I'm an avid movie fan. I could watch movies all day. When Caitlin and I started dating we'd watch movies like every night. The fun part was figuring out who had seen more movies. I had finally met my match.
My favorite time of the year is summer. The primary reason, other than being free from school, is the plethora of movies showing during those few months. I love talking about movies. It's interesting to hear why people love certain movies and why they dislike others. Since this summer is just about over, I would like to share with you some of my favorite movies that I've seen recently, and some that missed the mark for me.
1. Thor
Iron Man. The Dark Knight. Batman Begins. It's hard to measure up to these superhero movies. They've really set the bar high and have reached the upper echelon of superhero movies. So coming into this movie you can't help but compare it with those three. I was just looking to be entertained. I had just finished my last final earlier that day. I was done for the summer and wanting to celebrate. So I went and saw it with my friends. Through all the action and special effects, there was a good interesting story being told. When the movie ended I looked to my friend next to me and we simultaneously said "good." The film had a good blend of action, storytelling, and humor. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) does a great job playing the god of thunder. He had a lot of pressure coming into this after what Robert Downey Jr did with Iron Man. But he handled it well and gave a solid performance and made you root for him. Natalie Portman played the typical damsel in distress. And it even had Anthony Hopkins, one of my all time favorites, as Thor's father. A solid cast with cool special effects and a story that keeps you intrigued made this a good movie that I highly recommend. It's no Dark Knight, but it's vastly better than movies like Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and Spider-man 3.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
Two weeks ago Caitlin and I started watching the Harry Potter films. We were curious and wanted to know what was the big deal with these movies. So we watched them. And we loved them. Now it was time to see the final movie. The one that broke all these box office records and drew massive crowds of wannabe wizards. And we were even lucky to sit in a teenaged filled theater for two and a half hours. Oh the joy. I managed to block them out and enjoy this amazing film. I was ready, especially after the last two, to see the final battle. All the emotion of the last two had me wanting revenge and satisfaction. The movie delivered on so many levels. I was suddenly a Harry Potter enthusiast. I caught myself chatting about each character and muttering spells. The actors were at the top of their game. Alan Rickman (Snape) and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) were my favorites. Each one was cunning and outstanding in their finest hour. This was by far my favorite movie of the summer. I know now why so many people around the world love these movies. I can't wait to show these movies to my kids someday and tell them of the cultural impact they had. Even if you're not much for fantasy movies, these movies provide enough humor and drama to draw you in. I will definitely be buying this one once it comes out on DVD.
3. Green Lantern
During the summer there's bound to be some movies that just don't strike the right chord. Green Lantern was one of them. Let me start off by saying that I'm a Ryan Reynolds fan. He's funny and smart and has that personality that audiences seem to be attracted to. So when I heard he was going to be Green Lantern I was intrigued. Then I found out Martin Campbell would be directing. Mr. Campbell directed Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro, and Casino Royale. He's one of my favorites. So this had lots of potential going into it. Then came opening night. I saw it with my wife and our friends. The movie itself is very fantasy driven. I knew it was going to be going into it but it just didn't quite sink in. Thor was very much a fantasy, but it balanced that with what was going on on Earth really well. Green Lantern didn't. Ryan was himself. He was witty and crazy and amusing, just like his other characters. But the chemistry with him and Blake Lively just wasn't there. Robert Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow had great chemistry and humor with one another in the Iron Man films. It just felt extra fake when Ryan and Blake talked. Just not a good script at all. And then there's the villain. Probably the worst villain ever in superhero movie history. Now some may say Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was. It was indeed a monstrosity. But he was also freaking hilarious and made that movie an entertaining comedy instead of just being a crappy superhero movie. This Green Lantern villain wasn't funny nor was good at being bad. The action was ok and was sort of cool to watch. But it just didn't look right in some parts. The film felt like it was 30 min long. When it ended I actually thought to myself how could they have made that. I thought surely I must have dreamt all that. So they made a bad film. Who hasn't? Ryan is still a good actor and Martin is still a good director. But they'll always have this movie haunting them. Many fans and critics chastised it. I can think of a lot of films that are worse than it but it did leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth. My wife and some of my friends enjoyed it so it wasn't like everyone hated it. Just didn't hit the right spot withe me like Thor and Iron Man did.
Thank you guys for reading. Like I said, I love movies. I'll be talking about movies a lot in my future posts. Hope you all have a good rest of the week! See ya next time.
- Boz
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