I decided
that I would post my summer wrap-up before Labor Day, just in case any of my
readers were wondering what they should check out at the multiplex during the
last weekend of the season. While it was
quite a disappointing summer for box-office, with only really one straight up
blockbuster phenomenon (Guardians of the Galaxy), it was actually a pretty
great season for film quality. There
were a handful of terrifically entertaining popcorn movies, Indie movies that
ran the gamut from provoking to warm and homey, and everything in between with
plenty of options for all tastes.
Which is why
it’s hard to figure out why so many movies under-performed. It could be that with so many “must-see”
movies coming earlier in the year (the continued reign of Frozen, The Lego
Movie, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier) that people were just movied
out. It could have been that the general
populace was more in the mood to play in the heat of the summer than wait it
out in an air-conditioned theater.
However, whatever the reason, far fewer people went to the theaters this
summer, so if you were among the millions that avoided your local multiplex,
let me fill you in on what you missed and what you might want to seek out on
this final weekend of the summer movie season.
Instead of giving you a “best of” list, I’m going to share wish you
some groups of movies to consider as you decide whether to spend some of your
Labor Day weekend in an air-conditioned theater.
First the must-see movies:
Guardians of the Galaxy (exciting, hilarious, and surprisingly
heartfelt), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (in my opinion, the best animated film
in four years), X-Men: Days of Future Past (if X-Men were the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, this would be their Avengers), Edge of Tomorrow (one of Tom Cruise’s
best movies and an excellent example of intelligent sci-fi), Dawn of the Planet
of the Apes (if it didn’t involve apes, this would be recognized as one of the
great modern war films).
If you’ve seen these, move to the
following: Belle (currently on DVD, if Jane Austen were to write a civil rights story, it would look just like this. Not wholly accurate historically, but a beautifully written and acted film), The Hundred-Foot Journey
(light and charming entertainment for grown-ups), Get On Up (if you’re a fan of
modern music biopics, this is an easy recommendation with another star making
performance from 42’s Chadwick Boseman, this time as musical legend James
Brown), The Fault in Our Stars (a thoughtful
story that gives teenagers credit for being able to care about more than
sparkly vampires), Million Dollar Arm (a sports film that isn’t among the best,
but still provides the high points you’d hope for), Maleficent (easily the best
of the Disney revisionist fairy-tales, which isn’t saying much, but it has a
stellar central performance from Angelina Jolie), Godzilla (It’s the best
Godzilla movie, but it is still unquestionably a movie about a giant monster
stepping on buildings).
There are movies that were positively reviewed
that I didn’t see. This list includes: Magic in the Moonlight, Neighbors, Chef, 22 Jump Street, and the
universally acclaimed Boyhood.
So, for this weekend, my hard and fast
recommendations are Guardians of the Galaxy and/or How to Train Your Dragon
2. Both are thrilling, beautiful, funny,
entertaining, and heartfelt movies. In
other words, they’re pretty much perfect summer films.
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