July has come and gone, the long days of August are still in front of us. We have likely seen the last of the big blockbusters, but will probably see a few sleeper hits ahead of us in the next month as we move closer to the traditional Oscar season of the Fall. This month just past and so did the high and lows of perceived expectations. Want to know what I thought of it? Read on.
The month started off strong with the surprising The Devil Wears Prada. This one looked good from the trailers, but has proven to be high quality and have strong legs at the box office, outlasting Superman Returns in the top ten. A week later, the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel opened and started mowing down all the box office records in its path to become the biggest hit, so far, of the year.
July also featured a pair of brothers battling it out in a pair of mediocre comedies. Owen and Luke Wilson, starred in You, Me, and Dupree and My Super Ex-Girlfriend, respectively. Neither one came out swinging, but I think Owen wins the brother battle. There was also a pair of computer animated titles to hit the screens, the excellent Monster House and the mediocre The Ant Bully.
The month also brought with it the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, in hopes of erasing the memory of The Village. Unfortunately, his comeback was cut short when people got an eyeful of narfs and scrunts in Lady in the Water. We also got another TV to feature translation in Michael Mann's good, but not great, Miami Vice.
The movie to take the top spot for me is Clerks II. Kevin Smith successfully brings heart and f-bombs back to the big screen comedy. It is the most fun film of the year, hands down. It was a close call between it and the entertainment that was Dead Man's Chest.
By the Numbers
Films opening in wide release in July: 10
How many I saw: 8
How many I saw overall: 11
How many trips to the cinema: 13
Best of the Month: Clerks II
Worst of the Month: RV
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Article comments
1 - El Bicho
A Scanner Darkly
Do yourself a favor and stop seeing bad blockbusters twice.
2 - Chris Beaumont
That was a little mean, don'tcha think? I would love to see a scanner darkly, only problem is the nearest theater is 35 miles away, and with the price of gas.... I promise, I will see it on DVD when it is released. I can also hope that it plays at the much closer 2nd run theater which occasionally gets the limited release pictures.
3 - -E
I'm confused. Gas is too expensive to go to a movie, so seeing a blockbuster a second time is your option? I want to know how cheap movies are and why they aren't cheap here!
4 - El Bicho
I drive to LA (over 40 miles) all the time to see movies for screenings, premieres, and exclusives as well as concerts and sporting events.
And I only said the movies were bad. I didn't give them the thrashing they truly deserve for being the bloated, colossal wastes of time and money that they are.
Man, if you think that was mean, you should look into taking Tramadol(has that word been blocked yet?).