I'll include April as part of the summer since there were a couple of big comedies out.
Also, I know this is a very "Hollywood" list, but if I stopped to consider all the little indies out there, especially the ones I caught on DVD, this wouldn't be a list, it would be a compendium, and I don't feel like compiling a compendium at the moment.
THE DARK KNIGHT: A+
No explanation necessary, the best movie this summer along with...
WALL-E: A+
An instant classic. Brilliant. Charming. Timeless. See it.
WANTED: A
I was prepared for this to bomb, and then it decked me in the face with a broken keyboard. Points off for Angelina Jolie looking malnourishedly thin.
IRON MAN: A-
Robert Downey Jr. carried this the way Johnny Depp carried the Pirates films. Loses points for having a pretty weak villain plot, but I can't wait for the sequel.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS: A-
Another solid entry from Rogen, Apatow, et al.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY: A-
Many people told me that this movie sucked. I disagree. I think it's the most prescient satire of the year, a hilarious zeitgeist lampoon, and one of the few movies from this summer that I want to own.
Not kidding.
HELLBOY II: B+
Lived up to the promise of the first film, and left me salivating for del Toro's The Hobbit.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK: B+
Underappreciated franchise reboot made enough money for a sequel of its own, but the best thing going for it (and IM) is the eventual Avengers pic in 2012.
GONZO: B
A good, but not great Hunter S. Thompson documentary. Wayne Ewing's Breakfast with Hunter is better, but this is a great primer for new fans.
HAMLET 2: B
It's hilarious in parts, but has trouble sustaining the fun, especially after the play, when the film ends suddenly and without a punchline.
SUPER HIGH ME: B-
A pot doc with a heart of gold, but even though it's got information that everyone should see, it's built to engage people who already agree with its premise.
SPEED RACER: B-
Not as bad as everyone says. If you're under 30 or have
experimented with psychedelics, chances are your brain is properly
callibrated to enjoy this cartoon roller coaster. May cause migraines.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: C+
Russell Brand and Jonah Hill made me LMFAO, but the rest of it was
a pretty trite conventional rom-com, with an ending so obvious it
should play at the front of the film.
HANCOCK: F-
I'd give the film's first act a B, but it turns into a pile of kryptonite from minute 30 onward.
TROPIC THUNDER: INC
I'm going to see it this week, but since it's September I can no longer count it as a summer movie.
THE WACKNESS: INC
Another one that I'll have to catch soon.
INDIANA JONES... CRYSTAL SKULL: INC
I didn't see it because nobody I spoke to had anything good to say. Looks like I'll wait for DVD... or On Demand... or just never. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.
NARNIA 2: PRINCE CASPIAN: INC
Another film I missed, but I'll definitely catch at home soon.
SEX & THE CITY: INC
I don't like the show. I live in New York, so I can see vapid cougars debating the merits of shoes anytime I want, without buying a movie ticket.
I also purposely missed Get Smart, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Step Brothers, Kung Fu Panda, The Crappening Happening, X-Files, Mummy 3, Star Wars: Clone Wars and The Rocker, because they either didn't appeal to me or had bottomless bad reviews.
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