The summer movie season is currently in full swing, but movie theaters across the country will soon find themselves without the help of capes or creatures to draw in the crowds of action-starved summer moviegoers craving plush seats, air-conditioned auditoriums and hot, buttery popcorn. There are still a few big films to come (most notably Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated Batman sequel The Dark Knight, opening Friday, July 18, and the Judd Apatow produced Pineapple Express, opening Aug. 8). However, summer has more to offer than just traditional blockbusters. This is a look at the best of both worlds: this year’s crowd pleasing summer flicks so far and the more independent counter-programming scattered throughout the traditional big-budgeted summer film landscape of the last few months.
Reprise (Miramax Films): Released in 2006 in Norway, winning best picture and director at its national film awards, the film marks Joachim Trier’s feature length directorial debut. Written by Trier and Eskil Vogt, Reprise uses its own distinctive and energetic style of storytelling to relate the tale of two friends whose lives and relationships undergo a series of challenges as their literary dreams come to fruition. Espen Klouman-Hoiner and Anders Danielsen Lie give vibrant performances as two aspiring authors, but it is with Viktoria Winge who steals the show as the girlfriend whose love is enough to drive one of them to obsession.
Stuck (THINKfilm): B-movie director Stuart Gordon loosely adapts a true crime story in Fort Worth, Texas and blends it with his more twisted sensibilities to create a darkly funny and bloody vision of human apathy and vigilante justice. Relocated to Providence, R.I., the fim stars Mena Suvari as Brandi, a nursing home caregiver whose night of clubbing ends in catastrophe when the man she hits (The Crying Game’s Stephen Rea) becomes lodged in the car’s windshield. The film follows both characters over the course of the next day as both drive the story toward its fiery and satisfying conclusion.
Son of Rambow (Paramount Vantage): A sensation at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2007, it took more than a year for this charming, coming of age English comedy to find its way to North American theaters. The movie’s hero. Will Proudfoot (newcomer Bill Milner), is first seen protesting a showing of Rambo: First Blood in the early 1980s with the Plymouth Brethren, a devout religious sect. Things change for Will when he strikes up a friendship with Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a troubled youth with plans to shoot his own version of Rambo and send it in to a young filmmaker’s contest. The friendship blossoms over the course of the school year, leading to conflict and growth in the lives of both boys.
The Fall (Roadside Attractions): With only one other feature film to his credit (2000’s mind bending Jennifer Lopez serial killer flick The Cell), Indian director Tarsem crafts an imaginative and beautifully realized tale about a Romanian girl (young new discovery Catinca Untaru) whose imagination gives vibrant and disturbing life to a fable told to her by an injured Hollywood stuntman (Lee Pace of TV’s Pushing Daisies) in the early 1900s. Shot in 18 countries across the globe and featuring gorgeous shots of expansive deserts, shining cities and blue seas, Tarsem still manages to accent the underlying humanity of the relationship between these two souls that carries over into their fictional world created by his words and her imagination.
Speed Racer (Warner Bros.): Possibly the biggest flop of the summer not involving Mike Myers, Speed Racer was not as bad as everyone claimed. Some complained that it was corny and cartoonish, but it really captured the spirit of its source material. The innovative style with which it was filmed and the off the wall race scenes make Speed Racer a visual delight. Perhaps its overlong running time, bad reviews from grumpy old critics, and confusion over its target audience (it was aimed at children but not in every aspect) can be blamed for its failure. Regardless, this film from the enigmatic Wachowski brothers is definitely worth the view.
Wanted (Universal): Based on a relatively unknown graphic novel, Wanted is the type of movie guys have fantasies about. Its thrilling action, sexy female lead and story about an Average Joe who becomes an action hero should appeal to the dreams of many. James McAvoy isn’t the first name that springs to mind when one first thinks of possible casting for an action hero, but he does a great job as the ordinary guy who finds out he’s capable of so much more. Angelina Jolie was born for the part of a sultry femme fatale. Add the perfect touch, Morgan Freeman as a foul-mouthed mentor, and you have one heck of a summer blockbuster.
Wall-E (Buena Vista): Pixar Animation Studios can do no wrong, and they shine once again with Wall-E. This interesting film about a dystopian Earth, where all the humans have left to live in space while the planet is cleaned up by robots, is the only kids movie in recent memory (possibly ever) with next to no dialogue that can still successfully hold a kid’s attention. Wall-E captures the hearts and imaginations of viewers as he falls in love with another robot, EVE, and inadvertently helps save the human race. The heavy social commentary makes this movie as meaningful as it is beautiful. Who knew that the best romantic film this year would involve two robots?
Iron Man (Paramount): It should come as no surprise that Jon Favreau’s brilliant Iron Man tops both the box office and critics’ lists this summer. Iron Man sets the bar for what a comic book movie should be, and Robert Downey, Jr., as the wealthy playboy, Tony Stark, gives the best performance of the year so far (I’d say an Oscar nomination, though unlikely, would be well deserved). Downey is charismatic, charming and all-around infectious as the lead, a dapper millionaire who uses his technological expertise to make himself into the world’s next superhero. With a solid cast all around and a wonderful performance from Jeff Bridges as the villainous Obadiah Stane, it is clear why Iron Man is the smash hit of the summer, and why a sequel is already in the works.
