Labor Day, traditionally, marks the end of the summer movie season. And, by the looks of the trailers, it was a really good season of movies. But Christopher and I had problems getting the time to go out to many movies. So I just kept adding things to my Netflix queue, and checking the cheap seats theaters in the hopes that I might catch movies before they're gone.
In the past 10 days, though, we actually got to see two of the summer movies. The first was Elysium, which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. It's a movie that is, at the base, a statement about the haves versus the have-nots. Matt Damon, a have-not, decides he wants to be a have. Jodie Foster, a have, decides she wants to be a have-more.
There's cybernetics and action and some really cool visual effects. And, actually, a bit more story than you might expect.
There's also more graphic violence than I had expected. Not that it was inappropriate, it was just really kind of sudden and shocking at times.
On the other hand, we also went to see The World's End, which has been - in some circles - referred to as the third installment of the Cornetto Trilogy, which started with Shawn of the Dead, and was followed by Hot Fuzz. Granted, the stories aren't connected, but the two lead actors are the same in each.
This one, instead of being a Zombie movie or a Buddy Cop flick, is a cross between a high school reunion movie and an alien abduction movie. And, you know, it's a really good combo.
As with Elysium, there's cybernetics and action and some really cool visual effects. And, well, maybe not all that much more story than you'd expect.
Two versions of dystopian society - one serious, one serio-comic. Two movies very much worth seeing.
Elysium - B+. I'd have been okay with it without the shocking violence, although Christopher said that the director does this kind of thing in his movies, so if I had seen anything else by him I might have been okay.
The World's End - A-. Because I had seen a movie by these folks before, I knew what to watch for, and I laughed out loud a lot, but also found myself liking the serious aspects from time to time.
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