Summer Movies, Part 3

Now that Labor Day has passed, the summer movie season is officially over. In a few weeks the Fall/Holiday movie season will kick off, and I am eagerly awaiting many movies that will be coming out this fall. However, that is another post, as this one is for taking a breather and looking back at the last group of movies I watched this summer. Despite only having one "summer blockbuster" in this batch, it was probably my favorite set, as some of my favorite movies of the summer were in this group.

The Wolverine
Eh, it wasn't too bad, bub. That seems to be the theme of the movies this summer, as most of the movies I've seen have been OK, but not anything great. The most interesting thing about this movie is it sets up the next X-Men movie that sounds like it could be an absolute flustercuck.

The Way Way Back
I really liked this film. In fact, it almost felt like it was manufactured for the express purposes of me enjoying it. In other words, it kind of felt at times like a paint-by-numbers coming of age story with "quirky" characters. However, the performances of the cast (especially Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney) are anything but cookie-cutter, and its still an enjoyable story.

We're the Millers
This would probably be my vote for surprise of the summer, as it turned out to actually have some fairly funny parts. Considering how awful the trailer was (the Red Band one was a bit better), the fact that it was merely decent makes it a welcome surprise. Again, the cast plays a big role in making this work, especially Nick Offerman.

Jobs
I almost forgot I saw this film. It wasn't too bad, although it seemed a bit second rate at times. Josh Gad was pretty good as Steve Wozniak, and Kutcher's Jobs was actually fairly decent. It wasn't quite as enjoyable as Pirates of Silicon Valley. I wonder how much better Aaron Sorkin's will be, assuming that ever gets made.

Blue Jasmine
I'm pretty certain this is the first Woody Allen film I've ever seen in a theater*. Definitely one of my favorites of the summer, although definitely not an uplifting film. All of you Louis CK completeists will want to check this out, as he makes a rare cinematic appearance in this one. I would gather this is probably worth a longer post, once I get a chance to see it again.

The World's End
I actually saw this before Blue Jasmine, but I figured I would save the best for last. This was definitely my favorite movie of the summer. In fact, I think it might be my favorite entry in the Cornetto Trilogy**. It's definitely the most mature and reflective of the three movies. More importantly, it's damn funny, in several different ways. Like the other two movies in the trilogy, this one is a gold mine for quotes, many of which are most certainly not PG-13***. Although I'm not quite as old as the characters in the story, it still resonated with me, and the end...yeah...the end. I can see how this might not be a favorite of a lot of people, but I really like the ending. If you can, I recommend you see this with someone who has no idea what the hell the Cornetto Trilogy is, has never seen the other two movies, and assumes this is just a small foreign film about some schoolyard chums getting back together for a night of drinking and self-reflection.****

Recommendations
Blue Jasmine
The World's End
The Way Way Back

My Favorite Five of the Summer
5. Blue Jasmine
4. Monsters University
3. The Heat
2. The Way Way Back
1. The World's End

*I have yet to delve deeply into his films. The only one I own is Midnight in Paris, although I really liked Manhattan and Annie Hall.
**Yes I'm aware that this might be fightin' words with the other member of this blog. I don't care.
***The rough standard I try to maintain on this blog. Please don't go back through the archives to prove me wrong.
****Yes, that totally is what this is. Totally. Mm-hmm.