Now that Summer is over and kids and teens are going back to school, it’s time for me to tell you the best and worst movies I’ve seen all summer long. 5 of them you can look forward to when they come out on Blu-Ray, and 5 of them you should watch on an airplane, when you’re too jet-lagged to even care about them.

The Summer’s 5 Best

5.) “Blindspotting”

David Diggs and Rafael Casal, longtime friends, are both fabulous in their writing and acting, representing their views of African American people and white cops in modern day Oakland.

4.) “Eighth Grade”

Elise Fisher (a former “Despicable Me” voice actress) is a natural as a teen preparing to go into high school. The scenes with her father (Josh Hamilton) are just touching, and their final conversation brings tears to my eyes.

3.) “Mission: Impossible-Fallout”

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, and he, once again, finds himself in dangerous situations and in a risky plot. Now this was a summer blockbuster.

2.) “Leave No Trace”

So far, not many people gave a sh*t about director Debra Granik’s next movie, but it currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I agree with that rating. It’s not often we get a clean drama that’s sentimental towards two people who have their own views on reality. No spoiled turd and no abusive fathers= a wonderful movie.

1.) “BlacKkKlansman”

Perhaps I was a bit hard in my review, but this is also a finalist for the best movie of the year.

Spike Lee’s next joint is a wild entertaining film that takes place in the 1970s, and is based on an insanely true racism story. John David Washington has a lot of his father in him. The cast also including Adam Driver and Topher Grace is outstanding, the blaxploitation quality is unbelievable, and the true nature of it all makes you want to join in the fight for equality.

In case there aren’t enough options, there were also fine choices like “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Incredibles 2,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Deadpool 2,” “Hereditary,” “Sorry to Bother You,” “Christopher Robin,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Wife,” and even I was dancing with “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The Summer’s 5 Worst

We’ve had box office disappointments like “Solo: A Star Wars Story” or washed out sequels like “The Equalizer 2,” but there are five movies on this list that drove me nuts all summer long.

5.) “Mile 22”

Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg both make a great team, but this time, “Mile 22” turns out to be some kind of a trailer for a sequel. All it is, is violence, violence, violence.

4.) “Tag”

Only the ending and credits scene featuring the real tag players is touching, but everything else in this comedy is dreadful.

3.) “The Spy Who Dumped Me”

Kate McKinnon strikes out once again in this pathetic spy spoof, and not even the wonderful Mila Kunis could survive this movie.

2.) “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”

This sequel is so self-congratulory, that it thinks it called “Jurassic World 2,” when really, it’s the fifth film. I’m a fan of the original “Jurassic Park,” but this sequel, given its stupid choices and routine situations, has ruined my memories.

1.) “The Happytime Murders”

A finalist for the worst movie of the year, I’m not surprised that, after learning it chose to be a raunchy comedy, this would be a sloppy puppet movie. Not even the hilarious Melissa McCarthy or Jim Henson’s son Brian, the director, could save it.

Come back in December, when you find out the real winners and losers of the year.

Categories: List