Summer Movie Wrap Up 2016

   
  Well, the summer movie season has slumped to its end, and as we roll into fall and award season, I thought it would be fitting to look back at some of the summer films that I saw but was unable to review fully. This is my wrap up of what the box office considers a mediocre summer. I, however didn't think it was all bad. I won't go into a lot of detail about story points or plot; this is mainly my way of summing up some of my thoughts on the movies I got to see. So, here we go!

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Pixar has become synonymous with box office success. Even their worst films make money. Unfortunately, given their track record of producing high-quality, original stories, they have fallen into the pit of sequel madness. I can't think of a single sequel, save Toy Story 2, that did better than its predecessor, not just in the amount of money it made but in the quality of the story. Finding Dory, a movie that Ellen DeGeneres practically willed into existence, surprised the masses by out-grossing what I think has been the biggest film of the summer (and probably the year), that being Captain America: Civil War. The movie is good, but it's not amazing. The story was cute, the new characters were fun, and all of the doubts surrounding the idea of a Dory-lead film went by the wayside. As a character she definitely can hold her own. The back story for Dory was what I was most interested in, and by golly if that baby Dory isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen! I enjoyed Finding Dory for what it was, which was an okay sequel to a far superior predecessor. The power of children as an audience is the testament to Dory's success; and given the fact that it made a butt-load of cash just means we will probably see another underwater caper from the minds of Pixar sooner than we'd like.

 
   There's a great level of power and mysticism behind Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The man came in and saved the G.I. Joe franchise from being a total turd. He came in and helped the Fast and Furious franchise become of the most successful action franchises to date. The man is box office gold. Central Intelligence, for the first time, pitted him as the comedic relief while his counterpart Kevin Hart, a comedic genius in his own right, played the straight man in what was a surprise hit of a comedy. Everything from the story to the action, this movie was entertaining to boot. The chemistry between Johnson and Hart was so fun to watch that it made the ridiculousness of the story that much more entertaining. If you had the chance to see this movie, I'm sure you'd share the same mentality. It wasn't necessarily a box office smash, but it wasn't a dud either. It was exactly what it set out to be, a rambunctious comedy.

   I'll be brief. I liked Now You See Me 2. It's not a perfect movie, but it was fun. One of the many unnecessary sequels to ever have been made, the movie falls into the same pitfalls as a lot of sequels do, and that's taking what worked from the first movie and doubling down on it. The magic was what made the first movie intriguing, that and the characters. The tricks weren't so over-the-top that they didn't veer out of the realm of believability. As for NYSM2, they threw all logic out the window. The magic was completely bloated and unrealistic, the characters didn't seem any different from their first outing, suggesting very little development. The shining aspect of the movie for me was Daniel Radcliffe's antagonist. I don't know what it is about that guy but he seems to be able to do no wrong this year. Now You See Me 2 is the type of movie perfect for a lazy afternoon or for cable TV. It's popcorn fluff, and who doesn't like fluff?

 
   I was generally surprised with this movie. Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin have insanely wonderful chemistry in what turns out to be an emotionally charged love story. I hadn't read the book prior to seeing this movie, nor have I read it since, but I feel that this story was really important to share. I won't drop any spoilers, even though the movie is out for home release now, but the fact that the story doesn't end the cookie-cutter, Hollywood-happy-ending way as a lot of rom-coms do, really speaks to the filmmakers and storytellers who brought this tale to life. I really enjoyed this movie, so much though that I bought it the day it came out. If you haven't seen this movie yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. You'll probably cry, and that's okay. I got a little choked up myself and I'm not ashamed to admit that. It's a fantastic movie.

   The story of this summer can really be funneled down into two categories: superheroes and talking animals. There have been a lot of both over the last few months, and they've all made a fair amount of money. The Secret Life of Pets was highly anticipated from the moment the trailers first dropped. It was Toy Story, but with pets. I was looking forward to this movie from the moment I saw the trailer and at the time I guessed it would out-do Finding Dory, which no one thought would do as well as it did. In the end, The Secret Life of Pets was...okay. It's pretty funny, and the best parts were all the things we saw in the trailers, but it still made for a fun time. Kevin Hart voicing the adorably hilarious bunny Snowball stole the whole show for me. I want a solo Snowball movie like right now. The combination of seeing this fury little bunny with Kevin Hart's manic voice spewing out of it left me in stitches every moment he was on screen. I went to see this with my nephews who are two and three years old (both are seasoned movie-goers who happen to be more well-behaved than most adults who go to the movies), and they both loved the movie. It's enjoyable, and if that's what you're looking for, then this movie certainly delivers that.

  

 This movie is weird. If ever there was a film about the ramifications of social media and the constant attachment between humans and their devices, this movie is it. In that regard, it delivers its message effectively, almost to the point of being overly blatant. The overall acting is okay, the story is silly when you really think about it, and the ending is meh. I liked this movie for it's clever use in portraying its message, I just wish it wasn't so overtly exaggerated. As a movie, it's entertaining and would make for a nice Netflix session. I enjoyed the movie while I watched it, but it hasn't really stuck with me since. It's forgettable, which doesn't detract from its entertainment value though.

 
   Hmmm, where to start with this movie. I'll be completely upfront, this movie is effed up...in more ways than one. The initial trailer for this movie had me rolling. The idea that food is alive and that it wants us to take it home, only to realize that home isn't heaven but rather a horrific den of death and destruction as they get eaten by the humans that took them, I think is brilliant. Being the first R-rated animated feature, the movie plays on that sentiment a lot. By about ten minutes in, seeing a hot dog curse becomes less and less funny. The story keeps you engaged however as the food items search out the truth about the "gods" that take them away. It speaks on many themes such as faith, religious beliefs, cultural differences and so on. The animation is really good, and from start to finish the movie is really funny...until the end. How the ending of the movie was actually allowed to exist is beyond me, and I sat watching with a dropped jaw. It's a shocking, disturbing, hilarious end to an outrageous movie. If you've seen this movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't and you plan to, brace yourself. You won't be able to unsee what you see, haha! Sausage Party was everything I expected it to be and, disturbingly, more.

 
   From producer James Wan comes a creepy jump-scare of a film. Lights Out is just plain fun. The story isn't all that original, but the concept behind the scary entity is kinda cool. The acting is really well done, especially from Maria Bello who plays the mother of the children in the film and one of the central characters of the story. Her character is messed up, and Bello brings a level of realism to her portrayal, which is nice given the supernatural nature of the story. If you enjoy scary movies, this one will fill your need to be scared. It relies more on the jump scare than the use of tension, but does so effectively. I really enjoy horror movies and this year has been a good year for them. James Wan, coming off major success with The Conjuring 2, has a producing credit on this movie and for me, that alone gives me a semblance of confidence in the quality of the film. It's good, trust me ;)

   Another Disney remake. This movie was okay. I barely remember the original movie, which I watched a lot growing up. This new version was more sad and depressing that I remember the original story being. That being said, there is a bit a magic with this movie, at least in the feel of it. Elliot the dragon is arguably the best part of the whole film. He's CGI, of course, but he looks pretty realistic. He never speaks, but he emotes well enough to know what he's thinking or feeling. I cared more about Elliot as a character than any other character in the film. The movie is very much the story of family, and you get that right off the bat. But for whatever reason, for me at least, I didn't really care about that story thread. It's very generic and predictable, which makes Elliot that much more intriguing. When all is said and done, this movie is perfect for the whole family, which is tough to say about a lot of the movies playing today.

 
This movie is a simple story about two brothers who rob banks. Their motives are revealed as the movie progresses, but it's really the characters of these two brothers you end up caring more about. The story is great, the acting is great, the experience is tense and entertaining. It's an independent film, of which seems to be the high points of this summer, and it's compelling throughout. If it's playing near you, see it. It's a well-crafted film from top to bottom and it shouldn't be missed.

   I'll try to keep this short because I can go on for days about this movie. Kubo and the Two Strings is amazing. I think it's the best animated feature of the year, and should rightfully win the Oscar in that category. I'll also go as far as to say I think this movie stands a chance at also being nominated for Best Picture as well. It wouldn't win, but it's good enough to deserve the nomination. Laika Studios has produced wonderful films through the medium of stop-animation. It's a dying art form that needs to be supported. This movie is not only beautiful to look at, but the story is fun and original, the characters are relatable and intriguing, the voice cast (made up of A-list actors) get lost in the characters, and freakin' Kubo himself is so dang likeable, it's not even funny. He's such a fleshed-out character that it's so hard not to connect with him. The tone of this film is darker than what you'd expect. You'd think because it's an animated movie that it was made for kids, but I really don't think that's the case here. There were little kids in my showing, maybe under the age of seven, who were scared at certain moments. This movie doesn't play it safe; it has a story to tell and it tells it. I was truly in awe of how good this movie was and I can't recommend it enough.