Summer Movies Satisfy My Cravings!

I have a confession to make: I am a MOVIE JUNKIE! Yeah, I'm one of THOSE PEOPLE: 

• the annoying people in the movie theater who've already seen the film twice before and comment the WHOLE time
• the people who correct you when you try to make witty comments about the latest film ("The Hobbit is NOT the sequel to The Lord of the Rings!")
• the people who go to the midnight premier even though they have to get up early the next morning... and then proceed to go again the next day
• the people who quote various movies ALL the time and don't have the courtesy to explain the reference
• need I go on?

Not surprisingly, the latest summertime flicks did nothing to discourage my addiction - in fact they probably mase it worse! This summer had a particularly impressive list of movies, especially superhero movies! I've commented briefly on each one that I've seen for those who don't mind *Spoiler Warnings*!

To start things off, The Avengers was probably one of THE BEST movie theater experiences since The Lord of the Rings (which is why I went to see it more than once!). I am a huge Marvel fan, and even though I didn't care for Thor all that much and didn't see all of The Hulk, The Avengers was a breath of fresh air for me! I was so concerned that they had hyped up this giant movie project so much that it would be disappointing. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. There was witty humor (thanks to Ironman), exciting action, a good blend of characters, an interesting villain, implied romance, and a tragic death *sniff*. I was very, very impressed and hope that they don't make a stupid sequel just to rake in more money. In fact, what I'd like to see first is a film about Black Widow and Hawkeye's relationship... there was definitely something going on! Besides, they're the only two main characters who don't have their own movie yet!

As a huge fan of the Sam Raimi's Spiderman films (except for the third one, of course *shudder*), I was looking forward to a new take on Spiderman, though I didn't expect to be "wowed." And I wasn't, at least not completely. I appreciated the fact that MJ was absent and replaced by Gwen (hurray for goody-two-shoes!). I felt that Andrew Garfield's performance was definitely more emotional and angsty, though there were times when the angst reminded me too much of Peter Parker's "dark side" in the third film! Finally, the Lizard really freaked me out! I didn't expect him to be creepy - I mean, the Goblin is supposed to be Spiderman's #1 Bad Guy, right? - but I actually jumped several times! The techie/computer guys did a good job.

I had been looking forward to the final Batman movie since I made myself watch the second one for the first time. Here's another confession: I have an irrational fear of clowns, and I just didn't think that I could handle the Joker. Thankfully, I faced my fear and experienced one of the greatest movie experiences of all time. However, I had no idea what to expect from The Dark Knight Rises. I'm not a comic geek, so I wasn't very familiar with the storyline (though a good friend did give me a spoiler - thanks M!). I could probably write an entire blog post on this movie, which I may do in the future, but for now I'll say this: Batman was a complete jerk to Alfred, Officer Blake was my favorite, Anne Hathaway did a fairly good job as Catwoman, and the entire time I KNEW that Miranda/Talia was no good! Oh, and I actually felt bad for Bane at the end (despite all of the previous neck-snapping!).

Besides the superhero flicks, I had greatly anticipated Pixar's latest film... and was sadly disappointed. My little sister enjoyed it more than me, probably because I had much greater expectations. She loved the pretty horse, the little girl who shot arrows at bears, and the fairy glowy lights. I cringed at the cliched feministic approach to a girl's coming of age story, reveled in the lush animation and Celtic soundtrack, and cried at the end because I wanted there to be more of... something, especially to the story! Just as Cars 2 failed to meet my expectations, Brave (which was originally titled The Bear and the Bow - who the heck wanted to change that title?!) wasn't quite as inspiring as it could have been. Still, it was enjoyable, just not the same sort of Pixar experience that I have come to expect. Though, I must say that Merida's hair was the best I've ever seen on an animated character!




Finally, I saw The Bourne Legacy - not because I enjoyed the other three movies (I've actually only seen one of them.) but because I had been so impressed by Jeremy Renner's performance in The Avengers. And once again, his character was very engaging. He brought a lot of energy to the movie, which was definitely necessary for an action film. The ending was very abrupt, the script was difficult to follow at times, a chase scene went way too long in my opinion, but other than that it was a fun spy flick. Oh, I must also comment on one scene in particular: due to recent events this summer involving various shootings around the country, a scene in which a group of people are locked in a room and shot down by a colleague was much more chilling than it would have been otherwise. Perhaps, out of sensitivity to the still-grieving families in Colorado and Wisconsin, that scene should have been cut or at least shortened for audiences. Just a thought.




So, why am I such a junkie? Why do I love movies so much to the point that I'm a little compulsive? I, just like all people, love stories, plain and simple. Our lives are stories, stories that intertwine and cross with the stories of others. Some stories are a bit more exciting (The Bourne Legacy), some are more complex (The Dark Knight Rises), some are just fun (The Avengers), and some are tragic (For Greater Glory, see first above poster). The point is that movies may not be factual, but they do mirror something of reality, something we recognize in our own lives... and I think that is what people find appealing and applicable in films. Films are just another medium in storytelling - a more colorful and exciting medium than say radio - but a form of storytelling, nonetheless. The best part about movies is when the stories teach us something or give us a chance to think about something deeper than the special effects or script. Movies have accomplished their purpose when one leaves the movie theater... thinking.

*Note: The film that I mentioned (the first movie poster) but didn't expound upon, For Greater Glory, was the ONE movie that I wanted to see this summer but didn't. Sad day. There wasn't a large release, unfortunately, but hopefully, I'll have a chance to see it once it comes out on video!