REVIEW: The Whales & Fails of Summer (And All That Good Stuff In Between)

From “Iron Man 2″ to “Machete”…What Worked This Summer

..and What Decidedly Did Not

There has been much groaning about the 2010 summer movie season, considered a letdown with no discernable string of powerhouse blockbuster popcorn fodder (say that three times fast).  Yet when you look back over the last few months, there was a considerable number of solid, purely-enjoyable-while-ultimately-forgettable entertainments, and even a few major achievements that decry any seasonal labels.  And if you spent the last four months inside art houses, the summer of 2010 was quite rewarding.

(Did I say four months?  Yes, summer seems to begin a little earlier each year, as 2010 opener “Iron Man 2″ was released on May 7th.)  Tony Stark’s second outing was quite good, beefed up with new villains, new conflicts, fresh appliances and winning appearances by Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell.  Was it as surprisingly entertaining as part 1?  No.  But as a conduit from that film to the overall “Avengers” series, it was quite good, and got the summer off to an appropriately explosive start.  As weeks wore on, actions fans weren’t treated to consistency or high-caliber fare, but a string of alternating good fun and modest punishment.

The epic fail “Robin Hood” seemed too-familiar and deadly dour as a fresh take on the old legend.  “Splice” was a solid, creepy look at science, family dynamics and ethical boundaries, which only stumbled in its final act (and was the first appearance of Adrian Brody, traditionally an action-averse talent).  Videogame adaptation “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” was a stone-cold turkey (even the mixed histrionics of Sir Ben Kingsley and should-be-Sir Alfred Molina couldn’t save it).  The slick fun of “The A-Team” was countered by the painful incompetence of “Jonah Hex”, which gave way to the polish and pleasing action froth of “Knight and Day”.  ”The Last Airbender” continued to perpetuate the Shyamalan curse .  Then back on solid ground with the Robert Rodriguez-produced “Predators” (Brody sighting #2).  The playing field was then folded over and the box office decimated by Christopher Nolan’s “Inception”, immediately decreed the best film of the year by many, critics and audiences alike.

“Inception” was clearly the beacon of the season, and a month later “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” would be just as glorious and stumble painfully out of the box-office starting gate.  Two of the best mainstream films (so far) this year?  Possible.  Two of the most memorable summer films?  Definitely.  Bankable?  50-50.

Action continued its ebb and flow with “Salt” (terrific), “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (not terrific), “The Expendables” (a likable embarrassment), “Piranha 3D” (an unlikable, ill-conceived mess) and “Machete”.  “Machete” may have opened on September 3rd, but should be considered the official end of summer release:  raw, unwinking, funny and brutal, it is everything we need to be dosed with during these waning hothouse days.  It works, and for all its pleasures, you’d think they should have released it back in June.

Comedy this summer fared slightly better.  The criminally overlooked “MacGruber” was non-stop, laugh-out-loud funny, and no one showed up (though it does arrive on DVD this week).  “Get Him to the Greek” was surprisingly funny for a film that left no bodily fluid or orifice untouched, and benefited from a terrific supporting performance by Sean Combs as a Sean Combs-style record producer.  “Toy Story 3″ brought family fun and sap, just as predicted.  Then the “Toy Story” Killer:  “Despicable Me” with its winning animation style, persistent against-type humor and non-cloying sweetness.  And say what you want about Will Ferrell’s history, “The Other Guys” was an enjoyable return to form for someone who thought “Land of the Lost” was a good idea.

So how is a season with so many respectable entertainments labeled a failure?  I think it goes back to the issue of hype, for better or worse.  Most summers feel like a production line of massive, bombastic action films, and audiences are pummeled by outsize expectations and overblown production.  Some of these films (see anything with “Transformers” in the title) may not be particularly good, but they do excite the potential audience member.  Something big and flashy and loud, something fun?  All in.  Even when a film fails, the pure excitement of entering into that thing, accepting the implied agreement that you are about to be walloped with color and gears and sparks, wry grins, shapely bodies and snarky one-liners…that can be an alluring offer.

Yet, if you stepped outside the megaplex auditorium, you may have found that those pesky art houses offered the truly rewarding options.  This is not to say I dislike popcorn films; on the contrary, I require explosions, aliens, ghosts and workplace parodies as much as I do quiet, intensely dramatic films about dwarven train conductors and drug addicts looking for deeper meanings.  From the funny, mildly demented documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (in which the street art movement is examined as a filmmaker becomes the focus of a film made by the focus of his film) to the rich, thrilling Steig Larsson tales “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl Who Played with Fire”; from quietly intimate international portraits (“Mid-August Lunch”), to domestic views of manners and guilt (“Please Give”);  good-natured French absurdity (“Micmacs”) and sweetly demanding realities (Robert Duvall just doesn’t quit with “Get Low”).  And for the hardcore crime enthusiasts, Australia’s “Animal Kingdom” gives us a good shot of dingy drama while French bio-epics “Mesrine: Killer Instinct” and “Mesrine: Public Enemy # 1″, make films like “Takers” look like high school drama club fantasies.

So, nobody’s perfect.  For every glorious “Inception” or “Pilgrim”, we usually get ten or more “Robin Hood”s…puffed-up, overdone attempts at cinematic weight.  That the truly abortive ventures – the “Jonah Hex”s and “Piranha 3D”s of the world – are few in number is probably our good fortune.  What I hope audiences don’t miss out on are those solidly enjoyable, middle-ground experiences.  If you just want some modest fun, you can’t beat “Salt” or “Despicable Me”.

Both will be on DVD by December.