R0bTrain's 2006 Summer Movie Preview

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By God, summertime is back! For movie lovers, the summer represents the high point in the year for just getting out to the theater and having some fun. In the dog days, there’s no place I’d rather be than sitting in the air conditioning at the local multiplex and eating a huge tub of popcorn. 2006 is a proving ground for the box office. Last year, despite huge numbers for several films, a Star Wars and a Batman entry in theaters, totals were down from the year before. While I don’t believe quality was the reason for the slump, as there were several quality flicks last summer, it still happened. (Maybe if theaters weren’t charging 10 bucks a ticket, there would be more people showing up!) This year, we get to see if the blockbusters of Hollywood rebound, or keep falling further down the pipe. Leading the charge back is a formidable lineup of heroes, including Superman, Wolverine, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Impossible Mission Force, and um…Nacho Libre. Well, here’s my two cents on a few of these flicks and here’s hoping everybody has fun this summer!


Superman Returns (June 30)

I know I’ve told this story before, but when I was little my dad was in the Air Force. During that time, my family was stationed overseas a lot and often would have only one channel with English speaking programming. Hence, one of the big reasons I love movies so much is that my dad amassed a decent sized collection of videos to keep me entertained. Two videos were especially for me, one was labeled Star Wars, the other was labeled Superman. Big Blue has been with me ever since. For me, this movie is the culmination of waiting since I was in high school to see another Man of Steel adventure on the big screen. Through the Kevin Smith script, the awful rumors of what Tim Burton was going to do to Supes, the terrible trifecta of possible directors Mc G, Brett Ratner, and Michael Bay, and then finally the godsend of an announcement that Bryan Singer was taking over the franchise.

Not only that, in an age of prequels, Singer said “NO!” to the idea of a reboot and instead went back to the last time we really loved Superman on screen; Superman II. Totally wiping away the bad taste of the last two Superman sequels, Singer sets Superman Returns five years after The Man of Steel vanquished Zod and his minions. In the interim, Supes has made the journey to where Krypton was and returns to find a world that does not need him anymore and a Lois Lane that has moved on from her life.

With a great cast, and an epic scope worthy of DC Comics’ greatest hero, Bryan Singer seems to be making the Superman movie that I’ve dreamed of. Singer and Kevin Spacey reunite to take on one of the greatest villains of all time in Lex Luthor, Brandon Routh may turn out to be the Christopher Reeve of a new generation, and the rest of the cast, including Parker Posey, Frank Langella, and Eva Marie Saint, is really solid. On top of all that is Bryan Singer’s deep love for this character and the people that have gone before him to bring the Man of Steel to the public is extremely evident. His aim seems to be to get to the core of the character and light a beacon of hope to an audience that needs it.


Nacho Libre (June 16)

Is this the Wrestling film the industry has waited for or is it Ready to Rumble 2006? While having a special place in my heart for guilty pleasures Body Slam and No Holds Barred, I don’t believe I’ve ever really seen a good movie about wrestling. But I’ve never seen a movie about wrestling that starred Jack Black either! This film seems to be just off the wall enough to play to the comedian’s strengths, while not allowing him to go completely into the “really over the top because this film is counting on me to carry it” territory that plagued Saving Silverman or Envy . With Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess at the helm, expect the film to be unexplainably hilarious as we watch Black’s Nacho, a priest who dons a mask and enters the world of Lucha Libre in order to save his orphanage from financial ruin. Need some ridiculousness this summer? This looks like just what the doctor ordered.

Clerks II (August 18)

Kevin Smith goes back to the well, but damn what a great one it’s been for him. Going back to his roots, Smith abandons his aspirations for success outside his Jersey series and gives us what we want; more Dante, more Randall and more Jay and Silent Bob. Frankly, I couldn’t be more excited. Ten years after the events of Clerks, Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson’s Dante and Randall are still slaving away, but are now working in Fast Food instead of at the Quik Stop/ Crappy Video Store. Hilarity ensues…or at least we hope so. This hopefully returns the director to his raunchy roots and gets of laughing are asses off, leaving the saccharine sweetness of Jersey Girl behind.


Snakes on a Plane (August 18)

Why am I so excited to see this movie? I really can’t tell you. All I know is that a title like that evokes my fondness for ridiculous 70’s Exploitation flicks. I’m stoked about seeing the man who represents the epitome of the modern movie bad ass taking on a plane full of snakes. Apparently, the snakes are brought on board by an assassin, trying to kill a witness in protective custody…or something. To tell you the truth it matters not one bit to me at all. All I know is that I’m going to see this movie and I’m probably going to love it.

Robert Sutton feels the most at home when he's watching some movie scumbag getting blown up, punched in the face, or kung fu'd to death, especially in that order. He's a founding writer for the movies section of Insidepulse.com, featured in his weekly column R0BTRAIN's Badass Cinema as well as a frequent reviewer of DVDs and Blu-rays. Also, he's a proud Sony fanboy, loves everything Star Wars and Superman related and hopes to someday be taken seriously by his friends and family.