What a summer for movies.
After going through the last four months of rich, rewarding cinema, I have nothing more to say than that. This has been quite a time for movies, and we've seen no shortage of great films and even a few true masterpieces. Even though the box office was way down, the quality of the movies was way up, just one year after a dismal summer that led many to think that the blockbuster was dead. Thankfully, that is very, very far from the case. Of course, there were a few stinkers which I'll detail in this article. But there were plenty of films worth celebrating, and many that I'll cherish for a very long time. So with that said, let's dive right into my recap of the best and worst of Summer 2017!
Best- DUNKIRK
Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
Christopher Nolan is a directorial powerhouse, and the debut of a new film from him is always an event. Despite a surprising degree of skepticism for a Nolan release, Dunkirk did not disappoint in the slightest- in fact, it's one of his best films yet. Taking the formal brilliance and twisty narrative elements that have defined his previous work and grounding them in a visceral, real world setting, Nolan was able to keep me on the edge of my seat for 107 pulse-pounding minutes. Each subsequent viewing revealed a deeper level of nuance, and the film is ultimately a thrilling blend of earth-shattering blockbuster and old-fashioned Hollywood epic. It's a simple film that contains wonders, and ultimately, it displays Nolan's greatest sense of emotional resonance. Spectacle and humanity clash in a war thriller for the ages, backed up by the nerve-shredding score of Hans Zimmer and the haunting photography of Hoyte van Hoytema. 2017's first genuine masterpiece.
Worst- THE EMOJI MOVIE
Image courtesy of Sony
The Emoji Movie is a film that is best forgotten, but anyone who experiences this unparalleled fiasco from themselves is bound to have it seared in their memory for the rest of time. Both an uninspired hodgepodge of better animated films (Wreck-It Ralph, Inside Out, etc.) and a startling expose on the worst elements of American and global communicative culture, The Emoji Movie is a gasp-inducing work of disastrous proportions that you have to see to believe. It is so unbelievably bad, so truly awful in just about every single way that it's a miracle that a major studio thought it was good enough to release in theaters- let alone that a number of people saw it. I know it's easy to excuse this movie as being "for kids," but that ignores just how disturbing and painful The Emoji Movie is to endure. This is not just a bad animated movie- this is one of the worst films I have seen in my lifetime.
Best- BABY DRIVER
Image courtesy of Sony
Edgar Wright's most technically ambitious project yet was also his most mature, and it's also just a joyous action movie for the ages. From the opening jolt of energy that comes with what is now known as the "Bellbottoms" chase to the final duel set to Queen's "Brighton Rock," Baby Driver is a musically-charged work of genius that could only come from one of the few visionaries left in modern pop cinema. The film is so thoroughly detailed, so rich and funny, and it's filled with some of the greatest action scenes in recent years. The soundtrack is an all-timer, the cast couldn't be better, and Wright's control of mayhem, tone, and comedy is as strong as it has ever been. Wright has been delivering consistent masterpieces for years, but this one might just be his most complete film yet. Baby Driver is an instant genre classic, one that just keeps getting better and better with each fresh viewing.
Worst- BAYWATCH
Image: Paramount/IMDB
If not for The Emoji Movie, this profoundly unfunny comedy would have easily taken the distinction of being the summer's worst. On the surface, it seemed like a sure thing. Two comedy superstars, a prime release date at the end of May, a tone similar to Phil Lord and Chris Miller's legendary Jump Street franchise- what could go wrong? The answer- everything. Baywatch is one of the worst comedies I have ever seen, a movie so ill-advised and deeply stupid that it's almost painful to watch. Nothing here works, and the fact that everyone involved seems so convinced that it's funny makes it all worse. It's another R-rated comedy that thinks penis gags and F bombs are amusing, but its laziness goes beyond that. It's a paper-thin film in every way, and judging by the way that it bombed after a very solid marketing campaign, I hope that the studios learned their lessons from this one.
Best- WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Rise is great. Dawn is okay. War is a masterpiece. Matt Reeves brought the revolutionary Apes trilogy to an epic conclusion with this severely underseen installment, which should have been one of the biggest films of the year (it ended up being a relative box office disappointment). Reeves proved his stylistic and filmmaking chops with Dawn, but War expertly brought together the thematic power, smart storytelling, and stark brutality that has come to define this grim franchise. Andy Serkis delivers another sensational performance as Caesar, one of the most memorable characters in recent memory, while Woody Harrelson's villain reached a kind of subtly frightening quality that stuck in my mind. But the real star here is Reeves, a director with vision who is given the chance to shine with this portrait of a post-apocalyptic conflict. War is a blockbuster of uncommon scope and skill, and the score from Michael Giacchino is the icing on the cake. It's a staggering achievement, and one that will certainly come to define this incredible trilogy.
Worst- TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Image: Paramount/IMDB
I have defended the Transformers franchise for years. I genuinely love the 2007 original, and there are action beats and sequences in the subsequent films that are so unbelievably entertaining that they make the whole messy thing worth it. But my patience ran out with The Last Knight, the fifth film in the series that takes the narrative incoherence and visual staleness to new heights. I could not tell you what this film is about in any significant way, and unlike the other movies in the series, there's nothing to keep you engaged from an action or eye candy perspective. Even Michael Bay seems to have grown bored with these robotic extravaganzas, and The Last Knight seems to be his final middle finger to the audience members who keep showing up for this stuff. Looks like the joke was on all of us.
Best- OKJA
Image courtesy of Netflix
Okja got the most attention for being a Netflix film that played at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, but it seemed like the controversy caused critics and audiences to ultimately overlook what was one of the most original, daring films of the summer. Bong Joon-ho popped onto my radar with the snowy post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer, and he solidified himself as a personal favorite of mine with Okja, an indescribable work of true insanity. With this incredible story of a girl, her superpig, and the multi-national corporation that stands in their way, Bong has created a movie that jumps wildly between different tones, often feeling like three films in one. It is profoundly horrifying, amazingly over-the-top, and quietly understated, filled with performances that are so garish and entertaining that you just can't look away. Bong has emerged as a singular visionary in modern cinema, and the fact that a film like this can get made is the best testament to Netflix's importance yet.
Worst- THE BAD BATCH
Image courtesy of NEON
I've said this before, but it warrants repeating here- it feels unnecessary to label an experimental indie as one of the worst films of the summer. At least it's trying something different, which is something that can't be said for many films these days. But I'm making an exception for The Bad Batch because it feels like a needlessly cruel film, sick and exhausting and esoteric in a way that is completely unsatisfying. It's certainly a visually interesting project, but the pacing is so sluggish and the narrative is virtually non-existent. It's an excruciating film to sit through, and even if director Ana Lily Amirpour is obviously ambitious, The Bad Batch is just a brutal experience.
Best- THE BIG SICK
Image courtesy of Amazon/Roadside Attractions
The Big Sick took Sundance by storm this year, emerging as one of the two films that pretty much everyone was talking about (along with Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name). And despite an occasional tendency for fans to overhype the movies at Sundance, there was no festival fever over The Big Sick- this movie is the real deal. While this summer was one of the best in recent memory, there's no doubt that it was pretty heavy on the blockbusters. The Michael Showalter-directed dramedy from writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon served as a wonderful breath of fresh air, a sweet, wonderful film that is almost impossible to dislike. Few films have balanced grounded tragedy and pure hilarity so well, a balancing act so tricky that even the low-key charms of The Big Sick feel miraculous. It doesn't hit a single false note- this film is as genuinely romantic and thrilling as you can get.
Worst- THE MUMMY
Image: Universal/IMDB
Tom Cruise is the reigning king of the summer blockbuster, but even he couldn't save The Mummy from the horrifying depths of cinematic mediocrity. As the jumping point for a larger cinematic universe, The Mummy could have been worse- I actually kinda bought some of the Prodigium stuff. But as a standalone film, this is straight-up disastrous. A weird tonal mix saddled with some of the most forgettable action scenes and murky 3D in recent years, The Mummy couldn't decide what it wanted to be. And as a result, it ended up wasting a cast of talented people. Blame it on Alex Kurtzman or on Universal, but whatever the case, this movie is not worth your time.
Best- WIND RIVER
Image courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Taylor Sheridan established himself as a great writer with the one-two punch of Sicario and Hell or High Water, but with this year's Wind River, Sheridan gave us a new revelation- he's a damn good director too. A snowy, pitch-black crime thriller that doubles as a deeply felt, achingly painful look at death and grief, Wind River is another remarkable look at the forgotten aspects of American society, this time a Native American reservation in the mountains of Wyoming. Sheridan replaces the total confusion and righteous anger of his first two screenplays with a sense of loss and emptiness that will strike at your core, delivering something that is simultaneously engaging and devastating. Anchored by the world-weary performance of Jeremy Renner, Wind River is an icy, stark journey that will leave you breathless. And it certifies once and for all that, yes, Sheridan is the real deal. Full review coming soon
Worst- THE HOUSE
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema
It was a very bad summer for comedies- pretty much every single studio comedy ended up on the "Worst" section of this list. Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's The House seemed to have a good deal of potential, but as the release date approached, it soon became clear that this film was being dumped by Warner Bros. and New Line. Sure enough, The House is another unfunny, messy project that feels like it was doomed from the start. There's nothing here that feels like it could have ever resulted in good comedy- everything is the complete opposite of what usually makes these movies work. The characters are unlikable and poorly defined, the plot is literally all over the map, and the tone wildly shifts between dark violence and light suburban laughs. The House is destined to make its way to the bargain bin at Walmart, and that's probably where it belongs.
Best- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2
Image: Disney/IMDB
In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was a shock. Even though the warning signs were all there, nobody knew that James Gunn's intergalactic superhero film would be the zeitgeist-capturing blockbuster of the year. Three years later, with the weight of expectations on his shoulders, the pressure was on Gunn to deliver a sequel that would live up to its groundbreaking predecessor. Well, he did that and then some. While it was more divisive than your average Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 is one of my favorite films from the studio yet. It's like a good upgrade of a popular app- all of the pieces that you loved from the original are there, but with some extra bug fixes and a few added elements. Vol. 2 is a sugar rush of a movie, and it also happens to feature one of Marvel's best villains and a tragic death that adds emotional potency to a series that has always thrived on fun. There's the killer soundtrack and eye-popping visuals that we've all come to expect, but by focusing in on the characters that we love so much, Gunn delivered a sequel that managed to surpass the original.
Worst- THE DARK TOWER
Image courtesy of Sony
Perhaps the most disappointing of this summer's disasters, The Dark Tower fell victim to the Hollywood trends of reshoots, editing room madness, and forced studio notes. What should have been an epic adaptation of one of Stephen King's most famous novels ended up being a botched product destined for failure, devoid of anything that would make it a compelling watch. A complex mythology was reduced to a strangely simplistic battle between good and evil, a battle that was as dull and lifeless as anything in modern blockbuster cinema. Running an absurdly short 94 minutes, The Dark Tower felt like the framework of a movie, a rough cut missing large portions that would help it work. The franchise may live on as a TV show, but for now, we're stuck with this incredibly disappointing mess.
Best- ALIEN: COVENANT
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Prometheus was a divisive film that received a re-appraisal in the years since in its release in 2012, and if there's any justice in the world, the same thing will happen to Ridley Scott's follow-up, Alien: Covenant. While the film received mostly positive reviews, Covenant was maligned by some as a rehash of the best elements of the Alien franchise. That could not be any further from the case. Covenant is a dark and gloomy nightmare, a pitch-perfect mixture of the existential philosophy of Prometheus and the monstrous mayhem of Scott's 1979 classic. The film isn't afraid to delve into the complex matters of creation and humanity, but it also delivers the blood and gore that audience members crave. Throw in the most compelling villain of the summer in the form of Michael Fassbender's David, a Frankenstein's monster with an intrinsic need to create and destroy, and you have a film that is as frightening as it is thoughtful. Covenant is a deeply atmospheric, engaging nightmare, and I will defend this movie until the end of time.
Worst- WAR MACHINE
Image courtesy of Netflix
War Machine had a lot of potential. It could have been Dr. Strangelove for the Afghanistan War, a razor sharp satire of an absurd conflict and the even more absurd individual at the center of it. But the problem with this movie lies with its sense of commitment, or more appropriately, its inability to commit to anything. Director David Michod essentially made three drastically different films- a traditional war movie, a ridiculous satire, and a rich character study- and then tried to splice them all together, and the result is simultaneously boring and messy. War Machine certainly looks sharp, but even an amusing Brad Pitt performance can't hold it together, resulting in a project that just doesn't work.
Best- INGRID GOES WEST
Image courtesy of NEON
We hear a lot these days about the dangers of social media addiction, but few films have captured this quite as well as Matt Spicer's Ingrid Goes West. A darkly disturbing thriller about obsession and mental illness masquerading as a broad comedy, this crazy little film is one of the year's best character studies. Aubrey Plaza creates a thoroughly memorable nightmare with Ingrid Thorburn, the titular character who embarks on a nightmarish journey of fame and acceptance as she tries to befriend an Instagram star, played by the ever-beautiful Elizabeth Olsen. Even if Ingrid Goes West is a bit too obvious in spots, this is satire that cuts deep, and the film's relentlessly critical view of its characters and their values is never boring. This is a wild thrill ride, and one of the better films to come out of this year's Sundance Film Festival. Full review coming soon
Worst- ROUGH NIGHT
Image courtesy of Sony
Rough Night was a bitter disappointment. Seriously, this movie had so much going for it. A great cast, popular writers, a female director ready to put her spin on the raunchy comedy- this seemed like a summer slam dunk. But this movie was just not funny. It's a simplistic reduction of a comedy's effectiveness, but Rough Night makes it rather apparent in its opening act that this is a film light on laughs. It settles into a groove by the third act before bringing its darker threads to an amiable conclusion, but the film never seems to want to delve into anything truly complex or commit to just being laugh-out-loud hilarious. It's a film that should be so much better than it is, and despite some inspired moments, the pieces just never click together.
Best- WONDER WOMAN
Image: WB/IMDB
The biggest movie of the summer was also one of the best- how often do we get to say that? Wonder Woman surpassed even my wildest expectations, and even if you were convinced that this movie was going to be good, I can't imagine that many thought it would be such a brilliant home run. After a shaky introduction in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot become an instant superhero icon as Diana Prince, perfectly portraying the pure, genuine hope and optimism at the heart of Wonder Woman. Chris Pine knocked it out of the park as well, but the real star here was Patty Jenkins, the director who was doubted by the studio system for years and finally got the well-deserved chance to shine. Jenkins delivered a blockbuster that felt both stirringly modern and refreshingly retro, calling back to the action films of yesteryear while also blazing a progressive path forward. As an antidote to the doom and gloom of the superhero genre, Wonder Woman hit the mark- and it may have even saved the DC Universe in the process.
And that's a wrap for Summer 2017! It was a terrific summer for movies, but it looks like this fall could be even better. Just this September, we'll see the release of It, mother!, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle. I can't wait- look for more reviews soon!
After going through the last four months of rich, rewarding cinema, I have nothing more to say than that. This has been quite a time for movies, and we've seen no shortage of great films and even a few true masterpieces. Even though the box office was way down, the quality of the movies was way up, just one year after a dismal summer that led many to think that the blockbuster was dead. Thankfully, that is very, very far from the case. Of course, there were a few stinkers which I'll detail in this article. But there were plenty of films worth celebrating, and many that I'll cherish for a very long time. So with that said, let's dive right into my recap of the best and worst of Summer 2017!
Best- DUNKIRK
Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
Christopher Nolan is a directorial powerhouse, and the debut of a new film from him is always an event. Despite a surprising degree of skepticism for a Nolan release, Dunkirk did not disappoint in the slightest- in fact, it's one of his best films yet. Taking the formal brilliance and twisty narrative elements that have defined his previous work and grounding them in a visceral, real world setting, Nolan was able to keep me on the edge of my seat for 107 pulse-pounding minutes. Each subsequent viewing revealed a deeper level of nuance, and the film is ultimately a thrilling blend of earth-shattering blockbuster and old-fashioned Hollywood epic. It's a simple film that contains wonders, and ultimately, it displays Nolan's greatest sense of emotional resonance. Spectacle and humanity clash in a war thriller for the ages, backed up by the nerve-shredding score of Hans Zimmer and the haunting photography of Hoyte van Hoytema. 2017's first genuine masterpiece.
Worst- THE EMOJI MOVIE
Image courtesy of Sony
The Emoji Movie is a film that is best forgotten, but anyone who experiences this unparalleled fiasco from themselves is bound to have it seared in their memory for the rest of time. Both an uninspired hodgepodge of better animated films (Wreck-It Ralph, Inside Out, etc.) and a startling expose on the worst elements of American and global communicative culture, The Emoji Movie is a gasp-inducing work of disastrous proportions that you have to see to believe. It is so unbelievably bad, so truly awful in just about every single way that it's a miracle that a major studio thought it was good enough to release in theaters- let alone that a number of people saw it. I know it's easy to excuse this movie as being "for kids," but that ignores just how disturbing and painful The Emoji Movie is to endure. This is not just a bad animated movie- this is one of the worst films I have seen in my lifetime.
Best- BABY DRIVER
Image courtesy of Sony
Edgar Wright's most technically ambitious project yet was also his most mature, and it's also just a joyous action movie for the ages. From the opening jolt of energy that comes with what is now known as the "Bellbottoms" chase to the final duel set to Queen's "Brighton Rock," Baby Driver is a musically-charged work of genius that could only come from one of the few visionaries left in modern pop cinema. The film is so thoroughly detailed, so rich and funny, and it's filled with some of the greatest action scenes in recent years. The soundtrack is an all-timer, the cast couldn't be better, and Wright's control of mayhem, tone, and comedy is as strong as it has ever been. Wright has been delivering consistent masterpieces for years, but this one might just be his most complete film yet. Baby Driver is an instant genre classic, one that just keeps getting better and better with each fresh viewing.
Worst- BAYWATCH
Image: Paramount/IMDB
If not for The Emoji Movie, this profoundly unfunny comedy would have easily taken the distinction of being the summer's worst. On the surface, it seemed like a sure thing. Two comedy superstars, a prime release date at the end of May, a tone similar to Phil Lord and Chris Miller's legendary Jump Street franchise- what could go wrong? The answer- everything. Baywatch is one of the worst comedies I have ever seen, a movie so ill-advised and deeply stupid that it's almost painful to watch. Nothing here works, and the fact that everyone involved seems so convinced that it's funny makes it all worse. It's another R-rated comedy that thinks penis gags and F bombs are amusing, but its laziness goes beyond that. It's a paper-thin film in every way, and judging by the way that it bombed after a very solid marketing campaign, I hope that the studios learned their lessons from this one.
Best- WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Rise is great. Dawn is okay. War is a masterpiece. Matt Reeves brought the revolutionary Apes trilogy to an epic conclusion with this severely underseen installment, which should have been one of the biggest films of the year (it ended up being a relative box office disappointment). Reeves proved his stylistic and filmmaking chops with Dawn, but War expertly brought together the thematic power, smart storytelling, and stark brutality that has come to define this grim franchise. Andy Serkis delivers another sensational performance as Caesar, one of the most memorable characters in recent memory, while Woody Harrelson's villain reached a kind of subtly frightening quality that stuck in my mind. But the real star here is Reeves, a director with vision who is given the chance to shine with this portrait of a post-apocalyptic conflict. War is a blockbuster of uncommon scope and skill, and the score from Michael Giacchino is the icing on the cake. It's a staggering achievement, and one that will certainly come to define this incredible trilogy.
Worst- TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Image: Paramount/IMDB
I have defended the Transformers franchise for years. I genuinely love the 2007 original, and there are action beats and sequences in the subsequent films that are so unbelievably entertaining that they make the whole messy thing worth it. But my patience ran out with The Last Knight, the fifth film in the series that takes the narrative incoherence and visual staleness to new heights. I could not tell you what this film is about in any significant way, and unlike the other movies in the series, there's nothing to keep you engaged from an action or eye candy perspective. Even Michael Bay seems to have grown bored with these robotic extravaganzas, and The Last Knight seems to be his final middle finger to the audience members who keep showing up for this stuff. Looks like the joke was on all of us.
Best- OKJA
Image courtesy of Netflix
Okja got the most attention for being a Netflix film that played at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, but it seemed like the controversy caused critics and audiences to ultimately overlook what was one of the most original, daring films of the summer. Bong Joon-ho popped onto my radar with the snowy post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer, and he solidified himself as a personal favorite of mine with Okja, an indescribable work of true insanity. With this incredible story of a girl, her superpig, and the multi-national corporation that stands in their way, Bong has created a movie that jumps wildly between different tones, often feeling like three films in one. It is profoundly horrifying, amazingly over-the-top, and quietly understated, filled with performances that are so garish and entertaining that you just can't look away. Bong has emerged as a singular visionary in modern cinema, and the fact that a film like this can get made is the best testament to Netflix's importance yet.
Worst- THE BAD BATCH
Image courtesy of NEON
I've said this before, but it warrants repeating here- it feels unnecessary to label an experimental indie as one of the worst films of the summer. At least it's trying something different, which is something that can't be said for many films these days. But I'm making an exception for The Bad Batch because it feels like a needlessly cruel film, sick and exhausting and esoteric in a way that is completely unsatisfying. It's certainly a visually interesting project, but the pacing is so sluggish and the narrative is virtually non-existent. It's an excruciating film to sit through, and even if director Ana Lily Amirpour is obviously ambitious, The Bad Batch is just a brutal experience.
Best- THE BIG SICK
Image courtesy of Amazon/Roadside Attractions
The Big Sick took Sundance by storm this year, emerging as one of the two films that pretty much everyone was talking about (along with Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name). And despite an occasional tendency for fans to overhype the movies at Sundance, there was no festival fever over The Big Sick- this movie is the real deal. While this summer was one of the best in recent memory, there's no doubt that it was pretty heavy on the blockbusters. The Michael Showalter-directed dramedy from writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon served as a wonderful breath of fresh air, a sweet, wonderful film that is almost impossible to dislike. Few films have balanced grounded tragedy and pure hilarity so well, a balancing act so tricky that even the low-key charms of The Big Sick feel miraculous. It doesn't hit a single false note- this film is as genuinely romantic and thrilling as you can get.
Worst- THE MUMMY
Image: Universal/IMDB
Tom Cruise is the reigning king of the summer blockbuster, but even he couldn't save The Mummy from the horrifying depths of cinematic mediocrity. As the jumping point for a larger cinematic universe, The Mummy could have been worse- I actually kinda bought some of the Prodigium stuff. But as a standalone film, this is straight-up disastrous. A weird tonal mix saddled with some of the most forgettable action scenes and murky 3D in recent years, The Mummy couldn't decide what it wanted to be. And as a result, it ended up wasting a cast of talented people. Blame it on Alex Kurtzman or on Universal, but whatever the case, this movie is not worth your time.
Best- WIND RIVER
Image courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Taylor Sheridan established himself as a great writer with the one-two punch of Sicario and Hell or High Water, but with this year's Wind River, Sheridan gave us a new revelation- he's a damn good director too. A snowy, pitch-black crime thriller that doubles as a deeply felt, achingly painful look at death and grief, Wind River is another remarkable look at the forgotten aspects of American society, this time a Native American reservation in the mountains of Wyoming. Sheridan replaces the total confusion and righteous anger of his first two screenplays with a sense of loss and emptiness that will strike at your core, delivering something that is simultaneously engaging and devastating. Anchored by the world-weary performance of Jeremy Renner, Wind River is an icy, stark journey that will leave you breathless. And it certifies once and for all that, yes, Sheridan is the real deal. Full review coming soon
Worst- THE HOUSE
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema
It was a very bad summer for comedies- pretty much every single studio comedy ended up on the "Worst" section of this list. Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's The House seemed to have a good deal of potential, but as the release date approached, it soon became clear that this film was being dumped by Warner Bros. and New Line. Sure enough, The House is another unfunny, messy project that feels like it was doomed from the start. There's nothing here that feels like it could have ever resulted in good comedy- everything is the complete opposite of what usually makes these movies work. The characters are unlikable and poorly defined, the plot is literally all over the map, and the tone wildly shifts between dark violence and light suburban laughs. The House is destined to make its way to the bargain bin at Walmart, and that's probably where it belongs.
Best- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2
Image: Disney/IMDB
In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was a shock. Even though the warning signs were all there, nobody knew that James Gunn's intergalactic superhero film would be the zeitgeist-capturing blockbuster of the year. Three years later, with the weight of expectations on his shoulders, the pressure was on Gunn to deliver a sequel that would live up to its groundbreaking predecessor. Well, he did that and then some. While it was more divisive than your average Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 is one of my favorite films from the studio yet. It's like a good upgrade of a popular app- all of the pieces that you loved from the original are there, but with some extra bug fixes and a few added elements. Vol. 2 is a sugar rush of a movie, and it also happens to feature one of Marvel's best villains and a tragic death that adds emotional potency to a series that has always thrived on fun. There's the killer soundtrack and eye-popping visuals that we've all come to expect, but by focusing in on the characters that we love so much, Gunn delivered a sequel that managed to surpass the original.
Worst- THE DARK TOWER
Image courtesy of Sony
Perhaps the most disappointing of this summer's disasters, The Dark Tower fell victim to the Hollywood trends of reshoots, editing room madness, and forced studio notes. What should have been an epic adaptation of one of Stephen King's most famous novels ended up being a botched product destined for failure, devoid of anything that would make it a compelling watch. A complex mythology was reduced to a strangely simplistic battle between good and evil, a battle that was as dull and lifeless as anything in modern blockbuster cinema. Running an absurdly short 94 minutes, The Dark Tower felt like the framework of a movie, a rough cut missing large portions that would help it work. The franchise may live on as a TV show, but for now, we're stuck with this incredibly disappointing mess.
Best- ALIEN: COVENANT
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Prometheus was a divisive film that received a re-appraisal in the years since in its release in 2012, and if there's any justice in the world, the same thing will happen to Ridley Scott's follow-up, Alien: Covenant. While the film received mostly positive reviews, Covenant was maligned by some as a rehash of the best elements of the Alien franchise. That could not be any further from the case. Covenant is a dark and gloomy nightmare, a pitch-perfect mixture of the existential philosophy of Prometheus and the monstrous mayhem of Scott's 1979 classic. The film isn't afraid to delve into the complex matters of creation and humanity, but it also delivers the blood and gore that audience members crave. Throw in the most compelling villain of the summer in the form of Michael Fassbender's David, a Frankenstein's monster with an intrinsic need to create and destroy, and you have a film that is as frightening as it is thoughtful. Covenant is a deeply atmospheric, engaging nightmare, and I will defend this movie until the end of time.
Worst- WAR MACHINE
Image courtesy of Netflix
War Machine had a lot of potential. It could have been Dr. Strangelove for the Afghanistan War, a razor sharp satire of an absurd conflict and the even more absurd individual at the center of it. But the problem with this movie lies with its sense of commitment, or more appropriately, its inability to commit to anything. Director David Michod essentially made three drastically different films- a traditional war movie, a ridiculous satire, and a rich character study- and then tried to splice them all together, and the result is simultaneously boring and messy. War Machine certainly looks sharp, but even an amusing Brad Pitt performance can't hold it together, resulting in a project that just doesn't work.
Best- INGRID GOES WEST
Image courtesy of NEON
We hear a lot these days about the dangers of social media addiction, but few films have captured this quite as well as Matt Spicer's Ingrid Goes West. A darkly disturbing thriller about obsession and mental illness masquerading as a broad comedy, this crazy little film is one of the year's best character studies. Aubrey Plaza creates a thoroughly memorable nightmare with Ingrid Thorburn, the titular character who embarks on a nightmarish journey of fame and acceptance as she tries to befriend an Instagram star, played by the ever-beautiful Elizabeth Olsen. Even if Ingrid Goes West is a bit too obvious in spots, this is satire that cuts deep, and the film's relentlessly critical view of its characters and their values is never boring. This is a wild thrill ride, and one of the better films to come out of this year's Sundance Film Festival. Full review coming soon
Worst- ROUGH NIGHT
Image courtesy of Sony
Rough Night was a bitter disappointment. Seriously, this movie had so much going for it. A great cast, popular writers, a female director ready to put her spin on the raunchy comedy- this seemed like a summer slam dunk. But this movie was just not funny. It's a simplistic reduction of a comedy's effectiveness, but Rough Night makes it rather apparent in its opening act that this is a film light on laughs. It settles into a groove by the third act before bringing its darker threads to an amiable conclusion, but the film never seems to want to delve into anything truly complex or commit to just being laugh-out-loud hilarious. It's a film that should be so much better than it is, and despite some inspired moments, the pieces just never click together.
Best- WONDER WOMAN
Image: WB/IMDB
The biggest movie of the summer was also one of the best- how often do we get to say that? Wonder Woman surpassed even my wildest expectations, and even if you were convinced that this movie was going to be good, I can't imagine that many thought it would be such a brilliant home run. After a shaky introduction in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot become an instant superhero icon as Diana Prince, perfectly portraying the pure, genuine hope and optimism at the heart of Wonder Woman. Chris Pine knocked it out of the park as well, but the real star here was Patty Jenkins, the director who was doubted by the studio system for years and finally got the well-deserved chance to shine. Jenkins delivered a blockbuster that felt both stirringly modern and refreshingly retro, calling back to the action films of yesteryear while also blazing a progressive path forward. As an antidote to the doom and gloom of the superhero genre, Wonder Woman hit the mark- and it may have even saved the DC Universe in the process.
And that's a wrap for Summer 2017! It was a terrific summer for movies, but it looks like this fall could be even better. Just this September, we'll see the release of It, mother!, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle. I can't wait- look for more reviews soon!
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