Ryan McNeil
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been noticing a bit of a trend.
It all begins with an obvious statement that has been talked about quite a bit in recent weeks: This summer has disappointed at the movies. With few exceptions, the big guns have failed to capture audiences’ imagination, and very few blockbusters seem to have any staying power. If you want to hear five movie geeks discuss it further, tune in to this week’s Lambcast.
So with precious little making me plan double-feature nights at the cinema, I’ve turned back to dvd. In doing so, I’ve found myself falling hard for some recent rentals; namely SUNSHINE and 28 WEEKS LATER. What do these two films have in common (besides a loose Danny Boyle connection)? Simple – they were both summer releases. Both from the same summer as it happens.
At the time they were largely dismissed by audiences, and not exactly hailed by critics. But looking back on them now, they’re amazingly engaging, thoughtful, and stunning. I haven’t been able to shake them since the credits rolled, and they have been what few other movies that summer – or this summer – were: exciting and memorable.
Thinking back, it seems that every year there are half a dozen films like this. Movies next to nobody saw in theatres. Movies next to nobody could find in theatres. But movies that would invariably stick with us and become hailed in the years that pass.
I’m thinking THE HURT LOCKER…BEFORE SUNSET…IN THE LOOP…ONCE…MOON…
Months and years later we will watch these movies and love everything about them, but if/when we have the chance to give them our admission dollars, we choose instead to waste our time with something based on a video game.
Again, I realize not everyone has this luxury, but what I’m trying to say is that if we try a little harder, and dig a little deeper, it is possible even in dreadful summers like this to find some amazing movies. Odds are they’re indie, foreign, or a documentary, and odds are they’re ones that you’ll be trying to chase down in the coming months and years on dvd. Why not chase them down now, be a step or two ahead of the curve, and talk ’em up to your friends…rather than waste two hours of your life that you won’t get back on a wickedly forgettable blockbuster?