Films of Summer 2012 Part 3

Summer 2012 has been an interesting year, with the release of two major superhero films, both the products of mainstream hype. Plus Wes Anderson returned after almost 3 years, the 16th president battled the undead and Pixar introduced a female protagonist. I'm compiling a blog series about the best and worst of Summer 2012.

I've devised a new ratings system for the occasion and I hope it helps you out:

1. Buy it on Blu-Ray (must see ASAP)

2. Redbox the DVD (highly recommended)

3. Save it for HBO (deserves commercial-free viewing)

4. Catch it on TBS (doesn't deserve commercial-free viewing)

5. Don't touch it with a 10 foot pole (speaks for itself)

In Part 3, I'll be discussing The Dark Knight Rises, Magic Mike, Safety Not Guaranteed, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and The Amazing Spider-man.

1. The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan)
with Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine
The thrilling conclusion to Christopher Nolan's revisionist Batman trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) is possibly one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It definitely delivers. The cast is uniformly excellent. I was especially excited for Hathaway and Gordon-Levitt and they live up to their promise. Hathaway brings some much-needed humor to the movie while JGL brings his sensitivity. Tom Hardy makes for an oppressive, brutal villain; it was kind of cool to see Batman in some real danger for a while. My one complaint: at 165 minutes (2:45), the film drags a little towards the middle but for the most part, the movie is exciting and intense.
My rating: Buy it on Blu-Ray

2. Magic Mike (Steven Soderbergh)
with Channing Tatum, Cody Horn, Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey
Unfortunately this movie was marketed as a "girls-night-out-male nudity-fest-guilty-pleasure" so it will probably never get taken seriously as the sensible, somewhat existential comedy-drama that it is. While this movie does feature several men shakin' their groove thang, it is also a movie about not getting stuck on your way to realizing your dreams. Tatum offers a conflicted, knowing, lived-in performance (his best ever, really) as Mike. The movie also features an understated if somewhat awkward romance between he and Horn's character. But the most surprising part of the movie is that the stripper sequences have a sort of winking sense of humor and they are photographed quite well. The editing, the lighting, the terrific soundtrack really make those scenes flow naturally and it's refreshing to see a mainstream movie take male sexuality seriously as opposed to resorting to regressive gross-out humor. I guess my main problem is that Soderbergh throws in a really cliched conflict but the movie recovers perfectly with a great final sequence. Plus it's a movie where McConaughey says "all right, all right, all right, all right, all right" like 9 times.
My rating: Redbox the DVD

3. Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow)
with Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Karan Soni and Jake M. Johnson

It's rare to see a romantic-comedy/sci-fi mashup so when a movie like SNG comes along, it's refreshing. It's even better that this movie really delivers. And for a movie that's about time travel, it doesn't come with a gargantuan budget; it is very low key and understated. Plaza and Duplass make for a believable pair, both damaged and lonely and seeking some honest companionship. Unfortunately this movie also features New Girl's Jake Johnson and I have an irrational aversion to that actor's acting style. I could have done without the subplot with the two FBI agents. That kind of stuff seems out of place in this understated romance. I got the feeling that the writer/director got too into the whole sci-fi thing, which is fine, but doesn't every sci-fi movie have FBI people? In any case, SNG is a great little movie with a few surprises.
My rating: Redbox the DVD

4. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon)
with the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Scwimmer, Jessica Chastain, Sacha Baron Cohen and Frances McDormand
I've always been a fan of the Madagascar series. It is fun, colorful and delightfully absurd. The visual gags are spontaneous and original and the script is really clever. Major props to the character Capt. DuBois, a female (!!!) animal catcher who gets some of the biggest laughs, including a bizarre musical sequence set to Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien" (the main theme song from Inception). Some of the major comic set pieces wear out their welcome and in the second half, there's a lot of random back story for the new characters. But all in all, I really enjoyed this 3rd entry. And, like most animated films, it really earns its 3D treatment.
My rating: Redbox the DVD

5. The Amazing Spider-Man (Marc Webb)
with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen and Sally Field
The main question is: why reboot Spider-Man so soon after Spider-Man 3? Well, there's no answer except to make more money off a reliable franchise (they tried to do a movie off the lesser known Green Lantern series and that tanked). But if you're willing to look past Hollywood greed (I always am), The Amazing Spider-Man is a pretty good movie. Garfield and Stone are just as good if not better than Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The movie has some pretty great action scenes (especially one set in a high school). The filmmakers opted for another origin story which means scenes of Peter Parker adjusting to his powers. I find that stuff boring but once you get pasr that the movie picks up pace. Ifans is a good villain, not necessarily evil but monstrously delusional and crazy. The film has great style, the visuals are sublime and more artistic than most superhero movies. The score is a little old-fashioned but in a good way. And who can resist Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield? They're totally cool.
My rating: you know what, I'm torn between Buy it on Blu-Ray and Redbox the DVD. People who know me know I'm a total blu-ray snob so I'd go for the former even though the movie isn't totally perfect..

All right kiddos. I know August is technically still summer and they are some interesting movies coming out (Jeremy Renner taking over as Jason Bourne being the highlight) so check back here in a few weeks for a potential part 4 but I'm not making any promises. Incidentally that's what the makers of Madagascar 3 said about a 4th Madagascar movie.