Summer movie season is about to be on us, and it is generally the most enjoyable part of the movie season. I think its’ more of a welcome relief, honestly, as the winter and early spring portion of the movie-going experience are generally sub-par in preparation for the big business of the summer time. I’ve always felt that the summer time is also when the movies I will like the most will be out, as Oscar season generally produces more critics favorites movies and cult Indy flicks than anything else; the summer is where the big budget, big explosion, big fun movies that I love and enjoy all generally come out. But then again I thought Spider-Man 2 and Collateral should’ve gotten more attention than Scorsese’s stinker did at the Academy Awards for 2004 so what do I know.
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Johnny Depp’s best work has always come when he gets to play off-beat eccentrics. And when I found out he was going to be Willie Wonka in this particular remake I was really excited. I think Tim Burton is the right guy to coax the necessary performance from Depp, as he has a directorial style much more suited to this kind of material. With the character of Willie Wonka being the kind of character that Depp would be perfect for, as well as a seasoned director who has worked with Depp three times prior, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a feel to it from just the teaser trailer alone that makes me want to go see it.
4. The Brothers Grimm
Anytime you make a movie involving fairy tales, you can either make a gem of a movie (Finding Neverland) or you can make a movie that isn’t (Hook). However, fairy tale-esque movies of late have been really good. There has to be a certain high quality to this movie, I think, if it was originally set to be released winter 2004 for Oscar season. I think the sort of story it has to offer and the cast (Matt Damon and Heath Ledger) offer much in terms of entertainment.
3. The Longest Yard
I have been a big fan of Adam Sandler since his SNL days, and The Longest Yard remains one of my favorite sports movies. So when I heard they were redoing it with Adam Sandler I was pretty excited as Sandler is one of my favorite comedians. His first sports movie was the iconic Happy Gilmore, rivaling only Caddyshack in the golf movie pantheon, and as the years have progressed he has become a much funnier comedian. His sense of comic timing has simply gone from playing a buffoon who warms your heart to being able to play a much more adult character who is very funny. With sports movies being in vogue lately, and with their rather high quality as of late, this has all the makings of a really great movie.
2. Cinderella Man
I was always into sports growing up, and the one that I thought was the best was boxing. This was the era of Mike Tyson and the stare of doom, the time when boxing still felt pure in some way. There was always Raging Bull and Rocky, as well as the Rocky sequels, to watch as well. And somehow, someway, the magic of boxing has long since left. The good stories are of heroes gone past, James Braddock amongst them, and having the story of the guy who defied the odds and knocked out the unstoppable giant combines so much allegory and hero-making that you’d have a hard time swallowing if it wasn’t the truth. With the always awesome Russell Crowe in as the man who would be champion, as well as Renee Zelwegger, as well as Ron Howard directing, Cinderella Man looks like its’ the preseason favorite at the Academy Awards next February.
1. War of the Worlds
Tom Cruise is my favorite working actor in Hollywood right now; with few exceptions he always turns in top notch work year in, year out. As both an actor and as an action star he always turns in top-notch performances; out of anyone currently in Hollywood, Cruise is the guy people look to and say ‘He’s a huge star’ when trying to discuss their place of relative importance in the food chain. And the last time he partnered with Steven Spielberg, 2002’s absolutely incredible Minority Report came in to being. Spielberg has gone on record saying that he has wanted to make a movie about surviving the apocalypse, Cruise postponed Mission:Impossible 3 and Spielberg put a potential 4th Indiana Jones episode on the shelf to do this movie, the one he’s always wanted to do with the best action hero in the post-Schwarzenegger era of big budget movie-making.
Combine one of the greatest stories put to paper, the best actor working today (and the vehicle that could potentially earn him his first Academy Award) and one of the best directors of all time crafting the one masterpiece he’s wanted to make, throw in $200 million dollars plus for the budget, and you shake it all up you have the ingredients to the movie I want to see most this summer.
