Top Summer Movies 2008
I’d welcome everyone back to school if it were a welcome thing to come back. But, it’s just another semester, and once you’ve done it as much as I have it soon loses its novelty, but for all of you new to school…good luck.
We all enjoy summer though. One of the most enjoyable activities for me during the summer is the summer movie season. So, I decided that a good way to start this year of wonderful movie watching and reviewing for The Statesman would be to do a top movies of the summer list.
Instead of a top 10 list, this is a top seven list, because who ever said every list has to have 10 items in it, anyway?
7. “Tropic Thunder” – A Hollywood satire about how horrible it must be to make a movie. Robert Downey Jr. Steals the show, playing an Australian actor so devoted to his craft that he undergoes a controversial skin pigmentation to get even deeper into character. Ben Stiller and Jack Black round out a cast of characters so crazy and outlandish that such a world could only exist in Hollywood.
With all its gross-out humor, “Tropic Thunder” still made me laugh and think. I loved its slight jabs on how Hollywood treats minorities, people with disabilities and the audience in general.
6. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” — Guillermo del Toro truly is a visionary director. That word gets thrown around a lot I know, but after you’ve viewed movies like “The Orphanage,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and now “Hellboy II,” you’ll see that “visionary” describes del Toro’s work quite well.
While the story of “Hellboy II” is a bit lacking and watching Selma Blair act is, at times, unbearable, the movie more than makes up for when it comes to pure scope and detail. The design of the creatures in this movie took me back to the early “Star Wars” films. So much care and detail went into every little troll and goblin, even if it was only seen for 15 seconds of footage. And when the Elemental God was unfurled in all its angry green glory, I sat back and just said, “Cool.”
5. “Kung Fu Panda” – Who knew two movies starring Jack Black would be in my top movies list? Not me. But “Kung Fu Panda” is just plain fun. While it seemed like Dreamworks Animation was sinking deeper and deeper into despair with one “Shrek” movie after another, along came this little gem.
“Kung Fu Panda” is one of those rare animated movies that both kids and adults can enjoy. The movie was so vibrant, colorful and populated with such interesting characters it gave me hope for Dreamworks once again.
4. “Ironman” – While this technically started before the “real” summer season, I still think it deserves a spot on this list. Just like with Jack Black, I would’ve never have guessed that two Robert Downey Jr. movies would’ve made my top movies list. But, just as in “Tropic Thunder,” Downey steals the show. But, it is his show to steal. Playing the egotistical and arrogant Tony Stark Downey really sinks his teeth into the role. He’s almost as good as he was in the little known dark comedy “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” but kudos to him, because he can play a pompous playboy better than anyone else.
But, the real saving grace behind this movie was Jon Favreau’s direction. The problem with some of the earlier superhero movies, like the first “Hulk” movie, was that the directors weren’t geeks and fans of the comic books to begin with. But, Favreau is a self-confessed geek and it shows here. He got the story perfect and even eschewed from using too much CGI, which I highly commend.
3. “Pineapple Express” – This movie got mixed reviews across the country, mostly because some people are sick of Seth Rogan and his antics, and other people (me) still think he’s hilarious. Jud Apatow and his team are like the Pixar of adult comedies. They seem to be able to crank out one winner after another.
“Pineapple Express” is about two stoners that are thrown into the middle of a drug war mainly because of their own stupidity. In any other hands this movie would’ve been marginal at best, but like every Apatow incarnation, it’s the events that happening during the movie that make it so enjoyable, not the overall plot.
2. “The Dark Knight” – This is one of the most relentless shows I’ve ever watched. The near three hour running time seems to fly. The action begins in scene one and doesn’t let go until the very last seconds. It is the most perfect comic book movie ever made. Heath Ledger, having nothing to do with his death, deserves an Oscar for his role of the Joker many times over. One of the best and most creepy villains ever created for the big screen. He’s right up there with Hannibal.
Even with Christian Bale’s annoying gruff Batman voice, this movie is damn near perfect in every sense of the word. Perfection in cinema is not often seen, especially in summer popcorn flicks, but in this case “The Dark Knight” is the exception to the rule.
1. “Wall-E” – If “The Dark Knight” was near perfection, then “Wall-E” is perfection. “Wall-E” was the most heart-warming story I’ve seen in years. It’s so sad that animated movies are doomed to only contend for one Oscar. “Wall-E” should be at least nominated for best picture, and Wall-E for best actor. There is more emotion in that little robot and his binocular shaped eyes, than most actors in Hollywood could ever dream of conveying.
What impresses me most about “Wall-e” is Pixar’s ability to take that step above all the other CGI movies out there, to climb above the fart and poop jokes, and create a story for all ages. The courage it must have taken to make an animated movie with no real dialogue until 40 minutes into the movie astounds me.
The first 40 minutes of this movie is almost like watching an old Charlie Chaplin film. It’s so sweet and conveys so much with no talking at all. From beginning to end I loved this movie. I loved its animation, its vision and even its message.
This past summer was full of some great movies. I’ll be here every week to let you know what’s happening at your local theater.