Summer’s almost over, but we’re still gushing about our favorite summer movies here at Tongal. It’s no secret that we love watching movies, almost as much as we love branded content. An impromptu screening of a technicolor classic or an off-beat 80s comedy is not an unusual occurrence in our office. In fact, many of our producers come from the entertainment biz, so it’s no wonder we take our movie-watching and critiquing so seriously, especially as our development team works on creating cool opportunities to connect Tongal projects with upcoming releases, like the new Wonder project.
From the outset, this year’s summer lineup seemed to promise the usual concoction of sequels, reboots, and superheroes. But this class of films went more rogue than usual: favoring digging a little deeper into the characters over long action sequences. The writing, storytelling, and direction felt freer, less processed by the studio machine, all while breaking stereotypes and records along the way. So here are the must-see movies of this summer according to our survey of Tongal employees, along with some quick and candid reviews from our team.
Baby Driver by Edgar Wright
Buckle up; the best movie of this summer is Baby Driver (according to our survey). Baby Driver barely edged past Wonder Woman for the number one spot. This slick, rollicking jukebox thriller, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Eiza González, includes all the fun bells and whistles of a 70s exploitation flick - fast cars, bank robberies, and loads of kitschy dialogue (“He’s the young Mozart in a go-kart”). At the center of the high-speed chases is Baby, a professional getaway driver who’s one bank heist away from being released from an involuntary contract with crime leader, Doc, played meticulously by Kevin Spacey. Each car chase is beautifully choreographed to an eclectic mix of 50s surf music and British pop, making for a fun, crowd-pleasing spectacle that will make you consider getting a souped up Subaru.
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2. Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins
Wonder Woman is a fun and exhilarating female-driven superhero movie that fills a gaping hole in Hollywood: the need for a strong female superhero / action star lead (this role was also recently filled by Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde as the first female 007). In terms of box office revenue, no movie came close to the jaw-dropping $800 million worldwide in sales. So along with shattering through a few brick walls and kicking ass in no-man’s land, Wonder Woman is also shattering some glass ceilings as well: highest-grossing live-action movie by a female director, second woman to single-handedly direct any Hollywood live-action movie with a production budget over $100 million, best second weekend box office of any modern superhero movie, and the list goes on. The best part about this movie is that Wonder Woman is free to be herself; she’s not used as a vehicle for social commentary at every turn; like any well-trained warrior, she’s focused on her goal of defeating Ares, which allows Gal Gadot to play Wonder Woman with singular clarity and confidence.
As one Tongal reviewer succinctly puts it, “Wonder Woman - because it's the movie America needed!”
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3. Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan // Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by James Gunn
Tied for third, although light years apart in terms of narrative structure and tone, Dunkirk and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 make their way to the top of the list. Dunkirk follows the slow, grueling evacuation of the Allied forces along the French coastal town for which the film is named. Many of the characters are nameless, and not a single line of dialogue is written for the sake of exhibition or character development. Because of this you’re forced to follow the characters along their terrifying journey. Signature to Nolan’s style, time is a little loosey-goosey, but this serves the experimental nature of the film well, tying together the disorienting paths of the people on the beach, at sea, and in the air.
“This film is a great reminder of the power of visual storytelling. Christopher Nolan offers a visual feast and one impossible to replicate outside of the theatrical experience, and leverages the physical performances of his actors, the delicate balance of music and sound, and the sweeping, desolate visuals to tell this epic of survival against insurmountable odds.”
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has the same groovy mixtape appeal as Baby Driver. What do you expect from a 70s space comic? The story surprisingly favors conversation over extended music-infused action sequences, which became one of the polarizing things about the movie, but our Tongal reviewers seemed to be pleased with the final result.
“As far as blockbuster summer movies go, Guardians of the Galaxy was pretty much perfect! Lots of fun, a little dumb, buy hey, at least the soundtrack kept you dancing in your seat! Also, I was happy to see that Kirk from Gilmore Girls had a bigger role in the sequel (fun fact: he's the director's brother).”
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Any movie where you get to hear Kurt Russell sing ‘Brandy’ is four stars in my book.”
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4. War for the Planet of the Apes by Matt Reeves
Last but not least, War for the Planet of the Apes caps our must-see list from this summer. This trilogy has been praised by critics consistently since the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), so it’s no wonder the finale is so spectacular. This film should also get high praise for its special effects, motion capture, and not-making a monkey riding a horse look completely and utterly ridiculous.
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Honorable mentions from Team Tongal go to Girls Trip, The Big Sick and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The Big Sick:
“While not perfect in terms of the way it handled its gender politics, The Big Sick did offer a very sweet and touching romantic comedy through the lens of someone who comes from an immigrant family and the challenges of both staying true to your identity while embracing a new home.”
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Spider-Man: Homecoming:
“Spider-Man was all around a great film. The casting was phenomenal, really like the new Peter Parker. He honestly was awesome to watch on screen.”
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Girls Trip:
“Because Tiffany Haddish is hilarious...”
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We also want to hear your thoughts on this year’s summer films. Feel free to leave your comments section below or share your thoughts on this post in the Tongal Community Forum.
I LOVED Girls Trip!
