500 days of summer vacation

The most tedious question anyone has received recently is “How was your summer?” I’m still trying to answer that question.

Summer 2009 provided me with more great films than any summer of recent memory, so much so that I could craft a decent Top 10 list even before the fall season starts.
But the movies that everyone cared about were the obnoxious, long, meaningless and boring action extravaganzas that littered the blockbuster lineup. 

The year’s poster boy “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” made me give up.
Because of the film that no critic and no rational adult could harm, my reviews no longer attempt to reach out to the casual audience I once thought I could change.  
If “Transformers” was the only one, I might not mind, but it was the last straw – the epitome of all that was awful this summer.

I hate thinking that idiotic films like “Transformers,” “Star Trek (yes, this one too),” “Wolverine,” “Night at the Museum 2,” “The Proposal,” “Terminator Salvation,” “G.I. Joe” and even “G-Force” crossed over the $100 million mark while lovely films like “(500) Days of Summer” and “Away We Go,” or riveting films like “Inglorious Basterds” and “The Hurt Locker” sit idly by as they wait for their Oscar nominations. 

This summer was proof that there is a distribution crisis in Hollywood, where “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” can open on over 4,000 screens across the country and indie-gems can’t shoulder the bill to make a print of their film.

So I will have to wait for the DVD to see “The Cove” – one of this year’s critically acclaimed documentaries – Foreign Language Oscar winner of last year “Departures” and the intriguing “Cold Souls” starring Paul Giamatti.

As furious as “Transformers” made me, I was charmed by “(500) Days of Summer” and the small audience of people that shared my joy.

I’m glad “Up” found a good use for the new 3D technology and a spot as the third highest-grossing movie of the year.

I was blown away by the masterpieces by Quentin Tarantino, Kathryn Bigelow and Michael Mann.

And movies like “Harry Potter,” “The Hangover,” “Bruno,” “District 9” and “Ponyo” were pretty good too.

Yes, amid the fanboy muck there was a lot to like this summer. With said influx of great films the buzz the Academy made in early June that there would be 10 Best Picture nominees this year became a little more interesting. 

When the news hit, speculation was that “Up” would be guaranteed a spot, and even popcorn movies like “Star Trek” and “The Hangover” had a chance.
Now outside of some of my favorite films of the year, things like “District 9” and “Ponyo” are also very real contenders. 

And yet, less interesting are the other big Oscar categories, Best Actor and Actress.
The summer was heavy on films but light on performances, and the action movies may have something to do with that too, but the actors that stood out to me did not have “The Joker effect” that Heath Ledger left on us last summer.

The only stand-out performances have come from Johnny Depp (“Public Enemies”) and relative unknowns Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) and Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”).

Sadly, it’s likely that the stars of both “(500) Days” and “Away We Go” will be left out.
This summer was fun, but with the potential of the next couple of months, this summer may be as forgettable as the answers to that tedious question we’ve all been asked too much this week.