Coffee Break: Summer Blockbusters

I love going to the movies. There’s something about the act of “going,” the shared viewing, that makes this institution one of my, and America’s, favorite pastimes. Back when I lived in Tokyo, there was a theater I used to frequent. It was a small, rather dingy one, devoid of any IMAX capabilities or modern sound systems. Yet, there was something about it that kept me coming back (much to my friends’ chagrin). Perhaps it was the faint flicker of the silver screen or the gentle hum of the rolling film that one could hear when sitting in the back of the theater. It was small, unassuming, and old. I owe much of my love for movie going to that particular theater. Movie going has become, in a sense, a quick, therapeutic escape from my daily life. This is why, it is perhaps this activity that I frequently choose to engage in during the summer—a short sabbatical from my hectic life as an intern. In the next few days, I'll be bringing  you reviews of three summer blockbusters-- The Proposal, Bruno, and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The first summer flick I watched was The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. When it comes to rom-coms, I consider myself an elitist—I hold rom-coms to the same standards of good acting, convincing plots, and witty scripts as I do any other types of movies. The Proposal met and exceeded my expectations. Margaret Tate (Bullock), editor-in-chief of Colden Books, is the literary world’s equivalent of Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada. She’s sharp, cutthroat, and has no tolerance for incompetence. So it’s not surprising that when she finds out that she is being deported to Canada because she had failed to renew her work permit, she expects her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), to marry her. One thing leads to another and soon Tate and Paxton are forced to play the happy couple at Paxton’s parents’ home in Alaska. The movie is equal parts sweet and funny and the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds is surprisingly very good.

3.5 stars/5 stars

Leave comments about your thoughts on these movies. Also, feel free to recommend other flicks I can watch this summer.