Summertime Blues

On the eve of the second holiday weekend of the summer season, it feels right to take stock of where we stand as movie goers. I must say that I am overcome with malaise when I think about the movies as of late. I have absolutely refused to place hard earned, rapidly depreciating dollars down to see Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E, or Wanted (though if you have seen them, the site would benefit from your thoughts so e-mail them to middlebrowfilm@gmail.com). I have gone to the theater twice and each time been unable to muster up a proper review. Here are some scattered thoughts from those two outings:

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan: It is nice to see Adam Sandler play the clueless lothario, a role usually reserved for Will Farrell, instead of his rage-aholic moron character. The film earns points for its novel subject matter (a comedy about the tribulations of the modern Middle East) but loses points for being utterly forgettable twenty-two minutes after the credits (I have a vague recollection of about a dozen hummus gags). It is also possible that the movie raises awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while filling American minds with a new batch of stereotypes about both groups.

Get Smart: This film gives “family friendly film” a good name by being able to reach multiple generations (I took my grandparents and they approved) without dumbing it down. Much of the cast sparkles with the star quality needed to deliver this sort of material. Sadly, Anne Hathaway did not rise to the level of her costars. She delivers a flat performance and still looks like she is in her mid-teens, which hurt her efforts. The other distractor was the filmmakers’ use of digital video-Bourne Identity stlye camera work during the action sequences. It is unclear who thought that the film, based on a sit-com featuring a shoe phone, needed that cinema verite touch but it came off as sloppy.


That’s all I got folks, which is kind of sad because I really dig the summer season. If you have seen something worthwhile please let us know. Tomorrow I go to see Hancock with the hopes of my blues being lifted. I will let you know how it turns out.