Catching Up is Hard to Do: Why the Film Critic Inside Me is Starting to Come Back

(My renactment of the opening scene in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening)

I know I sound like a broken record, but I can’t get over how awful this summer was for movies. Besides the exceptions of Inception and Toy Story 3, the pain the film critic inside had to endure this year was almost too much for me to take. When The Last Airbender came out in July, not only was it a disappointment, the critical back-lashing behind it made me second guess a passion I’ve had since I was 12 years old. So I apologize if I needed a three-month break. Luckily though, my old habits are starting to resurface.

Just because I stopped writing reviews for a while certainly did not mean I stopped going to the movies. I just felt a little uninspired after trying to figure out what in the hell happened this summer. So instead of focusing on the past, I am starting to look to the future.

I think this year made me realize just how much of a fan I am of event movies. Sure, most of them aren’t the best movies of the year, but a few always are. This year was Inception, last year was Avatar, and the year before that was The Dark Knight. I think with the future of what is to come for the blockbuster genre is a sure sign that the movie lover in me is ready to come out again.

In the next five years or so, we will have a third Batman movie, a new Superman movie, The Avengers, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit (in two parts), the conclusion to the Harry Potter franchise, an Avatar sequel, and two new Spielberg movies. Here's hoping that blockbuster cinema will finally get back on track.The reason why I have chosen to highlight these movies is because of the talent behind them.

Christopher Nolan is concluding his Batman trilogy with great promise, along with supervising the new Superman movie directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300).

The Avengers will mark the first time several comic book characters will be in one movie with all the leads coming together (Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in particular).

Peter Jackson is finally confirmed as the director for The Hobbit. No offense to Guillermo Del Toro, while it was disappointing that he moved on, I found it very fitting that Peter Jackson is retaking the thrown.

Harry Potter, one of the most profitable franchises of all time, is nearing its end, and it looks to be at the top of its game.

James Cameron is heading back to Pandora with a sequel to the biggest movie ever, Avatar, where it's rumored that the second chapter will feature the oceans of Pandora.

And finally, Steven Spielberg, the king of blockbuster cinema himself, is on the fast track to direct his first feature since the disappointing Indiana Jones revival in 2008. In fact, he may be competing against himself. In December 2011, he will be releasing his animated featuring with co-producer Peter Jackson, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, and only five days later will his WWI film War Horse be released. It is a story about a young man who tries to get his horse back after it is sold to the Calvary, even though the man is to young to enlist.

I’m not saying all of these films will be successful. I’m simply stating that because of the talent behind them, we may be looking at a comeback for the genre. Or to word it more truthfully, we hope for a comeback. Let’s not forget about that Michael Bay movie that is being released on July 1^st, 2011, that not only looks to damper my spirits, but to completely rip my movie-loving heart out. I am talking about its title: Transformers: The Dark of the Moon.

My only emotional response to that title? Pink Floyd should sue.