Top 5 movies of Summer 2014

[El_Diablo]

Alfred Hitchcock did it in 1958 -- in Rope.

He was restricted by the technology of the day. With no digital cameras or the like, he had to film in 10-minute (or less) segments (the longest tape segments that could be loaded into a camera). He covered the stoppages by focusing on a dark object for an instant. I think I remember that the 80-minute film was shot in 10 takes -- but to the viewer it's one, long continuous take.

Not a great movie -- more of a stunt -- but it was a remarkable technical achievement.

I have not seen it, but Russian Ark (2002) was filmed in one continuous take and received pretty good reviews.

[Olympic Fan]

I have not seen it, but Russian Ark (2002) was filmed in one continuous take and received pretty good reviews.

How can I forget that one?

Yes, I have seen it and it is freaking amazing!

[JasonEvans]

Hmmmmm....I saw my first preview for Interstellar and thought it looked awful (and it was a long, long trailer). It looked slow and also very much been there, done that (something bad is going to happen to the world, so we need to send up spaceships to find another place to live). I could be wrong, but my early inclination is that it will disappoint.

I hear ya. I have been largely underwhelmed by the Interstellar trailers thus far, and agree that the plot seems somewhat like a typical journey to the stars story. Heck, it feels like almost the exact same plot as Lost In Space...

But I have faith in Christopher Nolan to come up with something truly clever and thoughtful. Dude has a heck of a strong track record and has an open checkbook to make anything he wants for whatever cost he wants at this point. So, if this is what he wanted to do next, I have to think he had some kind of unique/interesting take on what appears to be a fairly standard sci-fi story.

-Jason "when The Prestige is the worst film you have made, you know you are a strong storyteller!" Evans

[FerryFor50]

I hear ya. I have been largely underwhelmed by the Interstellar trailers thus far, and agree that the plot seems somewhat like a typical journey to the stars story. Heck, it feels like almost the exact same plot as Lost In Space...

But I have faith in Christopher Nolan to come up with something truly clever and thoughtful. Dude has a heck of a strong track record and has an open checkbook to make anything he wants for whatever cost he wants at this point. So, if this is what he wanted to do next, I have to think he had some kind of unique/interesting take on what appears to be a fairly standard sci-fi story.

-Jason "when The Prestige is the worst film you have made, you know you are a strong storyteller!" Evans

I actually liked the Interstellar trailers and am excited to see it. And "The Prestige" is his worst, which I think also was impacted by how good I thought "The Illusionist" was.

But definitely agree that Nolan has an outstanding track record.

[NashvilleDevil]

I hear ya. I have been largely underwhelmed by the Interstellar trailers thus far, and agree that the plot seems somewhat like a typical journey to the stars story. Heck, it feels like almost the exact same plot as Lost In Space...

But I have faith in Christopher Nolan to come up with something truly clever and thoughtful. Dude has a heck of a strong track record and has an open checkbook to make anything he wants for whatever cost he wants at this point. So, if this is what he wanted to do next, I have to think he had some kind of unique/interesting take on what appears to be a fairly standard sci-fi story.

-Jason "when The Prestige is the worst film you have made, you know you are a strong storyteller!" Evans

I am upset at myself that I went to the Intersteller IMDB page and saw who was cast.

[jay]

I hear ya. I have been largely underwhelmed by the Interstellar trailers thus far, and agree that the plot seems somewhat like a typical journey to the stars story. Heck, it feels like almost the exact same plot as Lost In Space...

But I have faith in Christopher Nolan to come up with something truly clever and thoughtful. Dude has a heck of a strong track record and has an open checkbook to make anything he wants for whatever cost he wants at this point. So, if this is what he wanted to do next, I have to think he had some kind of unique/interesting take on what appears to be a fairly standard sci-fi story.

-Jason "when The Prestige is the worst film you have made, you know you are a strong storyteller!" Evans

It very well could be basically a remake of Lost in Space, but that's where you fail to recognize Nolan's strength as a director.

He's able to take an existing story and add such an incredible layer of emotional drama that it brings said story back to life in a new and unique way. That's precisely what he did with his Batman series.

And that's what you see in the Interstellar trailer: you can tell the real meat of the story is NOT going to be space travel. That's merely a plot point to tell a story about relationships: are you willing to give up your small circle of family and friends to save billions of other complete strangers?

That's Nolan's strength, and that's what I'm looking forward to with Interstellar.

[JasonEvans]

I am upset at myself that I went to the Intersteller IMDB page and saw who was cast.

Ummm, who is the cast disappoints you? Do you not like McConaughey? Or is it Hathaway who bugs you? I think it is a strong cast.

[NashvilleDevil]

Ummm, who is the cast disappoints you? Do you not like McConaughey? Or is it Hathaway who bugs you? I think it is a strong cast.

No one in the cast disappoints me, I am excited for this movie. It was seeing what characters a couple of the actors were playing and maybe having an idea how this movie ends. But in Nolan I trust and I know come November I will be in a movie theater being entertained for 2 and a half hours.

[brevity]

No one in the cast disappoints me, I am excited for this movie. It was seeing what characters a couple of the actors were playing and maybe having an idea how this movie ends. But in Nolan I trust and I know come November I will be in a movie theater being entertained for 2 and a half hours.

Expletive. After reading this post I can guess its meaning. I visited the mobile IMDb page anyway, and looked at the main cast while an Amazon ad blocked the character names. That was successful, but then I had to be an idiot and check the whole list, and now I can't unsee what I've seen.

In my defense, I was pursuing a theory about Christopher Nolan. I think he rivals Quentin Tarantino as a director who specializes in actor reclamation. In each of his last 5 movies, he has given a past-his-peak actor a significant role...

Batman Begins: Rutger Hauer
The Prestige: David Bowie
The Dark Knight: Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall
Inception: Tom Berenger
The Dark Knight Rises: Matthew Modine

It's a subtle trend. I see William Devane is in Interstellar, but it's not the same. He was never as big a star as the others, and he hasn't really faded away enough to call it a comeback. (Also, he was in The Dark Knight Rises, briefly appearing on a TV screen as the U.S. President.)

[Highlander]

Expletive. After reading this post I can guess its meaning. I visited the mobile IMDb page anyway, and looked at the main cast while an Amazon ad blocked the character names. That was successful, but then I had to be an idiot and check the whole list, and now I can't unsee what I've seen.

In my defense, I was pursuing a theory about Christopher Nolan. I think he rivals Quentin Tarantino as a director who specializes in actor reclamation. In each of his last 5 movies, he has given a past-his-peak actor a significant role...

Batman Begins: Rutger Hauer
The Prestige: David Bowie
The Dark Knight: Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall
Inception: Tom Berenger
The Dark Knight Rises: Matthew Modine

It's a subtle trend. I see William Devane is in Interstellar, but it's not the same. He was never as big a star as the others, and he hasn't really faded away enough to call it a comeback. (Also, he was in The Dark Knight Rises, briefly appearing on a TV screen as the U.S. President.)

I don't know as I'd call Anthony Michael Hall's role of Mike Engel a "significant role." I didn't remember he was even in the film, and his part as a TV newscaster was more window dressing than anything else. It was more a cameo if you ask me.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Guardians wins the summer.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=885662

[CameronBornAndBred]

RT has listed their final summer countdown of movies by score, not by $. They rate 53 movies from worst to best. I haven't checked where all the movies on our list came in relative to their final standing, but 2 of our top 5 made their top 5. Transformers made the bottom 10, and since Cap was not a summer movie it is not listed.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides...corecard-2014/

[YmoBeThere]

Transformers made the bottom 10
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides...corecard-2014/

I'll continue to insist Transformers outperformed the most. It succeeded despite itself.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'll continue to insist Transformers outperformed the most. It succeeded despite itself.

Michael Bay could film himself taking a dump in a parking lot, then add CG effects to make his creation move, then blow it up. If he then slapped the Transformers brand on it, it would make money. I will consider a Transformers movie only "outperforming" if it gets mostly positive reviews.
By the way...if he did create a Transformers with positive critical reviews, it would make a billion dollars faster than any movie in history.

[Olympic Fan]

RT has listed their final summer countdown of movies by score, not by $. They rate 53 movies from worst to best. I haven't checked where all the movies on our list came in relative to their final standing, but 2 of our top 5 made their top 5. Transformers made the bottom 10, and since Cap was not a summer movie it is not listed.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides...corecard-2014/

Based on this list, the great overperformer (other than the inexplicable Transformers) is Maleficent -- 48 percent on the tomatometer, but $238 million in domestic box office

The greatest underperformer is Edge of Tomorrow -- a sterling 90 percent (the seventh-highest rated by the critics), a big-name cast, heavy promotion and "just" $100 million domestic gross.

I guess you could argue How To Train Your Dragon (92 percent; No. 4 on the critics' list), but that one still made $173 million domestically -- much more than the Tom Cruise box office bomb

[Faison1]

Well, I finally saw Guardians last night, only because I was without my wife, and she will not see Sci-Fi flicks with me....so I took the opportunity.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and the character development was reasonable, considering the focus on special effects. Having said that, this was no Star Wars. As summer blockbusters go, this was not even Top Gun. I'm still not sure we will ever see anything like the consistent excellence in film-making of the 80's and early 90's.

Unfortunately, the only showing was in 3-D. Honestly, I'd pay a premium not to watch a movie in 3-D. It's such a distraction. I wonder how much longer they will continue to use it. For some movies it works, like Gravity....but for others, I just think it's a crutch.

[BD80]

... Unfortunately, the only showing was in 3-D. Honestly, I'd pay a premium not to watch a movie in 3-D. It's such a distraction. I wonder how much longer they will continue to use it. ...

Haven't seen much promotion of 3D TVs recently. They were promoted as the next "must have" technology not too long ago.

[Olympic Fan]

Believe me, I share your distaste for 3-D ... I have never seen a movie that I preferred in 3-D. I always make a special effort to avoid 3-D showings.

[Faison1]

The part where I was equally amused and equally disappointed was the final dance scene where our hero was trying to distract Ronin. Ronin had been absolutely evil the whole film, but he turned slightly pathetic/weak when he was asking Quil to stop.

I think I would have appreciated Quil's dancing that much more if it wasn't in 3-D. For whatever reason, the 3-D just took something away from his acting/comedic skill.

But, overall, I don't think they could have picked a better Peter Quil for the role. He's hilarious.

I'm also glad I didn't take my 6 and 8 year old daughters...I had been contemplating after discussing with several people. No sex scenes, not even close, but some of the aliens were downright frightening, and some of the implied death scenes would have left my girl's heads spinning.

[NashvilleDevil]

It seems that Guardians will be the only summer release that crosses $300 million, after this weekend it is at $294 million