I will most likely be skipping Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man and the Wasp," why? Because I seriously need a break from these relentless blockbusters that keep disappointing me week after week. There has been absolutely nothing that's been great from this summer's crop of Hollywood blockbusters. And it's not like every summer is a bummer either. Last summer we had "Dunkirk," 'Detroit," "Baby Driver," "War for the Planet of the Apes," "The Big Sick," "Wonder Woman," "The Beguiled," "Okja," and "Logan Lucky" to keep us at ease until fall movies hit the big screen.
This year? Well, "Incredibles 2" was fine. On the Indie side it's been a whole other story; '"Sorry to Bother You," "Hereditary," "First Reformed," "Tully," "Won't You Be My Neighbor," "Leave No Trace," "Three Identical Strangers," are some of the great movies that have been released so far, but audiences have to be adventurous and seek these out in local arthouses, if they are even playing it in their city.
Some of the disappointments thus far include "Avengers: Infinity War," "Solo: A Star Wars Story," "Deadpool 2," "Ocean's 8," "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," and, if you actually had any expectations for it, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom."
Back to "Ant-Man and the Wasp." I know, I shouldn't have skipped the two press screenings that were showing it, but I just couldn't help it. There is absolutely nothing in Reed's movie that makes me want to see it. I'd rather watch a classic at home or some of the great television currently airing. I'll be back on the grind next week, and will most likely pay to watch "Ant-Man," but goddammit if this hasn't been a mediocre movie season.
So what's left? A few major studio releases, coming up in the next few weeks, include "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," "Skyscraper," "The Equalizer 2," "Mile 22," "Crazy Rich Asians," and "The Happytime Murders."
Every summer people look back at how great the movies of summer 1982 or 1984. Those have been known as the peaks of what a summer movie season should be.
What's astounding to me about this last summer's movie lineup is just how good it was despite people's misconceptions that we were living in some kind of cinematic doomsday. It's not every year you experience a season quite like it.
2009: The Hangover, Star Trek, Up, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, District 9, 500 Days of Summer, Moon, Drag Me to Hell, Public Enemies, In the Loop
1999: The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, South Park: Bigger Longer Uncut, American Pie, The Blair Witch Project, Eyes Wide Shut, Notting Hill, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Run Lola Run, The Iron Giant, Summer of Sam
1982: E.T, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, John Carpenter's The Thing, An Officer and a Gentleman, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porkys, Diner, Conan the Barbarian, Tron
2004: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Anchorman, The Notebook, Spider-Man 2 Napoleon Dynamite, The Bourne Supremacy, Collateral, Dodgeball, Fahrenheit 9/11, Maria Full of Grace, Before Sunset, Garden State
1980: The Empire Strikes Back, The Shining, Airplane!, The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, Dressed to Kill, Fame, Friday the 13th, Used Cars, The Big Red One, The Blue Lagoon
1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Die Hard, Coming to America, A Fish Called Wanda, Big, Midnight Run, Bull Durham, Married to the Mob, The Last Temptation of Christ, Willow
1984: Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Karate Kid, Gremlins, The Neverending Story, Once Upon a Time in America, Purple Rain, Red Dawn, Revenge of the Nerds, Top Secret, The Natural
1989: Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, When Harry Met Sally, Dead Poets' Society, Do the Right Thing, The Abyss, Ghostbusters II, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Lethal Weapon 2, Parenthood, Uncle Buck, Road House
2008: Iron Man, The Dark Knight, WALL-E, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Incredible Hulk, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, Kung Fu Panda
2005: Batman Begins, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, War of the Worlds, Wedding Crashers, Broken Flowers, Red Eye, Cinderella Man, Hustle & Flow, Grizzly Man
1998: Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, Mulan, There's Something About Mary, Out of Sight, Bulworth, The Mask of Zorro, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Buffalo 66, Blade, Mulan, The Negotiator
What do you think is the best summer movie season ever? Post your choice in the comments below!