The summer movies lineup is filled to the brim, and, as with any set of choices, has good and bad options. The comedic stylings of the third movie in the Twilight series, which I hear is a full-movie buildup to a dramatic battle that does not actually take place, only brings the quality of summer movies lower. Additionally, The Last Airbender, directed by hack director M. Night Shyamalan, has a depressingly horrific lineup. But there are good choices as well, and I?ll direct you to the top two movies you need to see this summer. The requisite man movie this summer, The Expendables may make ladies feel kicked to the curb by its testosterone-fueled intensity. While this is a shame, we must move swiftly past this sad reality, and embrace this 80?s hold-over as what it really is: the ultimate guilty pleasure movie. It is exemplary of a period of movie making that emphasized style over substance, where the ridiculous would gain far more attention than quality. However, all that aside, The Expendables is winding up to be a fantastic movie, with insane visuals and a fantastic cast. With Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis, the movie commands the highest in action talent today. However, with its 80?s roots, the movie also reaches back in time, and snags some of the greatest actors to ever grace the action movie pantheon, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone towering back onto the movie scene. Additionally, Stallone is also directing the movie. With such a powerhouse cast, this movie is a must see for anyone who appreciates action movies with grand ambitions. While The Expendables has the grandest ambitions, the movie with the greatest possibility and promise this summer, and perhaps for the rest of the year, is Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan is the director of the two latest Batman movies, and the cinematographic wizard behind Memento and The Prestige. His latest project carries through the most effective and outstanding trademarks of his style. Led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page, and hosting a number of Nolan veterans, including Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine, Nolan imagines a world with the technology to invade dreams and the men who make invading dreams their mission. Other than that aspect, as revealed in press releases and theatrical previews, very little about the movie is truly known. Therefore, I would qualify Inception as the movie with the most potential this summer, just as The Expendables is the most certifiably enjoyable movie this summer. Either way, these two movies should be marked on your calendar and placed at the top of your viewing checklist.
2010-06-21