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Gone too soon
Bidding farewell to this summer’s blockbusters
By Darin Kwilinski
If perchance you spent your money on some of this summer’s less-than-stellar choices, then recuperate from your losses by catching these great flicks while you still can.
Fall semester once again looms on the horizon, ultimately signaling the end of the summer blockbuster season. A gaping hole is now left in the line of decent films until the holidays come.
Yet, we did have our fair share of diamonds in the rough this summer, and if you spent your hard-earned cash on some of them, kudos to you. If perchance you spent your money on some of this summer’s less-than-stellar choices, then recuperate from your losses by catching these great flicks while you still can.
“WALL-E”
Quite possibly one the greatest animated social commentaries featuring an adorable robot since the “Short Circuit” series. The vibrantly imaginative animation mixed with its subtle thematic warnings against over-consumption and rampant conglomeration makes this sci-fi adventure appeal to both kids and adults. As a credit to Pixar’s increasingly unparalleled visual storytelling abilities, the first third of the film contains little to no dialogue, yet it never ceases to be anything less than captivating. All that it took were some R2-D2-style bleeps and bloops, a little soulful stargazing and some exaggerated slapstick for an animated robot to deliver one of this summer’s most widely enjoyable performances. Despite Wall-E’s artificial construction, it was genuinely difficult to choke back the tears near the end of this modern digital masterpiece.
“Tropic Thunder”
Every once and awhile, there’s a little solace to be had in receiving a film that turns out to be exactly what the trailers advertised, which in “Tropic Thunder’s” case meant a comedy that pulls absolutely no punches. If you weren’t turned away by the frequent boycotts and online controversy, then you know what I’m talking about.
From Brandon T. Jackson’s take on your average rapper-turned-actor, “Alpa Chino,” who hocks “Booty-Sweat” energy drinks and “Bust-a-Nut” candy bars, to Robert Downey Jr.’s frequent use of the “r” word, the film rarely falls into the category of a safe summer comedy.
We can also thank Tom Cruise for his small, yet scene-stealing cameo filled with rather disturbing dancing and some truly creative uses of the “f” word to get the job done. The film delivers exactly what it promises, which easily makes the top comedic pick for the summer. Check out the Post’s review for more info.
“The Dark Knight”
I almost didn’t include this one here for the simple reason that a certain favorite character bites the bullet at the end. I won’t say who for those who haven’t seen it. Suffice it to say that a more emphasized sequel appearance would have been amazing. It was a potentially bad choice on director Christopher Nolan’s part, but the film remains epic nonetheless. The neck-breaking pace and sharply dark and realistic dialogue is often enough to send shivers down one’s spine. The Joker’s first act “pencil trick” quickly establishes “The Dark Knight” as something a bit more intense than your average summer super hero flick. Despite its relatively recent opening, the film has already been elevated to iconic status, acting for many as a blueprint for future DC Comics adaptations like the upcoming reboot of Superman.
Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker remains particularly chilling, not simply because of the circumstances surrounding his untimely death, but because of the brutally intense originality and Frank Booth-esque unpredictability he delivers on screen. It’s just sad that it turned out to be his grand finale.
And Biggest Disappointment Goes To: Pineapple Express
What can I say – it let me down. It’s been awhile since I walked out of a theater genuinely disappointed. The initially hyped red-band trailer looked so promising, but as it turns out, said trailer comprised nearly all of the film’s memorable comedy, leaving little else to look forward to. The dialogue seemed like mostly improvisational filler, leading me to believe the plot could have probably been completed in just half an hour, much less than the film’s nearly two-hour runtime.
Seth Rogen is quickly establishing himself as the go-to guy for creating awkward/exaggerated situation comedies, but now seems disappointingly poised to go the way of Will Ferrell’s “zany,” cookie-cutter sports shtick.
In the past, Rogen hit it big with “Superbad,” “Knocked Up” and the “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” Yet “Pineapple Express” simply doesn’t measure up. Also, let’s be honest, two real stoners would hardly have made it off the couch in that situation, let alone stay on the run for two days leading to a bizarrely graphic half hour gun shootout. Even for a stoner film, that seems a bit far-fetched.
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