An image from Boyhood one of the must see films of the Summer
It’s that time of year again folks!! The summer movie season
(or really the main part of the summer movie season) has concluded and it’s
time to look back at the highs, lows, and the somewhere in between. Ultimately
it’s been a pretty good summer if not a surprising one. On the surface the tent
pole films don’t seem particularly exciting I wasn’t a huge fan of the first
Captain America, X-men First Class, nor Rise of the Planet of the Apes. My
excitement was muted overall going into the summer which made it fun to have my
expectations exceeded all summer long, for the most part. Let’s get into it,
the good, the bad, and the ugly of the summer of 2014.
Best action sequence of the summer:
Apes vs. Humans (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
Apes shoot guns!!!!
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a beautiful film and
nowhere is it more apparent than in its big first action sequence between the
humans and the apes. The sequences features two standout images that still
stick in my mind, there is the sequence shot entirely within the tank and there
is the image of Koba riding through the fire, machine gun in hand. Those are
just a few examples of great images that are found throughout a fascinating
sequence that really shows the ability of director Matt Reeves to commandeer an
action sequence. Nothing this summer has held quite the same amount of artistry
and style of the sequence nor has lived up to its stakes.
Runner Up: Quicksilver time (X-Men Days of Future Past)
Best Sequel:
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Apes make good sequel!
There were many awesome sequels throughout the summer but
none better than Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. No other sequel improved upon
the concept of its predecessor as well as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Not
only did it improve on the ideas of the previous film but it even elevates the
first film expanding on some ideas that seemed rushed before. Not only that but
the film featured some great character arcs, some beautiful filmmaking and a
tragedy of Shakespearean levels. When looked back upon Dawn of the Planet of
the Apes may end up being the Empire Strikes Back of the ever expanding Apes
franchise.
Runner Up: X-Men Days of Future Past
Best idea on paper that didn’t quite work in execution:
Hey people liked Sin City right? Let’s make another Sin City
movie…
Not even Eva Green could save Sin City: A Dame to Kill for
…that proceeded to tank critically and at the box office.
Well let’s see what other franchises from nearly a decade ago we want to
revive.
Runner Up: Jersey Boys? Sounds like a job for Clint Eastwood…
Best idea on paper that actually worked in execution:
Indie movies co-released on VOD
A scene from Snowpiercer one of the biggest VOD successes of the summer
Video on demand has been an idea that studios have only
dabbled their toes in in the past, but this summer it seems that it has become
a much more viable option especially for smaller indie films. Life Itself, Blue
Ruin, Snowpiercer, and the One I Love are only a few examples of films that
have able to gain much more steam due to the growing VOD market. The biggest moniker
of VOD’s success comes from the fact that VOD co-releases are easy to access in
Canada (thanks ITunes) that’s a pretty great accomplishment.
Runner Up: Making a movie over 12 years
Worst idea on paper that actually worked in execution:
4 Marvel films in 4 months
Captain America: The Winter Soldier one of the many Marvel films of the Summer
Well at least three of the four worked. Going into the
summer I had been completely burnt out on Superhero movies, but Captain America:
The Winter Soldier, X-Men Days of Future Past, and Guardians of the Galaxy all
worked and suddenly there was a revival of my interest in the genre. There was
never overload (even if a few of them came out merely weeks apart) and somehow
someway I actually got excited about the releases of these films; ignoring The
Amazing Spiderman 2 of course…
Runner Up: Making a movie over 12 years (from a studio
prospective)
Worst idea on paper that bombed as predicted:
Putting young people in the Expendables 3
There are way too many young people in this image
Because it violates the entire point of the film!!!!
Runner Up: Hey let’s make this Transformers movie 3 hours!
Worst film of the summer:
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Why did this exist again?
Was there ever any question? Remember ladies and gentlemen
this film was two hours and forty five minutes long! Two hours and forty five
minutes of pure pain! There really isn’t anything else to say other than don’t
see this film.
Runner Up: The Amazing Spiderman 2
Best smaller film/indie of the summer:
Boyhood
Life is a wondrous thing isn't it?
Boyhood is the must see film of the summer, period. No other
film has made me become as emotionally invested in a character in a very long
time. No other film has really captured what it feels like to grow up as
perfectly as Boyhood has. This is a beautiful and masterful achievement of
filmmaking and I don’t believe that I will see a better film this year.
Runner Up: Life Itself
Best Blockbuster of the summer:
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Apes make good blockbuster!
While Days of Future Past came close, ultimately the pure
storytelling power and visual achievement of Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes won out. As has been mentioned throughout these awards, the Shakespearean
storytelling, the masterful visual direction from Matt Reeves, and the power of
the motion capture performances and CGI animation make this film a really great
achievement. For the first time in a long time I’m excited for whatever comes
next in the Apes franchise and thus Dawn has done its job.
Runner Up: X-Men Days of Future Past
That's it for me for now. Time to take a tiny bit of a break in September before coming back in full force for good old Oscar season!
