This is the time of year when, like a character from a bad sci-fi movie, I leap into the brains of a bunch of L.A. teenagers, eager to hear what they think about the nonstop onslaught of summer movies.
I call them my Summer Movie Posse. We watch the trailers from a dozen or so upcoming films, then I take notes as the kids pick them apart, offering acerbic, insightful and sometimes surprising thoughts on what they liked and what they loathed. It's not exactly a scientific form of market research, but it's far more revealing than hearing what a bunch of jaded adults might have to say about "Land of the Lost."
When they're done, the Posse grades each film on a 1-to-10 scale (10 being best). They occasionally fall in love with an oddball film, but I'd happily put the Posse's picks up against any Entertainment Weekly summer movie box-office prediction. The Top 5 picks from last year's Posse were "Pineapple Express," "The Dark Knight," "Hancock," "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- and all five were big hits. Their Bottom 5 films included "Love Guru" and "Speed Racer," so I'd say they were pretty in touch with the summer movie zeitgeist.
This year's Posse was recruited by Molly Philbin, a 16-year-old student at Santa Monica High, joined by five other kids, ranging in age from 15 to 18. Five go to Santa Monica High, one attends University High.
Like all kids, they have strong opinions, especially when it comes to actors. Who do they like the most? Johnny Depp, who is considered unimpeachably cool, no matter what movie he's in. Among comics, they like Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Adam Sandler, Justin Long and Ben Stiller. They are big fans of Denzel Washington, whom they view as a class act. They're less enamored of -- or have grave reservations about -- Christian Bale, Will Ferrell, Shia LaBeouf and Alison Lohman.
Actors are clearly more important to them than filmmakers. The only directors who registered on their radar were Quentin Tarantino -- whom they find fascinating -- and Michael Bay, of whom one of the Posse said, "He keeps making the same movie over and over again, as if he hopes someday he'll get it right."
In years past, most of their favorite movies have been comedies. But this year's Posse gave its top three scores to action films, led by "Terminator Salvation," which they thought had great visual effects and the makings of a compelling story. The No. 2 and No. 3 films were the real shockers, with "Public Enemies" coming in at No. 2 and Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" ranking No. 3.
