Now that the summer has come to an end and school is back in session, it’s time for my Summer in Review. Here I will list all of the summer movies that I have seen and didn’t want to dedicate an entire review on, and some that I did dedicate an entire review on. Some of them will be new releases that debuted this summer in theaters, and others will be movies that I finally got around to seeing.

In Theaters

Star Trek

Star Trek was the first movie of the summer that I was able to see. Ironically enough, it was the last movie I saw before my little boy was born, so it was definitely memorable just in that. I have already reviewed it here so you can check out my full review there, but in short, it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. A brilliant combination of old Star Trek lore and modern-day action and storytelling. Beautiful!

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

This movie was memorable for many reasons: 1) it was the first movie my wife and I saw together after having our boy, and 2) it sparked one of the best movie discussions on expectations in Truth On Cinema history. Michael Bay brought us another blow-it-up action movie about robots that we loved as kids, but this time, our imaginations were stifled by slow-mo explosions and the exploitation of Megan Fox If you want to read the entire review in all its glory, you can read it here. In short though, whatever expectations I did have were seriously under-met.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I haven’t yet, but am meaning to, write up my full review on the 6th installment of the glorious Harry Potter franchise, so for now, consider this my mini-review-teaser-for-the-full-review-to-come-later. Like I have exhaustively said, I came to the HP party very late and read all of the books prior to seeing any of the movies, this one being the first in the theaters, so having said that: I generally liked this movie a lot but felt that a lot of was left out. A lot of people complain about there being too much “teeny-bopper-love” stuff and not enough action, and while I agree that the end of the movie was a complete failure in capturing the enormity of the battle, I actually really liked the fact that David Yates focused on the relationships more than the good vs. evil saga that can grow weary. Look for my full review later.

Public Enemies

Once again, Public Enemies is a movie that I have not fully written up, so just like Harry Potter, this will be my review quick-hit. I absolutely loved this movie! There, is that enough of a review quick-hit?! I am a Michael Mann fan and a Johnny Depp fan to the end, so for me, this was the perfect storm. It had everything for me: action, a historical base, the mob (which I am a huge fan of), organized crime in the 60′s, and Johnny Depp. The two biggest let-downs for me were: Christian Bale and his accent. I thought his character was too big for him.

District 9

Ok, so it seems that I have a lot of full-length reviews to write because here is another movie that I haven’t published my review of yet. This was the most recent summer movie I was able to see and let me tell you: this movie is one of the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Films in the last two decades. What a mind blowing movie! I think the factor that takes this film into “unbelievable” territory is the fact that the film only cost $30 million to make. What is that, like a tenth of the horrific failure Transformers 2?! Don’t walk, run to the theaters while it’s still there and discover one of the true gems of the summer.

DVD

Into The Wild

For my full review, click here. Before watching this movie, I knew only that Sean Penn had directed it and it was about a lone misfit twentysomething that wanted to hitchhike his way to Alaska to “find himself” or some other hippie journey. To be honest, in the beginning, I passed it off as one of those films you aren’t interested in at a glance. Either you “judged a book by its cover” or you “put all of your eggs in one basket” or some other phrase that essentially means you prejudged something before actually experiencing it for yourself. I am glad that I experienced it for myself, let me tell you. Sean Penn, you should do more movies.

Pretty in Pink

So it may be a little taboo to bring this movie since John Hughes’ passing is still pretty fresh, but this was one of those movies that I had somehow missed when I was growing up. My wife exclaimed to me one day while discussing our childhood movies, “WHAT?! You haven’t seen Pretty In Pink and you consider yourself a child of the 80′s?!” So, lo and behold, I dove head first into neon colors and bangs to find a sweet and lovable movie that would have totally been one of my favorites as a young kid. I am sure everyone says this, but seeing as how I am 20 years late to this film I am excused, but I loved Duckie! I thought Jon Cryer was the best thing about this film. Molly Ringwald was just like I expected her to be: neurotic, weird, into her own thing, yet still mainstream enough to draw us in. And Andrew McCarthy as the confused “I-am-rich-and-snobby-yet-am-intrigued-by-this-lower-class-girl” boy was mediocre at best. In the end, I am glad that Duckie didn’t end up with Ringwald, that just wouldn’t fit with the characters; they are best friends until the end, not lovers. All in all, it was a nice trip back to the 80′s where sweet and corny were still cool and not “classic.”

Smart People

For the full write-up of what I thought about Smart People, feel free to click on through. Where would a summer be without your typical and quirky indie film that is sure to be the sleeper hit of the season…well, it hasn’t happened yet. I think I had high hopes with this film before my wife and I sat down to watch it and for some reason, whether it was the mediocre story, or the lackluster performances by the leads, it just left me feeling, “meh.” It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible, it was just an average film with some A-list actors that tried to be quirky and indie (whatever that is anymore) and ironic, but just ended up being boring. Thomas Hayden Church steals the movie for me and served to at least provide the movie with some much needed levity.

That’s it for my Summer In Review. I know there are quite a few films that came out earlier this summer that I missed due to my son being born, but don’t you worry, I will get caught up and complete my 2009 Summer Movie Season.

So, tell me, what did you see this summer that you liked/disliked? Was there something about any of my little reviews that you agreed or disagreed with?

Let me know what you think and we’ll see you next summer!