The BOO-YAH Summer Movie Review

Allow me to explain my method of madness... BOO means I didn't like it and YAH means I did. There may be some grey area in which it gets a BOO.

The Da Vinci Code (May 19) - BOO
Hmmm... ya.

Over the Hedge (May 19) - YAH
Very cute.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand (May 26) - BOO
Shudder! By far the worst film I saw in theaters this summer!
[puke]
As a sidebar, read Joss Whedon's The Astonishing X-Men - that is what this movie should've been.

Cars (June 9) - BOO
The problem (well, one of the many problems) with this one is it focused on premise over story ie: a world of talking cars! Imagine the toyline on this one! And then when they tried to squeeze in a story (one appealing to adults) it got too complicated and sentimental. If your subject matter is going to be talking cars, then make your target audience ONLY CHILDREN - the parents will watch because their kids are watching (God willing). You don't have to overly win them over. You already got their money.

The Inconvenient Truth (June 16) - YAH
What I liked about this one was that it really was like being in a lecture hall and I am learning about global warming and the harms our Earth has gone under. What gives it that personal touch from Al Gore were those brief interludes of his personal reflection. I say brief because any more would've been a 2-hour long haiku about saving the planet. In stead it focused on the facts and actually tells you what to do and how you can help.

Superman Returns (June 28) - YAH
Eff'n amazing.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (July 7) - BOO
AKA: The Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow Show - please end.
This was a close second to the worst film of the summer.

Clerks 2 (July 21) - YAH
What I was expecting to be a retelling of the original Clerks but with up-to-date pop culture references (though I knew I'd still enjoy it for what it's worth), turned out to be a film with more heart and thought (despite the donkey-fucking part... that simply had a donkey being fucked). As much fun as Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back was, this was the true finale to the View Askew Verse. It started with Clerks and thus ended with Clerks.

Little Miss Sunshine (July 26) - YAH
This is the charming feel good flick of the year. You'll fall in love with the little girl and more often than not, it avoids cliches. Don't have much more to say about it except I saw it twice in theaters and didn't regret it.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Aug 4) - BOO
Definitely had its funny LOL moments though obviously not as good or funny as Anchorman.

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Honourable Mention:
Stranger Than Fiction (to be release in Nov '06) - YAH
This is my first Toronto Film Fest Flick I've seen and I wasn't disappointed. It's a great film with a great cast (Will Ferrell doesn't fall prey to being a funny add lib man who's always on). The film is charming, funny, heartwarming, touching and sweet.