I am a sucker for what my husband and I call the "summer blockbuster movie" - you know the one with lots of promos, lots of action, and, usually, a huge budget. I also am a huge fan of re-imaginations of the pop culture from my childhood. It is for this reason that the Transformers movie was high on my list of 'must-sees" for the summer. I had loved the first two Transformers films, so I entered the movie with high expectations of having a good time. A couple of days before going to the movie my husband and I had both (separately) found out that this movie was one of the few where 3D would actually be worth while, so we also decided to forgo the extra finds to see it that way. With the added cost, Transformers had just a little more to prove to me now.
As the movie began, in a scene in space, I was overjoyed that we had gone for the 3D version - it was beautiful! I really did love this movie. I thought rewriting the international race to the moon from the 1960s was a fun move. The effects and action throughout the movie were exhilarating - delivering what I was used to from the first two movies, and then going even further. The final battle scene in Chicago was amazing and, again, I do think the 3D was worthwhile. As it stands, right now this may be my favorite movie of this summer, competing only with the next movie I saw this month.
Oh! How I love my Harry! Not only had I been anticipating this movie since the last was made, I have been anticipating this movie sine the weekend of July 21, 2007, when I finished the book. My midnight ticket was purchased a month in advance and my t-shirt(s) and earrings were ready! I have already written two different posts about my experience going to see this movie and my reaction as a readers seeing the movie. I think, in the end, reading both of those, one might come away with the perspective that I did not like the movie. I was so stuck on the point of expressing my disappointment as a reader dealing with the holes in a movie interpretation, that I don't think I added enough about how much I enjoyed the movie.
The second part of the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows movie put a perfect end to the Potter film legacy. The characters have all grown up, become more independent and chosen their sides in a battle for their world. The effects, the creatures, the setting and even, at times, the music allow me to forget that this world doesn't exist and sweeps me away on a fantastic ride of adventure, horror and heroism. Of all of the movies I have seen this summer, I know this is the one which I will re-watch more than any of the others.
Being married to a fully certified "comic book guy," it kind of went without saying that we would be at the opening night for this one. As we have been seeing each Avenger-associated movie so far with little to no disappointments it is safe to say our expectations were pretty high. I, personally, knew only of generalities of the Captain America story, so I went into this movie to learn about his origin as well as being entertained. My husband, on the other hand, was looking for entertainment, without too many insults to the original story.
We both came out of this movie very happy. This was a really good movie! When we first emerged from the theater we had mumblings of, "Yes, yes, I enjoyed it," and, "It was good." As we drove home, and talked in more depth about various story points and the technique used to incorporate the costume, the nemesis, and the character of Steve Rogers we discovered that Captain America The First Avenger was, in fact, a very good movie. We began to discuss how our expectations are getting completely blown out of the water with extravagant movies and TV shows and how, if we are not careful, we do not give credit to some truly deserving films!
Horrible Bosses
I think I was sold on this movie after seeing one preview. I have been lucky enough in life never to have had a horrible boss, but I knew, after seeing the all-star cast that this movie was going to be a laugh-riot! In a sea of special effects, 3D and elaborate tales of magic, aliens, and war, here was a plain-old movie about people. No effects needed - just great writing, timing and a ridiculous scenario where three average guys simply can't take it anymore.
It was really refreshing to go see a "normal" movie in the middle of all of the summer mayhem. I kept missing them this summer (I somehow completely missed Tom Hanks' movie!!) and forgot how much fun it is to see a genuinely good movie in the theater. Due to the cost of movies these days we often make the decision on what we should spend our money on by which of these "needs" a big screen - therefore given high-effects and 3D films a distinct advantage - forgetting that going to the theater is not just about seeing the movie, but experiencing it in the theater (who doesn't love a comedy with a crowd to laugh along with?!).
Jon Favreau. That's it. That is the singular reason I went to see this movie. Don't get me wrong, I love Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig is not that bad either, but it was Jon Favreau, alone, that drew me into this film. You see, when I first saw Swingers and realized this guy had to do with some of the behind the scenes action (he wrote it), I was instantly curious. Then there was Elf, Zathura and Iron Man, all movies he directed that I loved. Next on his list? Some movie called Cowboys & Aliens. OK, I'll be there.
Then I went to the movie. It was OK. It wasn't horrible... it wasn't great, and it was missing something for me. It took me a little while to pin it down, but, ultimately I did. This was an OK alien movie - you know the kind: aliens are on Earth they want us, or the Earth; they've been attacking us without anyone realizing it; now that we've figured them out, we have to fight back... somehow. This movie was one of those movies, set in the Old West. When I initially heard the title "Cowboys & Aliens" I was intrigued because there is such a dichotomy between those two groups - cowboys are low tech, they live off the land and fight their battles face to face, in the dirt while aliens are typically high tech, living in space and usually fight their battles from a far away ship that shoots lasers or something else in very clean, sparse, sterile environments. I was expecting the polar opposites of these two groups to be explored. I was expecting to answer the question of "Who would win in a battle: cowboys or aliens?" But neither hope could be realized as one cowboy had the unfair advantage of some alien-tech attached to him arm. It never really was cowboys versus aliens, it was, instead, guy with alien-tech and his cowboy buddies versus aliens. With all of this said, I imagine this worked/works really well as a comic book, with tons of issues and time to explore both the cowboys and the aliens, but, as a one-shot movie, I felt it needed more.
There were so many movies released this July that even with seeing all of these, I still missed a whole bunch I wanted to see. I don't know if I'll see them all in the theater, but I'll keep trying. Looking forward to August releases, along it is not quite as jam-packed as July was, there are still lots of movies to keep me entertained!
What was your favorite July movie?
What movie did I miss that you need to tell me about?
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