Now that September has come, I’ve ranked the twenty summer releases I’ve seen in descending order. Over the next few days, I will publish my rankings (and explanations) tier by tier.
Here I give you the top tier, the six movies this summer I thought deserved a solid A, perhaps even an A+:
1.) The Avengers (A+)
Why I liked it:
Marvel took its time setting up The Avengers, and the movie actually delivers. This is a big budget blockbuster that doesn’t waste its budget. As the writer/director, Joss Whedon gives us what we’ve come to expect from him—adequate character development (despite the large number of protagonists), witty dialogue, and a troubled romantic relationship featuring a character who temporarily turns evil. The compelling action scenes make sense and advance the plot. The pacing is good, the plot is coherent, and the cast has charisma to spare. Whether you see it in 2 or 3D, the movie is fun to watch, thoroughly engaging, and feels much shorter than its two-and-a-half hour runtime.
Why You Might Not:
Maybe comic book movies aren’t your thing—or maybe comic books are your life, and you find Whedon’s vision of S.H.I.E.L.D. at odds with your own. Seeing the movie a second time cleared up most of my questions, but one nagging problem remains. Loki just doesn’t seem all that menacing. Gathering so many heroes is awesome, but don’t all those heroes deserve an equally impressive villain? Still, this is only the first of a franchise and has to set up the adventures to follow, so I’m not too bothered by the easily defused external threat. Others may feel differently, though.
2.) Bernie (A+)
Why I liked it:
Jack Black gives a killer performance as Bernie Tiede, a real life undertaker whose strange relationship with town miser Widow Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) culminated in a peculiar (and criminal) way in the East Texas town of Carthage back in 1996. Richard Linklater’s weird and wonderful film alternates between dramatic narrative scenes and documentary style sound bites from townspeople (many of them actual residents of Carthage who personally knew the people involved). On paper, the movie sounds bizarre, but it’s fantastic on the screen, particularly amusing if you know anyone from East Texas, and wonderful for sparking discussions about human nature, cognitive dissonance, small towns…
Jack Black should get Oscar consideration (though a nomination seems unlikely given the competitive nature of Best Actor). Shirley MacLaine is in fine form, too. And Matthew McConaughey (and his mother, Kay) brazenly chew scenery with shameless panache. The film also has an amazing soundtrack of Gospel favorites that will keep your toes tapping for days.
Why You Might Not:
Bernie is different. It’s certainly not a summer blockbuster. It’s definitely a niche film, and if your tastes are more mainstream, you might agree with me that it’s weird but disagree about the wonderful part. Also, I would imagine that those connected to the events might have personal objections to the film since it both shows glaring bias in favor of Bernie and undermines its biased version of events in a perverse and high-handed way.
3.) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (A+/A)
Why I liked it:
Fantastic performances from a seasoned cast make this well written story with an exotic setting shine. How refreshing to see a movie all about the adventures of post-retirement protagonists! And how wonderful that these protagonists are portrayed by talented actors like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson! The dialogue is clever. The story has heart. The film is constantly engaging, awkwardly amusing, and refreshingly hard to predict.
Why You Might Not:
At the end of the day, this is just a romantic comedy—a well written, well cast, superbly acted, and colorfully set romantic comedy, true, but a romantic comedy, nonetheless. Also if you’re looking for a non-romanticized, informative view of India in 2012, look elsewhere.
4.) Moonrise Kingdom (A)
Why I liked it:
This movie has an elegant simplicity that I found charming. It tells a small but profound story, focused tightly on adolescent protagonists Suzy and Sam whose cringe-inducing relationship is funny, familiar, and real. As you might expect from Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom looks like a nostalgic storybook and has a captivating, quirky soundtrack that fits the film perfectly. Equal parts sad and amusing, the movie is full of clever lines, odd sight gags, and poignant moments. The afternoon Suzy and Sam share on the beach is particularly powerful. And, of course, there’s a great cast—Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray. But none of these talented actors overshadows young Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman as Suzy and Sam, the emotional core of the story.
Why You Might Not:
My guess is that hardcore fans of Wes Anderson will find more to criticize here than casual viewers. Anderson’s movies aren’t for everyone, but Moonrise Kingdom is his most simple, accessible, general-audience friendly film so far. If you’re not into movies like this, you may sometimes be bored or puzzled, but I think you’d have to be a fan of Anderson to dislike the movie strongly. You might argue that the film is too simple, too self-aware, too contrived, too cute—like Wes Anderson trying to do a paint-by-number Wes Anderson film. I prefer the simplicity of Moonrise Kingdom, but others may miss the sprawling, wacky chaos of Anderson’s less “perfect” features. There is a cost for concision. Something is lost when you eliminate what’s less than “perfect.”
5.) The Dark Knight Rises (A)
Why I liked it:
As a stand-alone film, this movie would get a lower grade. Definitely not without flaws, The Dark Knight Rises makes my top tier because of how powerfully it concludes Nolan’s Batman trilogy, possibly the most cohesive trilogy of popular films I have ever seen on screen. (The Godfather and Star Wars spring to mind as well, of course, but Nolan has the edge in consistency of quality, I think.) So many moments in this film call back to Batman Begins, and when Bruce Wayne’s story ends, we’re left with such a satisfying sense of closure.
Though I haven’t had the pleasure of being at a dinner with Anne Hathaway, I agree with President Obama that Catwoman is the best part of this movie. She injects much needed hope into an otherwise pretty grim tale. All of her scenes are fun to watch.
Tom Hardy also gives a memorably unnerving performance as Bane. (And on an unrelated note, I still can’t get that “rising” chant out of my head. But I never can remember the actual words.)
Why You Might Not:
The Dark Knight Rises is very long, and very long-winded, and very bleak, and takes itself very seriously. You could easily (and quite reasonably) find it pretentious, preachy, depressing, boring…any number of things. If you like picking things apart, you’ll find all kinds of conspicuous seams begging for a tug. For instance, if you’re not a believer in following gut instincts (no matter how divorced from reason and research), then certain key plot elements are probably going to make you want to punch someone in the face. (Resist the urge. Just bask in the absurdity.) Also (as is so often the case in Batman
movies), Batman doesn’t do all that much.
And why does the film introduce so many new characters we don’t have time to care about (particularly Matthew Modine’s Foley) while shortchanging characters we’ve always liked (Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox)? As you listen to Gary Oldman read from A Tale of Two Cities, reflect that while at moments the film does start to seem like it was actually written by Charles Dickens, at least the Nolan brothers noticed that, too.
6.) ParaNorman (A)
Why I liked it:
I didn’t see a bad animated movie this summer, but after agonizing, I ranked this a cut above the others. Despite a terribly bland preview that does it no favors, ParaNorman is actually wonderfully innovative and different from other animated films out there. Stop-motion animation is always eye-catching, and deliciously spooky details lurk in the background of every scene in Norman’s quaint New England town of Blythe Hollow. From the first scene, ParaNorman hooked me with its shivery mood and promising premise. The supporting characters are well-voiced and rich, pathetically realistic and pointedly unlovable (though they do, admittedly, grow on you). I suppose ParaNorman really impressed me by doing what felt right instead of doing what’s safe and conventional. It has a strong message (several actually), but delivers its many morals in an entertaining, engaging way. And some of the visuals (even in 2D) are electrifying.
Why You Might Not:
This movie is chock-full of social commentary. It seems to comment on every single talked-about issue of the day. (I’m not sure how it manages that, but I’m impressed.) The thing is, you may disagree with some of its premises, and it doesn’t pull any punches. There’s nothing courteous about this movie that refuses to conform. It’s definitely not sweet and sanitized like standard Disney fare. For a movie rated PG, there’s surprising menace, rough language, sexual innuendo, and all sorts of unsettling stuff. Probably the most disturbing element is that apart from Norman, the characters definitely aren’t pretending to be virtuous. Basically, the same risky elements that make me sort of love the movie could easily make others more-than-sort-of hate it. So be warned.