Predictions: Best Films of Second Quarter 2011

Well, the first quarter of 2011 has come to a close. Looking back, my first list of predictions was rather unsuccessful, seeing as so many of the movies were rescheduled. At least I was right about Sucker Punch. Anyway, I am going to continue my promise and predict the best movies of the year's second quarter. Consider viewing these in the upcoming months.

Also, I want to address the fact that I did not forget The Tree of Life comes out in this time-slot and I am not against it: I just think these 5 movies are going to be better.

5. Rubber

April 14

As a comic book geek, my first instinct was to put Thor in this spot; however after recalling the original Iron Man and the cliches many of these comic book movies have fallen into I decided this spot should go to th

e far more unique picture Rubber. Released on the very first day of the second quarter, Rubber is a bizarre horror-comedy about a killer tire. In fact, according to the film's poster, it is

the best killer tire movie you have yet seen.

I challenge you to watch this movie's trailer and not laugh in shock. The instant I saw the original teaser trailer I knew this was something to look out for. All that has been shown in the trailers, mind you, is that the tir

e can make anything explode. You know what? I think I don't need any more reason to see this film.

Rubber is written and directed by Quentin Dupieux, director of Steak, who is also known as the French musician Mr. Oizo.

4. The Beaver

May 6

I originally had this movie on my list of predictions for the year's first quarter, but its release was postponed to May. My hopes for the film have risen further when its early screenings met with positive response. Written by Kyle Killen and directed by Jodie Foster, The Beaver centers around a depressed middle-aged man (Mel Gibson) who develops an alternate personality that expresses itself through a beaver puppet. Half-comedy and half-drama, this picture has the potential for something great.

3. Cars 2

June 24

Sure there is a lot of fear that this movie could be a dud (there has not been anything in the advertisements suggesting otherwise), but it is imperative to keep in mind this is Pixar. Sure, the first Cars is not the studio's best; still, it is cute and touching. Furthermore, every Pixar movie following it w

ere quite exceptional, and I anticipate this movie will be better than the original.

The sequel features all-star race car Lightning McQueen and jolly tow-truck Mater in a European race that happens to be targeted by a sinister organization forcing MI6 automobiles (and airplanes) to intervenes. It is said to add James Bond elements to the story. I find it disappointing there are no American spies mentioned, but I can cope.

2. Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom

May 26

Kung Fu Pa

nda is one of my favorite animated films of all time. I think it is the best thing Dreamworks made and better than half of Pixar's works. It is a

modern fairy tale--funny but with sincere values. And, of course, there is kung fu.

Dreamworks Animation has worked hard in recent years in giving more serious movies, but it is true there track record is not as good as Pixar. This is a studio that is far swifter to churn out a hastily made sequel just for the money (no studio is above this; Dreamworks is just pretty blunt about it). Still, I think this good source material could be reason enough for people to really knock themselves out to create a worthy legatee.

Most of Panda 1's team is gone, but Glenn Berger, a critical writer of the original, returns for as both a writer and a producer. Jennifer Yuh (Nelson) is new to the job of director, but did artistic consulting on the original, Spirit: The Stallion of Cimarron, and Dark City. That should count for something.

Guillermo del Torro executive produces.

1. Super 8

June 10

J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves are both talented filmmakers. Abrams directed Star Trek, which is clever and fun and far better than anyone expected it to be. Reeves's most recent picture was Let Me In, which was a powerful horror-fantasy and took my second place spot for 2010's cinematic best. When they teamed up (Reeves as director, Abrams as producer) we got the now-classic monster movie Cloverfield. Now, with the roles reversed and their Star Trek and Cloverfield collaborator Bryan Burk in the mix, this duo is creating a 60s-set alien thriller that is said to be reminiscent of that era's sci-fi films. While I actually don't like Close Encounters of the Third Kind I am a huge fa

n of the genre--as are most sane cinephiles.

This alone was exciting enough. There is more though. The master of this type of picture (and probably any type, now that I think of it) is also on a producer. Yes, the one and only: Steven Spielberg.

See you at these movies!

Battle: Los Angeles (B+)

I would not describe Battle: Los Angeles as particularly original, but it definitely avoids the unoriginality of your average alien action flick. This makes for a pleasant movie-going experience.

A senior Marine officer disliked and depressed from an unsuccessful mission that resulted in many deaths, Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) is getting ready to retire when the world is attacked by hordes of aliens and he must reenter battle to rescue civilians from a soon to be bombed Los Angeles. Adding to the trouble is the fact that a lower ranking soldier (Cory Hardrict) is the brother of one of the men KIA on Nantz’s last mission.

It is quite rare that a modern action movie—especially one involving soldiers—refrains from blaming the government for every problem that is facing the soldiers. It has gotten to the point where audiences just expect their action flick to remind us that any disaster encountered onscreen (and, in implication, in the real world too) is directly related to the authorities, be it alien invasion, Mayan apocalypse, or unfortunate break-up.

The CIA created Alzhiemer’s in order to steal oil from the Na’vi.

Writer Christopher Bertolini (The General’s Daughter) and Director Jonathan Liebesman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning; The Killing Room) manage to make a movie that portrays the military as neither pirates nor misguided drones, but brave warriors fighting for what they believe in. Without having to take time to explain why the CIA wants to have Los Angeles get an alien infestation, the movie is able to put in some nice themes on taking action and being heroic. It leaves you with a good feeling afterwards, and hints that maybe it isn’t all about violence.

That, of course, is not to say there isn’t fighting. Liebesman at first uses smoke and shakicam to build suspense, showing the confusing setting of entering a battle zone. Then, when the real action begins, it does not stop for the movie’s two hour run time. It lacks variety (just a constant back-and-forth of gunfire), but it is still great fun if you enjoy that sort of thing. Being a teenage guy, I had great fun.

There is one negative aspect to the story, and one that should not be undermined. In a brief scene, a seventeen year old guzzles down alcohol as his slightly older companions cheer him on. The action is not portrayed as particularly wise (he vomits afterwards), but not as a bad choice nor an illegal one. Hopefully no one gets the wrong idea from a scene like this; it is less of a problem than other movies with drinking for the reasons that it is portrayed as something immature, that it is shown for only a moment, and he is a soldier knowing that he will shortly be departing for Afghanistan.

Battle: Los Angeles manages to avoid the most obnoxious clichés and thus is able to be an enjoyable action flick.

The Roommate (F)

Let us close our eyes for a minute and imagine I am a Hollywood producer. I am sitting at my desk playing Farmville, which is really my way of getting into “the zone” so I can come up with an idea for a great movie.
I am thumbing through everything I think would be most terrifying to a high school or college horror fan. English papers, break-ups… My raspberries are 93% ready and I just fed my mom’s chickens when I realize the thing that is both new, uncontrollable, and dreadful to anyone who realizes their dream college doesn’t let them choose who to bunk with. A roommate! You might luck out and get someone who volunteers to do the laundry, but there is always the fear you will walk into your room late one night and step in a two-day old nacho or can’t finish your chemistry paper because someone “borrowed” your flashdrive to reccord their band’s album.
Okay, so maybe I need something a little more intimidating. Let me think. Oh, I got it: The roommate is crazy and violent and is probably gonna kill you. Now all I have to do is fill in the details. They are crazy because they are bipolar/schizophrenic (those are the same thing, right?). The first sign they are nuts is when they don’t go to parties and they say they are studying! To keep everything realistic I will put in all the alcohol fueled sex I dreamed of—er, remember—from college. Then I add in a shower fight scene, so my director can showcase his versatility and originality in setting. This is sounding pretty awesome!
Still, I have that nagging little feeling in the back of my head that something is missing. I’m probably just a perfectionist, but no harm in overrachieving. The crucial part of a horror story is a genuinely intimidating villain (you know an an…an…antagonist; that’s the word!). I need my audience to cower in terror at the monster who came out of their worst nightmare. What can I give to this evil roommate that makes her more terrifying than your everyday chainsaw wielding hockey goalie? I exert my brain. Sweat pours down my brow. I realize my crops are ready to harvest, but I can barely click the mouse my hand is trembling so much. The seconds turn into minutes, the minutes into… more minutes.
And then it comes. The lightbulb flashes on; the angels sing. I dance with glee at the triumphant speech I will give to my distributor when they ask about my idea. I know the most horrifying thing that your roommate—or for that matter, anyone in your dorm—could be. I will...(pause for suspense) make the evil roommate a lesbian!
Thus follows the train of thought behind one of the most bigoted films as well as a particularly bad one.
Though it took a team of people to come up with something this terrible, one of the main culprits behind the abominable Roommate is Sonny Mallhi (an executive producer from The Strangers), who’s writing/producing bases the best of the alleged “horror” scenes on the concept that he is the only person who every knew Alfred Hitchcock existed and the worst that since he is only the hundredth person to write about a screaming girl dangling from a window he isn’t directly plagiarizing an idea that was stupid to being with. Joining him for the insurmmountable task of making the next Borat without the express purpose of shock humor is Director Christian E. Christiansen, a director of Life Hits and award-winning short film At Night. The fact that the minds behind this garbage have not always been so inept at filmmaking or respectful social intercourse suggests that this is another case of a studio so big it encourages itself to put in minimum effort. Whatver the reason, Christiansen succeeds in making the audience squirm, though not from fear as much from anguish at the not-really-PG-13 violence and nudity that tries to make us forget the whole ordeal was supposed to have a story.
I do not have a problem with a movie being unoriginal—I have a problem with a movie that goes through the motions of following the formula without actually trying. To enjoy The Roommate you have to deliberatly accept that every scene is a crude stereotype of an overused pattern. If you are paying attention to the story, the suspense is lost because you no longer have any investment in it.
The only think in the movie that is not absolutely terrible is the acting. Minka Kelly as the dislikable protagonist, Alyson Michkala as her partying friend, and Leighton Meester as the sinister roommate are all decent. Billy Zane is genuinely likable despite playing a character who’s romantic and charming nature is displayed by having him—no joke—spike his crush’s drink and then bluntly proposing they have sex before remembering to blurt out his name. Still, when the script barely goes through the motions of a plot the best acting in the world could not save it.
As funny as it can be to watch the stereotypes and rip-offs pretending to be filmmaking, it is not without its sad points. Some people who choose to not think about the terrible repercussions of the movie’s idealogies could actually end up having subconcious prejudices about those with mental illness or homosexuality reaffirmed. Likewise, many will probably take the carefree attitude toward alcohol abuse as a reason to ignore their suspicions that perhaps it is not something everyone does, or should do. Obviously there are people out there who genuinely believe the horrible things this movie is saying: The filmmakers. That of course is the saddest point of all. When 10% of the US is unemployed and most people are struggling to make by at honest jobs, a group of producers were able to get money for something with substandard effort condoning destructive decisions and trumpeting obscene bigotry. These people have likely lived a life with little diversity; they know nothing about what real mental illness is like. They can live their lives spreading misguided beliefs and never know the truth.
The Roommate is based in ignorance. Ignorance of good filmmaking, but more disturbingly ignorance of anyone different.

The Eagle (A+)

A+

With morals and plot devices that have been sadly lacking in cinema for the past ten years, The Eagle is a true epic.
The movie takes place about ten years after the (real) event titled the "Lost Legion," where an entire legion of Roman troops in the post-Christianity era (117 AD) "vanished" after marching into unfriendly terrain in Northern England. Marcus Alquilas (now we are talking fiction) is the son of the Roman general who commanded the legion at the time of their demise(?); and he is distraught over the loss of his father, respect for his family, and the honor of Rome. Brave and intelligent (if nearly-mad with his obsession), Alquilas rises through the military ranks and is offered a variety of posts throughout the empire--not surprisingly, he chooses the northernmost fort to Hadrian's Wall, a barrier built to block off the upper half of England after the events of his father's command. After an injury, Alquilas needs an aid for recovering. His kindly uncle then gives him Esca, a slave Alquilas rescued from a lopsided gladiatorial combat. Recovering, Alquilas decides he will depart to the uncharted area on the other side of the wall. With Esca as his guide, Alquilas steadfastly pursues his goal of finding the Eagle of the Ninth, a treasured golden standard of the Lost Legion shaped like a chicken. No, actually it looks like an eagle.
While I understand Focus Features' reasoning, it is sad that a movie with this merit and talent behind it got released with little fanfare in a time of year not associated with great films. No one who watched the trailer would know this is from Jeremy Brock and Kevin Macdonald, the writer-director team behind Oscar-nominee The Last King of Scotland. The book it is based on (Rosemary Suttcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth) is considered critically acclaimed classic. Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe, Dear John), a very underrated actor, plays Marcus, while BAFTA nominee Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Hallam Foe) plays Esca. Also worth noting is that The Eagle''s cinematographer is Anthony Dod Mantle, who did the Oscar-winning work on Slumdog Millionaire.
All the talent comes to good use. The movie is surprisingly old-fashioned--promoting honor and nationalism over liberty and personal-gain. It also deals with many dark issues without becoming unnecessarily grim. This is probably much due to the fact that the book is from the 50s; it is still impressive, though, that a 2011 film about ancient Rome managed not to be anarchistic. Even better, the movie has powerful morals which (while probably not discussable in a spoiler-free review) definitely make this better than most Academy Award-nominees.
The movie's action scenes are slightly disjointed, probably due to the fact that the movie seems to really not want its PG-13 rating. Still, there are so many fight sequences (the movie keeps away from any tacked-on romantic subplots) I am sure that the action crowd will be pleased if they attend. Best of all, though, is the fact that this is not mere popcorn-fare: The Eagle is a moving epic in the vein of Ben Hur.
Powerful morals, an exciting plot, and a well-crafted story make this cinematic experience exceptional.

Marcus Aquilas gives the movie a thumbs up too!