Summer Movies 2010 - June

I am continuing to discuss the movies I saw over the summer of 2010 briefly.  This post will cover the movies that were released in June.

Killers is a bit different from what I expected, but I managed to enjoy it overall.  I was hesitant about seeing it because of Katherine Heigl - I just don’t like her that much.  I decided to see it anyway.  I was entertained overall, but the movie does have issues with the plot and characters.  Fans of Heigl or Ashton Kutcher may find something to like about it.

The A-Team is based on the popular television show that aired in the 1980s.  I watched the show all the time.  The show was over the top, but it worked was entertaining.  I was a little surprised that this movie didn’t do better.  I loved it.  It was a fun action comedy type of movie.  The cast is great in their parts and the plot is entertaining while also serving as basically a origin story, telling how the group came to do what they were doing.  I would definitely go see another movie, though I don’t know that one will be made.

Toy Story 3 is one of the rare sequels that Pixar has made.  It is also a third movie that is just as good as the first - something that is incredibly rare.  It was one of the most anticipated movies of the summer and ended up being one of the biggest.  The plot continues the story that began in the first movie and the characters have new adventures.  I think the movie stays true to the first movies and what has been established about the characters really well.  The animation is absolutely amazing and the 3D effects work to enhance things in a subtle way.  The movie is fun, touching, and highly emotional.  Animated plastic toys have more heart and produce more emotion than most human characters.  Yes, the movie made me cry.  The movie is absolutely wonderful and definitely one of the best of the year.  The animated short, Day & Night, that plays before the movie is one of the most creative that Pixar has done.

Marmaduke is another of the movies featuring real animals made to look like they are talking.  This one really wasn’t one I was that interested in seeing, but I saw it anyway.  There are a few cute moments, but it isn’t that great and I don’t think I would have missed much if I had skipped the movie.  There is some humor, but most of it didn’t work for me.  Children will probably enjoy the movie more than I did.

The Karate Kid is sort of a remake, though several things about the story are different from the earlier version.  The name doesn’t exactly fit since kung fu is used instead of karate.  The story, while not overly original, is very entertaining.  There is a decent amount of action to what is happening.  Jaden Smith does a really good job in the movie and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he has a long acting career.  I haven’t seen all of Jackie Chan’s movies, but this is probably the best acting I’ve seen from him.  The movie is definitely worth seeing.

Knight and Day looked better from the previews than it ultimately ended up being.  It is an entertaining movie, but it could have been a lot better.  The plot is interesting and mostly fun, though it didn’t seem to be as developed as it could have been.  The action scenes are entertaining, though some of them go way over the top.  This one was only ok for me.