MY TOP 5 FILMS OF THE SUMMER 2013

The summer movies season is over so it’s time to deliver my top 5 films of the summer.

I watch a lot of films but I don’t see everything and outright ignore certain films (Lone Ranger, Fast & Furious 6). During the summer I don’t watch as many indie films so this list is blockbuster heavy, so without further ado….

#5 - The Conjuring



The Conjuring doesn’t do anything I haven’t seen before but it’s hard to ignore the craftsmanship on display. As a result, what could have been another drive through terribly familiar territory turns into of the most engaging and effective horror films of the year.

#4 - The World’s End



Honestly, I was ready made to love this movie. I’ve loved all of Wright, Pegg and Frost previous works (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) so I’m an easy mark. Still, I was surprised at how much heart and contemplation was on display. In addition to the zany fun and sharp dialogue of course.

#3 - The Great Gatsby



I love Baz Luhrmann as a filmmaker, he’s not for everybody’s taste but he’s given me some of my favorite movie going experiences. Needless to say The Great Gatsby was pretty high on my list of most anticipated film of the summer and he delivered in spades. I was thoroughly engaged with the film from start to film and left impressed with Luhrmann’s restraint in the 2nd half of the film. This was my favorite movie of the summer for a good while.

#2 - This is the End



The cast of This is the End is made up of actors and comedians I love so I was worried it’d never live up. Thankfully it didn’t. I’ve seen the movie twice and each time I laughed so much that I’d felt like I’d just finished up an ab workout.

#1 - Pacific Rim



Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite and dependable directors. Pacific Rim was right up my ally from the start. This is one of the few films I’ve seen that actually made me feel like a kid again. There were a handful of moments that literally gave me chills. This is a perfect summer film which deserved a much bigger audience.


Biggest Disappointments:

Star Trek Into Darkness

Being a Trekkie, this was the film I was most looking forward to this past summer. Sadly, it left me terribly disappointed. Everything in it was predictable. It wasn’t a huge surprise since so much of it was simply rehashed from previous films. It really seemed like a waste of talent. I really hope the 3rd one, Karl Urban agrees, blazes a new original path. All that being said, I am going to give this another shot on video.

The Hangover 3

I can’t say I had huge expectation for the 3rd film but I’d hoped it deliver some laughs with the non recycled plot. I think I only laughed 2 or 3 times during the whole. Please put a fork in this franchise.


Random surprises:

2 Guns

The trailer was a lot of fun but really didn’t know what to expect with the actual movie. Sure it’s stupid even though it’s overly complicated but its also a lot of fun!

The Purge

The Purge was a lot better than expected especially since I probably would have skipped it if there was something else playing that weekend. Personally I’d love to see sequel to flesh out some of the ideas thrown out.

I think I might have overrated:

Man of Steel

I gave Man of Steel a B- originally but I can’t say I remember much about it outside of a few bits here and there. I’ll give it another watch on video to make sure I liked it as much as I thought I did.

World War Z

Meanwhile, I won’t be watching World War Z again. I did give it a fair shot when I saw it and I think I ended up being too lenient on it. It was decent but fairly generic and forgettable.



That’s it, that’s all of it.

Now on to the Fall movie season!

MOVIE REVIEW: THE WORLD’S END

Five lifelong friends reunite to complete a historic pub crawl from their youth, and find that reaching the fabled World's End tavern will be no simple undertaking while they also fight for the future of all mankind. Twenty years ago, Gary King (Simon Pegg) and his pals embarked on the ultimate drinking marathon. Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, and Rosamund Pike co-star in the final chapter of Edgar Wright's "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy," which began with 2004's Shaun of the Dead and continued in 2007's Hot Fuzz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan

Release Date: Aug 23, 2013

Rated R for sexual References and Pervasive Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

The final entry in the Cornetto Trilogy is the zany over the top homage, this time riffing on classic sci-fi films, we’d come to expect after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. What’s unexpected and refreshing is the reflective occasionally poignant moments Edgar Wright gives us to chew on. Wright and Pegg wrote the script and it’d have been easy for them to take a easier path down the Golden Mile. Instead they opt for some solid reflection on middle age and trying to recapture those moments from our youth. Of course this is all interwoven between a town full Stepford Wives / Body Snatchers “not robots.” Even though there’s a tangible beating heart at its center, the crew delivers the kind of laughs we’d come to expect. Simon Pegg is allowed to bust loose after playing the straight man in the 2 other films. Pegg, looking intentionally haggard and sporting shoe polish black hair, does a wonderful job of portraying the self centered loser trying desperately to recapture his youth. He has a manic hopped up energy throughout but there’s a tangible sadness behind everything. Nick Frost handles the complicated relationship with Pegg’s character very well. It’s not what we’ve from these two in the other 2 films since it’s a much more complicated dynamic. Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan all have solid but limited roles. Freeman in particular isn’t given a ton to do which is a shame considering the increasingly frenetic pace of the film. The pace grows more erratic and frenzied as the film heads into the final act. Along the way, Wright gives us some of the most enjoyable fight sequences I’ve seen. Each one is wonderfully choreographed and hilarious. The seams do start to fray a bit during the final minutes which drag on a tad bit too long. It felt like the group got a case of Lord of the Rings syndrome and just didn’t want it to end. Honestly, can you blame them?

A-

[Trailer] The World’s End

The trailer for The World’s End is out and I personally can’t wait to see the end of The Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy.

I personally love the first 2 films with a giddy abandon, not to mention Spaced created by the same team. Needless to say I’ve been looking forward to this trailer and while it doesn’t give away much it does give you a glimpse at what we’ll be in store for, synopsis below;

Five lifelong friends reunite to complete a historic pub crawl from their youth, and find that reaching the fabled World's End tavern will be no simple undertaking while they also fight for the future of all mankind. Twenty years ago, Gary King (Simon Pegg) and his pals embarked on the ultimate drinking marathon. But the beer got the best of them, and they failed to drink their final pint at The World's End pub. Now, as die-hard rebel Gary approaches middle age, he summons his old friends back to their hometown for another round. With each pint down, Gary and the gang take another step toward reconciling the past. Meanwhile, just when it starts to look like their goal is in sight, the stammering pals realizes that a much larger struggle is currently taking place, and that the future is looking particularly grim -- not only for them, but for the entire human race as well. Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, and Rosamund Pike co-star in the final chapter of Edgar Wright's "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy," which began with 2004's Shaun of the Dead and continued in 2007's Hot Fuzz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi