{"id":2236,"date":"2009-09-03T12:41:29","date_gmt":"2009-09-03T17:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/?p=2236"},"modified":"2017-06-20T10:31:00","modified_gmt":"2017-06-20T15:31:00","slug":"summer-at-the-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2009\/09\/03\/summer-at-the-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer at the movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\""The<\/div>\n

"The Hangover" stars Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It never seems like a bad idea to spend the summer in the cool and comfortable confines of a movie theatre. Of course, that all depends on what film is being projected onto the screen.<\/p>\n

From large-budget blockbuster productions to smaller independent films, I covered a vast group of genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hangover\u201d\u2014 released June 5<\/strong><\/p>\n

How did these boys get into such a crazy predicament? That\u2019s the road director Todd Phillips takes his viewers down in another outrageous comedy.<\/p>\n

Instead of witnessing how drunk and out-of-control four men can get in Las Vegas, \u201cHangover\u201d tells the aftermath of a night in which the four are purposely slipped Rohypnol by fellow groomsmen Zach Galifianakis.<\/p>\n

The film does its job by causing the audience to laugh throughout, all while not having Judd Apatow attached to the credits.<\/p>\n

\u201cHangover\u201d earns the prize as top comedy of the season.<\/p>\n

GRADE: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMoon\u201d \u2014 released June 12<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\""Moon"
"Moon" stars Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sam Rockwell stars as astronaut Sam Bell in the science fiction thriller directed by Duncan Jones. With only himself and his computer assistant GERTY (Kevin Spacey) to communicate with during a three-year project on the moon, the audience begins to believe Bell is slowly losing grip of reality.<\/p>\n

As the movie progresses, Bell begins to realize what really is behind his insanity.<\/p>\n

Rockwell puts on a fascinating performance that I think will earn him an Oscar nomination for best actor.<\/p>\n

GRADE: A-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen\u201d \u2014 released June 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Decepticons return to resurrect Megatron and take another shot at destroying Earth, but the Autobots and Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) stand in the way again.<\/p>\n

blah, blah and blah.<\/p>\n

\u201cRevenge of the Fallen\u201d was certainly eventful and entertaining in some ways, but director Michael Bay and company really stretched the production by putting out a subpar plot. Honestly, a horny, leg-humping Decepticon paired with jive talking Autobots?<\/p>\n

Audiences get what they want with a ton of action and explosions. The film earned nearly $400 million at the box office, so we can all expect another heap of junk to hit the screen in 2011.<\/p>\n

GRADE: D<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\""The
"The Hurt Locker" stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hurt Locker\u201d \u2014 released June 26<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening quote sums the film up best: \u201cWar is a drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hurt Locker\u201d tells the story of a bomb-defusing unit in Iraq. Jeremy Renner stars as Staff Sgt. William James, the cocky, brave and risky unit leader. Anthony Mackie plays a great supporting role as Sgt. JT Sanborn. The movie gives audiences plenty of nail-biting scenes, but the film tends to center on the mental hurdles that the soldiers experience during their time in the desert. Some men can\u2019t handle Iraq, and some men thrive on it.<\/p>\n

Definitely, the best war-based movie I\u2019ve seen in quite a while.<\/p>\n

GRADE: A-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFunny People\u201d \u2014 released July 31<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apatow returned with the third installment of his extremely successful set of movies (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) with a comedic drama starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan.<\/p>\n

Sandler gives a solid performance playing comedian George Simmons. After being told he has a short time to live, Simmons begins to open up his heart and enjoy life in a new way.<\/p>\n

Plenty of laughs still occur throughout, but don\u2019t expect the same amount of chuckles from \u201cVirgin\u201d and \u201cKnocked Up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny People\u201d earns another top score for Apatow.<\/p>\n

GRADE: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDistrict 9\u201d \u2014 released August 14<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\""District
"District 9" stars Sharlto Copley and Jason Cope.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loaded with a talented, yet unfamiliar cast, \u201cDistrict 9\u201d grips you from the very beginning with its amazing special effects and a fresh and different take on alien flicks. Director Neil Blomkamp gives a view of alien life living in slum on Earth, while humans urge the visitors to depart.<\/p>\n

Lead-actor Sharlto Copley plays Wikus van der Merwe, a field agent with the objective of evicting and relocating the alien camp to a smaller, more confined area. After Merwe is exposed to an alien liquid his DNA begins to change from human to alien.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistrict 9\u201d is one of those films you won\u2019t want to forget.<\/p>\n

GRADE: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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