How about a summer movie review?
Throughout this summer, I've seen a few movies of a few different varieties. Here are the Top 5, building from least favorite to favorite:
*Honorable Mentions:
- Turbo - Which, despite getting killed in the box office, was a surprisingly fun movie to go to with my 8-year-old brother. Note: Probably not worth seeing unless you're with someone younger than 10.
- Blackfish - An excellent documentary that will make you think twice next time someone mentions going to SeaWorld. I actually liked this film a lot, but as the only documentary, I found difficulty ranking it. An honorable mention seemed fair.
- Monsters University - A fine, fine movie. I just enjoyed the following 5 a little more.
The Stats: 60% (Rotten Tomatoes) / $5.8M (Box Office)
A story based in truth about some kids who constantly robbed celebrities (most notably, Paris Hilton) a few years back and were really, really proud of it. I found it as a sort-of broken mirror commentary on the self-involvement of my own generation - the generation of vain status updates, clicking smartphones, humblebragging tweets, photoshopped selfies, and instant YouTube fame. What these kids place value in or how they perceive their behavior is less a reflection on them personally and more a reflection on our current American society as one that glamorizes and obsesses over celebrity. The Bling Ring definitely does an excellent job of exposing the negative aspects of the apathetic self-obsession that has become synonymous with "Generation Me". However, while there is certainly a lot to glean from this Sofia Coppola flick, I felt as though it asked a few more questions than it could answer and at times focused more on dazzling style (and soundtrack) than its wealth of unfortunately untapped psychological substance. For not realizing its full potential, The Bling Ring sits as my 5th favorite movie I've seen this summer.
The Stats: 74% / $2.3M
A psychological thriller of seeing the world through the eyes of a guerrilla-terrorist movement, The East checks in at #4. Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard, and Ellen Paige all carry this movie much further than any other ensemble might and make for quite a fun and thought-provoking ride. Marling, as main character Sarah Moss, goes undercover for a private intelligence firm and infiltrates an environmental terrorist group (led by Skarsgard and Paige) called "The East". From that point forward, The East expands from a simple job assignment to a quest for identity, purpose, and belonging - all the while under the moral ambiguity of "justified" criminal reactions to "unjust" corporate proceedings. While the acting is great and story-telling quite engaging, The East simply isn't that memorable - when someone asks me "Hey didjya see any good movies this summer?", it just won't be mentioned before the next 3.
The Stats: 76% / $338.5M
Maybe irrational to some, but I just simply can't get enough of those Minions. Honestly, Despicable Me 2 probably wasn't as good as the original, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the movie theater. Of course, the aforementioned Minions steal the show, but Steve Carell's Gru and Kristin Wiig's Lucy have a lot of funny moments of their own. Maybe I'm just a sucker for comedy...particularly childish comedy...I don't know. What I DO know, though, is that no matter how much I like to laugh or enjoy animated film, Despicable Me 2 has no business eclipsing the next 2 films - easily the two best the films of the summer.
The Stats: 94% / $13.5M
Michael B. Jordan is going to be a star. There just isn't another way around it. Who would have thought Wallace from "The Wire" would have his star take-off like this? As you may have guessed, Fruitvale Station is an incredibly well-acted film, thanks largely to Mr. Jordan. It depicts the last-day-in-the-life-of one Oscar Grant, a very real victim of unnecessary police violence a fateful New Years Eve not so long ago. The timing of this movie's release and the Trayvon Martin verdict are of course in no way related, but it's hard not to link the message of this movie with those who seek justice for victims like Trayvon and Oscar: Racial profiling and guns are a deadly, deadly mix and most certainly one that leads to more tragedy than justice. For the gravity of the message it carries alone, Fruitvale Station could have easily been my top movie for this summer. I, however, felt that it was edged out by one other film.
1. The Way Way Back
The Stats: 84% / $16.3M
The Way Way Back is my top choice for "Best Movie I've Seen This Summer". An original story from top to bottom, it painted a beautifully awkward, painful, and remarkable summer of self-discovery and self-identity for a young boy named Duncan (Liam James), stuck with a crappy step-Dad (Steve Carell) and constantly disappointing mother (Toni Collette). Man-boy Sam Rockwell steals the show as young Duncan's hilarious-yet-honest guide to a more confident sense-of-self - a summer waterpark employee! More than anything, The Way Way Back, felt like an artful critique on parents more focused on catching a buzz than checking in on their kid - and served as a self-help bildungsroman for teenagers stuck at the kids table, watching their supposed role models behave more like children than they ever will. The Way Way Back is about taking control of your situation and making it better. It's about believing in who you are and finding joy in whatever situation you're in - and, as hokey as that line sounds, you'll find yourself genuinely charmed by this wonderful wonderful film.
So there you have it, an arbitrary ranking of some movies I happened to catch this summer. Do yourself a favor and see a few of them - particularly Fruitvale Station and The Way Way Back. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.
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