A summer of movie studs and duds

Arts & Entertainment, feature 3, Issue 1, Kaitlin Cassidy, movies, summer, Entertainment - By Kaitlin Cassidy on Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 13:00

With Labor Day officially gone, so are the summer blockerbuster films we have come to know and love. Each summer filmgoers pile into the theater to see the most anticipated movies of the year. This summer, the box office was flooded with sequels, prequels, superheroes and remakes. Not to mention films with 3-D, IMAX and something called 4-D (Spy Kids 4 anyone?). Despite the influx of mediocre movies there were a couple that exceeded expectations and some that fell flat.

The Help- Undoubtedly the summer’s sleeper hit has already grossed over $100 million as well as opened number one its opening weekend. The Help is a good blend of comedy and drama making the film a unique experience. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (Aibileen and Minny) shine as the maids, who, despite their status as second-class citizens, find ways to challenge their social status. Emma Stone (Skeeter) excels as their “voice,” who is a fledgling writer. The Help also has a good coming of age story with Stone’s character, which makes the film appealing to a broad age range.

Midnight In Paris- This Woody Allen written and directed featured starring Owen Wilson was fresh and an unexpected summer film. The film follows Wilson’s character as he travels back to Paris in the 1920s one night while walking along the Paris streets after midnight. What ultimately happens is a journey of self-realization and a new opportunity for Wilson’s life. What makes this film truly enjoyable is the story line of Wilson’s character unique chance to meet his literary icons like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald among others. Who would not want the opportunity to meet artistic greats like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso? I know I would.

Rated-R Movies- Studios usually do not want an R rating because it usually leads to alienating viewers and in turn low profit. However, an R-rated movie proved its rating would not hold it back from box office gold. The films Bad Teacher and Horrible Bosses were successful and well received by critics despite the swearing and crude humor. The most successful of the R-rated bunch is hands down Bridesmaids. The story of a group of women and their adventure as bridesmaids in a friend’s wedding is one of the most memorable films from the summer. The women were raunchy, relatable and funny, proving women too can make vomit and diarrhea jokes. How can anyone forget the food poisoning scene? Also memorable were the credits. If you saw Bridesmaids, you know what I am talking about.

Fright Night- Although it is a remake, Fright Night had the best use of 3-D this summer. The story of a youth living next door to a vampire may be a little played out (thanks, Twilight and True Blood) but the story was surprisingly fresh. More importantly the use of 3-D added depth to the viewing experience and a squirt of blood towards you when someone died amped up the intensity. Not to mention Colin Farrell was a pretty scary vampire.

Green Lantern- Despite much hype and anticipation for this DC Comics adaptation, the film fell short. Not even having stars like Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively could help it. Poor graphics and cheesy dialogue make this feature cringe-worthy.

The Smurfs- Another film with hype and a respectable cast lasted a mere couple of weeks in the theaters. The Smurfs was panned by critics and with no notable feature to push it, the film merely got lost in all the other blockbusters.