For those who were broke, comatose or stranded in a yurt the last three months, here are Intermission’s top five movies from the past summer.
(1) Toy Story 3
The third installment of the beloved series is yet another flawless combination of humor, adventure and touching poignancy. Pixar breathed more humanity into these inanimate objects than any other movie studio could do with regular actors. Nobody but the Grinch (or Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester) could have left the theater without tearing up a little.
(2) Inception
In a sea of brainless, flashy blockbusters, Christopher Nolan does his part to bring well-crafted, brilliant pieces of film to the masses. His dreamy, mind-bending thriller is no exception. Chalk it up with “Memento,” “The Prestige” and the new Batman movies – this guy is on a serious streak.
(3) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Videogames generally do not transfer to the big screen very well (see 1993’s god-awful “Super Mario Bros.”). So leave it to a film adaptation of a graphic novel to perfectly incorporate the zany aesthetics of a videogame from its hyperkinetic “Mortal Kombat” fight scenes to the pee bar that appears when the titular hero uses the restroom. While the film’s box office receipts left much to be desired, the quirky, surreal film is destined for cult status.
(4) Salt
After Tom Cruise dropped out of the movie, Columbia Pictures caused waves by changing the lead character from Edwin Salt to Evelyn Salt and recruiting Angelina Jolie to headline the spy thriller. It’s a good thing they did. Jolie’s sexy, rogue agent and the movie’s twists and turns made “Salt” the kind of fun, big-action blockbuster that summer is all about.
(5) Going the Distance
Sure it’s your standard rom-com – boy meets girl, boy almost loses girl but decides to enter a long distance relationship, hijinks ensue – but it’s a darn entertaining one. The movie unapologetically earns its R rating again and again with hilarious dialogue and, at times, crude physical comedy. Drew Barrymore, likable as always, carries the film as Erin, an aspiring journalist who leaves New York to attend grad school at Stanford (!).