Challenging the New Epics
5 Movies to Help Get Through The Summer Blockbuster Season
But, as much fun as blockbusters can be, the enjoyment that ten-thousand dollars worth of explosives and special effects can bring is quick and fleeting. In fact, it’s almost completely gone before the credits roll. That’s just the nature of the beast; movies that are designed to get your heart racing will always begin to lose their edge once your pulse slows.
This, of course, does not appply to the new Indiana Jones movie, which should be taken like it was Tylenol and seen every four to six hours.
Even if you enjoy every last blast and bang, those nasty ticket prices make it costly to keep up with new releases. Eventually, you’ll find yourself supporting a very expensive habit every weekend. Movie fatigue can happen to the best of us and not even The Hulk’s awe-inspiring wrath can destroy it.
When the doldrums come calling right in the middle of the blockbuster season, the only thing left to do is to recharge the inner cinemaphile by raiding the local video store for a few choice rentals. So, with that in mind, here are a few films that should help combat the fatigue born in the relentless, non-stop action that brews in the blockbuster heat.
13 Tzameti – 2005 – Directed by Gela Babluani
This is one for the grey-matter crowd. Let’s face it – nothing will make someone question the validity of man’s existence like a good ole’ fashioned French, existential thriller. 13 Tzameti follows Sebastian, an impoverished laborer who intercepts a letter intended for his employer. Enclosed in a striped envelope is a promise of massive wealth for an evening’s worth of work. He evades police and follows scant clues in pursuit of a cash prize but finds himself at the center of a depraved gambling organization that places money on the lives of its players, pitted against each other in a massive game of Russian Roulette. There is almost no perceived character development, scant music, and very little in the way of dialogue but the fuller plot of the movie boils just beneath the surface displayed on screen. Gela Babluani shines as a director by calling attention to the details within the atmosphere that surrounds the game. The buzzing of revolver chambers, the pervasive superstitions, and even the etiquettes observed by the gamblers are all used to give the film a hypnotic quality that leaves the viewer transfixed to the screen while adding a tangible suspense to the action.
Say Anything – 1989 – Directed by Cameron Crowe
Who says teen movies have to be about hormone-fueled romps and proms that go violently awry? Crowe’s movie breaks the glass ceiling put over most teen movies and makes teen romance seem just as real and beautiful as anything portrayed in Jane Austen. Say Anything is the perfect selection when looking for a quiet evening for two.
Goodfellas – 1990 – Directed by Martin Scorsese
This classic is one for the guys to watch over a long poker game. No one can transform violence and gang culture into art like Scorsese. Goodfellas is based on the life of the life of gangster, Henry Hill, and catalogues his meteoric rise and fall in a career of crime. Where the movie differs from most films in the crime-drama genre is the rich quality that every character brings to the story. The performances of Ray Liotta, Robert Deniro, and Joe Pesci are phenomenal and, at times, mesmerizing but it’s the supporting cast that really lets the full force of the story hold sway over the audience. Paul Sorvino and Lorraine Bracco are equally as impressive as their top-billed counterparts. Even Scorsese’s use of music builds a wholly engrossing narrative that makes Goodfellas far more than a mere mob flick.
The Goonies – 1985 – Directed by Richard Donner
Feeling nostalgic? Want something to watch with the kids without having to deal with an obnoxious, yellow sponge? The Goonies have you covered. Go relive the glory days of youth with an adventure that includes pirates, lost caverns, and an old friend by the name of Sloth. As a bonus, keep in mind that if the children really get into the adventure a fortune could be saved on Kung-Fu Panda merchandise.
Lawrence of Arabia – 1962 – Directed by David Lean
Ah, Lawrence – The Original Gangster of Hollywood blockbusters. This classic still holds its own against any movie made since it premiered almost fifty years ago. Peter O’Toole plays TE Lawrence, the larger-than-life British soldier who helped to engineer the Arab Revolt during the First World War. The movie is partly based on his memoirs, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but also takes into account the perceptions of Lawrence’s friends and associates, letting the audience play as they decide which parts of his story were true and which were exaggerations. Add a brilliant score, breath-taking cinematography and a cast at the top of their game to the mix and you can see why Lawrence of Arabia isthe line in the sand between a movie and a masterpiece.
There they are – five quality movies you can use to substitute or supplement with any new release this summer. So go out, grab a few, get a snack, a friend or two and watch to your heart’s content.
