madeleine Zabel” (A); “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” (A); “There Be Dragons” (A); “Super 8” (A); “Perry St.” (A); “Thor” (A); “Captain America: The First Avenger” (A-); “Young Islands” (A-); “The Tree of Life” (A-); “Horrible Bosses” (A-); “Everything Must Go” (A-); “Larry Crowne” (A-); “Cowboys & Aliens” (A-)
The B’s: “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (B+); “30 Minutes or Less” (B); “Cars 2” (B); “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (B); “Bad Teacher” (B); “The Change-Up” (B); “Green Lantern” (B-)
The C’s: “The Smurfs” (C); “The Hangover Part II” (C)
The D’s: “Bridesmaids” (D+); “Priest” (D+)
The F’s: None. I know; I’m as shocked as you are. There are still several films I haven’t watched, though, so keep your fingers crossed.
Brian’s 10 “Must-See” Movies of Fall 2011
1. “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” (12/23) & “War Horse” (12/28)
2. “Hugo” (11/23)
3. “Red State” (10/21)
4. “The Muppets” (11/23)
5. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (12/23)
6. “Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol” (12/16)
7. “Arthur Christmas” (11/23)
8. “Anonymous” (10/28)
9. “Real Steel” (10/7)
Other Fall Films to Be on the Lookout For:
A closer look at this Fall reveals a lot of interesting projects on the horizon, both high-brow and low. Among the selections are: “Apollo 18” (9/2), an oft-delayed conspiracy/monster thriller being produced by the director of “Wanted” and “Night Watch”; “Contagion” (9/9), an action thriller with Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law directed by Steven Soderbergh; “Moneyball” (9/23), a promising baseball drama starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill directed by Bennett Miller, who gave us “Capote”; “50/50” (9/30), a comedy about living with cancer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, and Anna Kendrick– buzz is good for this offbeat project; “The Ides of March” (10/7), a political drama from George Clooney, his first behind the camera since “Good Night, and Good Luck.”; “The Skin I Live In” (10/14), the latest from Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar (“Volver,” “Talk to Her”) starring Antonio Banderas; “Puss in Boots” (11/4), a spin-off with Antonio Banderas’s “Shrek” sidekick in a “Zorro” like adventure– yes, I do want to see this flick, even if the “Shrek” franchise went downhill; and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” (12/16), the sequel to the 2009 holiday smash that gave us Robert Downey Jr. as Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary sleuth.
