Before we move on to our new and hopefully joyous Fall Movie Season (which begins September 13th here at TFE) let's look back briefly on the season that was... the movies that opened from May to August. How do we look back? With lists of course.
Three Best Uses of 3D
- Glee: The 3D Concert Movie - Heather Morris's boobs. ("Brittany S. Pierce" has long since surpassed "Coach Sylvester" as Glee's comedic MVP. If only the Emmys had noticed for their season 2 specific nominations).
- Transformers Dark of the Moon - the top of that building cracking and tipping over... and that time that Shia Labeouf almost fell to his death.
- Every Movie That Opted Not To Use It.
Ten Performances That Made the Summer
- Vera Farmiga and Dagmara Dominczyk all sisterly sensual with palpable chemistry in Higher Ground [INTERVIEW]
- Andy Serkis continues to elevate mo-cap into a new acting artform in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
- Viola Davis helps The Help overcome its limitations.
- "I also have an announcement!" and that's this: Kristen Wiig is awesome in Bridesmaids.
- Michael Fassbender moves metal and hearts in X-Men: First Class.
- Powerfully moving father/son relations were the story in both Beginners and The Tree of Life courtesay of fine direction and the efforts of Ewan McGregor & Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Brad Pitt & Hunter McCracken (The Tree of Life).
Three Movies I'm Relieved I Didn't Have To See
- The Smurfs (22% RT rating), Zookeeper (12% RT rating), and The Change-Up (22% RT rating).
Most Terrible Twosome I Did See
- Green Lantern (27% RT rating), and Cars 2 (37% RT rating).
Eight Movies I Feel Weirdest About Missing and I'll Get To ½ of Them Eventually...Or Sooner
- One Day, The Whistleblower, The Future, The Devil's Double, Winnie the Pooh, Horrible Bosses, Trollhunter and The Beaver
Two Quickest Memory Fades
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and that's the actual truth and not meant as a diss on franchises which overstay their welcome. I'm using a spreadsheet of all screenings for this list and barely remember any single exciting moment from either picture... though the mermaid attack in On Stranger Tides lingers the most from these two pictures.
Delicious Looking Edibles
- Minnie's pies in The Help (well, excluding the one with a co-starring role)
- All "Cake Baby" items from Bridesmaids
- Ryan Gosling "Seriously? It's like your photoshopped."
Great Moments in Movies That Didn't Totally Work For Me Otherwise
- Super 8's best moment comes very early as the crew of child filmmakers prep for a big train station scene in their zombie epic only to be gobsmacked by Elle Fanning's prodigious screen presence; they almost don't notice that train hurtling towards them, such is the power of actressing. [reviewed]
- X-Men First Class has several fine moments -- almost all of them involving Magneto -- so why didn't the movie work for me? In retrospect I mostly blame the actual first class of dull, less then fully embodied mutant students. [full review]
- Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) comic fish-out-of-water arrogance in the diner amused. [reviewed]
Movie I Didn't See ...Except That I Did
- The Hangover Part 2 - I accidentally saw the first one again during the summer, and based on reviews and internet commentary that means that I did see Part 2 provided I can imagine it taking place in Bangkok which, as it turns out, I can. Saved myself $13!
Ten Best Animals (Ranked)
This list is dedicated to the narrating cat in The Future which I really am going to see soon. What's up with my procrastination?!?
- Nim (chimpanzee) Project NIM
- Cesar (chimpanzee) Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Arthur (dog) Beginners
- dinosaurs (dinosaurs) The Tree of Life
- Flora (elephant) One Lucky Elephant
- Maurice (orangutan) in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Bridal Party Shower Favors (puppies) in Bridesmaids
- Buck (gorilla) in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Willie Nelson (dog) in Our Idiot Brother
- Nagini (snake) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2
Ten Best Movies (Chronologically Speaking)
- MAY: Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, Tuesday After Christmas, The Tree of Life;
- JUNE: Beginners (review) a dark dark movie month it would've been without this moving film;
- JULY: Project NIM (which opened just one month too early to capitalize on what an amazing double feature it makes with Rise of the Planet of the Apes -- thoughts on the movie), Captain America: The First Avenger (review) and Crazy, Stupid, Love (thoughts on the movie).
- AUGUST: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and either The Help (review) or Higher Ground... both of which have their problems as films but make up for it with plentiful actressing.
ONE MORE LIST...
and that's yours in the comments. Name your 3 or more favorite anything from Summer 2011. GO!