Summer Movie Preview

I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly and I look forward to their annual Fall and Summer Preview issues. This year's summer issue has Superman on the cover as the main event, although it won't top my list. I'm going to see Iron Man 3 at the drive-in this coming weekend to officially kick off my summer movie season. With that in mind, here is my Top Ten list for this summer -with a few bonus features thrown in at the end...

Top Ten Summer Movies

[1] Iron Man 3 (May 3) Trailer

This is the first Marvel movie after The Avengers, and all of the early reviews indicate that this is the best of the Iron Man series. High praise indeed. Plus, this throws in a new version of the Mandarin and the Extremis storyline. Yep, definitely on top of the list for this comics geek. I really, really hope Robert Downey Jr. can renegotiate with Marvel Studios and continue in this role.

[2] Star Trek Into Darkness (May 17) Trailer

The previous movie hit all the right buttons and rekindled everything that I love about this universe. This one looks like it has plenty of soon-to-be-classic moments mixed with meaningful character arcs for the young heros. Toss in a (hopefully) brilliant villain and we're good to go.

[3] Man Of Steel (June 14) Trailer

I would have been perfectly happy if they continued with the previous incarnation of this series. Even though this is yet another reboot, I'm hoping that they nailed it. Most of my faith lies with the vision of the director, Zach Snyder, who previously did 300 and Watchmen. And I liked the casting of the various supporting roles, too. (And as an aside, I despise the recent version of Superman in the comics. I like both DC and Marvel but DC completely lost me with this pointless reboot.)

[4] The Wolverine (July 26) Trailer

I'm a big fan of Wolverine, especially his Japanese adventures and alt-future stories. This may finally be the version of Wolverine that we all want to see but his last solo movie had a stink that still lingers. We'll see if this one can put together the magic that is found so easily in comicdom.

[5] Pacific Rim (July 12) Trailer

Finally, a movie that can top Transformers! (Heh.) It's a giant toy/monster mash-up directed by Guillermo del Toro. His crazy genius should provide any number of mind-worm images that will never leave.

[6] Elysium (August 9) Trailer

Future sci-fi with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in her menacing mode. Sign me up.

[7] R.I.P.D. (July 19) Trailer

First thought when I saw this trailer? Men In Black. And that's not a bad thing at all. Waddayaknow, it's also based on comic, though I haven't acquainted myself with that one yet.

[8] RED 2 (July 19) Trailer

Lookee, another comic movie! And yes, I did read this comic. I'm a fan of Bruce Willis and the last movie hit my funny bone just right. Here's hoping for more of the same in this one but kicked up a notch. Sadly, we won't get any more fun cameos with Borgnine.

[9] Fast & Furious 6 (May 24) Trailer

The Rock, Vin Diesel, even some sneakiness from Jason Statham. Sure, the series goes over the top but it's only getting stronger these days. Perfect drive-in movie, right?

[10] Much Ado About Nothing (June 7) Trailer

Joss Whedon and his merry band of players have a little fun with Shakespearean comedy. This is the one that came out of left field in my Top 10 list but I find it so intriguing that I can't let it go. It took me until Grade 12 English to really start appreciating the humour that Shakespeare injected into everything he did, and this looks like it might accentuate the very things I love most about the bard. Plus, you know, it has Nathan Fillion himself.

Honourable Mentions:

[11] The Heat (June 28)  **Will this be the best comedy of the summer?

[12] After Earth (June 7)  **Will Smith and son on an uninhabited Earth.

[13] White House Down (June 28)  **We'll compare this to Olympus Has Fallen.

[14] The Lone Ranger (July 3)  **Disney's big tent-pole picture.

[16] 300: Rise Of An Empire (August 2)  **Parallel story to the first film.

[15] Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (July 3)  **24/7 Comedy radio made me curious.

[17] Kick-Ass 2 (August 16)  **Read the comics, quite brutal. Jim Carrey = great?

[18] 2 Guns (Aug 2)  **Denzel and Mark Wahlberg as buddy cops?

[19] The Hangover Part III (May 24)  **How about the giraffe in the trailer?

[20] The Great Gatsby (May 10)  **DiCaprio's big summer flick.

Top Cartoons:

[1] Monsters University (June 21)  **Considered this for my Top 10 list.

[2] Despicable Me 2 (July 3)

[3] Epic (May 24)

[4] Turbo (July 17)

[5] Planes (August 9)  **2nd sequel to Pixar's Cars.

End Of The World Stuff:

[1] World War Z (June 21)  **Brad Pitt's troubled production. Super fast zombies.

[2] This Is The End (June 12)  **Alt-version of Hollywood with celeb cameos.

[3] Rapturepalooza (June 7)  **My type of humour, new to me.

[4] The World's End (August 23)  **Simon Pegg's gang teams up again.

[5] Cockneys vs Zombies (August 2)  **Super slow zombies.

[6] Stranded (July 26)  **Low-budget horror sci-fi in space with Christian Slater.

[7] The Purge (May 31)  **Funky, freaky premise.

Top Ten Wish List of 2012

As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn't get the chance to see all of the end-of-year movies that I would have liked. With that in mind, I am adding a bonus feature this year: my Top Ten wish list of movies from 2012 that I still intend to see.

[1] Django Unchained (Link)

I can usually handle only one viewing of any Tarantino movie due to the graphic violence and language but I still make a point of seeing them anyway. This is a potential Top Ten pick for me.

[2] Cloud Atlas (Link)

Crazy era-skipping sci-fi with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry playing numerous roles. It should be a mind-bender and it could make it onto my Top Ten list but I doubt it will approach my appreciation for Looper.

[3] Wreck-It Ralph (Link)

Ooh yeah! Lots of nostalgic video game fun. I even have the old-school video game on our iPad and it's somewhat addictive. If you're a fan of this type of thing, then I would also recommend the book Ready Player One, which was my favourite book of the past year.

[4] The Raid: Redemption (Link)
This is supposedly the top action flick of the past year, bar none. We shall see. I could see this knocking Expendables off of my Top Ten list. I also want to see the new Dredd movie at some point.

[5] Les Misérables (Link)
I always remember my mom reading this book on a yearly basis in the original French 'cause she loves it so much. I have not read the book or seen the musical so I only know about it through general pop culture. We'll see if it impacts me as much and gets into my Top Ten list.

[6] Jack Reacher (Link)
This is the latest action series by Tom Cruise, based on a pulp book series. Despite the fact that Cruise is physically nothing like the original character in the book, the director (McQuarrie) is the reason that action fans are giving such high recommendations for this under-the-radar December release.

[7] Argo (Link)
This one is acclaimed everywhere and I almost guarantee that it will land in my Top Ten list in the end. The faux-Hollywood sci-fi film and the real-life Canadian contribution are just a bonus for me.

[8] Lincoln (Link)
This is up for various Oscars and there are supposed to be incredible performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The title role was originally supposed to be played by Liam Neeson, which is when Sally Field was attached. Later on, Day-Lewis stepped into the role and Sally Field has at least 10 years on him in terms of age but Field kicked Spielberg's ass and insisted that she was still the best woman for the role. ;) This could land on my Top Ten list.

[9] Life Of Pi (Link)
This one's pushing the limits of 3D and it has rave reviews. I own the book so I should get around to reading it sometime. Potential Top Ten? Doubt it but we'll see.

[10] Seven Psychopaths (Link)

This one will hit my funny bone just right. And it terms of comedies this past year, the pickings were quite slim. I enjoyed the absurdity of The Campaign but I strongly assume that this movie will be my fav comedy of the year - though unlikely to make my Top Ten list.

I would also add special mentions for Zero Dark Thirty, The Master and Goon.

Top Ten Movies of 2012

This is my ninth annual Top Ten list. Since my daughter Jade came long in 2011, movie time has been a little more limited. I still make a point of hitting the theatres with Cam or with friends for the big blockbusters, or watching a movie (quietly) at home with Cam. Jade's not quite ready for pizza-and-movie nights yet. ;)

There are a number of big movies that were released around Christmas just in time for Oscar season that I haven't seen yet. So this year, I am presenting my usual Top Ten List alongside my Top Ten Wish List. I figure that a few of my Wish List items will easily make it into my main list once I've caught up on all of them.

As before, this list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2012. I saw 34 new releases in all this year. There are exactly 99 movies on my complete wish list. (I doubt I will see all of those in my lifetime!) Here we go...

Top Ten List

[10] Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Link)

Spielberg's Lincoln is on my Wist List but is an acceptable replacement, right? Sure, it's not a high brow movie but the mash-up concept worked surprisingly well. Not only that but I actually did learn some actual history along the way. Entertaining and educational? It's true - but really, it just squeaks onto my list 'cause I loved the silliness and ax swinging.

[9] End Of Watch (Link)

I have described this to friends as the best episode of COPS ever. Two best friends and partners and the world they face, complete with car-cam and shoulder-cam point-of-view. The core friendship defines the movie but it has some stomache-punch moments that give it plenty of weight. This one sticks in my mind pretty clearly even though I watched it months ago.

[8] Prometheus (Link)

Yes, this is clearly a prequel to the ALIEN series, regardless of advance subterfuge on that matter. The absolute best thing about the movie is the character and performance done by Michael Fassbender (of X-Man: First Class fame). It's about near-future astronauts exploring a new planet and the alien hijinks that ensue. It's a little preposterous and it leaves many questions unanswered but since there's a setup for a sequel that's fine by me.

[7] Trouble With The Curve (Link)

This may be a slight movie in some ways but it hit my sweet spot with ease. It's about high school baseball scouting mixed with Moneyball commentary, laid on top of a strong father-daughter story. And since that father-daughter combo is played by a crochety Clint Eastwood and a tough-but-damaged Amy Adams, it all comes together perfectly. I'll even buy the much-too-charismatic Justin Timberlake as the daughter's love interest since his one-liners did make me laugh a few times. And yes, I did refer to this movie as "slight" because of the mustache-twirling villain and the ending but it still resonated with me.

[6] The Expendables 2 (Link)

I loved the first flick and this one outdoes it in every way. The first time I saw it, the one-liners and call-outs to previous movies by the various big-name co-stars was downright annoying. After I re-watched it, though, the blend of standard action movie jokes and straight-up fight scenes worked much better for me. I've been more of a fan of Van Damme since he did JCVD and he was an excellent villain to root against. And while I won't spoil it, the main guest star was awesome.

[5] Skyfall (Link)

It's the first Bond movie to cross the billion dollar mark worldwide and it hits every note perfectly. Some friends said that they're not fans of the specific call-outs to past Bond movies since this is technically supposed to be a reboot of the franchise but that's one of the reasons that I loved this movie. The way I see it, this is an "alternate history" version of Bond and we can imagine Daniel Craig completing similar missions and using similar gadgets to former movies. The villain was perfectly cast (even if the hair was distracting) and the central plot was very personal in several different ways. I actually rated this as my top Bond movie ever, which is heresy in most circles but I like to be hyperbolical like that.

[4] The Dark Knight Rises (Link)

This is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's much praised trilogy. While the second movie is head and shoulders above anything else, this was a fitting end (even if was a tad bloated). In particular, the way that it retraces themes from the first two movies was superb. I felt like Michael Caine's character was underused but his character arc across the three movies was satisfying. Likewise, I enjoyed the characters and work done by Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway (as Catwoman) and Joseph Gorden-Levitt. I disliked the stupid voice that they used for Bane though the actual character was a fantastic interpretation of the original comic character. I actually saw the early preview that was attached to the IMAX version of Mission Impossible and that was thrilling but that voice was ridiculous even then. And like everyone else, I tried to predict some of the plot twists (especially since I know the complete comic backstory) and I was still fooled - which was  both a good thing and a bad thing, since the final reveals were a little silly in the end. If this movie does indeed setup the future JLA movie, I will absolutely be on board with that.

[3] The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Link)

Man, the fanboy backlash against this movie has been unreal. The original LOTR trilogy faced tough critics from longtime fans of the original book, but this Hobbit series faces that same group plus more recent fans of the LOTR movies. And if it wasn't hard enough to live up to the standard of the original Hobbit book and the previous movies, they also decided to split this new story into three movies rather late in the process. I absolutely disagree with any and all fanboys (and fangirls) that criticize this first movie because of those types of comparisons. As a fan myself, I'm just glad that I get to enjoy three new movies in this world. I'm actually a little sad to see relatively lower box office returns for this movie, which I attribute to this type of kneejerk critical reaction that sprouted before anyone even saw the movie.

I watched this new movie in 3D with 48fps (which was another focus of complaints) and I loved both the movie itself and the new film format. The effect of watching large scenes or camera pans was so smooth and it really improved the 3D experience. I expected the movie to meander but the only part that really dragged was the beginning. Everything else was one fun scene after another. The CGI was piled on too heavily at times but core story and the handful of central characters were lots of fun. I can't wait for the next one!

[2] Looper (Link)

As I've said many time during these yearly summaries, I love me some sci-fi and Looper was about as ideal a time-travel story as I've seen. The way that the time travel headaches came together was awesome - both in terms of straight logic and in terms of the emotional pay-off. My only minor quibble would be how different the two lead actors looked. Even so, this movie has so many scenes that are indelibly seared into my memory that it was easy to put this movie so high on my list.

[1] The Avengers (Link)

Sooooooooo good! This was the ultimate movie universe (pun intended for comic geeks) and a massive gamble for Marvel Studios. In my estimation, the majority of the credit for the success of this move belongs to Joss Whedon and everything he did was writer and director. I'm a long-time comic geek the largest portion of my 3000+ comics is from Marvel and this movie was my fondest wish come true. The various crowds that I saw it with absolutely roared during all the right moments ("puny god") and this was an incredible crowd-pleaser in terms of emotional content, humour and action. Loved it!

I have a few special categories to finish off this (admittedly lengthy) blog post...

Biggest waste of time: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Link)

I honestly like Nicholas Cage as an actor and I was hopeful that this would improve on the first one but this sucked terribly. And the joke about the flame thrower was insidiously stupid.

Best Chick Flick: The Vow (Link)
Actually, this was my only chick flick up until these holidays. It does a really nice job of going left when I expect it to go right. It had it's share of cliches but it also avoided many obvious routes during the film and I appreciated that. I also liked the fact that it's inspired by a true story.

Most Disappointing: The Amazing Spider-Man (Link)

I liked it fine during my initial viewing but I recently re-watched it with my wife and it did not hold up well at all. Everything in this universe somehow relates to Peter Parker. The Lizard is a terribly conceived character with infantile motivational twists and I did not buy how much access Gwen Stacey had at the labs. I liked the charm of the two leads but my wife disliked that part as well. Ugh. This just keeps going down in my estimation. I doubt that Jamie Foxx will be able to save the next movie when he comes in as the villain Electro.

References:

Top GrossingMovies of 2012

My Previous Top Ten Lists:
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011