Top 10 movies of the summer

Can I get a hallelujah for a summer full of movies that did not suck? Aside from a few duds back in May, the major releases each weekend managed to generate quality entertainment for summer moviegoers.

Now I can only vouch for the films that I actually saw this summer, so forgive me if I miss some of the smaller, limited release movies. That being said, here are my top ten summer films:

10. The Incredible Hulk
This attempt was a huge improvement over the first, and that alone earns this movie a spot in my top 10. Not only was it a bold attempt by director Louis Leterrier, to revive something that failed so miserable the first time, but he also managed to put together a strong cast and better story line.

9. The Strangers
This was by far the best horror movie of the summer. First time director Bryan Bertino’s, take on this not-so-new idea is reminiscent of horror classics like The Last House on the Left and The Shining with its heavy reliance on psychological horror as opposed to blood and gore.

8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The newest installment in the Hellboy series cranked up the funny and continued with its stunning visual style compliments of director, Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman (Hellboy) never fails to entertain and the introduction of Johann Krauss (Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy) breathes new life into the film. I’m already looking forward to part three.

7. Hancock
A lot of critics gave bad ratings to this one, but I have to disagree with them. Will Smith and Charlize Theron take on a pretty serious love based story and turn it into a great comedy with some very touching moments. The plot may take an odd turn from what you’d expect after seeing the trailers but it is almost refreshing that the film does not rely on non-stop action the whole time.

6. Step Brothers
The latest from director Adam Mckay, is pretty similar to most of the Will Ferrell comedies. Vulgar, obscure and pretty immature, this is a great film to catch if you need some laughs without having to think about the joke. However, I am beginning to wonder if Ferrell has fallen into an abyss of the same character for the rest of his career.

5. The Pineapple Express
While not as funny as Knocked Up and Superbad, this Judd Apatow film brings back the stoner buddy film for our generation. While it is not quite Cheech and Chong material it was one of the better comedies of the summer. James Franco was definitely the shining star and proves that someone can actually upstage Seth Rogen in a film.

4. Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. made his triumphant return in the first major super hero movie of the summer. The action sequences are much more realistic and visually appealing than that of the Spiderman movies and the quick wit of Downey gives this flick a comedic bite that we don’t get to experience often in this genre.

3. Wanted
Director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch) brought his unique vision to this non-stop thrill ride. The look of the film was very unique and the story line is simple and flowed nicely, leading up to a nice twist ending. The largest credit needs to be given to the actors, though, as they truly made this a fun film to watch. James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman give this film its power and the DVD release cannot come soon enough.

2. Tropic Thunder
This was hands-down, the best comedy of the summer. The all-star cast of Ben Stiller  (also the director), Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson and Nick Nolte give the performance of the summer and the results are laughter to the point of tears. As good as the stars are, Tom Cruise outshines them all in his small part as a talent agency president redeems all of the stupid things he has done to date.

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