The TV Addict 

Every now and then you come across a film that reminds you exactly why you go to the movies in the first place. Why you time after time invest two hours of your life to be transported to other worlds, hoping that you will become emotionally wrapped up in them. Hoping to find a character whose emotional world you’re so invested in that every step he or she takes feels like your own. Hoping, above all else, for the sheer joy a movie can provide us. With more joy, more emotion in every frame than anything else you will see this year, WALL-E is exactly why we go to the movies.

WALL-E is an advanced garbage compactor, the last of his kind left behind on earth hundreds of years ago to clean up the post-apocalyptic garbage wasteland created by a consumerist society run amok. Day after day WALL-E sees his directive through but not without his own unique touch: a personality. He’s a curious fella, collecting knick-knacks, and tucking them away in his home. It doesn’t take us long to realize though that WALL-E is a lonely little guy, one who longs for the grand romance he finds in the musical numbers of the video of HELLO,DOLLY he watches so often. Sure enough when a much more sophisticated robot, EVE, shows up on Earth to test its habitability, our little hero falls adorably in love, and a chain of events occur that remind us to what lengths that emotion can push us to.

In many ways it seems as if WALL-E was the product of a dare. It’s as if somebody said to Pixar: “Bet you can’t make a great film and character with barely any dialogue.” Well, Pixar accomplished just that. WALL-E is such a phenomenal film because of its central character, whether he can talk or not. He is not only one of Pixar’s most endearing characters, he may just be one of the most enchanting ones I’ve ever come across in a film. I can think of few times where I was so enthralled by a character, so deeply invested in his emotions and goals, and so full of warm fuzzy feelings when they are realized. His journey made me laugh, aw, and even cry (a little).

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Editor’s Note: Our Top 10 Anticipated Summer Movies was actually written in April, but posted late due to theTVaddict’s unfortunate addiction to TV!

Honorable Mentions: THE HAPPENING, THE INCREDIBLE HULK,

Guilty Pleasures: MAMMA MIA!, SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2, THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND , WANTED, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

10. GET SMART (June 20th)
I’ll concede that there’s a pretty substantial chance that GET SMART might not end up being very good. The thing is I grew up loving the TV show (when I lived in Germany the only English-language channel we got was one that played older shows like “Bewitched,” “I Dream of Jennie,” etc), and Steve Carell is ideally suited for the role – both in terms of appearance and humor. I also never cease to enjoy watching The Rock poking fun at himself, nor seeing Anne Hathaway get increasingly more attractive and diverse with her roles.

9. STEP BROTHERS (July 25th)
The interactions between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in TALLEDGA NIGHTS were the highlight of the film for me, and the notion of pitting them together as boy-men stepbrothers is nothing short of comedic gold. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much during a trailer. The “Did we just become best friends?!” line cracks me up every time. It’s good too to see that Will Ferrell is taking a role that is also ideally suited for his brand of humor (and isn’t making fun of a sport/career).

8. TROPIC THUNDER (August 15th)
Robert Downey Jr. playing an over-the-top method actor playing an African American solider? That’s all I pretty much need right there. But sure, having Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte and a handful of cameos doesn’t hurt either, nor does the film’s motivation to spoof war films like APOCALYPSE NOW and the way they attempted to immerse their actors in the war experience.

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Last week a number of highly anticipated films released new high quality production stills, so I thought I’d throw in a sort of “Greatest Hits” of the ones I thought stood out the most, including some from the QUANTUM OF SOLACE (which seem to reveal that the guy from the end of CASINO ROYALE gets a bit of a working over, and even Bond looks pretty beat up here), great iconic images from THE DARK KNIGHT, some romantic TWILIGHT moments, and a gorgeous image from WALL-E.

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