Summer Movie Round-Up: May Edition

Now that June has passed us by and the patriotic party time of July is upon us, it's time to reflect upon the films I saw in May - as usual, I am one step behind.  Let us proceed. . .


The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I didn't much like ASM1 - it was too soon to reboot the story (and retell the same old plot points in the same old way), the Lizard was mishandled, the tone was dull (I know, I know, they were attempting to capture the Dark Knight trilogy's seriousness and realism), I don't like Peter Parker's reinterpretation as a skateboard-riding hipster, and it just felt so - corporate.  But Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were great in their respective roles, bringing a little life into something D.O.A. (Denis Leary was also good).  Well, ASM2 doesn't change my opinion all that much.  Garfield and Stone are still great, but the movie still retreads old story (the Green Goblin stuff), Parker is still a hipster, the villains are still mishandled, and the serious tone is now mixed with an over-the-top "Batman Forever"-style tone that makes for some serious unevenness.  Additionally, the movie is overcrowded with "stuff" (a total corporate move) and, in the end, just feels unsatisfying.  On the plus side, the action sequences are quite good, and there are a couple of really well done dramatic scenes here and there, but the musical score is kind of annoying.  And the Rhino is barely in the movie.

It's a mixed bag all around.


Neighbors

From out of left field comes this little comedy gem, a total surprise.  It's not groundbreaking or anything, but I laughed plenty of times, hard.  Part neighbor feud comedy, part frat party extravaganza, all rude, crude and over-the-top hilarious.  Seth Rogen is hit-or-miss with me, but here he's all hit.  Zak Efron, on the other hand, has been all miss until now - he's the big surprise of the movie.  Throw in a couple of great supporting performances (I'm thinking of Rose Byrne and Dave Franco in particular), lots of crude, dirty gags and a surprisingly emotional undercurrent, and you have a movie that is well worth your time - if you're a fan of lowbrow humor.  I am.


Godzilla

See my review if you want to know what I think.  It's flawed, but I love it.  I've seen it four times already.  Four.  Times.  It holds up.


Maleficent

I don't like the whole "Postmodern Fairy Tale" genre.  It may not be because of the genre itself, it may just have to do with the fact that I've been annoyed by almost every movie or T.V. show that it's spawned - Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", "Once Upon a Time", "Grimm", "Snow White and the Huntsman", "Jack the Giant Slayer", "Red Riding Hood", "Hansel and Gretel:  Witch Hunters", "Sleepy Hollow", ad nauseum.  "Frozen," if it counts, is the only one I can think of that I liked (or maybe Tim Burton's 1999 "Sleepy Hollow").  Otherwise, it's just "ooh, it's the classic fairy tale, but with a twist!"  It's gritty!  It's "Lord of the Rings"-y!  What if the villain was really the good guy?  Oooooooh!  Which brings us to "Maleficent"  It's a little grittier.  It's definitely "Lord of the Rings"-y.  And the villain turns out to be not so bad after all.  It's not the worst of the bunch, but it's not very good, either.  Angelina Jolie has her occasional shining moments in her portrayal of the title role and the movie certainly looks good in terms of both cinematography and visual effects, but it's clearly the work of a first time director - it's highly inconsistent in both plot and tone, the humor is terribly forced and unfunny, and the movie feels abbreviated and undercooked.  It's not the worst movie of the month, but it is definitely a disappointment.


A Million Ways to Die in the West

Seth Macfarlane comes up with some really funny stuff now and again (I'm thinking mainly of "Family Guy" and "Ted").  Usually, though, you have to sit through plenty of unfunny jokes and lots of bland storylines and characters to get to them.  The same applies to this movie, his latest directorial effort:  It's comprised of a small handful of uproarious jokes surrounded by plenty of lame bodily function/80's nostalgia/modern pop culture-oriented jokes wrapped within a reverent Western setting and conveyed by earnest, but bland, guest stars who are playing bland character archetypes in a bland archetypical Western tale.  Did I mention 'bland'?   I recommend seeing this only if all of the truly funny movies of the year aren't available (such as "The LEGO Movie", "Neighbors", "22 Jump Street", or "Transformers: Age of Extinction", which is full of unintentional hilarity), or if you're planning on skimming through Facebook at the same time.


Blended

Why oh why did I see this damn movie?  Am I sick in the head or something?  After the utter hellish torture of "Grown Ups 2" (and most of Adam Sandler's previous movies), why would I bother to do this to myself?  Am I still seeking the satisfaction Sandler wrought with "The Wedding Singer", "Billy Madison" or "Happy Gilmore"?  Perhaps.  Needless to say, "Blended is crap.  Thanks to the presence of Drew Barrymore, it's not as bad as many of his other movies, but it still sucks.  That'll teach me (though probably not).


X-Men: Days of Future Past

I enjoy the "X-Men" franchise, for the most part.  I'm not super crazy about it, nor am I a big comic book fan, but it's a pretty good series.  It just tends to pack in too many characters for its own narrative good, and the underlying theme which equates the civil/gay rights movement with the plight of the mutants just doesn't work 100% for me, since neither black people nor gay people possess superpowers that have the potential to kill lots of people (at least, not that I'm aware of).  When that Senator guy from the original movie proposes a Mutant Registration bill, you know - I think I'm on his side.

That being said, "Days of Future Past" is overcrowded with characters, and I still don't buy into the metaphor.  It still manages to be one of the best movies in the series, however, and one of the best movies of May.  Also (Spoiler Alert), it successfully reboots the series, wiping out the poop-stained entries "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".  There are many great scenes in DOFP and, thanks to the directorial return of Bryan Singer (X1 and X2), the emotionality has also returned.  While it's also great to see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan reprise their roles as Professor X and Magneto, it's sadly apparent to me that their younger counterparts (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender) have overtaken them to become the true owners of the role.  The same goes for Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.  Rebecca Romijn who?


- The Movie of May -

Duh.  It's "Godzilla", followed closely by "Neighbors" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past".  I'm biased, but "Godzilla" contained the largest number of "perfect moments" for me, and, in my book, that's what counts.


Next time: June Edition.