Summer Movie Recap, Part III (8-1)

Part I / Part II / Part III

The best eight films I saw this summer, and the only ones I will probably buy. (maybe Superbad, too, just 'cause).

The "I Ate How Much Popcorn?" All-Stars (an Eddie Izzard reference)

8. Ratatouille (imdb) (official site)

This is probably a good time to mention that I'm an amateur standup comedian. When Pixar offended my entire way of life by promoting the continued existence of Larry the Cable Guy with Cars, I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive them for paying actual money to the racist, hackish, example of everything wrong with the comedy world today.

But then, in their very next film, they cast the hilarious, shining beacon of everything good in standup, Patton Oswalt, as a talking rat. How could I not support this? Plus, it's honestly my favorite CGI film to date.


7. Stardust (imdb) (off.)

If you knew how much I love everything that Neil Gaiman has ever touched, you wouldn't believe I could rank this only at number seven. My girlfriend would personally attest that each time I reread Sandman, American Gods, or Stardust, I'm probably a hair's breath away from driving the eight hours to Menomonee, Wisconsin (who would've guessed?), finding his house, and then camping outside until he agreed to sign my forehead with a Sharpie so I could get it tattooed over.

But alas, while I loved Matthew Vaughan's adaptation of Neil's (Yeah, I call him Neil as if I knew him personally. What of it?) illustrated novel, it could've been a little less Pirates of the Carribean inspired in its rush to a climatic, showy battle.

But I'll probably still be camping outside of Best Buy the night before this comes out on DVD. Does that make any sense?

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (imdb) (off.)

Speaking of obsessions, while I know quite a few people who camp out for various Harry Potter related things, I would say I stay more at the level of "dedicated fan" than "fanatic" for the Harry Potter series.

But I did wait in line for a midnight showing of the newest film, and it was my favorite one so far. I could probably go on about why this is the only film I like better than its novular counterpart, but instead I will leave you with two words: Gary Oldman.

5. The Bourne Ultimatum (imdb) (off.)

Everyone is rightfully anointing this film as the champion of all the threequels out this summer (Spidey 3, Pirates 3, Ocean's 13, Rush Hour 3), but really we could've all predicted it before the season even began. Spiderman had nowhere to go but down after the universally approved second film, and The Bourne Supremacy was the only one of the second installments of those trilogies met with acclaim and not subject to tiresome overexposure.

The Single Handedly Saving The Romantic Comedy Jury Prize

4. Knocked Up (imdb) (off.)

So I'm running out of creative titles. But seriously, by building on the shoulder's of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, this comedy definitely breathed new life into funny movies as a whole.

Whether Hollywood immediately carries this trend way too far, however, is still up in the air. The Apatow-written Walk Hard Johnny Cash parody seems like an early warning sign.

The Contenders

3. Rescue Dawn (imdb) (off.)

Starring Christian Bale, the Greatest Actor of His Generation. Every single thing he's done in the last five years (post-Equilibrium, that is) has been incredible, so much so in fact, that I may be on the verge of finally renting Harsh Times even though Eva Longoria makes me vomit a little inside my mouth.

A quiet, nuanced tale of survival, like a much more badass Adrien Brody in The Pianist, Bale puts in his name for a long overdue Oscar nomination. He might have some competition from himself, as we'll see later in my 3:10 to Yuma thoughts.

2. Once (imdb) (off.)

The music of this film really speaks for itself.

Seriously. It's 110 and 3 on Rotten Tomatoes. Go see it.

Right now.

And finally....

The Winner

1. Away From Her (imdb) (off.)

This is a surprise to me as well. I remember, long ago, reading that Sarah Polley was going to direct a film and thinking, "Huh. Good for her."

Then I was blown away by the perfect use of Ray LaMontagne's "Be Here Now" in this mesmerizing trailer. So I was officially excited about the film, now, against all odds. I wouldn't have expected a film about the elderly dealing with Alzheimer's disease to be my favorite film of the summer.

Ironically, the film is a beautiful, dreamy Canadian snow-scape, released in early May. But it's an amazing film. Julie Christie is perfect as a woman dealing with the loss of herself, and Gordon Pinsent is a heartbreaking vision of reluctant acceptance as her husband.

If those two don't have Academy Award nominations locked, and until I see this fall's contender's I say wins as well, I will be even more upset than the whole Crash debacle two years ago.

My only complaint here is that "Be Here Now" is not even in the film itself, or during the credits. Instead they use some awful K. D. Lang song where the refrain is her singing "helpless, helpless" over and over. Other than LaMontagne's song being way better, I think the implicit theme of savoring the time left to you ("Be Here Now") is much more in tune with the film than helplessness.

But seriously, everything else is perfect. Find this on DVD, Netflix, anything. You won't regret it.