The dog
days of summer are upon us, and although this summer has been one of contrasts -
with just as many box office bombs as successes – it’s been fun at the movies
overall. Only time will tell if the summer of 2013 will have any staying power in
the history of cinema (JOSH and JEFF vote NO) however, this week I’m putting
away my Hater-ade and talking about 5 films that I’ve absolutely loved. If
you’re looking for a good film to see as we draw toward the end of summer (and
studios try to claw their way out of debt) I would suggest any one of these
five. The films are ranked from 5-1 in the order which I would recommend seeing
them.
Movies Seen In Theatres This Week:
The Wolverine, The Conjuring, The Way Way Back, Fruitvale
Station, Let Me Explain: Kevin Hart
Lesson 5. Somehow
Kevin Hart is Crazy Famous
Kevin Hart is the most financially successful standup
comedian of the year, and part of that is the 32 million that his stand-up
special made in theatres. And every dime of that is well deserved. Hart
released this film on the heels of a worldwide tour and it’s one of the best
standup sets of the year. Hart sells out Madison Square Garden and gives a routine
that is honest, thought provoking, and above all else hilarious. I highly
enjoyed watching this comedy special, but honestly had no idea that Kevin Hart
was as big a deal as he is. Can I tell you a Kevin Hart film off the top of my
head? (Jeff: Fool’s Gold?) Nope. Could I quote a Hart joke? Nope. Would I
recognize Hart on the street as a celebrity? Maybe? But I’m in the minority:
Hart has gained a massive following by embracing YouTube, touring nonstop for
at least three years, and making a career as a character actor. Hart is a great
example of modern celebrity, someone who is loved and well-known with a small
segment of society, but has enough of a following to live on the edge of
extreme celebrity. It just takes one project to break through, and with his new
special Let Me Explain Hart has
broken through. Now it’s time to see if Hart has staying power, and that test
will come this January when he stars opposite Ice Cube in Ride Along.
Lesson 4. Conjuring Up a Winning
Formula
As much
as it shocks me to write to this… I LOVED The Conjuring. Is The
Conjuring the first film to put a family in a creepy house haunted by
demons? Obviously not, but it does it soooo very well. It uses horror film
tropes to their best extent, and it’s never cliché. The Conjuring draws you in and takes you on an amazing visual and
emotional ride. Its characters are logical in their reactions to this
situation, they have clear motivation, and all of the actors shine in their
parts. The thing that I loved most about The
Conjuring is the fact that director James Wan and writers Carey and Chad
Hayes base all of the supernatural events in logic and reality. They ask the
audience to think about what they would do in this situation, and never once
did I find myself shouting at the characters, telling them the “right” thing to
do, they just did it. That is what gives the film it’s highly suspenseful tone.
The two stand-outs of film are Patrick Wilson, who perfectly plays the supernatural
hunter Ed Warren, and director Wan. Wan is a very good director who just happens
to make horror films. As the director of this, Saw, and Insidious, Wan
has carved himself a great place in Hollywood today and horror film history. To
me The Conjuring is as good as any
horror film, I’d place it on the same level as The Exorcist and Poltergeist,
and the fact that it was made on a 20 million dollar budget and then grossed 108
million dollars (as of Aug 4, 2013) means that we will see plenty of
Conjuring sequels - and if they
follow Ed and Lorraine Warren (a real life couple who went around the northeast
assisting people in supernatural occurrences) I’d be game because there are still
more stories for these characters to tell.
Lesson 3. …And Now for Something
Kind of Different
The Way Way Back is one of the most fun films of
the summer. This coming-of-age tale, starring Liam James of TV’s Psych, follows in the line of Little Miss Sunshine and Juno as a quirky indy film that
penetrates the main stream and bring joy to audiences everywhere. Let me start
with this, The Way Way Back is NOT AS
GOOD as the other two mentioned above, but man it’s a good time at the movies.
Jim Rash (Community) and Nat Faxon (Ben and Kate) write this film, just like
The Descendants for which they won an
Oscar, but this time they also find themselves acting and co-directing. The Way Way Back is their film in every
sense of the word, and it has such a unique sense of humor that it’s a breath
of fresh air. The Way Way Back is the
story of young boy trying to survive the summer of his parents’ divorce while
being stuck in a northeastern beach town with his broken family and find his
place in the world. His mom is the amazing Toni Collette and her new d-bag
boyfriend is a fantastic Steve Carrell, both of whom play against type very
successfully, as well as the boyfriend’s entitled teenage daughter, played by Zoe
Levin. This film features an all-star cast, also including Allison Janny,
Annasophia Robb, Rob Cordrey, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, and Sam Rockwell who
steals this film. This is a classic case of Rockwell being Rockwell and embodying
a character so much that you lose sight of who the actor is. His portrayal of
Owen, the owner/manager of Water Wizz Water Park, is simply breathtaking, and
is my first lock for an Oscar nomination. Take the time to see The Way Way Back, it’s a fun comedy that
isn’t afraid to toss in a little bit of drama, heart, and honesty.
Lesson 2. Snicker-Snack
Goes The Wolverine
Going into The Wolverine, let’s just say that I was
cautiously optimistic. I’m happy to say that I LOVED it. This film not only saves
the character franchise, but sets up the next film very well. There are some
actors who become so ingrained as a character that no one else could possibly play
the role – that is Hugh Jackman with Wolverine, AKA Logan. This isn’t a perfect
film, it has many holes including some under-developed villains, too many
unestablished characters, and the third act becomes far too dependent on CGI
(which is sad for a film that uses very little CGI up to that point). But this
film is exactly what the superhero genre needs. The Wolverine is a character study, a slow film and a film that is
very small in scope. It’s a wonderful look at Logan and what makes him who he
is, and it looks at the down side of super powers: specifically those that come
with being a self-healing, immortal mutant. One of the things I love about the
film is that Logan is flawed. He’s not glorified, he just happens to have
superpowers, but somehow he overcomes all of the obstacles
in his life and that is what makes him heroic. The great thing about The Wolverine is that it takes its time.
All this film really wants to do is explore its central character. Yes, there
is a problem (Wolverine has lost his mutant powers and must cope with that
until he can get them back) but I love that this is a superhero/kung fu/noir
film. With harsh shadows, corrupt morals and motivations, striking dark visuals,
and femme fatals that really boil the blood. Set in Japan, it’s subtle and
kickass at the same time and it has amazing action sequences that bleed into
great and moving characters scenes, both with visuals that take your breath
away. The Wolverine was helmed by
Darren Aaronfsky up until a year ago when James Mangold took over, but you can
instantly tell what Aaronfsky added to the film. Instead of changing gears,
Mangold went with what he was given and ends up making a beautiful film that is
my favorite superhero of the summer. In terms the X-Men franchise as a whole I
say this falls very closely behind X2 and
X-Men but well ahead of 2011’s X-Men: First Class and way, way ahead of
X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men:
The Last Stand.
Lesson 1. Timing
is Everything
I was ready to declare The
Way Way Back and Much Ado About
Nothing the two best films of 2013 so far – but then I sat down to watch Fruitvale Station. Wow. Goodness… Wow.
Fruitvale Station is this year’s Sundance darling,
winning the grand prize and the audience award at this year’s festival. Totally
deserved. Fruitvale is the true story
of bay area resident Oscar Grant and the events that happen to him, his family,
and his friends on New Year’s Eve 2008. It is fantastically directed,
brilliantly filmed, and Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer
give amazing performances. Spencer is almost a lock for best supporting actress
this year, but only time will tell on the rest. Why? This film is great, and
will easily be one of the best films of the year BUT it came out in the middle
of summer. Will it still get the attention it deserves during awards season? I
really, really hope that it will. I hope Fruitvale
Station is still on people’s minds because it hits so many emotional chords,
and I dare you to come out with dry eyes. Fruitvale
Station is one of the GREATS of 2013 and I hope it gets treated as such.
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