This is a pretty good article looking at 2006’s summer movie season. So far the films have been let down after let down and with only a handful of blockbusters remaining it should be interesting to see if any of them can stand out and provide some compelling entertainment. I’m gonna put my money on Will Ferrell…
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For most people, it probably feels like summer has only just begun. The days are long, the beaches are crowded, and white pants are still socially acceptable for another two months. In movie theaters, though, you can already feel the season beginning to wind down. Sure, there are more big releases on the way; Miami Vice, Talladega Nights, and even — God save us — Material Girls (with both Duff sisters) have all yet to arrive. But we’ve already seen the most anticipated releases. Indeed, this has been the most maddeningly safe summer in recent movie memory.
The months of May through July, and even August, are always the domain of sequels, star vehicles, and big, empty action spectacles. But more than ever, this summer’s major studio offerings have been cripplingly tame and conservative. Conceptually and artistically, they have been so spineless that there will be little surprise when they leave an underwhelmingly unmemorable season in their wake.
Think back to last summer. There was another Star Wars prequel that destroyed everything else at the box office, while the creatively DOA Fantastic Four drew strong receipts. But alongside them were big-budget tent pole movies that took real chances. Batman Begins reinvigorated the franchise with a darker, more thoughtful and character-driven vision that wasn’t merely aimed at selling toys. Mr. and Mrs. Smith put forth the most violent romantic-comedy of all-time. Even War of the Worlds, for its easy packaging of Spielberg and Cruise, had the nerve to be a $200 million horror movie. These are the kinds of movies that add necessary spice to the predictable stew of the summer Cineplex. It’s no accident, then, that Batman is the movie from the summer of ‘05 that holds up best when revisited a year later.
Read the rest of the article here from PopMatters.com