As of Tuesday, Summer is officially over. Though most movie critics and bloggers have already done their summer 2009 movie recap, I decided I wanted to wait. I wanted to cherish the movie blitz we get from May – August and savor the tastes… both sweet and sour. But now… it is time.
May 2009 | Star Trek
In total, I have seen 23 movies in theater this summer (May 2009-August 2009)… some for work, more for pleasure and is it just me or was this summer like March Madness… you knew which films were favored going into the dance but there were a lot of underdogs that upset the favorites. After 15 min of looking at my list of summer movies, I was able to pick 5 that made this summer worth living for… Here are my top 5:
I’m a girl and I’ve never been a fan of Star Trek… I don’t have a really good reason why… I thought it was boring when we used to watch it on TV (but this was also when I was a little girl playing dress up and sneaking lipstick out of my Moms make-up box). So when they announced that JJ Abrams was doing a Star Trek movie, I just went – “meh”. Opening weekend was a smash and everyone had nothing but great things to say about the film… I still remained “meh”. But finally, I couldn’t avoid it any longer as my fellow Red Band Project blogger convinced me that I needed to see it…so I went… and I lost my socks. I was rocked so hard and sucked in so badly to this movie. It had action, comedy, and a story that really hit home for me(I’m a sucker for time travel). As a n00b to the Star Trek world, I didn’t get any of the lingo but I didn’t leave the theater feeling excluded from the story, which I thought was amazing. It felt like I didn’t miss anything and that this was just the beginning of my love for Star Trek.
May 2009 | Up
Disney and Pixar… oops you did it again. Up was such a great film that took me on a roller coaster of emotions… it was the first time that I cried in a movie because I was sad and happy. At first I thought the story was too heavy, but at the very end when everything came full circle, I realized the perfection of the movie. Just thinking about it makes me all fuzzy inside in a sad but happy way. Amazing.
June 2009 | The Proposal
I’m going to be totally honest… I thought The Proposal was going to suck so badly. I had to see it for work (4 times mind you) and I remember the first time I sat through it I went home with a smile on my face. I was shocked by how well Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock clicked. They were so funny and awkward at the right moments… it felt like real life. I thought Sandra Bullock was going to be too old for this role, but obviously she still got it… I mean, did you see her bod? She gave Ryan Reynold’s a run for his money. I loved it.
August 2009 | District 9
The teasers for District 9 that came out early in the summer did not excite me. I thought it was going to be another stupid sci-fi movie… nothing special. But then I went to Comic Con and Peter Jackson made me a believer. What I loved the most about this film was the evolution of the main character, Wikus. Sharlto Copley was so believable that I felt like the film could’ve been real life… it really felt like a true documentary. Ok and I will say the same thing that everyone else said, the special effects were awesome. I especially liked the way that people disintegrated when they were shot by alien weapons… very impressive.
July 2009 | (500) Days of Summer
I saved the best for last…. I cannot put into words how much I loved (500) Days of Summer. It was so witty and funny and aggravating at the same time. Can I just say that I looooove Joseph Gordon Levitt (not in G.I. Joe…no.) and have loved him since 10 Things I Hate About You…. I just needed to put that out there. My favorite scene from this film was the dancing in the street to Hall & Oates “You Make My Dreams Come True”…. *sigh* it was the highlight of my summer of movies. I think this movie was the first enjoyable Chick Flick from the guys perspective. Usually the girl is always the one getting screwed, but it was really refreshing to see it flip-flopped. This was my absolute favorite for the summer and potentially the year.
That’s my 5 favorites… I would write about the movies I hated this summer but it’s not even worth it. You all know which ones sucked… (Dance Flick, Year One, Wolverine… I could go on) and I think we should go into Autumn with only happy thoughts. So instead tell me which films were your favorite. I’ll be checking in.
The Red Band Project 