Memorable Summer Movies

Not too long ago, I wanted to purchase some tickets online for my nephew and I to see Pirates! Band of Misfits. After I bought the tickets, I noticed a short blog entry on the movie ticket website about the summer movie season of 1982 being the best summer movie season ever. That was the summer the following films were released:

The Road Warrior
Blade Runner
John Carpenter’s The Thing
Tron
An Officer and a Gentlemen
Conan the Barbarian
Poltergeist
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
E.T.

(By the way, I saw E.T., Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Tron in the summer of 1982 and I liked E.T. and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan the best out of the three.)

It is risky to say that a year or a season of a year was the best movie year ever because tastes change. Case in point, when Citizen Kane came out in 1941, it was a box office dud. Now it is considered a gem of American cinema.

Duds that turn into classics, not withstanding, I thought it would be fun to write about memorable summer movies. What makes them so memorable? Read on and you’ll find out.

Summer of 1983

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably suspect that I liked Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi the best out of the original Star Wars trilogy. Well, you would be wrong. I loved Return of the Jedi. I saw the film on its opening weekend and what an event it was. The theater was packed and everyone was eager to see how George Lucas ended the trilogy. As far as I’m concerned, he did a great job wrapping everything up. (FYI: My favorite scene in the movie and all time favorite movie scene is when Han Solo is freed from the carbonite.)

Jaws 3D
The only thing memorable about this film was that it was shown in 3D. In late 1982, 3D films made a comeback, sort of. A few films were released in 3D but the technology was not as advanced as it is today, so 3D films fizzled out by late 1983.

Summer of 1993

Jurassic Park
A film about the return of dinosaurs and it was directed by none other than Steven Spielberg! What’s there not to like? I went to see the film expecting to get a summer blockbuster and I got more than just the run-of-the-mill summer movie. I got film that was a reflection on technology and how it isn’t always the savior it is made out to be. I can remember thinking while I was watching the film, “Why does this remind me of the film Westworld?” I later learned that the book, in which the film was based on, was written by none other than Michael Crichton, the man who wrote and directed Westworld.

Summer of 2001

Pearl Harbor
I took my dad to see this film for Father’s Day. He grew up during World War II, so any documentary, television show or film that is about or took place during that time, Dad is all over it. I liked this film. The special effects were good and the stars were good in their roles. Yet, the most memorable thing was that during the film, I was thinking, “The Japanese military had guts to do the attack at Pearl Harbor.” Not to take anything away from those in the military who were at Pearl Harbor during the time of the attack, yet I must say that an attack like that was very bold. Little did I or anyone else know that as this movie was making it theatrical run, the 9/11 hijackers were training to carry out the worst attack on U.S. soil, since Pearl Harbor.

Spider-Man Trailer
Normally, I wouldn’t write about a trailer but this one is extra special. It featured a vignette about a group of bad guys who make their getaway in a helicopter. Just as they are about to make a great escape, they get caught in a web spun by Spider-Man. Where did he spin the web? Between the towers of the World Trade Center. When I saw this trailer in the movie theater, (one week before 9/11 if you must know) I was amazed. Yes, I knew it was a computer-generated image, but it was so impressive that it looked like a real helicopter was suspended in a web between the Twin Towers. Of course, when the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon happened, the trailer was pulled from theaters.

Summer of 2008

The Dark Knight
While Christian Bale was great as Batman, Heath Ledger stole the show as The Joker. Ledger’s Joker was EVIL. He didn’t force the humor or nastiness. Ledger played the role as if he were really that bad. Basically, I wouldn’t want to run into Ledger’s Joker in a well-lit alley. Yes, he deserved the Oscar and it was a shame that he died before he had a chance to do more work.

Summer of 2010

Toy Story 3
Wow. The folks at Pixar know how to wrap up a trilogy. The series started with Andy at eight and ended with him going off to college. Along the way, the toys had many adventures and misadventures, yet they stick together, like good friends do. The most poignant and best scene in Toy Story 3 was when Andy dropped off the toys at Bonnie’s house, an 8 year-old whose mom knows Andy’s mom. After telling her about each toy, Andy and Bonnie play with the toys. When they are done, Andy goes off to college and the toys remain with Bonnie.

Well, those are my memorable summer movie memories. Tune in next week for another thrilling blog entry from the chick who loooooves summer movies (among other things related to the movies).

Sources:

http://www.fandango.com/movieblog/weekend-chatter-was-1982-greatest-summer-movies-season-of-all-time-714464.html

Heritage Magazine Fall 2008 “Remember When…1941” Pg. 8

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425061/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133152/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213149/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

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2010 Summer Movies

Yippee! It’s May and for the Northern Hemisphere that means summer isn’t far behind. As a child, there were many things I loved about summer. No school was tops on the list, hot weather and summer movies were next. Now that I’m an adult, I don’t have long blocks of free time, and I can’t enjoy the weather as much as I did as a child, but I can still go the movies. A full list of 2010 summer movie releases is available at:

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=10562

Speaking of which, I want to highlight a few films that will be coming out this summer.

Robin Hood (Expected Release Date May 14, 2010)
Yet another film about that guy from Ye Olde England who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. This time Russell Crowe is the Prince of Thieves. Expect Crowe as Robin Hood to fight the good fight and woo the Lady Marion, not necessarily in that order.

The A-Team (Expected Release Date June 11, 2010)
Based on the television show from the 1980’s of the same name, the movie deals with four Army veterans from the Iraq War who were framed by the government for a crime they didn’t commit. Expect a lot of car crashing, guns shooting and B.A. Baracas saying “I pity the fool.”  For what it is worth, I didn’t watch The A-Team when it was on television, because I thought it was a dumb show. I don’t have high hopes for the movie version.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Expected Release Date June 30, 2010)
Read my entry Vampires Aren’t Sexy (https://justmovieposters09.wordpress.com/ 2009/12/11/vampires-aren’t-sexy/) and you will find out how much I am looking forward to this film.

Inception (Expected Release Date July 16, 2010)
An original summer movie—what a concept! This film is directed by Christopher Nolan, he’s the person who gave us Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, so it should be good. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and the movie deals with being able to enter someone’s mind and steal information that exists only in that person’s memory. Cool.

The Other Guys (Expected Release Date August 6, 2010)
Yet another original summer movie. Two for two. Anyway, this film stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as New York City cops who work in the forensic accounting department. They always wanted the chance to leave their desks and catch the bad guys themselves. Well, one day they get their chance—with comedic results, of course.

Will these films be blockbusters or busts? Movies that critics will praise or pan? Who knows? Still, summer movies are fun. That’s why so many people see them.

Sources:
http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=10562

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=10562&page=2

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=10562&page=3

The Sequel Strikes Again

Recently, it was reported on Empire Online that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are confirmed for Men in Black III and it will be a 3D film. The expected release date is May 30, 2011.

Since the late 1970’s, there have been sequels galore. Notable examples are the Star Wars films and Star Trek films. Yet, it wasn’t always like this. Up until the 1970’s a film was made, it was a success or failure and that was that. The characters were never revisited and the story was not continued. Of course, the exception was the James Bond films. The movie going public in years past were willing to accept that Elsa never saw Rick again, Dorothy never returned to the land of Oz and while Scarlett said that she was going to get Rhett back, it was seen as wishful thinking on her part.

My theory is the establishment of episodic television shows lead a desire in the movie going public to know what happens next. It wasn’t enough to have the main characters ride off into the sunset. People wanted to know if Luke Skywalker became a Jedi and defeated Darth Vader or if the crew of the Enterprise found Spock and saved the whales.[1]

I like sequels. There I said it. The Star Wars films are among my favorite movies. I saw Shrek and Shrek 2 and liked them both. I like the Star Trek films with the original television cast, the Next Generation cast and the J.J. Abrams reboot. Also, The Dark Knight was a blockbuster film that I felt was more thought provoking than most blockbuster films.

Of course, not every movie benefits from a sequel and after a while, the story gets old. The two Tim Burton Batman movies were great. Burton and Michael Keaton in the title role got the darkness and the tortured soul of Batman/Bruce Wayne right. When Joel Schumacher took over the franchise, the movies were just about some rich guy who dresses up and chases bad guys. Also, as many Trekkies know, some Star Trek films are better than others.

Still, the powers that be in Hollywood don’t want to mess with a good formula. So, if a movie made lots of money, more often than not a sequel is in order. As the engineers say, “If it works, it works.”

Source:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=27639

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[1] Star Wars Episodes IV-VI and Star Trek II & III respectively.

Yes Mr. Ebert & Mr. Fellman, There Are Artistic Movie Posters From Recent Films

Recently, I was reading in the Philadelphia Bulletin a comment written to film critic Roger Ebert from Kevin Fellman of Phoenix, Arizona. It was about how movie posters of the 1970’s were more like works of art, whereas, the current crop of movie posters are just “bland advertising”.  Ebert, for his part, agreed with him and he went on to say, “No imagination, no artistry, no reason to collect.”

Hold on a second Messrs. Ebert and Fellman. There artistic movie posters from recent films that are worthy of hanging on walls from media rooms to museums. Don’t worry, this is not a commercial for my site Just Movie Posters.Com. This will be a legitimate entry about movie posters that have imagination and artistry—at least in my opinion.

Matrix Reloaded Digital Rain Poster
The Matrix movies reflect on questions about life and the nature of reality. One of the posters for the second movie in the series is minimalist with holographic green “digital rain” on a black background. It’s the kind of poster that invites thought, just like the Matrix movies. To see a picture of this poster go to:
http://www.impawards.com/2003/matrix_reloaded.html

The Works of Drew Struzan
Don’t worry, if you have been to a movie theater during the past 25 years, you’ve seen his work. He has done movie posters for the Indiana Jones films, Back to the Future films, Star Wars films, even Police Academy and Goonies, just to name a few. Struzan is able to take actors and actresses that we’ve seen a million times over and show warmth, plus the human behind the glitz. To see examples of his work go to:
http://www.drewstruzan.com

Why So Serious/The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight is the kind of guy I would not want to find in a well-lit alley, let alone dark one. That’s why the “Why So Serious” poster from The Dark Knight is so great. It shows the evilness of the Joker and it entices the viewer to think about seeing the movie. Who says art and advertising can’t mix? To see the poster, go to:
http://www.impawards.com/2008/dark_knight_ver4.html

Well, those are my picks for this week and be sure to save me a middle seat in the middle row.

Sources:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=ANSWERMAN

http://www.thebulletin.us

http://www.impawards.com/2003/matrix_reloaded.html

http://www.drewstruzan.com

http://www.impawards.com/2008/dark_knight_ver4.html