It’s popcorn movie season again. You know that time of year when special effects and explosions take the place of actual plot and dialogue.
I’m not complaining. I like summer movies. I don’t have to think. I get to visit old friends. Generally, I get to be enterained.
I perused the month-by-month movie listing over at IMDB and I found this summer’s crop to be a little lacking. Then again, last summer was chock full of great summer movies (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Kung Fu Panda, Wanted, Hellboy II), so maybe its just a summer movie hangover.
I’m a little late getting my preview list up since two of the movies on it have already been reviewed here on GonzoGeek, but better late than never.
Here now, in no particular order, are the summer movies I’m most looking forward to.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine – see our review here
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Star Trek – see our review here
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Terminator: Salvation – The casting of Christian Bale as John Connor moved this one from a maybe to a must see for me. And I’m fine with Ah-nuld not being the Terminator in it. We’ve been waiting for this story since James Camerson planted the notion of SkyNet in our heads 25 (?!) years ago and had me and my classmates wearing Gargoyles in an effort to look cool. This one promises big explosions and the potential of a good story to go along with them.
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Land of the Lost – I know, I know. Will Ferrell is played out. That may well be, but the important thing about this movie is that its going to put the talents of Danny McBride on display for a wider audience. In the last couple of weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that McBride might just be the funniest guy working in Hollywood right now. He’s certainly one of the most fearless. Oh yeah, and there are Sleestaks. What a great way to share a childhood memory with the kids.
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Public Enemies – This might be the one I’m looking forward to the most. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale under the direction of Michael Mann? Seriously, what’s not to like. Sure, its a period piece, but its also a gangster movie. This one has the earmarks of a sleeper and a potential classic.
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Up – Its Pixar. They’re still batting100. This one looks like a fun romp with some serious imagination put into it. Its Pixar. Ed Asner is the cranky old guy lead. Its Pixar.
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Funny People – This is probably my number two for the summer. I’m firmly in the Apatow camp. Have been since “Freaks and Geeks.” This time out, he adds Adam Sandler to his repertorie company. I think Apatow can bring out the good things we’ve been seeing more of out of Sandler recently without completely castrating his weird child act. Seth Rogan is the second banana in this one and that’s frankly a better place for him.
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – With this one, the Potter folks are well on their way into the darkness. I can’t believe I could spoil things for anyone, but a major character will die. These movies have been fun if uneven, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the war going on around the young wizards.
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The Hangover – 3 buddies lose the groom during a Vegas bachelor party? Probably been done before, but when the buddies are Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, the potential for laughs goes up exponentially. A late summer flyer to be sure.
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GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Sure, its based on a cartoon used to market toys to kids in the 80s, but its still a solid premise. Will they seek to analogize to the current world climate? Likely only on the surface. This isn’t a message movie, its a balls out action movie. At least I hope so.
Others of interest? Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, District 9, Pelham 123, H2, Inglorious Basterds and Night at the Museum: The Battle of the Smithsonian
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