We’re off to a solid start to the summer movie season with the first five weeks gifting us a pair of solid sequels (Avengers: Age of Ultron & Pitch Perfect 2), The Rock defeating earthquakes/tsunamis in the wonderfully outrageous San Andreas, &, most notably, Mad Max: Fury Road which somehow managed to integrate themes of feminism & the dangers of religious fundamentalism into two hours of crazed action. That George Miller’s return to his Mad Max franchise would be both a worldwide hit, it’s grossed over $283 million to this point, & the best reviewed mainstream movie released this year gives some perspective on his accomplishment. While those who keep an eye on the indie scene have had a variety of interesting, & well reviewed, fair to choose from. There’s been an impressively cast period romance (Far From The Madding Crowd), an Ethan Hawke led examination of the drone war (Good Kill), another offbeat Kristen Wiig film (Welcome to Me), a gym comedy starring Cobie Smulders & Guy Pearce (Results), & an inventive western featuring Michael Fassbender & the Hound from Game of Thrones (Slow West).* Granted it hasn’t all been good. Poltergeist looks to have been another needless remake. Hot Pursuit was hot trash. The much hyped, by me anyway, Tomorrowland, was solid but never quite equaled up to the sum of its parts, while Aloha put an exclamation mark on Cameron Crowe’s decade long slump. But misses are inevitable, what matters are the good ones & there are plenty left to come.
* If you’re in Tucson you can still catch “Slow West” at the loft & “Madding Crowd” at el con, where you can also still see the excellent “Ex Machina.” You might also try on demand for these smaller films.
