0 comments | Print

Before summer's gone, some awards for its films

Published: Sunday, Sep. 2, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 15AANDE

Summer cinema season – where you think you're going, baby? We listened to Carly Rae Jepsen, we did. All summer long. We watched "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" – and watched it online.

But we talked movies – a cultural conversation driven by a hilarious hulk, an ironic Iran Man, a Dark Knight feared by Limbaugh, a talking/ pot-smoking teddy bear and magic boys who strip.

Summer's over. And this is crazy. But here are some winners – Sum-Oscars, baby.

Best pictures: "Killer Joe." Southern Gothic, searing, sexual and scandalous. The Matthew McConaughey Decade continues. And "Beasts of the Southern Wild" seems even more timely during hurricane season.

Worst pictures: I'd say "Apparition," but they weren't even trying. "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter?" Seriously, how was this not going to suck? And "That's My Boy." Yup, Andy Samberg. There's your future – Adam Sandler.

Movie of the summer: "Marvel's The Avengers" was everything a comic book movie should be – big, broad, and loads of fun. Fangirls and fanboys worship writer-director Joss Whedon. And well they should. $1.5 billion in tickets sold worldwide.

Best kids movie: A lot of daughterless movie critics didn't get "Brave." But a lot of little girls, and a few of their movie-critic dads, did.

Best romance: "Ruby Sparks" didn't have a lot of competition, and not everybody got onto its wavelength, but this fantasy romance was sunny, silly and downright deep.

Biggest surprise: "Magic Mike," a down-and-dirty hit from Steven Soderbergh, a career exoneration for Channing Tatum. And finally, Matthew McConaughey can take his shirt off for a good reason.

Best indie film: "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Everything a no-budget film should be – poetic, compelling, with a vivid sense of place.

Biggest indie hit: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" reached the under-served over-60 audience to the tune of $45 million.

Bloodiest: "The Expendables 2," and it wasn't even close. Hey, you pack all those moth-eaten '80s action "heroes" onto one screen, each has to have his own body count.

Biggest letdowns: "Rock of Ages" wasted a great, boozy Tom Cruise turn. And "Dark Shadows" found its audience – it was just older and smaller than Johnny Depp/Tim Burton are used to.

Worst movie everybody saw: "Ted." It's a pot-smoking potty-mouthed stuffed toy, people. What, is it for folks who found "The Hangover" too mature?

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Read more articles by Roger Moore



About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.

hide comments
Sacramento Bee Job listing powered by Careerbuilder.com
Quick Job Search
Buy
Used Cars
Dealer and private-party ads
Make:

Model:

Price Range:
to
Search within:
miles of ZIP

Advanced Search | 1982 & Older



Find 'n' Save Daily DealGet the Deal!

Local Deals