Summer movie mindlessness

Remember early on in the summer the cool fad in Hollywood seemed to be the claim that this year would prove to be the end of big summer blockbusters, and that the movie-going public was bored with formulaic money-makers. Oh, how these people were wrong. \nIt's possible that last summer was to blame for all this negative hype against Hollywood. After all; 2004 was not your average summer for movies, mainly due to controversial films like "The Passion of the Christ" or "Fahrenheit 9/11," both of which made unbelievable amounts of money, but set out to be more than just mindless entertainment. \nThe truth is this summer was just like other ones. Studios made fortunes on a number of successful films, movie going rates were as high as ever and a number of questions were put to rest. Do alien movies ("Star Wars," "War of the Worlds") sell? Yes. Are biopics (i.e. "Cinderella Man" and its lousy box office run) losing appeal? Yes. Are super hero flicks ("Fantastic Four," "Batman Begins") money-makers? Of course. Should Orlando Bloom give the bow and arrow a rest? Oh, most definitely. \nLike previous summers there were a number of surprise hits (how about that charming nature documentary "March of the Penguins"?). Ultimately though, 2005 showed that the public is still drawn to hyped-up films. However, one thing I believe to be true is that there was a lack of quality films this year. \nNow I know there are those out there who would argue with this statement, but let me explain. I saw most of the big films, like Spielberg's gooey alien suspense film "The War of the Worlds," or Tim Burton's vibrant candy-coated adaptation of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;" however, while both were entertaining and fun for 90 minutes or so, they ultimately did not have a lasting effect on me. \nThese kinds of films serve a purpose, mainly as pure entertainment, and were worth my nine bucks, however are they films that I will revisit five years down the road? Probably not.\nI use "The War of the Worlds" as an example of this idea because I have a great deal of respect for Steve Spielberg. He after all helped launch the big summer films genre ("Jaws," "Indiana Jones Trilogy") as well as the alien-invasion movie ("E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") which are all films I grew up on and to this day still watch. The difference is with those films he was able to give the audience the thrills they needed while also delivering strong story lines and rich characters.\nThe same goes for some of the more critically acclaimed blockbusters, particularly "Batman Begins" and "Sin City." It is safe to say I was extremely eager to see these two films, and had been following their progress for quite some time. While I enjoyed both films, I feel that neither was that great. \n"Batman" was definitely darker than its predecessors and had some great moments, but I couldn't stop thinking of Tim Burton's original "Batman" and how nobody could beat Jack Nicholson's sinister laugh as the Joker. \nIn my opinion there were only a handful of truly great films this summer, ones that will be remembered and revisited. Films like "Crash," "Layer Cake," "Land of the Dead," "Me and You and Everyone We Know," "The Aristocrats" and of course "March of the Penguins" did not feature big special effects or battling super heroes, but rather told interesting stories.\n"Crash" in my mind is the best example of this and also the best film so far this year. The film, by first time director Paul Haggis (scribe of "Million Dollar Baby"), features an amazing cast and a brilliant screenplay that deals with one of the hardest issues in film, which is racism in America.\nI know many feel that the summer is a time for cheap thrills in the cinema, but it doesn't have to be. There are a number of big-budget epic films that never fail to impress me, however every summer I feel the number of truly lasting films being released seems to be diminishing. \nSummer 2006 will again bring more super hero films with a third follow up to the X-Men saga, a "Ghost Rider" movie and the return of Superman to the big screen. Tom Cruise will again reprise his role as world's shortest secret agent in "Mission Impossible 3" or "MI:3" and Tom Hanks will take on the Catholic church with Ron Howard's "Da Vinci Code." Will it be a successful summer? Of course. Will it be memorable? That will be for you to decide.