Time to Break Out the Popcorn

Memorial weekend is upon us. With that we start Hollywood’s most important time of the year, the Summer Season. In fact, it already started a couple weeks ago with Iron Man 2, Robin Hood and Shrek Forever After. It seems the film industry can’t wait for summer to start.

So how does the summer schedule look? Any good movies out there? If you are a serious film buff looking for thought-provoking material, character-driven stories or generally a movie about “something”, you might want to take the summer off. This year’s offerings look mediocre at best. It’s a disturbing trend that’s been going on for several years. Summer Season has become very predictable with the usual sequels and remakes. In the sequel category this year we have Iron Man 2, Sex and the City 2, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3-D and Twilight Eclipse. Over in the remake category, we have a choice between Karate Kid and A-Team. One of the reasons why Hollywood likes sequels and remakes is that it already has built-in audience awareness. That requires less effort and budget to promote and market. In fact, the so-called P&A (prints and advertising) can actually be greater than the production costs of the film.

Unfortunately, most summers movies lack much original thought or creativity. Hollywood would prefer to play it safe and seems to have no appetite for taking risks. I guess it’s hard to blame them when most summer films average from $100 – 200 million in budget. With so much on the line, a bad summer could potentially drive a studio into serious financial problems. That's why summer is all about special effects, CGI or computer generated images and big explosions. And all that’s fine. I like a good “popcorn movie” as much as the next guy.

But can we add some character development into the mix or perhaps even an intelligent story once in a while? Is that asking too much? There’s no question whether it can be done. Look, for example, to the original Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Both offered plenty of special effects, but what made them work is they were both story focused. They presented interesting, complex, and compelling characters. Yes, I know it requires some effort, skill and talent. But we need to send a message to Hollywood. How about putting some STORY back into your product?

So what does the summer offer us? There’s plenty of action, sci-fi, fantasy, animation and comedy flicks. Don’t look for any serious adult dramas in the line up.

On the comedy front, Grown ups with Adam Sandler could be interesting. Nicolas Cage makes another appearance for Disney with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which will probably be similar in tone and style to National Treasure. What could be a big hit is The A Team because it already has a built-in audience. The old 80s television show has been in syndication for several years and had a loyal original fan base. Other movies worth checking out are Robin Hood, Prince of Persia, and Knight and Day.

Perhaps the best bet for the summer without question is Toy Story 3-D. This is a clear winner, and the audience is more than ready to take another trip with Woody, Buz Lightyear and the rest of the gang. And of course the big bonus is it’s in 3D. Pixar is always on target because they have learned something that most people in Hollywood have forgotten—IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STORY.

Another movie I personally want to see that sounds like it has an original and interesting plot is Inception. It combines some interesting concepts, including technology, the interaction of a human mind and the idea of “dream invasion” as a possible weapon. The film offers a strong cast featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. This one could be a real winner.

Here are other potential films you should check; however, the only problem is they won’t be playing at your local multiplex. It will require some effort on your part because they will more likely be playing in “art houses”. Get Low will be released July 30. It stars Robert DuVall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray. It’s based on a true story from the 1930s. Also receiving significant, critical acclaim is The Kids are All Right.

And finally, one of the questions I get all the time is do movies today better represent a Christian point-of-view in terms of content. If there is one time of the year where Hollywood really is super-concerned about content, it is the Summer Season. There’s no question. There’s been a significant change over the last 25 years. With so much money at stake in the summer, the last thing Hollywood is looking for is trouble or controversy. So in some ways the content has been cleaned up. You will find less graphic violence, nudity, or language during the Summer Season. But there has been a significant increase in stylistic violence and suggestive material. Hollywood has embraced the PG 13 rating because it offers the best of both worlds. They have made it cool for teens and young adults while at the same time toning down the content to make it more family friendly, at least in their eyes. As always, you need to exercise your own discernment and thoroughly review the plot before venturing out to the movies.