Well, summer is wrapping up, and along with it wraps up the summer blockbuster movie season. I saw quite a few movies this past summer, so I figured I’d give out my brief impressions and opinions on them. Hey, you have a better idea for a blog topic? (I’m just joking). Anyway, here’s what movies I saw. Oh, and if you don’t want to wade through my entire long winded blog, but want to know about some good movies to take the whole family, just look for the paragraphs highlighted in green.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The following four or so movies I saw the first or second week that they were released. I tried to see them at the Early Bird showing so I wouldn’t have to pay full price (see it at the first showing and you only have to pay 5 bucks for a ticket). Movies are just way too expensive now otherwise.

Anyway, I’ve read that a lot of comic book fans didn’t like the Wolverine movie. But since I don’t know much about comic books and characters, I guess I didn’t notice those problems. I knew who Wolverine was because his name was in the title. And I knew who Gambit was because at his entrance in the movie, he basically just threw out some cards and said, “I’m Gambit,” so I figured out who that was. But that’s all I knew. Jeff says there was someone named Deadpool in the movie, but I don’t know who the heck that is. At any rate, I was somewhat entertained and I’ve certainly seen worse movies, so I didn’t mind the Wolverine flick that much.

Transformers: Rise of the Fallen
I didn’t think the Transformers sequel was particularly amazing or anything. But it did have giant robots fighting each other and that’s all I was looking for. You just have to leave your intelligence at home to enjoy it. And it had the construction robots turn into that big one and he pretended to be Kirby. That was neat.

Only problem I had with the movie was the less than subtle way they handled the female lead. I wanted to say, “OK movie, I get the idea. Megan Fox is a pretty young lady. You don’t have to make her run in slow motion or sit on a motorcycle all weird with her butt sticking out. Sheesh!” I’m not really a big fan of Megan Fox, I’m afraid. And how could that boy’s parents be so stupid? Especially the mom. Once again, the humans in the movie were embarrassingly stupid and horrid actors. But again, at least the robots were cool. That’s all I was looking for.

Speaking of 80’s toy lines reborn as live action movies, I haven’t bothered to see the G.I. Joe movie yet. But I was never really into G.I. Joe as a kid. The only two toy lines I got into as a kid were Star Wars and Transformers and that’s it. After that, I soon learned that video games were a better use of my time and money and I haven’t looked back since. So if I did see the new G.I. Joe movie, I wouldn’t know anything about the characters. I know there was a bad guy with a silver face named Destructo or something. And some ninjas. And I think an 80’s pro wrestler was in some of the commercials back then if I remember correctly. Maybe when G.I. Joe hits the dollar theater, I might go see it.

Another summer movie I didn’t bother to see was the new Harry Potter one. I got tired of the books around the fourth one, and Harry Potter is such a dorky, unlikable main character anyway. And the books read like an overblown Scooby Doo episode anyway. But again, when it hits the dollar theater and if I don’t have anything better to do, maybe I’ll go see it.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
It’s strange. I’m not a big fan of most of DreamWorks computer animated pictures because they just pale in comparison to Pixar, and it’s obvious they’re trying to imitate them (rather horribly, too). After three Shrek movies I’m downright tired of him, and many DreamWorks animations I have no interest in seeing at all! I know DreamWorks didn’t do the Ice Age movies, but what’s strange is that while I’m sick of Shrek, after three Ice Age movies and I’m still not tired of those! They don’t compare to Pixar’s work, and the plots are thin and predictable. But they still manage to be entertaining at least. I think it’s the focus on Looney Tunes style slapstick humor, which is always fun every now and then when done right. Plus, the third Ice Age movie kind of has a Land Before Time vibe to it, and the first Land Before Time movie is my favorite Don Bluth film. My mom also loves the Ice Age movies and her favorite is the squirrel. My favorite is the sloth. It’s scary because I act a lot like that character! At any rate, Ice Age 3 is a great family film that all ages can enjoy.

Ponyo
I’m a huge Miyazaki fan, so I saw this as soon as it came out in theaters. Ponyo is basically Miyazaki’s take on The Little Mermaid. And don’t expect it to be like his latest works such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, or Princess Mononoke. Ponyo is more low-key, like Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, or Panda Go Panda. And there’s nothing too scary or intense, so even little kids can go see Ponyo (it’s rated G). Highly recommended, and one of the best movies of the summer. Oh, and Ponyo really likes ham. I mean, really, REALLY likes ham. HAM!!!

Rentals
I know these don’t count as summer movies, but I rented them over the summer so I figured I might as well talk about them, too. While most people now probably do On Demand or Netflix to watch movies at home, there’s still a mom and pop movie rental place near where I live so that’s where I get my movies to rent. I like to support the small businesses when I can, while I can.

Pink Panther 2
I loved the old Pink Panther movies (and cartoon) when I was a kid. Even though the new movies pale in comparison, I’m still glad they made this movie. Why? Well, I’ve noticed that at some point in every young kid’s life, goofball slapstick movies just crack them up! So they enjoy movies like this. Plus, I think Steve Martin is at his best when he does stupid slapstick stuff like he did in the 70’s.

A Haunting in Connecticut
One of my guilty pleasures is I love to watch ghost shows and documentaries on Sci-Fi, A&E, etc. I bet most of those stories probably aren’t true, but they’re fun anyway and I think ghosts are cool. So when I found out they made a movie off of an A&E ghost documentary I watched a few years ago, I decided to rent this one. I watched it about halfway through and then stopped. The stuff Hollywood added made this movie ten times dumber, and there were some gross parts, too. I decided playing Wii Sports Resort was a better use of my free time. It’s pretty sad when a low budget documentary is better than the movie!

Dollar Movie Madness
One nice thing about living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is there are TONS of movie theaters. Sometimes, they use the older ones as dollar theaters. They’ll show movies that aren’t in the main theaters anymore, but haven’t made it to video yet. And you only pay a dollar for a ticket! So I saw quite a few movies at the dollar theater this summer, too.

Earth
I sometimes like to watch animal and nature shows on Animal Planet and such, so I’m glad I caught this one since it wasn’t in regular theaters for long. Even though it used some stock footage that I’ve seen in other animal shows, I still enjoyed it. I even learned some things, too. Did you know that some whales trap fish by blowing bubbles and encircling the fish, trapping them inside a bubble net? And the part about the Birds of Paradise was neat, too.

Monsters Vs. Aliens
I’m not very picky when I go see a movie at the dollar theater. As long as I feel I’ve gotten a dollar’s worth of entertainment, I’m happy. Very rarely do I go see a dollar movie and wish I had my money back. Only other time I remember that happening is when I saw the first Hulk movie at the dollar theater. And with Monsters Vs. Aliens, I feel the same way. This movie was HORRIBLE and one of the worst DreamWorks CG cartoons I’ve ever seen. The jokes and gags were stale, unfunny, and downright awkward. The worst part was the person I took to see this movie thought it was a sequel to Monsters Inc.! Ugh! Don’t go see it or rent it.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
I took one of my little brothers to see this for his birthday. Like the first one, it’s a cute little movie the whole family can see. It’s nice that movies like that are still being made every now and then. Plus I had to see a movie that had Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch in the same scene. That was almost worth the dollar right there!

Terminator: Salivation
Yeah I know it’s “Salvation,” but I think calling it the other way is funnier. For a buck, I feel I was sufficiently entertained, but some of the plot points were a bit confusing. I didn’t watch the Terminator TV series, but I THINK I’ve seen all the movies. Let’s see, there was the first one where Arnold was the bad guy. The second one had Arnold as the good guy and the bad robot was made of liquid metal when computer animation was just getting big in the movies. And the third one had the purdy girl Terminator. And then there was Salivation. I didn’t miss any, did I?

Star Trek
I’m not a Trekkie at all, but this was a fun movie for a dollar. Better than the boring old TV shows anyway. And the only other Star Trek movies I liked were the fourth one with the whales and First Contact. I’d love to hear opinions from Trekkies as to what they thought of the movie and the new cast and everything. My favorite character was Chekov because I used to have a cat named after him. It was a Russian Blue cat and I wanted a Russian name for him, but couldn’t think of any. So my dad suggested the Star Trek character. Chekov was a really smart cat. I taught him how to open doors and play fetch and I almost got him to use the toilet instead of the litter box (really). He also loved to sit on my lap when I played the NES, too. Watching the new Star Trek movie made me miss my old cat a little bit. Every time someone addressed Chekov in the movie, I expected his response to be a “Meow.”

Best Movie of the Summer: UP
I got a lot of flak last year when I said my favorite movie of the summer was Speed Racer, but hopefully this year I picked a better one. Pixar’s UP is simply a beautiful movie. While kids can enjoy the slapstick humor, UP is really a grown-up movie with messages and lessons that only adults will truly understand. UP had everything. Sad parts, happy parts, adventurous and exciting parts, meaningful moments, etc. When UP goes to the dollar theater, I think I’ll see it again! Like many other CG movies this summer, UP used 3-D effects, but unlike those other movies (like Monsters vs. Aliens or Ice Age 3 to some extent), UP didn’t rely on the 3-D alone. It was a great movie even without the 3-D. In fact, I HAD to see it in a 2-D theater since I’m blind in my left eye and can’t see those 3-D effects. So if you haven’t seen UP yet, go do it now!

Comment Time!
In the comments section, I’d love to hear your feedback on these movie related topics. I’ll share mine, too! It’s fun when it’s fun!

Favorite Summer Movie
Well, I’ve listed which movies I’ve seen and enjoyed this summer, now tell me which summer movies you saw and which ones were your favorites.

Favorite Transformer
Since I talked about the Transformer movie, let me know who your favorite Transformer robot is. Mine is Ironhide. He was the first Transformers toy I got, and I loved how all the other Transformers were cool toys like mac trucks and fighter jets, yet Ironhide was just an ordinary red van.

Favorite Star Trek character
Since I also mentioned the Star Trek movie, let me know who your favorite Star Trek characters are. Mine are Chekov because of my old cat. I also liked the fuzzy little Tribble things, Spot the cat, and that hologram doctor from one of the newer series. That same series also had a girl Borg character they brought in to boost ratings, and she was such a horrible actress it was funny, so I guess I’ll put her on the list, too. I think her name was 7 Ate 9.

Favorite Movie Actresses and Actors
While I was writing this blog, I started thinking about actors and actresses in movies, and I’ve never really thought as to any favorites I might have. So I’m going to try and do that now. Pardon me for being a little bit shallow, but as far as looks are concerned, I’d have to say that Jessica Biel is the prettiest actress I can think of. Don’t know what movies she’s been in, and I can only recall her name because it’s easy to remember. Other favorite actresses include Millia Jovovich because she cracked me up in The Fifth Element and did cool stuff in the hokey yet fun Resident Evil movies. And the only other lady I can remember is Parker Posey, and the only movie I remember her in was Superman Returns. She was HILARIOUS as Lex Luthor’s sidekick. I love bad guy sidekicks like TMNT’s Bebop and Rocksteady and TV’s Frank from MST3K. If I were a bad guy, I’d definitely keep a few bad guy sidekicks around.

As far as favorite movie actors go, I’d have to say one would be Harrison Ford because every person my age wanted to be Han Solo and Indiana Jones when they were kids. I also like a lot of the comedians from the 70’s and 80’s who starred in movies back then as well, like Bill Murray, John Candy (R.I.P.), Dan Akroyd, etc. Finally, I think Michael Caine did a great job as Scrooge in A Muppet Christmas Carol and Albert in the new Batman movies. I tell you what, though, it’s a good thing I’ll never meet any of these celebrities because they’d be mad if they found out what I remember them for. I’m sure they’ve been in much classier movies that they’d rather be known better for instead. But hey, what do I know? Let me know who your favorite actors and actresses are.

First movie you ever remember seeing in a theater?
I thought this would be a fun topic to discuss, too. My first movie I remember seeing in a theater was The Muppet Movie (shows you how OLD I am). Seriously, Kermit playing Rainbow Connection on his banjo in the swamp is one of my earliest vivid childhood memories. What’s the first movie YOU’VE ever seen in a theater?

What upcoming movies are you looking forward to?
And finally, let me know which movies you’re looking forward to watching. I thought about seeing District 9, but I may wait and rent it later instead. I read it was pretty bloody and violent, and I’m a big baby about stuff like that. I’m glad Disney is trying 2-D animation again with The Princess and the Frog. But the movie I’m really looking forward to comes out in October, and it’s a computer animated Astro Boy flick done by the same folks who did the CG TMNT movie a while back!

And that’s all the movie talk I feel like doing right now! Later! –Cary

Tags: Movies with Children