Last week, Indiewire posted their list of the best films of the 2010s, a list that instantly prompted a somewhat insane amount of debate in many online circles. Regardless of the merits of the list, it caused me to reflect on something that I had barely realized before: I've been writing film reviews for almost an entire decade now. If you look through the archived years on this blog, you'll hopefully find a portfolio of a young movie fan slowly growing as a writer and as a cinephile. As I consider my own best-of-the-decade list near the end of the year (it's still a long way from completion), I hope it paints a portrait of evolution. I won't pretend that my tastes were incredibly refined right out of the gate- or even that they're all that highbrow now. But when I eventually sit down to write it, I want that mythical list to reflect on how I grew from an unadulterated love of summer blockbusters, to the world of Oscar fare, to, eventually, something resembling a more discerning, professional attitude.
But wait a second: why am I writing a prelude to an article that I've barely even thought about? What does any of this have to do with this particular summer movie season? Well, there is indeed an explanation for that, though it may be more of a tangent than anything else. While writing this blog and my subsequent reviews on Film Inquiry has been an immense pleasure, it has also been an intense amount of workload. And being the obsessive person that I am, it was a lot of work that never really ended. There was always another movie to see, another review to write, another news article to recap- it was a ceaseless deluge of articles and pieces, written year after year after year. I enjoyed it all, but it also truly was endless. I had reviewed every movie I saw in theaters since 2011. I couldn't stop now, right?
Finally, after what can only be considered the most successful year of my semi-professional career, I hit a wall. Going into 2019, I promised myself that I would take it easy for a while. But when the Spring 2019 semester turned out to be a chaotic and stressful time, one filled with enough academic writing to make my eyes bleed, that theoretical break spilled over into the summer. Initially, I planned to publish reviews on an infrequent basis; this is why a review of Jonathan Levine's Long Shot is the only thing published on this website in the last few months. Eventually, I committed to something a bit more expansive: I would take most of the summer off from writing. I would continue to watch films, but I would watch them either for enjoyment or the expansion of my own filmgoing knowledge (shoutout to Criterion Channel).
For the first time in nearly a decade, it was time for a break.
Internally, I wondered when I would return to this blog. It lingered on my brain for a while, but I eventually I decided on the only correct answer: that I would return when I felt a desire to write again.
Well, looks like I'm back. I've spent much of the summer working and chipping away at my watchlist, watching films from Bergman, De Palma, Michael Mann, and more as I consider a career path that could take me down a more academic route. But as the exciting fall season creeps closer and closer, I'm ready to get back in the game. My reviews might be shorter in the future, and I might opt out of trailer recaps and the regurgitation of Variety articles, but I want to continue to document my life as a cinephile here, just as I always here.
So, the point of this article is simple: to recap my readers, however many of you there may be, on my thoughts on the films I've seen this summer. After all, I've written a review of every movie I've seen since 2011- what's the point of stopping now?
This is part 1 of a two-part article- the second half is coming soon!
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Of all the full reviews I missed in my extended absence, I think I regret not taking the time to do a complete write-up of Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame the most. Granted, I can't really blame myself, because the film's April 26 release came right smack in the middle of my semester's finals blitz; I could barely even justify the time it took to see the 181 minute film. Regardless, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a cornerstone subject for this blog since its inception (two of my first reviews were for 2011's Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger), and it's a bit disappointing that I couldn't write a more thoughtful piece upon the film's release. Even if its rise was dogged by occasional missteps and a negative impact on the state of Hollywood, it has been a strange and sometimes incredible pleasure to watch this thing grow into the behemoth it is today.
With that said, it's no surprise that Avengers: Endgame, the climax of the franchise's disparate narrative threads up to this point, is essentially the apex of Marvel's approach to storytelling. Picking up shortly after the snap that ripped apart the known universe at the end of last year's Avengers: Infinity War, this follow-up is a sprawling, time-jumping, logic-defying conclusion that arrives at some of the most cathartic, crowd-pleasing moments of the year. Yes, the three hour-long epic basically plays out in three distinct, somewhat incongruous acts, but the emotional punch is downright irresistible. And if I'm being completely honest, it's genuinely difficult for me to separate the cinematic quality of these monumental events with the adrenaline-fueled experience of watching these movies with a hyped-up audience. After a decade of films, how could anyone not cheer at the resurrection of dozens of superheros? Is there a moment this year that will achieve the level of pure fan service that comes with Chris Evans' Captain America wielding Mjolnir and body-slamming Thanos (Josh Brolin)? And, in recent pop culture history, has any character reached the kind of perfect conclusion that was granted to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark? A full-circle sacrifice that completed his arc in tragic style- it really doesn't get much better than that.
Months later, my reaction to Endgame has not changed one bit. No, it is not a perfect film; I would even argue that Infinity War is the more impressive achievement. But as the conclusion to this unpredictable, unprecedented experiment in pop filmmaking, Endgame is as perfect an ending as we ever could have hoped for.
THE FINAL GRADE: A (9.3/10)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3- PARABELLUM
As someone who only found the original John Wick to be a fun, occasionally invigorating action movie, I remember being really taken aback by 2017's John Wick: Chapter Two. Director Chad Stahelski upped the stakes and increased the intensity in a major way, resulting in what has to be considered one of the finest American action movies of the last few years. As a result, my expectations could not have been higher for Chapter 3, a follow-up that picks up right where the cliff-hanger of the previous installment left off.
Unfortunately, my excitement and anticipation for Keanu Reeves' third foray into the world of elite assassins came with a price.
Yes, Chapter 3- Parabellum (an unnecessary subtitle if I've ever seen one) delivers much of what we've come to expect from the hyper-stylized world of John Wick. There are a handful of incredible setpieces, some creative killings, and enough po-faced assassin showdowns to excite any fan of gritty, hard-boiled action cinema. It is, by all accounts, a fun and extremely entertaining film. But the formula that once felt invigorating and original is beginning to show signs of staleness, and I think a major shake-up will be necessary to keep this series interesting moving forward. It's no longer enough to have Wick travel through the world of cutthroat killers and pledge his undying fealty to the frightening bosses of the criminal underworld- Stahelski and company need to bring something new to the table.
When the credits rolled on Chapter Two, I couldn't wait to see what the filmmakers would cook up for the next chapter. When Chapter 3 arrived at another cliff-hanger, I could only muster up a sigh. Hopefully John Wick adds some new tricks to his ensemble when he returns in 2019.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.8/10)
POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU
In my family, my brother's the real Pokemon aficionado. I never played the video games or collected the cards or played the game- that was all his territory. If you showed me a picture of Teddiursa or Oshawott (legit didn't know if that's how either of those names were spelled until I looked it up), I could recognize who they were, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. You'd think this would indicate my decided lack of interest in a big-screen adaptation of Pokemon, but it was actually the opposite of that. From the moment Warner Bros. unveiled a first look at Ryan Reynolds' fluffy, chatty Pikachu, I was game for whatever director Rob Letterman and company were putting down. And even though I only had minor knowledge of the franchise lore, the prospect of seeing a world that I saw my brother explore for years come alive on the big screen was thrilling.
Still, the ultimate result of Detective Pikachu was well beyond my tempered expectations: Letterman and the team essentially deliver a 21st century blockbuster version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, equipped with all the film noir references and clever world-building you'd expect from that comparison. Of course, it's not any kind of seminal classic of kid-friendly detective cinema, but I have a soft spot for any big-budget film that makes implicit references to Chinatown and other classic movies. It's an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable diversion, but its core story packs a surprising, refreshing amount of emotion. But if you're new to the Pokemon scene, see it with a fan: I definitely turned to my brother at multiple points and asked, "Who's that?" or "Is this a thing in the games?" It makes for a fun viewing experience- it helps that the film is just so darn charming.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
BOOKSMART
To say that it's been a bad summer for straightforward comedies feels like something of an understatement. Jonathan Levine's Long Shot was a monumental disappointment, and I couldn't even bring myself to see Late Night, which suffered from a brutally tiresome marketing campaign. Even Netflix couldn't pick up the slack this time around with Always Be My Maybe, which features two unlikable romantic leads and one good joke (I'm a sucker for a good Keanu bit). All this to say: thank the lord for Olivia Wilde's Booksmart, which broke through in late May as a wonderfully fun bit of counter-programming (even if the box office receipts didn't match the Twitter reception).
I've read a few convincing anti-Booksmart pieces focused on the authenticity of its characters and its social stratification, but I'd contend that the film's earnest attempt at crafting an empathetic and, for lack of a better word, "woke" comedy is the best example thus far of how to tell this kind of story in the late stages of this crazy decade. Whereas the political references and content in something like Long Shot feels cheap and opportunistic, it's more organically at home in Booksmart, where the world of high school and the shifting tides of contemporary politics, social norms, and adolescence clash in spectacularly funny fashion.
Primarily, Wilde's directorial debut is a raucous trip to the theater, as graduating over-achievers Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) plot a wild night of drugs, parties, and sexual misadventures in their California hometown. Wilde is a bit too insistent on the film's emotional core at times, resulting in a comedy that can't help but weight itself down with Serious Moments in its final third. However, the film's combination of Superbad-style raunchiness and Linklater-esque amiability hits the spot, boosted by an ensemble of memorably strange, idiosyncratic characters. High school is a bummer, but for a couple joyful hours, Wilde's instant classic paints an idealized world of awkward perfection.
THE FINAL GRADE: A (9.5/10)
BRIGHTBURN
From the debut of its first trailer, it was obviously clear that director David Yarovesky and producer James Gunn had a special concept on their hands with Brightburn. The film ponders a very simple and very disturbing question: what if a superhuman being arrived on Earth with, say, more malevolent intentions? Instead of fighting for peace, justice, and the American way, this little boy fights for his own superiority, demolishing anyone and everyone who stands in his way. It's a juicy concept with a lot of potential, potential that the film itself doesn't always seem interested in exploring.
Perhaps due to budgetary limitations or the need to preserve the possibility of a franchise, Brightburn is executed like a fairly simple slasher, albeit one with some impressively nauseating sequences. It's a trashy B-movie through and through, but it's one of those B movies that has a little more on its mind than bloodthirsty kills and the horrifying actions of a deranged little alien maniac. For all intents and purposes, Brightburn is a compelling, chilling metaphor about parental denial in the face of obvious monstrosity. It's about parents who don't believe their son could have broken a girl's hand, or acted like a creep toward people in his class, or, in an extreme case, murdered multiple people. Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) are in denial about what their son, Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn), is fully capable of, and it results in a lot of innocent people being hurt. And in a world where crazed white kids with guns murder their classmates, the pulpiness of Brightburn's high concept genre fun has a bit more bite than I anticipated.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
The Godzilla movies- and the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse movies, in general- have a marketing problem. And amusingly enough, it's not that the trailers for these movies are bad- far from it! The Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018 is one of the best clips I've seen for a major studio release in years. It's a haunting first look, one that promises an apocalyptic, otherworldly showdown between the Titans that could examine the monumental impact of carnage on this scale. The trailer promises grandeur, highlighting the beauty and tragedy of giant monster battles in major cities. In retrospect, that sentence sounds massively stupid, but at the time, everyone I know was thrilled by the idea.
The problem is that Warner Bros.' marketing department always advertises a movie that they can't deliver in the end. They got away with this method for Gareth Edwards' Godzilla (which, to be fair, is more concerned with the spookiness and the terrifying awe of its gargantuan spectacle), but with King of the Monsters, the trailers ultimately fall into the same trap as 2017's Kong: Skull Island, another film that delivered cheap thrills instead of stunning action. Despite its themes of planetary regeneration and the environmental benefits of WWE matches between giant Kaiju (if you haven't seen the movie, this probably sounds absurd), King of the Monsters has all the intelligence of an early Transformers flick. It is as dumb as a box of rocks, and it has more laughs than most comedies I've seen in years. To be clear, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. But you gotta be honest in your trailers, and until Warner Bros. accepts that these movies are monumentally moronic action spectacles, they're going to continue to see audience members walk away disappointed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (6.1/10)
THE SOUVENIR
An easy movie to admire but a somewhat difficult one to love, Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir is undeniably one of the more challenging and unconventional experiences I've had at the theater this summer. The tale of a film school student (Honor Swinton Byrne, in a breakout turn) and the troublesome man (Tom Burke) who throws her life into disarray, Hogg crafts a hazy, fragmented journey, even seemingly playing around with the materials of the medium in an intentionally suggestive, effortlessly compelling fashion. Yet despite its emotional emphasis on addiction, toxicity, and their collision with career potential, The Souvenir is a chilly and often deliberately slow film, revealing itself and its true goals in what can only be described as the most unhurried way possible. Weeks later, I can't say that the patience testing two-hour excursion has stuck in my mind in any significant way, but it's impossible to watch Hogg's intricate play of mirrors, mistakes, and memories and not be impressed.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
But wait a second: why am I writing a prelude to an article that I've barely even thought about? What does any of this have to do with this particular summer movie season? Well, there is indeed an explanation for that, though it may be more of a tangent than anything else. While writing this blog and my subsequent reviews on Film Inquiry has been an immense pleasure, it has also been an intense amount of workload. And being the obsessive person that I am, it was a lot of work that never really ended. There was always another movie to see, another review to write, another news article to recap- it was a ceaseless deluge of articles and pieces, written year after year after year. I enjoyed it all, but it also truly was endless. I had reviewed every movie I saw in theaters since 2011. I couldn't stop now, right?
Finally, after what can only be considered the most successful year of my semi-professional career, I hit a wall. Going into 2019, I promised myself that I would take it easy for a while. But when the Spring 2019 semester turned out to be a chaotic and stressful time, one filled with enough academic writing to make my eyes bleed, that theoretical break spilled over into the summer. Initially, I planned to publish reviews on an infrequent basis; this is why a review of Jonathan Levine's Long Shot is the only thing published on this website in the last few months. Eventually, I committed to something a bit more expansive: I would take most of the summer off from writing. I would continue to watch films, but I would watch them either for enjoyment or the expansion of my own filmgoing knowledge (shoutout to Criterion Channel).
For the first time in nearly a decade, it was time for a break.
Internally, I wondered when I would return to this blog. It lingered on my brain for a while, but I eventually I decided on the only correct answer: that I would return when I felt a desire to write again.
Well, looks like I'm back. I've spent much of the summer working and chipping away at my watchlist, watching films from Bergman, De Palma, Michael Mann, and more as I consider a career path that could take me down a more academic route. But as the exciting fall season creeps closer and closer, I'm ready to get back in the game. My reviews might be shorter in the future, and I might opt out of trailer recaps and the regurgitation of Variety articles, but I want to continue to document my life as a cinephile here, just as I always here.
So, the point of this article is simple: to recap my readers, however many of you there may be, on my thoughts on the films I've seen this summer. After all, I've written a review of every movie I've seen since 2011- what's the point of stopping now?
This is part 1 of a two-part article- the second half is coming soon!
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Of all the full reviews I missed in my extended absence, I think I regret not taking the time to do a complete write-up of Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame the most. Granted, I can't really blame myself, because the film's April 26 release came right smack in the middle of my semester's finals blitz; I could barely even justify the time it took to see the 181 minute film. Regardless, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a cornerstone subject for this blog since its inception (two of my first reviews were for 2011's Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger), and it's a bit disappointing that I couldn't write a more thoughtful piece upon the film's release. Even if its rise was dogged by occasional missteps and a negative impact on the state of Hollywood, it has been a strange and sometimes incredible pleasure to watch this thing grow into the behemoth it is today.
With that said, it's no surprise that Avengers: Endgame, the climax of the franchise's disparate narrative threads up to this point, is essentially the apex of Marvel's approach to storytelling. Picking up shortly after the snap that ripped apart the known universe at the end of last year's Avengers: Infinity War, this follow-up is a sprawling, time-jumping, logic-defying conclusion that arrives at some of the most cathartic, crowd-pleasing moments of the year. Yes, the three hour-long epic basically plays out in three distinct, somewhat incongruous acts, but the emotional punch is downright irresistible. And if I'm being completely honest, it's genuinely difficult for me to separate the cinematic quality of these monumental events with the adrenaline-fueled experience of watching these movies with a hyped-up audience. After a decade of films, how could anyone not cheer at the resurrection of dozens of superheros? Is there a moment this year that will achieve the level of pure fan service that comes with Chris Evans' Captain America wielding Mjolnir and body-slamming Thanos (Josh Brolin)? And, in recent pop culture history, has any character reached the kind of perfect conclusion that was granted to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark? A full-circle sacrifice that completed his arc in tragic style- it really doesn't get much better than that.
Months later, my reaction to Endgame has not changed one bit. No, it is not a perfect film; I would even argue that Infinity War is the more impressive achievement. But as the conclusion to this unpredictable, unprecedented experiment in pop filmmaking, Endgame is as perfect an ending as we ever could have hoped for.
THE FINAL GRADE: A (9.3/10)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3- PARABELLUM
As someone who only found the original John Wick to be a fun, occasionally invigorating action movie, I remember being really taken aback by 2017's John Wick: Chapter Two. Director Chad Stahelski upped the stakes and increased the intensity in a major way, resulting in what has to be considered one of the finest American action movies of the last few years. As a result, my expectations could not have been higher for Chapter 3, a follow-up that picks up right where the cliff-hanger of the previous installment left off.
Unfortunately, my excitement and anticipation for Keanu Reeves' third foray into the world of elite assassins came with a price.
Yes, Chapter 3- Parabellum (an unnecessary subtitle if I've ever seen one) delivers much of what we've come to expect from the hyper-stylized world of John Wick. There are a handful of incredible setpieces, some creative killings, and enough po-faced assassin showdowns to excite any fan of gritty, hard-boiled action cinema. It is, by all accounts, a fun and extremely entertaining film. But the formula that once felt invigorating and original is beginning to show signs of staleness, and I think a major shake-up will be necessary to keep this series interesting moving forward. It's no longer enough to have Wick travel through the world of cutthroat killers and pledge his undying fealty to the frightening bosses of the criminal underworld- Stahelski and company need to bring something new to the table.
When the credits rolled on Chapter Two, I couldn't wait to see what the filmmakers would cook up for the next chapter. When Chapter 3 arrived at another cliff-hanger, I could only muster up a sigh. Hopefully John Wick adds some new tricks to his ensemble when he returns in 2019.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.8/10)
POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU
In my family, my brother's the real Pokemon aficionado. I never played the video games or collected the cards or played the game- that was all his territory. If you showed me a picture of Teddiursa or Oshawott (legit didn't know if that's how either of those names were spelled until I looked it up), I could recognize who they were, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. You'd think this would indicate my decided lack of interest in a big-screen adaptation of Pokemon, but it was actually the opposite of that. From the moment Warner Bros. unveiled a first look at Ryan Reynolds' fluffy, chatty Pikachu, I was game for whatever director Rob Letterman and company were putting down. And even though I only had minor knowledge of the franchise lore, the prospect of seeing a world that I saw my brother explore for years come alive on the big screen was thrilling.
Still, the ultimate result of Detective Pikachu was well beyond my tempered expectations: Letterman and the team essentially deliver a 21st century blockbuster version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, equipped with all the film noir references and clever world-building you'd expect from that comparison. Of course, it's not any kind of seminal classic of kid-friendly detective cinema, but I have a soft spot for any big-budget film that makes implicit references to Chinatown and other classic movies. It's an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable diversion, but its core story packs a surprising, refreshing amount of emotion. But if you're new to the Pokemon scene, see it with a fan: I definitely turned to my brother at multiple points and asked, "Who's that?" or "Is this a thing in the games?" It makes for a fun viewing experience- it helps that the film is just so darn charming.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
BOOKSMART
To say that it's been a bad summer for straightforward comedies feels like something of an understatement. Jonathan Levine's Long Shot was a monumental disappointment, and I couldn't even bring myself to see Late Night, which suffered from a brutally tiresome marketing campaign. Even Netflix couldn't pick up the slack this time around with Always Be My Maybe, which features two unlikable romantic leads and one good joke (I'm a sucker for a good Keanu bit). All this to say: thank the lord for Olivia Wilde's Booksmart, which broke through in late May as a wonderfully fun bit of counter-programming (even if the box office receipts didn't match the Twitter reception).
I've read a few convincing anti-Booksmart pieces focused on the authenticity of its characters and its social stratification, but I'd contend that the film's earnest attempt at crafting an empathetic and, for lack of a better word, "woke" comedy is the best example thus far of how to tell this kind of story in the late stages of this crazy decade. Whereas the political references and content in something like Long Shot feels cheap and opportunistic, it's more organically at home in Booksmart, where the world of high school and the shifting tides of contemporary politics, social norms, and adolescence clash in spectacularly funny fashion.
Primarily, Wilde's directorial debut is a raucous trip to the theater, as graduating over-achievers Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) plot a wild night of drugs, parties, and sexual misadventures in their California hometown. Wilde is a bit too insistent on the film's emotional core at times, resulting in a comedy that can't help but weight itself down with Serious Moments in its final third. However, the film's combination of Superbad-style raunchiness and Linklater-esque amiability hits the spot, boosted by an ensemble of memorably strange, idiosyncratic characters. High school is a bummer, but for a couple joyful hours, Wilde's instant classic paints an idealized world of awkward perfection.
THE FINAL GRADE: A (9.5/10)
BRIGHTBURN
From the debut of its first trailer, it was obviously clear that director David Yarovesky and producer James Gunn had a special concept on their hands with Brightburn. The film ponders a very simple and very disturbing question: what if a superhuman being arrived on Earth with, say, more malevolent intentions? Instead of fighting for peace, justice, and the American way, this little boy fights for his own superiority, demolishing anyone and everyone who stands in his way. It's a juicy concept with a lot of potential, potential that the film itself doesn't always seem interested in exploring.
Perhaps due to budgetary limitations or the need to preserve the possibility of a franchise, Brightburn is executed like a fairly simple slasher, albeit one with some impressively nauseating sequences. It's a trashy B-movie through and through, but it's one of those B movies that has a little more on its mind than bloodthirsty kills and the horrifying actions of a deranged little alien maniac. For all intents and purposes, Brightburn is a compelling, chilling metaphor about parental denial in the face of obvious monstrosity. It's about parents who don't believe their son could have broken a girl's hand, or acted like a creep toward people in his class, or, in an extreme case, murdered multiple people. Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) are in denial about what their son, Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn), is fully capable of, and it results in a lot of innocent people being hurt. And in a world where crazed white kids with guns murder their classmates, the pulpiness of Brightburn's high concept genre fun has a bit more bite than I anticipated.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
The Godzilla movies- and the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse movies, in general- have a marketing problem. And amusingly enough, it's not that the trailers for these movies are bad- far from it! The Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018 is one of the best clips I've seen for a major studio release in years. It's a haunting first look, one that promises an apocalyptic, otherworldly showdown between the Titans that could examine the monumental impact of carnage on this scale. The trailer promises grandeur, highlighting the beauty and tragedy of giant monster battles in major cities. In retrospect, that sentence sounds massively stupid, but at the time, everyone I know was thrilled by the idea.
The problem is that Warner Bros.' marketing department always advertises a movie that they can't deliver in the end. They got away with this method for Gareth Edwards' Godzilla (which, to be fair, is more concerned with the spookiness and the terrifying awe of its gargantuan spectacle), but with King of the Monsters, the trailers ultimately fall into the same trap as 2017's Kong: Skull Island, another film that delivered cheap thrills instead of stunning action. Despite its themes of planetary regeneration and the environmental benefits of WWE matches between giant Kaiju (if you haven't seen the movie, this probably sounds absurd), King of the Monsters has all the intelligence of an early Transformers flick. It is as dumb as a box of rocks, and it has more laughs than most comedies I've seen in years. To be clear, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. But you gotta be honest in your trailers, and until Warner Bros. accepts that these movies are monumentally moronic action spectacles, they're going to continue to see audience members walk away disappointed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (6.1/10)
THE SOUVENIR
An easy movie to admire but a somewhat difficult one to love, Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir is undeniably one of the more challenging and unconventional experiences I've had at the theater this summer. The tale of a film school student (Honor Swinton Byrne, in a breakout turn) and the troublesome man (Tom Burke) who throws her life into disarray, Hogg crafts a hazy, fragmented journey, even seemingly playing around with the materials of the medium in an intentionally suggestive, effortlessly compelling fashion. Yet despite its emotional emphasis on addiction, toxicity, and their collision with career potential, The Souvenir is a chilly and often deliberately slow film, revealing itself and its true goals in what can only be described as the most unhurried way possible. Weeks later, I can't say that the patience testing two-hour excursion has stuck in my mind in any significant way, but it's impossible to watch Hogg's intricate play of mirrors, mistakes, and memories and not be impressed.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
That's all for now- come back soon for part 2 of my summer recap!
Comments
Post a Comment