SUMMER MOVIE MADNESS!

That's right peeps! The summer movie season is upon us and as is tradition, a slew of sequels (Cars 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) reboots (Conan the Barbarian) and comic book adaptations (Green Lantern, Captain America . . .) will be gracing the screens for our mind numbing pleasure. So far, we've gotten an X-Men prequel, a Thor film directed by Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh no less and a fifth--yes, fifth!--Fast and the Furious movie. Despite their cheesy moments, X-Men: First Class and Thor both proved to be good entertainment. As for Fast Five . . . well, never quite got the chance to see it  . . . Anyhow, of all the multiplex hits released so far this season, Bridesmaids is undoubtedly the best. Despite the film's ridiculous marketing campaign which labels it as a "chick flick for guys" as if it's some kind of universal anti-perspirant, Bridesmaids is simply a great comedy with superb performances (Isn't Kristen Wiig the shit?) and a perfect blend of poignancy and gross out humor (the dress fitting scene is going down in comedy history). 

In addition to mainstream fare, new films by legendary auteurs such as Terence Malick (The Tree of Life), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) and Jean-Luc Godard (Film Socialisme) have also been released this season. Like any film geek, I worship at the alter of Malick (Badlands, Days of Heaven) and The Tree of Life is certainly nothing short of a masterpiece but I gotta say, Woody Allen's latest was the most enjoyable film I've seen this summer. Allen's Midnight in Paris is a smart, funny and whimsical portrayal of both the wonderment and pitfalls of romanticizing the past, a theme seldom seen in the cinema as of late. The film also happens to be cast to perfection! Owen Wilson is a great Woody Allen protagonist (who knew?) and the supporting cast features everyone from Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) as an insufferable wannabe intellectual to Allison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as Zelda Fitzgerald! Then there's Marion Cotillard in her most enchanting performance to date.

This weekend comes my most anticipated film of the summer, J.J. Abrams' Super 8! While reviews have been relatively mixed, I can't help but be be psyched out of my mind to see a big-budget Spielberg inspired action-adventure film set in the 70's helmed by the creator of Lost. How can that not be a great time?? Anyway, we'll get to my review of that later. Until then, keep enjoying the great weather! 

Byron