Summer Movie Reviews, Part One

Look, I intended to write about many many movies this spring and (now) summer, but things just didn't go that way. I will be writing about Under the Skin and Noah as promised, but not right now. Why? Well first off, they aren't summer films. Secondly, the former is so good (and strange) and the latter is so off the charts weird (and at times good) that they deserve their own posts. So keep watching for them. Also not included in this batch is Muppets Most Wanted, because there's little to write about it save for it being a very light, mostly forgettable, but still enjoyable adventure with the old familiar Muppets.

The Belated 2007 Movie Feature Begins

Hey there sports fans! Or movie fans, to be more precise. It's that time of the year again, the time for me to do my review of the past year in movies. Some of you might (accurately) point out that the time has past for this, but I say a resounding "meh" to that.

Rather than killing a whole forest of digital trees by putting it all in one post, I figure I'll split it out into several posts throughout today and Sunday. I'll try to hit all of the movies I saw over the past year, although a few were so mediocre it might not be worth writing about them.

On to the show!

A Shark's Tale award for Worst Movie of the Year

Winner: Perfect Stranger

This was a very close race, but in the end this pile of reconstituted vomit was my least favorite movie of the year. Between the horrible acting, the ridiculous plot twist, and its poor knowledge of technology, this film was a colossal waste of time. Although I am not one to walk out of a movie before it is over, this is one of two films I saw last year where I might have considered it. Heck, if I had walked out 15 minutes early, the film might have still made some sense, and saved itself from being placed on this list.

Runner Up: Shooter
This movie could have been very good if they had made it either a taut political thriller, or an absolutely mindless action film. Unfortunately, they decided to try to do both. The result was a mess, only surpassed by the disaster above. Lousy acting, a ridiculous plot, and incredibly cartoonish characters made this film offensive to my senses. Even Ned Beatty couldn't keep this movie from tanking.

Dishonorable Mention: Lions for Lambs
I'm usually a pretty easy guy to please when it comes to movies. Therefore, it was a rare accomplishment for the two movies above to actually make me loathe them. Lions for Lambs rises to the level of merely being disappointing. I would love to see a nuanced political movie about the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this movie does not do that. It tries to create a debate on the issue, but fails miserably at it. In the end, it reads like a 90 minute PSA about getting involved in government. Not that the idea is wrong, but it certainly isn't worth $9.00.

Movies that are probably deserving of spots on this list, but which I decided to refrain from viewing: Good Luck Chuck, Who's Your Caddy?, Norbit, Daddy Day Camp, Epic Movie, etc...