Summer Movie Roundup 2010

Hey folks, it’s time for the annual summer movie review. Sorry it’s a bit late this year, but I was withholding judgment until I saw a few films that had recently come out on DVD. Also, I’m hoping to put more movie-related stuff on the blog from here on, so stay tuned for more of that in the future. Without further ado…

5. ROBIN HOOD


Although this movie was by no means great, it was definitely an entry on the “good” side of the many Robin Hood remakes. Russell Crowe does a decent job of bringing the character to life, except that he’s basically really angry all the time. However, you can always count on director Ridley Scott to give you a few really good action sequences. Oh, and apparently Robin Hood also laid the foundation for the Magna Carta. Who knew?

4. SALT


My one major complaint with movies where you don’t know if the main character is a good guy or a bad guy is that that question is usually answered within the first ten minutes of the movie. I remember going to see the film “Traitor” with Don Cheadle last year, and all the trailers made it look like you would spend the whole movie waiting to figure that out. But within the first five minutes, you know that his character is just an undercover good guy, rendering the title and plot of the film somewhat nonsensical.

Not so with Salt. I was impressed that they actually managed to keep you guessing right up until the very end, which raises this movie to the top of the recent undercover spy thrillers. You just have to suspend reality and believe that Russia has undercover agents working in the United States. Like that would ever happen in real life. Oh wait…

3. THE A-TEAM


I’ll admit that this one was a bit of a guilty pleasure, and I spent all Spring anxiously awaiting its arrival. This movie is completely ridiculous, which is what made it such an enjoyable summer film. Stuff explodes, someone makes a joke, unintelligible plot point, more stuff explodes, repeat. Yay!

2. TOY STORY 3


I didn’t exactly have high expectations for this film, which is surprising since this is Pixar, the film company that can do no wrong. I guess I was disappointed that they were doing another sequel to a series that I thought had already passed its heyday. On the contrary, this movie was fantastic! In addition to the incredible “Great Escape”-esque final act, the story really had an emotional impact exploring themes like growing up, friendship, and creepy baby dolls. It maybe even got me a little excited for their next sequel, Cars 2, due out in 2011.

1. INCEPTION


This was by far my most anticipated movie of the summer, and it did not disappoint. Not only is this my top movie of the summer, but I daresay that this movie belongs in my top ten films OF ALL TIME. This movie, in my humble opinion, was practically perfect. All of the actors were perfectly cast, the plot was intelligent and mind-bending, and the action sequences were something that no one had ever seen before. I’ve always been a big fan of the director, Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), and this was a masterpiece. He has gone on record that he always wanted to direct a James Bond movie, and this was his answer to the sleek espionage genre, which even included a gripping snow fortress assault as an homage to his favorite Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Did I mention that I love this movie?

So there you have it. Let me know if I missed any that you think should have made the list. Also, I’ll be posting more movie-related articles when I have a little more free time (which has been hard to come by lately).