My Summer Movie List

July 07, 2009

Best two times of year to catch a lot of movies are summer and the winter holidays. I think of summer movies as mindless fun and winter movies as Oscar contenders – of course there are always a few of each mixed in throughout the year. But those two times of the year are really when I make a list and try to hit as many of them as I can. So far this summer has not disappointed me at all. Here’s my list of those I’ve seen, and those I want to see.

Star Trek
Rating: Thumbs up from me and thumbs sideways from my husband, Tom.
Why I wanted to see it: I was a huge original Star Trek fan back in the day. I never got into the “The Next Generation” or any of the others that came after that. But I really loved the mod uniforms and James T. Kirk’s swagger. And who didn’t appreciate the snide banter between Spock and Bones? Tom admitted after the movie that he was never a big Star Trek fan and I’m sure that had a lot to do with his enjoyment of the film.
Why I liked it:  It brought me back to the old days of watching the show in my nightgown on a small TV set in my lime green bedroom. I thought it was a fun movie with just the right amount of nostalgia.
Side note: Coming out of the movie I heard a father say to his two ‘tween daughters, “You know the guy who plays the Priceline negotiator…?” I can imagine where he was gong with that.

Away We Go
Rating: Big thumbs up from me and subdued thumbs up from my friend Jessie.
Why I wanted to see it: I really liked the two books (“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and “What is the What”) I’ve read by Dave Eggers (the film's writer along with his wife Vendela Vida) and thought the trailer looked entertaining (although we all know how misleading that can be).
Why I loved it: It was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. And the two main characters were very endearing. It also brought me back to the time when I was pregnant with my daughter – how my husband and I were filled with dreams for her future. Jessie thought the film was rather cynical but did find the main characters moving.

The Hangover
Rating: Big thumbs up from me, my brother and sister-in-law, and thumbs sideways from my parents.
Why I wanted to see it: Just looked darn funny and I heard good things about it from those who had seen it.
Why I loved it: Just hilarious, especially the actor (whom I’ve never seen before) Zach Galifianakis and the brief appearance of Rob Riggles of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". In fact, everyone was great. My brother simply said, “Very funny.” My mom didn’t laugh as much as she thought she would. “The funny parts were funny and the other parts were not so funny.”

The Hurt Locker
Why I want to see it: Normally, I would not choose such a heavy topic as the Iraq War as a summer movie choice, but all the reviews I read were over the top. "Entertainment Weekly" called it “an intense, action-driven war pic, a muscular, efficient standout that  simultaneously conveys the feeling of combat from within as well as what it looks like on the ground,” and gave it an “A”. "Time Magazine" described it as a “near perfect war film.”

Public Enemies
Why I want to see it: Johnny Depp. Nuf said.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Why I want to see it: Every summer needs at least one thriller and this one sounds good to me. The "New York Times" says that “tucked inside this efficiently engineered adrenaline-delivery system is a sharp little parable about the city that serves as its backdrop and its borrowed soul.” Plus, Denzel is good eye candy for me and John Travolta rarely disappoints.

Check out VideoHounds 10 Most Anticipated Films of the Summer and Fox News’s Top 10 for their choices of must-see films (most of which are not on my list).

What films have you seen? What films are you looking forward to this summer?