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I've managed to see more movies this summer than I have over the last two summers, which is nice. I always like to try to see the blockbusters, just so I can give an opinion to customers at my job. Opinions (sometimes) facilitate conversations, which (sometimes) encourages a customer to reserve a title, after they've realized how much they enjoyed the film. IDK - it makes sense when you see it happen a lot.
Anyhow, here's a rundown of what I've seen, plus short opinion:
Iron Man 3: I appropriately started my summer off by seeing this movie. Note, that it's the only movie this summer that I've seen twice, and I would not be at all opposed to seeing it a third or even fourth time. I loved it so much.
Honestly, the thing that impresses me the most about the Iron Man movies is how they always try to subvert comic book movies. The first one is dedicated to breaking away from the whole secret identity thing - because it's more of a hindrance than blessing to someone as high profile as Tony Stark - and subverting ideal superhero types (um, Tony Stark). The second one doesn't subvert as much; it's more a follow-up with nifty new toys and Tony Stark hijinks and SHIELD - OMGSHIELD. It builds up to an Avengers movie more than the other Phase One movies, because one of its subplots is about Tony Stark being evaluated for the Avengers Initiative. Even then, our expectations are subverted, because Tony doesn't get in.
The third movie gleefully subverts every one of its audience's expectations, down to its representation of a classic Iron Man villain. I'm actually shocked that people are shocked and upset that the Mandarin wasn't a poster boy for Yellow Fever. I personally was delighted that they didn't go that route or keep the Mandarin a Bin Ladin analogy. The Mandarin as a manufactured threat to cover up AIM's fuck ups AND to create a new arms race is honestly more frightening than a foreign threat.
I could wax poetics about everything that I liked about this film, but I promised myself I'd keep these things concise.
Star Trek: Into Darkness: I liked everything about this movie except for Carol Marcus and Khan. Seriously, this movie would have been fantastic if Benedict Cumberbatch's character had remained John Harrison. Abrams could have still made his movie about Starfleet militarizing in the wake of Nero's time traveling shenanigans. With a villain like Admiral Marcus, we didn't even really need Khan.
So, yeah, I'm sort of confused why this movie had Khan when the conflict was something else entirely.
Benedict Cumberbatch gave us some great acting, which was nice, I guess, but he's not my Khan :T
Carol Marcus - why was she even in this film? Aside from the obvious parallels to Wrath of Khan?
Otherwise, outstanding job by the return cast (which was everybody).
The Great Gatsby: "Jay Gatsby threw some really bitchin' parties." THAT'S the voiceover narration that I wanted so desperately to hear from Toby Maguire's Nick Carraway. This movie was in part about some really bitchin' house parties in the rich side of town. When it's not about partying, it's about Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan's horrible life choices. No, wait. Scratch that. It's about everybody's horrible life choices, including Nick's.
There are two things that I want out of a Great Gatsby movie: (1) Daisy and Tom as bad people and (2) Joy Gatsby being kind of an asshole. This movie had both in spades! It's like Baz Luhrmann read the novel and walked away with all the conclusions that anybody who read that book should have walked away with.
I love the Great Gatsby for the exact reasons why I love Wuthering Heights: it's like watching a train wreck happen before your eyes.
In all seriousness, though, I enjoyed what this movie tried to do: draw parallels between the 1920's and today. It was everything that a Baz Luhrmann film typically is: bright, anachronistic, tragic heroines trapped in their poor life choices, decadence - all set to really bitchin' soundtracks.
Man of Steel: As a superhero movie, I loved it. As a Superman movie, it felt really weird to see all the senseless destruction and disregard for civilian safety. When I wasn't playing "Name that TV Actor", I was struck speechless by the complete destruction of the places that matter to Clark Kent/Superman in the comics: Krypton (okay, it had to be destroyed - Snyder gets a free pass on this one), Smallville (WTF), Metropolis.
I really want them to use what happens in this movie to set up some anti-Superman sentiment in the next. I want a Superman movie where Superman has to earn the people of Metropolis' trust, because it only makes sense after the alien grudge match that nearly destroyed the world and leveled their city. Russell Crowe's Jor-El said it best when he talked about giving the inhabitants of his son's adoptive home something to strive for. Superman HAS to inspire people. What he did in this film? It didn't really inspire much confidence.
(Complete aside/reason to see this movie: Michael Shannon's Zod was amazing and over-the-top - and it worked so well!)
Monsters University: I walked in skeptical, I walked out in love. Pixar gave us a college movie AND a coming of age story - complete with college stereotypes that were more tongue-in-cheek than anything. Does it measure up to Monsters Inc.? Not really. However, it's still an amazing movie that give us the material to better understand Mike and Sully's friendship. Monsters Inc was Sully's movie; Monsters University was Mike's.
Anyhow, here's a rundown of what I've seen, plus short opinion:
Iron Man 3: I appropriately started my summer off by seeing this movie. Note, that it's the only movie this summer that I've seen twice, and I would not be at all opposed to seeing it a third or even fourth time. I loved it so much.
Honestly, the thing that impresses me the most about the Iron Man movies is how they always try to subvert comic book movies. The first one is dedicated to breaking away from the whole secret identity thing - because it's more of a hindrance than blessing to someone as high profile as Tony Stark - and subverting ideal superhero types (um, Tony Stark). The second one doesn't subvert as much; it's more a follow-up with nifty new toys and Tony Stark hijinks and SHIELD - OMGSHIELD. It builds up to an Avengers movie more than the other Phase One movies, because one of its subplots is about Tony Stark being evaluated for the Avengers Initiative. Even then, our expectations are subverted, because Tony doesn't get in.
The third movie gleefully subverts every one of its audience's expectations, down to its representation of a classic Iron Man villain. I'm actually shocked that people are shocked and upset that the Mandarin wasn't a poster boy for Yellow Fever. I personally was delighted that they didn't go that route or keep the Mandarin a Bin Ladin analogy. The Mandarin as a manufactured threat to cover up AIM's fuck ups AND to create a new arms race is honestly more frightening than a foreign threat.
I could wax poetics about everything that I liked about this film, but I promised myself I'd keep these things concise.
Star Trek: Into Darkness: I liked everything about this movie except for Carol Marcus and Khan. Seriously, this movie would have been fantastic if Benedict Cumberbatch's character had remained John Harrison. Abrams could have still made his movie about Starfleet militarizing in the wake of Nero's time traveling shenanigans. With a villain like Admiral Marcus, we didn't even really need Khan.
So, yeah, I'm sort of confused why this movie had Khan when the conflict was something else entirely.
Benedict Cumberbatch gave us some great acting, which was nice, I guess, but he's not my Khan :T
Carol Marcus - why was she even in this film? Aside from the obvious parallels to Wrath of Khan?
Otherwise, outstanding job by the return cast (which was everybody).
The Great Gatsby: "Jay Gatsby threw some really bitchin' parties." THAT'S the voiceover narration that I wanted so desperately to hear from Toby Maguire's Nick Carraway. This movie was in part about some really bitchin' house parties in the rich side of town. When it's not about partying, it's about Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan's horrible life choices. No, wait. Scratch that. It's about everybody's horrible life choices, including Nick's.
There are two things that I want out of a Great Gatsby movie: (1) Daisy and Tom as bad people and (2) Joy Gatsby being kind of an asshole. This movie had both in spades! It's like Baz Luhrmann read the novel and walked away with all the conclusions that anybody who read that book should have walked away with.
I love the Great Gatsby for the exact reasons why I love Wuthering Heights: it's like watching a train wreck happen before your eyes.
In all seriousness, though, I enjoyed what this movie tried to do: draw parallels between the 1920's and today. It was everything that a Baz Luhrmann film typically is: bright, anachronistic, tragic heroines trapped in their poor life choices, decadence - all set to really bitchin' soundtracks.
Man of Steel: As a superhero movie, I loved it. As a Superman movie, it felt really weird to see all the senseless destruction and disregard for civilian safety. When I wasn't playing "Name that TV Actor", I was struck speechless by the complete destruction of the places that matter to Clark Kent/Superman in the comics: Krypton (okay, it had to be destroyed - Snyder gets a free pass on this one), Smallville (WTF), Metropolis.
I really want them to use what happens in this movie to set up some anti-Superman sentiment in the next. I want a Superman movie where Superman has to earn the people of Metropolis' trust, because it only makes sense after the alien grudge match that nearly destroyed the world and leveled their city. Russell Crowe's Jor-El said it best when he talked about giving the inhabitants of his son's adoptive home something to strive for. Superman HAS to inspire people. What he did in this film? It didn't really inspire much confidence.
(Complete aside/reason to see this movie: Michael Shannon's Zod was amazing and over-the-top - and it worked so well!)
Monsters University: I walked in skeptical, I walked out in love. Pixar gave us a college movie AND a coming of age story - complete with college stereotypes that were more tongue-in-cheek than anything. Does it measure up to Monsters Inc.? Not really. However, it's still an amazing movie that give us the material to better understand Mike and Sully's friendship. Monsters Inc was Sully's movie; Monsters University was Mike's.
