summer movies 2008

Summer Movie Season 2008, I really expected more from you. There were plenty of films you offered that I had been awaiting: Prince Caspian, the latest Indiana Jones film, the newest M. Night Shymalan picture, a new installment of the X-Files, and of course, the Dark Knight. Out of those much anticipated films, only the Dark Knight lived up to my expectations. I didn't even see The Happening or the new X-Files film because of bad reviews of lack of interest among my friends. I saw 7 movies this summer season, well, 8 if you count the movie that I saw twice. This is really pretty low, especially considering that movies here in BCS only cost $4, and most of those films I saw in the much more expensive DFW. Out of the films that I did see, here are my thoughts:

Prince Caspian - 2.5/5 I was really, really excited about this one! Such a let down :( It was entertaining enough, but this film tried too hard to be entertaining and action-packed and really downplayed the themes of the book. There was no real sense of wonder about Narnia and Aslan that I felt was present in the first film. Instead, there were lots of battle scenes with mythical creatures (that LOTR already did and much better), a whiny Prince Caspian with an awful accent, and a pointless "love" story that never belonged in this film. There were some highlights, such as Eddie Izzard voicing Reepicheep and a Regina Spektor song at the end. Were I to rewatch it, it would be for the Reepicheep scenes, but I'd be cringing through much of it.

Sex & The City - 4/5 I loved this film! Saw it opening night, and had such a blast! I highly recommend it to all my female readers, but warn my male readers to stay far away. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the unnecessary drama that constituted the main plot. I mean really, why can't you people just talk to one another? Ugh, it frustrates me.

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 4/5 Pure popcorn entertainment, but I enjoyed every minute of it! Was it cheesy at times? Yes. Was it over the top? Absolutely. But I didn't care, because it was Indiana Jones back in action, and I feel what whatever situation his character is in, he's entertaining. It could be Indiana Jones and the Broken Toaster and I'd still watch it and be entertained. Among the 4 Indiana Jones films, this one probably ranks 3rd, but a 3rd-rate Indiana Jones film is still an Indiana Jones film.

Kung Fu Panda - 4.5/5 Pure, hilarious entertainment. I really love Jack Black. I really really love Jack Black when he plays silly fanboy, which he certainly did in this film. I also loved Dustin Hoffman, and some of my favorite scenes were when their characters were playing off of one another. This was a great silly film that actually made you feel a little for the characters. Nothing Oscar worthy or particularly memorable, but I'd watch it again, and I'll buy it for my kids someday.

Wanted - 3.5/5 Saw it on a whim on a rainy Monday evening, and enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. I found myself really enjoying the first half of it, watching James McAvoy play an anxious loser trying to become an assassin was just hilarious. However, the second half of the film became less interesting and more cliche, just still entertaining. Overall, it was a good summer action flick, and much more fun than I expected.

The Dark Knight - 5/5 Do I really have to say why I liked it? Heath Ledger was amazing and I hope he gets nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year. I also enjoyed how Batman became the "Dark Knight," the good scapegoat who allows himself to be seen as evil for the betterment of Gotham City. My only complaint is that it was sooooo long. I really thought that the film was almost over when they were still an hour left. Did anyone else feel like there were two climatic endings in this film? Still, it's not really a complaint, because I would have been satisfied with the "first" ending, but I was happy to receive more :)

Mama Mia - 5/5 Loved it! I'm really a sucker for musicals, and I loved the ABBA music, and the dancing, the excitement, and Meryl Streep, and Colin Firth (adorable), and Pierce Brosnon, even though he can't sing. I actually saw it twice in the same weekend. The second time was for my friend's birthday, stepbrothers was sold out, so she wanted to see this, and while I didn't enjoy shelling out the money, I still really enjoyed it the second time around! It's not for everyone, and it's ridiculously cheesy in some parts, but I really loved it, cheese and all. If you haven't seen it yet, take a chance on mama mia!

I must have stopped while I was ahead, because I didn't see any other Summer 2008 films. I would still like to see Wall-E and Ironman. And maybe Pineapple Express or Tropic Thunder. Or maybe I'll just rent all of those. I've seen a couple of films since the summer season ended, the Rocker, which don't go see, I don't care how much you think you love Rainn Wilson on the Office, it's not worth your time. I also saw Burn After Reading this past weekend, and rather enjoyed it. It was really, really funny, especially Brad Pitt's character. But I will warn you, it's dark and twisted and a lot of things happen that are just like, "WTF?" But it's the Cohen Brothers, and I think that most of my blog readers would enjoy it.