My Favorite Summer Movies

The Dark Knight was simply incredible. Spiderman 3 was a disappointment after all the wait. The Dark Knight however is even better than I hoped for. It takes Batman and the villains seriously. So you don't get shots of Batman's butt or him saying awful lines, like "I don't fit in at a family pic-nic", or "it's the car, chicks dig the car". While the villains don't act like something from the 60's tv series.

The Dark Knight has Batman (Christian Bale), Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) teaming up to bring down criminals. They aren't doing a bad job; a new criminal named the Joker (Heath Ledger) just might be more than they can handle though. He's a twisted and creepy villain with no compassion for anyone. He threatens to kill a different person until Batman reveals who he is. Which starts to become too much for Bruce Wayne since people he cares about start to become targets.

The movie is an ingenious masterpiece with many twists and turns. You never know what to expect from the movie. Despite being a super hero film it also works as a thriller/mob movie. Sometimes I even had a hard time convincing myself that Michael Mann wasn't the director lol.

Comic fans should still be pleased though. Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker and it's sad that he won't have a long career of playing the part. He's creepy, twisted, funny and menacing in the role. What also helps the movie is that everyone else is in top form as well. While Christopher Nolan knows how to handle having more than one villain, unlike Sam Raimi with Spiderman 3. He does have a task ahead of him though to try and top this with a 3rd film. I don't see that happening but I can't wait for more either way.

Jurassic Park is a classic with excellent effects. Critics complained that there should have been more moments with the people just admiring the dinosaurs. While Gene Siskel said that Jeff Goldbluim was the only interesting in the movie.

I disagree with both comments though, I don't think it would have been as thrilling and entertaining as it was if the T-Rex didn't get loose. If all hell didn't break loose and they were just standing there going "ahh, look at the pretty dinosaurs", I might've fell asleep lol. While Goldbluim is funny and interesting, Sam Neil's work here is very under-rated. Richard Attenborough is excellent as the creator of Jurassic Park as well. Bob Peck's character that trys to keep the creatures at bay is pretty cool as well.

In this Batman film he's taken seriously and you don't get shots of his butt in the Bat costume. Joel Schumacher was obsessed with shots of Batman's butt for some reason lol. The movie is perfectly dark and sometimes comical. It doesn't over-due the campiness like Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

While the under-rated Michael Keaton gives us a fine Bruce Wayne that's still haunted by the death of his parents. It's also brilliant how their murder is linked to the Joker. The "You Made Me and I made You" stuff between the Joker and Batman is well done.

When you think about it though the script is still thin though. I mean yes the Joker is perfectly evil here but what's his real game plan ? It works that he's really not as happy as his difigurement makes him look. So he wants to disfigure other people as well. But other than that his obsession with Vicky Vale doesn't work that well. What does he want from her ? Disfigure her like he did his ex-girlfriend ? Or just dance with her on the top floor of an abandoned church ? lol.

I always had such a ball watching this movie that I never thought of such things. Jack Nicholson is so good as the Joker that I never thought about how the movie doesn't have a solid plot.

I do still think that Roger Ebert's review was unfair though. He even picked on it saying that Keaton and Basinger have no chemestry. I think they work fine together but in a Batman film who cares about their romance ? The film still delivers and what really mattered is that Keaton and Nicholson played off of each other great. Besides, Batman Begins may be a good movie but Batman just handing a kid part of his costume bugged me as much as Alfred letting Vicky Vale into the Batcave.

The Fugitive is a summer movie that didn't disapoint. It has well done chases and a smart script. It also has Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones both in top form.

When I first saw it in the movies, I wasn't that blown away. When I saw it again on video though I loved it and can't help watching it every time I see it on tv.

Men in Black is one of Barry Sonnenfeld's better movies before he cursed himself by making Wild Wid West. It's funny and unlike the sequel it's fresh and original.

Smith and Jones have chemestry and make a good team but the supporting cast is fine too. Vincent D'Onofrio is perfectly vicious as a sleazy villian alien that sort of reminds me of my dad...lol. Linda Fiorentino was needed in the sequel. She's great as a odd woman who works at a morgue and always discovers the existance of aliens and needs the flashy memory erasing thingy used on her. Rip Torn and Tony Shalhoub are also well casted.

Iron Man is Marvel's best movie since Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and X-Men 2. It can be a little slow which is why it has been compared to the Hulk. It's a lot more fun than the Hulk was though.

Plus even if it slowly picks up, Robert Downey Jr. is entertaining through-out as Tony Stark. So you're never bored with Iron Man. The supporting cast is excellent as well.

Gwyneth Paltrow keeps up with Downey Jr's quick wit with some quick wit of her own. The two also have some great chemestry. While Terrence Dashon Howard is fine as Stark's friend in the military. A bald Jeff Bridges does a good job as Stark's business partner as well.

When the movie has action it's cool and very well done. Another reason why it shouldn't be compared to the Hulk is because it never makes you scratch your head saying "what's going on ?". It's more involving and more of a crowd pleaser than the Hulk as well.

The tornadoes look great but the movie makes tornadoe chasers look like morons. It makes it look like anyone can get in a truck and chase a tornadoe and live to tell about it.

A mind blowing experience that is superior to it's sequels by far. It has a great story, fantastic action, good science fiction and even kun-fu. This movie just rocks and if only the sequels were this fun!

WALL.E is probably my favorite movie of the year so far. It's original, imaginitive and actually one of the best science fictions movies. It's also fun while being sweet, charming and romantic.

It's smart as well with how mankind is off getting fat on a ship after they ruined earth. They are so used to technology doing everything for them that they don't even walk. With how things are going now...it could happen lol.

This is a beautifully acted and beautifully made strange science fiction masterpiece. You hear this tossed around a lot "this is the most visually stunning movie since Blade Runner" with many other movies. But with A.I it's actually true.

It's slightly depressing and disturbing in some parts and in others it's also moving. The film has it's android boy (Haley Joel Osment) looking for the blue fairy from Pinochio so she can make him a real boy. Along the way he meets another Mecca played by Jude Law "a fantastic under-rated performance" who was framed by a human for the murder of a woman.

In a way this is one of Spielberg's most daring movies since it's pretty dark and only heart-warming when it feels like being heart-warming. The heart-warming stuff is sorta just stuck in there at the end for the heck of it. The movie gets compared to E.T. But it's more like Empire of the Sun since you have someone stuck in a world they know nothing about.

Willow is one of the best fantasy films of the 80's. It was ripped apart from critics who expected more from George Lucas and Ron Howard.

I can see why people would be disapointed by StarWars Episode 1. It was slow with too much bad dialogue. Willow at least delivers a great fantasy that's always entertaining. I was never bored watching it, which I can't say about Episode 1. So in no way is Willow a let down. It's also one of Val Kilmer's most memorable performances.

Sam Raimi at his best knowing what a Spiderman film should be like. Spiderman 3, he was more concerned with effects than he was story.

A little over-rated but still was much better done than Spiderman 3. It has more going for it, a lot more.

This new version of the Hulk has less talk and more action. It also scraps the idea in the 2003 film that Banner got powers due to his father experimenting on him.

The opening credits "which is a lot like the ones to the 70's tv series" explains how he became the Hulk.

Norton's Banner goes into hiding right after getting his powers. In Brarzli he tries to learn how to control his anger beter. It's going ok until the military finds out where he is.

The Incredible Hulk is also a success for Marvel after Ironman. However it has less of a story than the 2003 film. It also feels like the same movie in some areas. You have Betty's father (this time played by William Hurt, not Sam Elliiot) after Bruce yet again. When we already know that weapons of the milary are useless against the Hulk. We learned that bullets bounce off of him in the 2003 film already.

However they do learn that if they want to be a match for him they need someone as strong as him. Tim Roth's character is more eager to be experimented on after seeing how unstoppable Banner is.

The movie has so much energy that I was yawning by the middle of the film. However it is well made and the action is very well done. It is the fun comic "Hulk Smash" film that people hoped the 2003 film to be. Norton is also about as good as Banner as the late Bill Bixby was.

Speed is one of my favorite action movies. It has an original plot and fine action sequences. I don't agree with the late Gene Siskel that...Keanu Reeves should've nominated though lol.

It is his best work because he looks less blank than usual. But I always wondered how it would've been if Jeff Danials was the main star lol. I think he's the better actor after all.

Dennis Hopper is an awesome villian though and steals the show. William Dafoe is a good actor but in Speed 2 he seemed to think that you have to give an evil laugh every 30 seconds to play a villian. Sandra Bullock also had a better script to work with here than in the sequel.

The best of the preuels but it's still a bit of a mess compared to the originals

An extremely funny and always entertaining film about teenagers who want to get laid before they graduate from High School. It sounds like the first American Pie but it's smarter and funner. I can't wait to see it again, I loved this movie!

The Truman Show is an incredibly well made film with a sensitive performance by Carrey. He should've been nominated but the best performances never get nominated!

not really best picture worthy but Russel Crowe and gladiator battles are awesome

I like this movie a lot although I don't see it as being as special as most women do lol. It's entertaining and a better pirate movie than critics give it credit for.

I love this movie, it still manages feel fresh and funny no matter how many times I've seen it.