Summer of Blah...

Dearest Hilary,

     What a summer of Blah. What happened to the days of Jaws and ET? Oh ya, they were replaced with reboots and The BFG. This was summer lacking of winning blockbusters, leaving the summer dry as Central New York. We're at drought level 4, by the way. What movie stood out from the crowd this Summer? For me, a very small amount actually did. 

     In no particular order: 

Captain Fantastic - Viggo was amazing and featured fine child acting. It was a good ol' fuck the system film

Nice Guys - Thought I was gunna hate it, now I want a squeal

Swiss Army Man - Radcliffe and Dano put in moving performances and the production design and music were stand outs

Tarzan - I can feel your eye roll in Ithaca, but I liked it, and expect more

Sing Street - the only Oscar nominee I will predict now for Best Song, more on that later, also the BEST flick of the summer.

Sausage Party -  I have not laughed so hard and loud at a movie in ages, and it MIGHT squeak out a nom for song?!?

Music of Strangers - best documentary of the summer, OJ not included

     That's it. Only one movie I could solidly suggest. Not even The Ghostbusters reboot could squeeze on the list. It was funny and all, but it lacked a sparked I wanted. 

     I watched dozens of movies this summer, 49 to be exact, of which only one, Sing Street, falls under the category of "MUST SEE." 

     This Summer was filled with lackluster films that were not suggest-able to the masses, only to us cinephiles. I have regular customers that come into my butcher shop to pick my brain about what they should see. What did I suggest all summer? Sing Street, Stranger Things on Netflix and ESPN's epic OJ doc. One was easily accessible to the masses in a theatre, while the others were viewable from the couch; Stranger Things does not even qualified for the Oscars!

     Sing Street. What a fucking experience. Hands down, the number one movie of the summer for me. Fun story, great kid acting, and an infectious soundtrack that will surely be nominated come January. Sing Street is from the same Irish director/screenwriter, John Carney, who brought us the Oscar winning film, Once and Oscar nominated Begin Again. Both for Best Song. I was floored by this movie. I have yet to see Once and I loved Begin Again; after seeing the previews for Sing Street, I had an inkling I would be seeing it multiple times. I saw it three times. "Drive It Like You Stole It", "Riddle of the Model", "Girls", and "Brown Shoes" are stand out songs. The songs left you singing the chorus and tapping your toes by the end of the scene. Unfortunately the song that will be included on the Oscar list will be, "Go Now", written by Adam Levine; it has a strong Oscar scent that will stay fresh till January!

     I was surprised with the abundance of documentaries that I enjoyed, but would not suggest anyone rush out and but a ticket. City of Gold was a great love letter to the food trucks of Los Angeles. Wiener was flaccid. And what the fuck was with the shaved pussy all over his couch?!? It must have been to the vet for something. The poor long haired, ginger cat looked just as sad and miserable as Huma. Dark Horse, a quirky Welsh outsiders-show-up-the-hoity-toity doc, about, you guessed it, horse racing. The Frank Zappa documentary was a fun ride thru a genius's mind. Music of Strangers was the film that moved me the most. Maybe it was the fact that both of us went to a Yo-yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble concert in 2009, or that I LOVE crazy bagpipers, or I saw this doc the weekend of the Orlando club massacre; this doc made me cry. It was something I needed at that moment in time. Music can bring cultures together, can heal, and has power. Music of Strangers shows the world what music can do.

Now for the Shit-tastic movies I sat through:

Alice Through the Looking Glass - why was this even made, I saw it for the extra reward points.

The BFG - Big Fucking Deal. What a waste of time; Spielberg should retire from directing fluffy, feel good movies. Stick to war, Steven.

Finding Dory - Let's make fun of memory loss for an hour and a half; nothing like the first one

The Lobster - I liked the commentary on coupling in society, but damn, was this a boring, slow-moving celluloid bore featuring dog murder

Cafe Society - Woody Allen's attempt at a movie. Way to saccharine for me. It is hard to follow up Blue Jasmine. Also, Jesse was playing Woody. Snooze, I have seen it before.

Indignation - To much talking

Free State of Jones - Starts out as a Tea Party-er's dream, then mutates into a Tea Party-er's nightmare. That part filled me with joy!

     After a long summer of not so exciting movie viewing, I am looking forward to a great line up for the fall! Bring on the film festivals! I can not wait for my local film festival, Ithaca Fantastik, in November. The films at the festival are from "The Fantastic genre (which) includes films with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, horror, or the absurd." Oh, and many entries are international! Every genre you relish.

     Hope you have enjoyed your transition and are settling into your new digs. There are movies galore coming up soon, hope you have found a local theatre to patronize!

Salt and Popcorn, 

Stephen

The reviews I chose not to make

Dear Stephen:

I made a choice this summer.  

It wasn’t intentional or done with great purpose, but as we come to the end of the summer, I realize it was one I made.  I chose not to see any movies. 

You and I started this blog because not only do we love movies, but we see a lot of movies (although I never see as many as you do, I still see more than the average entertainment consumer).  However, this summer I stopped.   Whenever I had a free chunk of time I found myself watching tv, reading, or something else rather than heading out to the cinema.

Part of this was that I faced two job changes, both with commutes of an hour or more each day, that is eating away at some of the free time I enjoyed in the past.  But part of it was that I couldn’t find a compelling reason to go out.  I can’t recall a single movie all summer that someone said to me “YOU MUST SEE THIS!”

Ghostbusters: support-women-but-otherwise-tepid

Jason Bourne: not-like-the-originals

Café Society: Lost-his-touch

The Lobster: not-for-you

Suicide Squad: don’t-waste-your-money

What happened?

I’ve talked to you about the blurring of tv and film mediums.  To be frank, this summer was spectacular for the small screen.  From ESPN’s OJ: Made in America to HBO’s The Night Of to Netflix’s Stranger Things, tv was able to produce the highest quality in multiple genres.  When Hollywood continues to churn out under-performing franchises and creative duds, streaming platforms have pushed tv to further than it has ever gone before.

ESPN’s OJ: Made in America actually proves that movies still matter.  This could have easily been (and I can’t believe it isn’t) a tv documentary.  But ESPN felt that when it comes to the top prestige in filmmaking, “films” not programs still rule the world. 

While I didn’t see anything, I know you did.  What was your takeaway from the last few months?  What were some of your highs and lows?  Will any of it matter come January?

The start of Labor Day weekend is here.  The Telluride Film Festival is kicking off.  Summer Movie Season is officially over.

Let the real Oscar games begin…

Your friend till the end,

Hilary

An Account for Taste

Dear Stephen,

As you know, I've gone back to work full time and have had my time to see movies and write about them cut severely.  My hope is that after a week of my new schedule I'll sort out my life a bit better.  

You brought up documentaries I'm looking forward to seeing and the truth is that I tend not watch that many documentaries in the theater.  Sometime that's because the film is being shown on HBO or Netflix, and therefore I have to watch it at home, or because I just don't make it to the movies as much as you do.  With that said, I average about one every year, which I usually go to in the summer.  

The most obvious choice for documentary of the summer is Weiner, which I will absolutely be seeing in the next coming weeks.  But ESPN is also releasing an eight hour OJ Simpson Documentary, OJ Simpson: Made in America, that will be briefly in theaters, and chronicles OJ's rise to cultural icon and ends at the trial.  ESPN’s dip into feature documentaries further blurs the line between film and tv.  I'll talk about this more when the doc comes out, on tv that is, because I'm not sitting in a theater for eight hours so that ESPN can add Oscar nominated to its rap sheet.  

I wanted to talk a little bit about personal preference and how it affects our views on films.  These past weeks I have seen Love & Friendship TWICE, and that was before it was released on Amazon Prime.  As I stated earlier this month, I love Jane Austen and I love Whit Stillman.  This film was made for my repeated viewing pleasure and somehow it surpassed my expectations.  But it has me thinking: is it good or just good for me?

I sincerely believe that Love & Friendship is a quality film.  The dialogue is very funny and the film making is inventive (especially when you compare it to other costume dramas).  I thought back to last year’s Far From the Madding Crowd, which was dreadfully boring and slow, even for a costume drama enthusiast like myself.  L&F managed to be snappy where where others might be sappy.  Lady Susan happens to be a difficult piece of fiction to adapt because it is written entirely in letters back and forth between characters rendering it almost un-readable. I am ready to make the call right now that L&F will be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay this winter.  

Although I loved the filmaking, especially the character introductions, I think some of the supporting acting falls short-- most notably Xavier Samuel as Reginald DeCourcy and (I hate to write this) Chloe Sevigny as Alicia Johnson, and Stillman’s directing must be blamed for this.  I think there was a decision to tone them down to make Kate Beckinsale’s Lady Susan soar even higher and appear to be living in another world.  None of this was needed.  Beckinsale was perfection and honestly no one chews more scenery than Jenn Murray in any film she’s in (good in Brooklyn-- a dash too over the top as Lady Lucy Mannering in Love & Friendship).

I know you have different feelings about this film, and I will be the first to admit, I’m blinded by my love for this type of film.

Yours in Love and Friendship,

Hilary

Summer Movie Not So Extravaganza!

My Dear Hilary, 

   Trumbo was one of my favorite movies of last season. I even saw it twice! It looks like this year might be the worst bio-pic year to date. They have all been pretty shitty films. Maybe they wanted to get all the crap out of the way so the exciting bio-pics can shine in the fall. Can FloFoJen pull the bio-pic genre back from the dead? I am sure we will chat about that later.

   The Free State of Jones will have a strong following in the "Make America Great Again" states! Walmart's isles will be empty during this films run and Stuckey's parking lots will be void of domestic rust buckets with trunks held shut by a clothesline! The women folk will wanna see McConaughey, because, McConaughey, and the men folk will wanna watch how they too can start their own independent state because," 'bama is comin' fer my guns!"  and "those Homo-Queers wanna pee on my wife and daughters in Target!" That being said, I will probably be seeing this movie if it comes to town.

   My choice for Ticking Time Bomb of 2016, which I might regret, is, Nice Guys. Hear me out. The producers have been pushing this acting duo SINCE this year's Oscars. Brainwashing the combo of Crowe and Gosling into the minds of the masses. This action, having two co-stars from a summer movie presenting at a winter awards show, is a desperate attempt by the producers to get people interested early because they know the film sucks. And who wants to watch a bloated Russell Crowe, who is giving Val Kilmer a run for the Brando Award for Fat Bastard, go around and punch people. Boring. Also, I am not in the Ryan Gosling camp. He just does not do it for me. The only reason I will be seeing this flick is the art direction. I LOVE movies set in LA in the 70s. There is something comforting about it. The colors, the textures, the drugs, the seediness, the blatant disregard for any natural fiber in clothing. I adore it. Maybe in my past life I was a hustler or street junkie on Santa Monica Boulevard in the mid 70s.

   Does MGM own the rights to Ben Hur? The studio produced the 1925 and Oscar winning 1959 versions, now this abomination?  The first productions broke records and won awards. I doubt this remake, starring Jack Huston, who is from an Oscar royal family (great-grandfather, Walter Huston; grandfather, John Huston; and aunt, Angelica Huston are all Oscar winners) will receive any nods. The only nominations will be from the Razzies! If Ben-Hur does do well, will this be the beginning of studios remaking the classics? Are we going to suffer thru Casablanca starring George Clooney and Gone With the Wind featuring Megan Fox opposite Casey Affleck? Will the Oscar's go the way of the Tony's and start awarding awards for best revival?!? Now that's a novel idea!

   My pick for How Did This Get a Greenlight??!??!? is Warcraft. This shit show of a movie was greenlit 10 years ago, then went thru ten grueling years of development hell and premiere delays. When it was greenlit, World Of Warcraft was at the height of interwebs gaming. Everyone was playing, apparently. But today there are only 5.5 million players. Even if all of the current orcs and wizards left their basement lairs in their mother's house and watched the movie on opening night, the movie would bring in roughly 70 million. It cost 160 million to make. As I watched the trailer, all I could think of was "What is this Shrek meets Tolkien meets Games of Thrones tomfoolery?" I have a feeling this will rank as one of the worst and underwhelming movies of the year.

   Let me go fill my Sodastream, because I know I'm gunna be thirsty talking about the furry chested, sun kissed, Zac Efron. That hypnotizing smile. ::sip:: Those blue eyes to get lost in. ::sip:: That hirsute chest that makes me purr. ::gulp:: Those thick, juicy thighs that would make the Colonel proud ::glug:: And that ass, that perfect pert ass. ::chug:: I love Zac. I just do. I think he is a fine actor who will be bestowed several Oscar nominations and at least one win before his career is over. As for his films this summer, I have to say I am most excited to see Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates over Neighbors 2. Adam DeVine is right up there in the Zac stratosphere for me. He is adorable. From Modern Family to Pitch Perfect, Adam has always caught my attention on screen. His delivery of any line makes me giggle. Add Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza to the mix, and you get a fucking funny ass summer movie that I am looking forward to and i predict will be a box office hit. Can't wait to be in the AC cooled theatre with a large, cold Sprite in my hand, a large warm buttery popcorn by my side, cooing at a shirtless Zac Efron.

   One question for you before I go, are you looking forward to any documentaries this summer? There are a few out there on my radar.

   Now, Hil, back to you.

Cheers
Stephen

   

Summer Movie Preview, part II: The Stinkers

Dear Stephen,

I don’t want to dive too deep into bio-pics, because I’m sure we will have our hands full with whatever arrives in the fall, but I did want to respond a little to what you said about the movies so far this year.  What is interesting about Miles Ahead, The Man Who Knew Infinity, and I Saw the Light (and the upcoming or never-to-be-seen-in-theaters The Program) were that all of the named films were supposed to be part of last year’s awards season, but got pushed to different releases.  If you remember last season, there weren’t ANY bio-pics among the best picture nominees.  Trumbo might have been the closest to a critically praised one.  Had these movies been released following their Toronto Film Festival premieres, we might have had (along with Black Mass) the worst bio-pic awards season ever recorded.  Were the studios afraid that all these stinkers would kill the awards-baiting genre for good?  One can only dream.  

I too am looking forward to Florence Foster Jenkins.  A Stephen Frears directed film is like a stamp of approval in my book.  Besides the films that you listed, two of my all-time favorite under-appreciated films are High Fidelity and Dirty Pretty Things.  

Now on to a different sort of list: The Films We Are Least Looking Forward to.

Summer films tend to be filled with good intentions and high expectations, many of which are never realised.  These Ticking Time Bombs may have glitzy stars, well respected directors, and film festival write ups, but they fail to connect with audiences in a big way.  For my Ticking Time Bomb of 2016 I bring you The Free State of Jones.  Starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville and Seabiscut) give us a Civil War drama of a poor farmer and confederate soldier who rebel against the confederacy in Mississippi and forms his own state.  Maybe this ultra-American message will resonate with audiences hungering to make America great again?  Or maybe a Civil War era drama will end the McConaughey hot streak.  

Summertime is always filled with reinventions of old classics, gone horribly wrong.  The past few summers has brought us such bombs as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Lone Ranger.  And recently someone in hollywood said “you know what we haven’t done in a while? Another Tarazan flop!”  But my pick for How Did This Get a Greenlight?!?!? Is the remake of Ben-Hur.  It stars poor Jack Huston (who I dearly loved as Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire) and has the tagline “First to Finish.  Last to Die.”  Who is the audience for this?  Is there anyway that this movie is not the laughing stock of August?  

One thing you and I both share an interest in is the charismatic and perfectly sculpted Zac Efron.  For some reason on more than one occassion we have ended up watching one of his movies the morning after longs nights of revels.  Hopefully one day his agent and studios will realize that deep down inside that broze, six-pack toting, bro is a movie star with great potential to delight and amaze audiences.  Unfortunately that time is not now and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and the Zac Efron Movies we have to chose from this summer.  Overtime I will absolutely see both of these movies (see descriptions of Zac Efron above) but as I am unemployed at the moment I will only fork over $15 to see one in the theater.  Although Mr. Efron will probably wear less clothing in Neighbors 2, I am going to chose Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates as my Efron movie pick. I gather from the title that it’s about weddings and also stars Anna Kendrick!  As a movie, my expectations are for it to be somewhere between the terrible Bride Wars and funniest-summer-wedding-movie ever Wedding Crashers.  

Well Stephen, what are your smelly-like-rotten-garbage-not-fine-french-cheese stinkers?  

Best,

Hilary

Summer Movie Extravaganza!

My Dearest Hilary,

  Sorry to say, but you have a comic filled summer ahead of you. Marvel, they are a juggernaut in the comic book movie world. And poor DC, who can only do Batman movies well. Will Suicide Squad be DC's redemption film? More on that later. I will be seeing Captain America soon, and will see what ever numbered X-men movie when it comes out. I refuse to go opening weekend; I tend to go to weekday, early matinees! I maybe in my 30's but i have the movie viewing habits of a 70 year old! Also, if I did not have my MoviePass, I would not bother seeing these movies in the theatre; I would wait for the DVD. I am not gunna lie, I am not a die hard Marvel lover. I was interested in them in the early 90's; I collected the cards, had all the holograms, watched the X-Men cartoon, had the action figures and I read the Infinity Gauntlet Series, which this Avengers movie stuff leads up to. Do my panties get wet over every new comic book movie like the rest of geek-dom? Nope. My 'Looms are dry on this one.

  As for summer movies, I love all the genres from the big action blow 'em up CGI flicks, to the quiet indies that show up in the corners out of no where, like The Spectacular Now and Kings of Summer, both movies that also came out in summer of 2013. Summer and movies make sense to me. While everyone is baking their misshapen moles into future skin cancer, I am inside in AC, with a cold, fizzy drink, in the dark. Screw sunlight. Summers trapped in a theatre SM'ing really left an impact on me!

   You said film, I picked films, with an "s". Only three, but these three I feel will be talked about till December, right thru Award Season, taking home a few nominations and wins along the way. I chose, The Founder, Florence Foster Jenkins  and Suicide Squad. ALL are possible Oscar contenders in several categories.

   First, The Founder. I had no clue what this movie was until I watched the trailer. I thought it was about a founder of a cult! Where has this film been hiding?! This looks simply amazing! It has Oscar written all over it. What's with the Michael Keaton push in the recent years, tho? He is a great actor who has had a long career, not really known to do Oscar caliber movies. Now look at him! Birdman, Spotlight, now The Founder??! And the topic is so intriguing, the shady business dealings that started one of America's most well known symbol's, McDonald's? Also, a period piece set in my favorite modern design period, the 1950's! Not to mention Nick Offerman without a mustache. Is that even legal?! As you stated tho, it is about a older white dude. SNOOZE!! Where is the bio pic about Sister Rosetta Tharpe?! That could be Queen Latifah's Oscar winning role. 

   Side note: Is 2016 the year of the boring male bio-pic? I have seen: I Saw the Light, Miles Ahead, Born to Feel Blue, and The Man Who Knew Infinity.  At least not every film is about a white male. All male, bio-pics, all mediocre, except Miles Ahead which has been the shittiest movie I have seen this year, so far. Dear Don Cheadle, stick to acting.

  The Founder is the perfect summer film to me. Something about fast food reminds me of summer. Coming home from a long day at the beach, grabbing dinner on the go because no one wanted to cook due to the heat. This could be a reason behind sticking The Founder where it is. Moreover, McDonald's will be everywhere come Olympic time. Aren't they a sponsor of the Olympics? This could be subliminal advertising! McDonald's will be on everybody's tongues literally and figuratively this summer, so why not go to see the origin story of their burger. Seems smart to me. 

   Now on to Florence Foster Jenkins. Meryl Streep, That Guy From That Science TV Show with High Ratings, The Guy With the Hair from the 90s Who Got Caught With a Hooker, directed by your favorite Stephen Frears and written by a BBC TV period piece screenwriter. What could go wrong? Only a handful of people know who Florence Foster Jenkins is/was. I heard about FloFoJen before the interwebs were in every home. I searched for her album but never found it. Fast forward 20 years, that Broadway musical came around; I stage managed a version upstate before I retired from theatre and now this film. FloFoJen was so counterculture for many years, now you can find her hit songs on YouTube!

  What I love about the trailers for Florence Foster Jenkins is the fact you never hear Flo sing! That is what will get people in the seats. Not to mention it is costume after costume after costume. Philomena and The Queen are quiet movies that leave a large impact on you after watching them. I know FloFoJen will not be quiet by any means, but I am sure it will leave a huge impact on audiences this summer, enough to keep this film alive well thru December. Rack another Oscar Nom notch for Streep.

   Finally, your least favorite movie genre, the comic book movie. Suicide Squad could be the only way DC saves itself from being know as a shitty comic book movie producer. A bunch of villains teaming up and tearing up shit. Sounds like a kick ass movie to me. I am looking forward to Jared Leto's take on The Joker. Sending used condoms to your cast-mates sure is Method! In the trailers they tend to hid The Joker, but luckily push Harley Quinn. Finally, a female bad-ass villain who is crazy as fuck and does not give a fuck. Expect Halloween costumes galore from Suicide Squad.

   Suicide Squad fits into the Mad Max realm of movies. Action packed, punk-ish, steam-punky, money making film that will land on the Academy's radar and people will be running to buy the DVD or streaming or what ever merch the studio is pushing for that dreaded December holiday. Suicide Squad has staying power. It is up there with Deadpool, which is the best non-comic book, comic book movie to date.

   After going over the films opening this summer, my Pre-Season Favorite has to be Maggie's Plan. A modern, screwball comedy starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawk, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, with Julianne Moore doing an accent!! Not to mention the director, Rebecca Miller was in Kate Hepburn's last movie, Love Affair. I just adore Greta Gerwig! Mistress America was such a sleeper hit from last year. She is a strong actress that has a long career ahead of her. Ethan Hawk is everywhere recently. Luckily I do not have issue with him as an actor. When Maya and Bill do straight roles vs comedic roles, I love them 100% more. Both have this energy that brings something fresh to the screen that actors without a comedic background can't do. And don't forget Julianne Moore with an accent. Need I say more? My other pick? Absolutely Fabulous! I sure do miss those broads and welcome them back with open arms and champpers!

   Sequel, sequel, sequel. That is the message for the Tent Poles of the summer. I say Independence Day 2 and Finding Dory will bring people out in droves to the theatres. No Will Smith, no big deal to me; I will be going to see Judd Hirsch do what he does best, play a cranky, old Jew. ID2 reeks of popcorn. It was been 20 years since aliens have invaded.That is a HUGE, new movie viewing demographic. People who grew up watching the VHS or DVD of the first film will be dragging their tweens and teens to the movies this summer. Same goes for Finding Dory. Finding Nemo was the movie I realized there needed to be recognition for voice over actors at the Oscars. You do bring up a valid point in The Jungle Book post discussing big name actors doing roles just to get a nomination, leaving the faceless, voice-over actors in the dark; no one really knowing them. The BFG and The Ghostbusters also appear on my list of Popcorn scented movies.
   My Summer Sleeper pick is Swiss Army Man. People will hear about the movie, basically Castaway with Wilson as a corpse played by Harry Potter and buy a ticket. Maybe it is the crazy ,odd world I live in, but I feel people will connect with this flick. Don't forget Weekend At Bernie's is still a cult hit and people refer to it in pop culture to this day! Swiss Army Man will not be nominated for anything mainstream, maybe an Spirit Award or two; I will not be surprised when this film is left off awards lists, but makes it on the best movies of 2016.

  You have some great picks, and are more often than not spot on since you know your shit; I am looking forward to seeing how your predictions turn out. I guess baseball movies are my favorite sports movie. Sandlot and A League of Their Own are two of my all time favorite films!

  Now on to our predicted least liked movies of the summer season! Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Cheers,
Stephen

Summer Movie Preview part I

Dear Stephen,

The latest Marvel movie invaded our pop-consciousness last weekend and thereby marks the beginning of Summer Movie Season.  Although buzz is quite good, The Advengers movies are just not my thing (Begin rant: yes, I have tried watching them, and yes, I ride hard for Robert Downey, Jr., please just let me enjoy every other type of movie on the planet, I JUST DON’T LIKE THEM, OK? End of rant).  This doesn’t mean that I don’t like summer movies.  I find that 50% of the time it’s a film released between May and August that is my overall favorite at year end.  2013 was one of my least favorite Oscar Seasons to date, but that summer included such gems as Blue Jasmine, The Bling Ring and The Way Way Back.  Without further rambling (I shouldn’t say that because we all know there will be more rambling), I give you Part I of my Summer Movie Preview:

Prestige Summer Film or Most Likely to Still Be Discussed in December:  I originally thought I would name this category “Prestige Drama” but looking about at past nominated films that debuted in the warmer months, it usually isn’t a prestige drama that captures our hearts.  Looking at the nominated summer films  of the past few years include: Mad Max Furry Road (2015), Boyhood (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), The Help (2011), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Tree of Life (2011), Inception (2010), The Kids are Alright (2010), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Winter’s Bone (2010), the only thing that can be said is that you can’t lump them into one genre of film.  

With all that said, I’m picking The Founder as 2016’s Prestige Summer film.  This is actually a more interesting pick than it appears on the surface.  Yes, it is a bio-pic of an American businessman, starring an older white Academy Award nominated actor (Michael Keaton), but when was the last time a film like this was released in August?  Either it’s terrible and Harvey Weinstein (The Weinstein Company is the distributors, not producers of this film) wants to hide it in the doldrums of summer vacations or after Carol failed to get a Best Picture nomination Harvey is sick competing in the fall and wants to try something new or he doesn’t want it to compete for attention with The Weinstein Company’s Lion, which comes out this fall.  In a way it reminds me of 2012’s The Master, which came out in early fall, in that it is about an anti-hero that we have a preconceived notion that what he has accomplished is bad.  

Pre-Season Favorite: In contrast to the Prestige Summer Film, this category is for the movie that I can already tell you will be my next favorite movie, even if it doesn’t have award pedigree.  It might be because I have an extreme personal interest in the topic of the film (musicals, costume dramas, favorite books, food, ect.) or because it is from a filmmaker and/or writer whose works I consider to be must-see-no-matter-what (Sofia Coppola, Joe Wright, Aaron Sorkin).  The best examples in recents years of this would have been Midnight in Paris or The Bling Ring.  There was no way that I was not going to see those movies opening weekend and there was no way that I wasn’t going to enjoy myself (and no way that I wasn’t going to own hard copies once they came out on blu ray/dvd).  

This summer brings quite a whammy for me.  It’s a costume drama, of a Jane Austen novel, directed by a filmmaker I adore: Love & Friendship.  I’m not going to talk about this too much now because I hope to make you suffer through a much more in depth conversation later, but I am so excited for this film.  It’s an adaptation of the lesser-known Lady Susan and reunites Whit Stillman with his The Last Days of Disco leading ladies Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny.  I admit that Stillman films are not everyone’s cup of tea and that there could be some VERY, VERY bad accents on display, but I won’t hear any of it, I am there opening day.  

Fresh Popcorn:  Can you smell it?  That’s the distinct scent of fresh, but soon to be irritating, movie theater popcorn.  This category might not win any awards, but people will know the film you are talking about because previews were shown during the super bowl.  As I stated above, I don’t particularly like Marvel films, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like franchises or big-blockbusters (or as they are now referred to: tent poles).

In 2016 Matt Damon will make his return to the Bourne franchise and I’m as happy as Julia Stiles’ agent cashing the check.  The trailer for Jason Bourne tells us almost nothing, but we do know that writer and director Paul Greengrass is back along with crazy car crashes and mystified government agents in suits.  What I like about the Bourne movies is that they are made for adults, something that I am finding rarer by the minute. Its a cohesive world building franchise that you actually have to pay attention and engage with to follow the plot. My honorable mention goes to the lady-version of Ghostbusters, which I am eagerly anticipating and will absolutely be seeing in theaters.  

Summer Sleeper: Summer has a long tradition producing “sleeper hits” or good films that movie studios made but didn’t promote because they forgot that adults/women like to go to the movies too.  For our purposes this can be a film that people don’t think will make any money and will be a “sleeper” hit (Bridesmaids) or a sleeper prestige film that might not make any money, but will be too good to be ignored (Boyhood).  

As my pick, I’m going to choose a likeable sleeper, that I hope will be good enough for us to be talking about in December, but I’m not quite willing to say it will get nominated for anything.  I don’t know if I stated this when we discussed Everybody Wants Some!!, but baseball movies are my favorite of the sport genre (followed by hockey and football).  It is this reason that I am choosing Undrafted as my likable sleeper film.  Joseph Mazzello (the annoying little kid from Jurassic Park) wrote and makes his feature-length directorial debut about collegiate baseball players coming to grips with not becoming professional baseball players.  It stars EWS hottie Tyler Hoechlin and fellow Ithaca College Theatre Arts Alumni Aaron Tveit.  

So what are you looking forward to?  In Part II I’ll discuss some of the films I’m less than enthusiastic to see.  

Your Friend,

Hil