Its been a great summer movie season! We have had movies that have made over a billion dollars and movies that cost two hundred million dollars to make but didn’t make there money back. We have had our share of sequels, actioners, comedies and animated films. Also there have been some good indies and bad horror movies. One thing is for sure the superhero movie is alive and well and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Once again this summer two genres that haven’t been great though are romantic comedies or horror movies. I’m gonna go down my list of winners and losers of the big summer season.
The summer started of with a bang with the release of Iron Man 3 in early May. Robert Downey Jr. reprized his role of Tony Stark/Iron Man for the fourth time in his career. This effect on all accounts was bigger,funnier and all around a better film then that last one Iron Man 2. Its box office totals show this. Robert got rewarded with a big payday to return as Tony Stark/Iron Man for Avengers 2 and 3. May would have a few other really good film come out in the following weeks. The Great Gatsby a remake of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel turned film in the nineteen seventies starring Robert Redford. The second installment in JJ Abroms Star Trek series Star Trek:Into Darkness starring the whole cast from the first one and newcomer to most people Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonin Sing. Seeing it in Imax 3D was well worth my money as this was a better movie then the first one. The Fast and Furious franchise is on its sixth installment and by all accounts it was faster and more furious as well as a much better then most of its predecessors. Vin Diesal has really capitalized on these movie this summer with casting rumors abound about Marvel characters he might portray on the big screen.
June had one big film that sparked a lot of news and critical acclaim and two big surprises a comedy and a actioner/horror. Mostly though June was full of bad comedies and actioners movies. First though the big movie that came out was Man of Steel Directed by Zach Snyder and written and produced by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan. Most people loved this third reboot of the Superman franchise. The critics were mixed but all that matters was people flocked to the theater everywhere to see this great movie. The news afterwords almost took the thunder away from this one though. A sequel has already been announced called Batman vs Superman and Batman/Bruce Wayne has already been cast as by Oscar winning Writer and Director Ben Afflack.The other two good films out in June were the comedy This is the End and World War Z. This is the End was a movie about all of these actors Seth Rogan,Jonah Hill,James Franco, Danny McBride, Micheal Sera and Craig Robertson portraying funny/crazy versions of themselves as the world starts to implode around them. World War Z is based on the popular novel of the same name written by Max Brooks. Starring Brad Pitt this is a well made horror/drama about a zombie apocalypse.
July wasn’t a very good month though for movie going whether it was a big actioner, animated movie or comedy it just seemed most of the films in July weren’t that good. A few though fans seemed to like were the big robot vs monster mash up The Pacific Rim. The Wolverine were Hugh Jackman portrayed Logan for the sixth time in his acting career. Red 2 the sequel to Red with the all star cast including Bruce Willis,Helen Mirron,Catherine Zeta Jones, Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovitch. The Way,Way,Back was a coming of age story set at a beach and an amusement park starring Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell.
August was a mixed bag as some Oscar contenders started to come out but August also has some summer movies as well. A couple good comedies that came out in August were We’re the Millers starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudakis about a makeshift family taking a vacation for all the wrong reasons while any thing that can go wrong does while comedy ensues, and The Worlds End about a group of guys who go on a drinking spree and a sci-fi movie brakes out directed by Edgar Wright. A few good dramas and actioners came out in August as well. 2 Guns,Elysuim,Kick-Ass 2 and Paranoia kept people mostly entertained in a busy month. The Butler,Jobs,The Spectacular Now,Fruitvale Station and Blue Jasmine showed that August is a month for possible Oscar contenders go to thrive.These are my favorite movies of the summer. I definitely say these are the winners of a busy summer season.
On the other hand there have been a lot of summer bombs. In May After Earth the latest film starring Will Smith. June The Internship from the team that brought you The Wedding Crashers Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. The Purge starring Ethan Hawke in a ridiculous horror movie. The Heat starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock about a female teaming of police officer and FBI agent. The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Army Hammer about the classic tv show that cost two hundred million to make and didn’t come close to making its money back for Disney or Jerry Bruchiemer. Whit House Down the second movie of the year about the White House getting taken of by terrorists Starring Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum. July started us off with the sequel to Grown Ups Grown Up 2 with this years Adam Sandler bomb of the summer. R.I.P.D. and The Conjuring as well as Only God Forgives rapped up a pretty dull month of movies. August had a few bad ones by the fact nobody went to them and the critics didn’t like them and there are The Mortal Instruments:City of Bones,Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters and Your Next. These have been my losers of the summer.
From the Fourth Row! 