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If you thought this summer's movies sucked, that's probably because you only saw G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra or Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Many of the season's most profitable hits were also terrific entertainments -- The Hangover, Up and Star Trek, to name three. But there were also these five excellent, provocative entries -- some of which may end up in Oscar contention. If they're still playing and you haven't seen them, do. Remember, there will always be good films as long as people pay to see them.
The Cove: Infuriating and exciting, this documentary about the slaughter of dolphins by the Japanese breaks the heart and jangles the nerves as it follows a team of eco-activists and filmmakers racing to expose a town's unfathomable secret. Despite critical praise, The Cove has been struggling to attract moviegoers who would rather be lulled into a stupor by Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
District 9: It's a hit, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't deserve kudos -- or an endorsement in case you haven't seen it. It's precisely the sort of movie Hollywood used to do so well -- inventive, creative, original, thrilling -- and needs to again.
The Hurt Locker: By jettisoning politics and focusing on lacerating suspense, this Iraq war thriller is the one with the guts, muscle and you-are-there immediacy to lodge itself into the psyche. Director Kathryn Bigelow's drama depicts the elite bomb technicians whose task it is to uncover and disarm explosives -- preferably without blowing themselves up in the process.
(500) Days of Summer: Forget The Time Traveler's Wife. This is the chrono-challenged romance of the summer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the luminescent Zooey Deschanel have the superstar goods.
Public Enemies: Like District 9, this 1930s gangster epic did find an audience -- thanks to the magnetism of Johnny Depp -- but its box office is still dwarfed by movies based on action figures. As is true of all of Michael Mann's crime films, this neo-noir is taciturn, exacting and stone cold.
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