At the closing of the summer....: 10 favorite movies of the summer of 2012

So, I've spent the week setting up my classroom, planning lessons, going to back to school BBQ's.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, for all intents and purposes, the summer is over.  Sigh.  Well, rather than bemoan the lost days of sun and waking up later than 5:30 a.m., I'm going to do an end o' the summer movie blog.

First, let's look at the box-office.  One of the most surprising things about the summer 2012 box-office is that there were not really any surprises.   There was no "The Help" or "Bridesmaides".  The top movies of the summer were the giant special-effects driven superhero movies, followed by a couple popular computer animated films, a raunchy r-rated comedy and a few mildly successful sequels, much like the summer of 2005...or the summer of 2008....or the summer of 2009....2011.....well, you get the picture.

Here are the top ten box-office hits of the summer (box-office figures as of 8/30/12):

1.  The Avengers - $617 million

2.  The Dark Knight Rises - $424 million

3. The Amazing Spider-Man - $258 million

4. Brave - $230 million

5. Ted - $215 million

6.  Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $213 million

7. Men in Black III - $178 million

8. Snow White and the Huntsman - $155 million

9. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $154 million

10. Prometheus - $126 million

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the summer is HOW big the top movie was.  The big movie of the summer was, of course, "The Avengers", which is currently sitting at $617 million domestically and still going (it's getting a wide re-release this next week as an end of the summer hoorah).  At the beginning of the summer, the most generous projections I read for "The Avengers" put it just above $300 million and most predicted it would be the 2nd biggest movie of the summer.  I have my own theories about why it was so successful, but I'll share that a little later.

Another interesting thing to note is that only one film in the top ten was poorly reviewed ("Ice Age") and only three received mostly mixed-reviews ("Ted", "Men in Black III", and "Snow White and the Huntsman"), the rest were positively reviewed.  In fact, the top two movies of the summer were also two of the most acclaimed movies by critics, which is pretty odd for the summer months, but, of course, this summer didn't contain a "Transformers" movie....

Alright, enough with the numbers.  Let's get to my favorite movies of the summer!

10.  Snow White and the Huntsman - The plot of this movie is OK as a traditional fairy-tale meets "Lord of the Rings"-type revisionist experiment, but the film shines in two areas:  First and foremost, it's beautiful to look at.  I truly can't think of a more visually striking movie released this summer.  You could pause any moment of this movie, print it and throw it up on the wall of a museum.  This makes me very curious what director Rupert Sanders (who, of course, is now more well-known as the perv who made out with Kristen Stewart) could do with a better script.  Secondly, the two leading actresses own their parts, and yes, I even mean Kristen Stewart.  Between her strong performance and Charlize Theron's delightful scenery chewing, this is a pretty great argument for more female-centric action films.

9.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - In some ways, this movie could've just been called "Eat, Pray, Clean Dentures", since it's really the same type of wish-fulfillment fantasy masquerading as substantial dramedy that the hit Julia Roberts film was.  However, I respected "Marigold Hotel" a LOT more than "Eat, Pray, Love".  Largely because the characters are genuine and it boasts a truly awesome cast.  Honestly, I would've watched an entire movie of just Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.  They are fantastic in this film.  Also, "Hotel" had a beautiful sincerity as opposed to simple sentimentality.  It's not a classic, but it's perfectly pleasant.

8.  Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - Pixar owns the animated roost in terms of depth and storytelling, but DreamWorks has made it's fortune betting on the funny and they definitely beat the house with this one.  The first two "Madagascar" films were mildly funny, but this one takes the characters and throws them into situation after situation of surreal, Monty Python-esque proportions.  I don't think I found an extended scene in any movie this summer more innately hilarious than one which extols the redemptive powers of Edith Piaf.  If you've found any of the other "Madagascar" movies lacking, this one still might surprise you.

7.  The Bourne Legacy - The first three Bourne movies are among the best action movies ever made.  Therefore, the entire idea of continuing the franchise without Matt Damon was seriously daunting.  The movie did kick the franchise a little to the side and if suffers from a tad of "been there done that", but it also boasts a very likable leading duo in Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz and the hope of a possible Renner/Damon sequel, which could potentially explode from awesomeness.  

6.  ParaNorman - Creepy, funny and fun to look at, "ParaNorman" adds to "Coraline" in showing that Laika Animation is a force to be reckoned with.  There's a surprising warmth and humanity to the two-leads that transcends the stereotypes that abound in everyone else.  It's not appropriate for young children, but it should be fine for older kids.  It's all in the name of good, spooky fun.

5.  Brave - If you read my blog, you already know what I found disappointing about this one, so let's focus on what was great.  "Brave" marks a new high in visual splendor from Pixar.  Most of the backgrounds are stunningly photo-realistic, while the characters are delightfully broad in their proportions.  Plus, Merida is such a strong, independent and down-right fun character that the song "I Am Not My Hair" could've been written about her, inspite of her glorious locks.  Also, what a relief to see the mother/daughter relationship brought to the forefront of an artistic medium usually reserved for 10 year-old boys.  It's not the most perfect Pixar movie, but it will, undoubtedly, be considered a classic among animated films for years to come.

4.  The Amazing Spider-Man - I almost put this one lower on the list, but the fact of the matter is that the only negative thing I can really say about it is that it was completely unnecessary.  Other than that, it's really a fun movie, with terrific performances, great action sequences, and a fantastic balance between rollercoaster thrills and dramatic gravitas.  Here's hoping that the next one will not have the same feeling of deja vu.  Also, here's hoping Columbia and Marvel figure out a way to at least get Spidey a cameo in the next "Avengers" movie.

3. Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson is an auteur in the truest sense of the word.  Within 30 seconds of a Wes Anderson film, there's no question who the director is.  He has a sense of quirky humor, uncomfortable dialogue, and uglification (yes, that's a word in my world) of beautiful actors that is practically trademarkable (yes, I just invented that word too).  The plot of "Moonrise Kingdom" has a surprising amount in common with "The Blue Lagoon", just without the controversial nudity.  It's largely about two pre-teen kids experimenting with their burgeoning physical feelings and yearning to be considered "grown-ups", the only difference here is that Anderson clearly believes that these two characters are more mature than most of the adults that inhabit their world.  I can't say I agree with all of the conclusions made in this movie, but I can say that Anderson has created a brilliantly written cinescape that will be studied by film students for decades to come.

2.  The Dark Knight Rises - A simply perfect ending to one of the greatest film trilogies of all time.  Plus, it bucks the legend that "third" movies are always the weakest.  It certainly doesn't have an instantly iconic performance that rivals Heath Ledger's in "The Dark Knight", but every performance is spot on, especially Anne Hathaway as the mysterious Selina Kyle.  She transforms into the role for which many considered her to be miscast....that is until they saw the movie.  Exciting, topical, frightening, and, most importantly, immensely satisfying, "The Dark Knight Rises" is the 3rd act in a real cinematic masterpiece.

1.  "The Avengers" - Yes, I'm aware that "The Dark Knight Rises" is more serious than "The Avengers".  However, the two aren't mutually comparable as they are truly different genres ("Dark Knight" is a crime drama, "Avengers" is a flat-out action extravaganza).  To be honest, I almost considered tying "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Avengers" at number one for the summer because they are both as close to perfect as a summer movie gets, but there's one thing that, in my mind, gives "The Avengers" the advantage:  It's more surprising.  When I saw "The Avengers" there were five spontaneous moments of applause in the theater, and this wasn't a hyped-to-the-wall midnight showing.  It was a matinee, where folks are usually a little more sedate.  These moments bring to mind the idea that you should never give a standing ovation unless you physically can not stay in your seat.  That's how these moments felt, so overwhelmingly fun, rousing and surprising that you couldn't help but applaud.  I've seen "The Avengers" in theaters a few times now and it simply doesn't fail to get the audience all giddy and that's why I think it's made over $600 million in the U.S. alone, because even after you've seen it once, it still sounds like the most fun you could have at a theater on any given weekend.  Repeat viewings coupled with repeat surprises are what make a film turn into cultural phenomenon.  "Star Wars", "E.T.", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jurassic Park", "The Dark Knight"..... "The Avengers" fits onto this list very nicely.

So, there you have it.  With school starting, I'll try to keep up on the blog even though I haven't done a great job with that during the school year in the past.  Thanks for reading!!!