Keep in mind, my choices are limited to releases between the beginning of May to the end of August.
My Top 5
1. Dunkirk
The minute it said Christopher Nolan, boom I was already sold. Regardless of what you think about his movies, he can make epic looking movies, and also, he is very ambitious in his attempt to create film, he goes the traditional way of filming which is using celluloid, in this case it was using IMAX cameras. I saw this on an IMAX screen to take advantage of what Christopher Nolan was creating for his audience, and it was effective, this is one of those movies that needed to be experienced in IMAX, to truly appreciate the feeling that was established. Not only were the shots incredible, but the sound design was extremely effective, the music and the sound effects, all worked together to create a sense of urgency. The movie used very minimal dialogue in the movie, and allowed the images and the sound and the environment help tell the story. This is a movie that had me on the edge of my seat throughout and there were moments that I felt anxious and wondered if the characters would make it out. I was very thankful for those quick small moments that allowed me to breathe a little bit, a movie to have that kind of effect is extremely rare. Very well crafted and one of the most memorable movie experiences in a large cinema. Well done Christopher Nolan.
2. War for the Planet of the Apes
I enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it wasn't a favorite when it first came out, I didn't know what to make of it, but after repeated viewings, it grew on me and got better. Three years after that, I ended up seeing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and wow were my expectations blown out of the water. I was stunned by the world that was created, and the fact that I ended up really caring about the characters, it became on of my favorite movies of 2014. My expectations were high when it came to this next entry, I didn't know exactly what to expect going on, but I do have to admit hearing a couple of reviews helped me set expectations and what to expect. This was a very impressive work of cinema, I had come to really care about the ape characters more, not just Cesear but his band of followers that help him, and they were the main focus this time around as opposed to the first two entries where there was a focus on human characters as well as the apes. The world was just as impressive as the last entry, and the visual effect work was extremely impressive, seriously, the work on the apes was realistic. I also want to point out Michael Giacchino's musical score, which was excellent, if you have doubts in his ability to compose, you need to listen to this score. I am still debating if I liked this one or the second one more, but one thing for sure, we have a very sold trilogy now for the Planet of the Apes franchise, even if they choose not to make another, that's okay. This is one of those that did alright in theaters, but didn't take off that well, which was a bummer. This is one of those that I strongly recommend checking out if you haven't yet, this is worth your time.
3. Wonder Woman
I really didn't think the DC Cinematic Universe would take off. I liked Man of Steel, but Batman V Superman was a giant mess, visually interesting but still a mess. And then we had Suicide Squad, and while I enjoyed it in theaters, this remains a movie I have no desire to see again. Wonder Woman always looked interesting, but I was cautiously optimistic. I was definitely surprised to see that I really enjoyed this movie, and also that it was something worth watching again and again. It was also colorful, which is something I didn't think I would see after Batman V Superman. There is something just very inspiring about this character and her story arc. There is one action piece that is just very incredible to me, not just because it was visually cool, but what it meant overall, and how it inspirited, it was hands down my favorite sequence in the movie, and for those that haven't seen it, I won't say what it is here, but I am sure you will know when you see it. Oh yeah, another thing that this movie had that I didn't think I would see in the DC universe, humor. Yes, that's right, Wonder Woman had some really funny moments. This is a really good superhero movie, and one I think is very much worth checking out.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
One of the most anticipated movies of the summer, I was anticipating the return of this very odd but relate-able crew. This one did not disappoint in the slightest. I don't remember laughing as hard as I did during the first one, but that's okay, because one thing the director did a great job at was developing the characters, giving us a reason to care about them. The visuals were incredibly impressive, each environment or planet were incredibly gorgeous to look at. This movie was a blast and was just a joy to come back to the theater each time that I could. You can read my more in-depth review.
5. Logan Lucky
There are a few movies that failed to take off that should have done better, and I think people will kick themselves later on for not taking a chance on. Logan Lucky is one of those. I am still boggled that this bombed at the box office. It was funny, it was intriguing, and the elements just worked. There was a great cast behind the movie, and everyone was great, especially the scene stealing Daniel Craig who I swear was having a blast making this as much as I was having fun watching, but everyone else was just as great and I had a ton of fun watching this movie. The director is the same one that did the Oceans movies, and there are many references to it, in fact they even reference it in the movie itself. I strongly recommend you check this one out if it's still in theaters, if not then I suggest you look for this when it finally hits shelves.
Other really great movies of the summer
Spider Man Homecoming
I will say it right now to get it out of the way, I am not a fan of Andrew Garfield as Spider Man. There, I said it. I don't think Andrew Garfield is a bad actor at all, in fact quite the opposite, I think he is becoming an excellent actor, he was superb in Silence, and his next role in Breathe I am sure will be excellent. I just had a hard time seeing Andrew Garfield as Spider Man, and maybe a reboot of the character was too soon, anyway, the first reboot of the character never worked for me. But this new reboot, for some reason stood out to me as something that could succeed. Introducing Spider Man into Captain America Civil War threw out the entire origin story that we didn't need to see again (that was part of the problem with The Amazing Spider-Man, it was another origin story, and the first few minutes I was turned off because of it). Civil War gave us a great look into Spider Man, and this one gave us a different perspective to Spider Man that we haven't seen before, he is the "neighborhood friendly" Spider Man as he is going around doing good deeds, like getting a bike back that was stolen, helping cats out of trees, small things like that, and just waiting for his big shot to join the Avengers on another mission. Also, this was just a very funny movie, I was laughing so hard in the theater that I was sure that I missed a joke or two, and I needed to see it again to recatch those. This was an excellent Spider Man movie, and I am really glad to see him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and can't wait to see him get more involved in the future.
Not great, but still pretty good
Cars 3
After Cars 2, I had no desire to see another Cars movie, and I was appauled that another Cars movie was even being considered. Then I saw the teaser, and it immediately grabbed my attention in a way I didn't think it would. No, I didn't think Lightning McQueen would be killed, but I thought that it would represent a story of someone that needed to work to make his way back on top. I actually enjoyed this one, it reminded me a lot of the first one, which is one of my least favorite in Pixar's filmography, but still not a bad movie, and I liked how the film was resolved near the end. This isn't destined to be one of Pixar's classics at all, it is far from it, but I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would and I do think it's worth checking out.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Let's get the obvious out of the way. You are not going to see it for a good story and you are not going to see it for good acting, you are going to see it because it has incredible visual effects and a really cool universe crafted. Okay, maybe you might find a good story in it and you mighht find the acting great, but I didn't, but I found the world incredible and the visual effects to be excellent. This is one of those movies that you need to see on the big screen and in 3D to really appreciate the scope of the world created. Unfortunately this will probably be difficult to do at this point, but with 4K Blu-Ray, I am sure you can get a big screen to watch this somewhere at home, or maybe you or your friends have a really solid theater room that you can watch this when it hits Blu-Ray later this year.
Watch once and you will be satisfied
Despicable Me 3
I really liked the first two, they were charming and funny, and the Minions were show slealers. Something about this one just didn't work like the first two did. The villain was fun, but just didn't leave the same mark like the other two. The minions weren't as funny as they were in the past, or maybe they weren't in it as much. The little girl who was a favorite just wasn't as funny this time around. Not saying this was bad, but when you compare to the first two, it just wasn't as unique, maybe that was the problem, the uniqueness of the first two had worn off by the time this one came around. Still worth checking out though at least once.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
The fifth movie of a franchise that probably should have stopped after one, that's what many of you are probably thinking, and I don't blame you. I am going to take a second to defend the second and third ones. NO, they are not classics, but I would be lying to you if I didn't say I didn't enjoy them or didn't find any reason to rewatch them. I liked those two and I think they are worth re-watching at times, they aren't as good as the first at all, but the director did attempt to try something different, whether you found it successful or not is up to you. The fourth one was when things went really downhill for me. It lost two very important characters (Will Turner and Elisabeth Swan), and as I think about it, they lost quite a few of the old crew from the Black Pearl as well that made these movies fun to watch. We still have Balbosa, Mr Gibbs and Jack Sparrow, but the adventure in the fourth outing felt very thin and forgettable. I was not looking forward to another one immediately when I heard about it. I do have to say that I liked it much more than I thought I would, while I think a one time view is enough, it was still worth the time especially if you liked the others. Two old characters are brought back (you probably know what they are, but I won't say here), but aren't in it long enough to make it a phenomenon. But there is one twist in the movie that I really liked, and probably made a huge difference in one of the main characters of the franchise.
Not really worth your time
The Mummy
This one actually blends between (Not really worth your time) and (Watch once and you will be satisfied). I enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters. It wasn't anything new at all, but it was a fun movie to just sit down and eat popcorn while watching. It had some cool visual effects, and it looked like Tom Cruise had a great time, Sofia Boutella as the Mummy was great, and there was one character that emerged for a couple of minutes that was kind of fun to watch. I listed some good stuff, and kind of makes you wonder if it's worth at least one viewing. A few days after seeing this, I kind of forgot it, and it just doesn't stick out in my mind the way it did when I first watched it. Some of the things that I found impressive initially I immediately forgot about. There is also one character which I honestly think was a complete waste of screen time, and he seems like a decent actor, but his arc was just pointless. I actually prefer Brenden Frasier's Mummy movies more than this outing.
The Dark Tower
A movie that takes too long to make or gets delayed too many times is destined to face certain doom. Unfortunately that became the case with The Dark Tower. I honestly had hope for this movie when I first saw the trailer, I never read the books, but the trailer looked intriguing and I actually wanted to see this movie, I had hopes for this. I can't say that my hopes were dashed away when I entered the theater, as they were already leveled down before I purchased my ticket. I saw a few reviews and just knew this wasn't going to measure up. When I saw this, the best thing to describe this was "alright" or "fine". There were intriguing things in it. Idris Elba was really good in his role. There were a few interesting things in the world that was crafted, but it just didn't leave that good of an impression, and led to be forgettable when I walked out of the movie. It was almost like Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith were outside the theater ready to wipe my mind of the movie as soon as I walked out.
Why did we get this
Transformers: The Last Knight
Michael Bay's fifth (and hopefully last) time in the director's chair gave us nothing new in the Transformers universe that he hasn't given before. I really liked the first one. However, by the time the fourth one came along, Michael Bay began to outstay his welcome as a director in the Transformers universe, that movie was so painful to get through. I can say this one was not as painful, and there were things that were interesting, and I really liked Steve Jablonsky's score (which has always been a highlight for all these movies). Also it was nice to see Josh Duhamel back, any time he was on screen I felt I could take the movie a little more seriously. And the visuals were good. That's it, and quite honestly while this one had a few decent things, it wasn't enough to justify anyone to buy a ticket to it. My main reason I didn't want this to succeed is because I don't want to see Michael Bay direct another one of these, he isn't doing anything really new at this point. There are moments where I swear Michael Bay is purposefully being lazy and stupid behind the camera, maybe in a way to say, "Please stop seeing these movies, I am not going to put any more effort to them". The biggest disappointment was his efforts in using IMAX 3D cameras, that's right, it was a disappointment. Regardless of how I felt in terms of storytelling or whatever for these movies, Michael Bay always knew how to direct an action movie. However, this one had question marks going through my brain. This one had a shaky camera just a tad too much, honestly I think worse than the first one, where the camera shaked a little too much as well. But the biggest annoyance is the change in aspect ratio. Yes, I am aware that Christopher Nolan does do aspect ratio changes in his movies when he shoots with IMAX cameras, but those don't bug me, because he uses IMAX cameras for big epic shots, and then switches to 2.35 for character moments or smaller moments. I felt he knew when to switch aspect ratios, it just felt seamless to me. In my opinion, I don't think Michael Bay knew how to switch between aspect ratios properly. In one shot, you had the full IMAX image, the next shot, it would go to 2.35, and then the next shot would be in between, and this happened a lot during each scene, it got to the point that I developed a headache watching it, and with the slight shaky cam, I ended up with a big headache at the end of the movie.
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