July looks like it might not suck!
It’s almost here folks. Blockbuster season is just around the corner and the fever is starting to build. Got to check out Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D and Observe and Report over the weekend, and I can see why both were released before the big boys of summer. Even looking at a month like July, which I initially thought looked light next to the frontloaded bombast of May and June, it looks like we’re still in for some serious contenders here.
Well, that’s about all I got, so on with the July Preview!
Rob’s Summer Movie Preview, Part 3
July1st
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – This franchise is still going, and this 3-D film will probably mark whether we get yet another installment. Our usual cast of goofy prehistoric misfits is back and this time they’ve discovered a population of dinosaurs that survived extinction. Hilarity ensues.
Could this Suck? – There’s a good chance of it. Honestly, outside of PIXAR right now, no one is really batting a thousand, and the Ice Age franchise has made money and played well for the kids, but hasn’t set the world on fire either. The new trailer with the Scrat character and his new love interest is mildly amusing, but doesn’t instill a lot of confidence either.
Could this be Awesome? – I found the first film entertaining enough, but not enough to get excited about this picture. Perhaps the only real wildcard here is Simon Pegg, who joins the cast voicing some sort of dinosaur hunting weasel. Again, dinosaurs are pretty much always a plus with me as well.
Public Enemies – Michael Mann+Johnny Depp+Christian Bale. Yeah, sign me up. Mann’s take on John Dillinger promises to be one of the best bets of the summer, as it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Michael Mann movie I didn’t like, and I would go so far as to say the guy has created some of the greatest crime films ever in his time behind the camera.
Could this Suck? – I’m thinking it won’t be very likely, with my lone concern being Mann’s current digital shooting style. While his use of high def cameras worked brilliantly with Collateral and very well with Miami Vice, I’m not 100% sure how it will mesh with a period picture. On the other hand, probably no major crime film other than DePalma’s Scarface has a louder color pallet and worse outfits than Mann’s Manhunter, and I think that picture is one of the best thrillers of the 1980s.
Could this be Awesome? – Did you see who was in this picture? Even besides the leads you’ve got cute as a button Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, Saving Private Ryan’s Giovanni Ribisi, and Billy Crudup, who did jaw dropping work this year as Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan. This looks like the type of cast that Mann flourishes with, and working within this genre, I’d say that only Martin Scorsese probably does more consistent work.
Heat is one of my favorite films ever, and I would like to see something just as epic this time around from Mann, who has managed to grab two of the best headliners possible for this picture. Depp and Bale are about as awesome a duo as possible right now, and the two of them can hardly do anything wrong in the public’s eyes when it comes to onscreen performances, so this could just end up as one of the biggest homeruns of the summer. If this turns out to be Heat circa 1930 we could have a bona-fide classic on our hands.
July10
Bruno – I think this one has flown under the radar more than I’ve expected it to. With Sacha Baron Cohen and Director Larry Charles creating such a sensation with 2006’s Borat…, you would think you’d see more hype for this. Then again, the movie just got an NC-17 by the MPAA so who knows what is going to happen with this.
Could this Suck? – Multiple viewings of Borat haven’t really had a ton of repeat value, so one has to wonder if a whole new movie of similar jokes will be able to really fly. Cohen has some real talent, but one has to also wonder if he’s just a one trick pony, and the Borat antics really got old after awhile.
Could this be Awesome? – As I said, I think Cohen actually has a lot of talent, and the best parts of Borat for me were really the parts where he was able to slyly reveal sides of people that they normally would not show because they underestimated him and they let their guard down. Hopefully, Cohen will be able to catch lightning in a bottle on the big screen a second time.
July17
500 Days of Summer – I know I prefer my movies to have shotguns and kung fu fights in them, but every once in a while, I don’t mind the touchy/feely stuff. This one stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as two people at various points in their 500 day relationship, with Deschanel as a girl who doesn’t believe in love, and Gordon-Levitt as a hopeless romantic.
Could this Suck? – Again, no shotguns.
Could this be Awesome? – This one looks to be more on the melancholy side, like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or some of the Wes Anderson stuff, and may be just what the doctor ordered in between the two titanic, possibly crappy Hasbro releases over the summer of Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel can both be really good onscreen, and here’s hoping they’ve got some good chemistry.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane – This one has been sitting on the shelf since 2006, mostly because the film’s distributor, The Weinstein Company, has been iffy about releasing horror films since the failure of Grindhouse in theaters.
Could this Suck? – I’ve heard mixed things about the film on the festival circuit, but without much to go on, it’s tough to tell. Plus, most Horror films aren’t universally received.
Could this be Awesome? – I like the thought of a good Slasher in the middle of the summer, ala The Strangers last year, and this will probably end up being way better than Rob Zombie’s H2.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Harry comes back for his sixth adventure, and hopefully we’ll get some great insight into Voldemort before the story’s finish. This one got pushed back from its original release date last fall, so it’s easy to say that Potter fanatics will be at a fever pitch when it’s time for this one to hit theaters.
Could this Suck? – Oh Harry Potter movies. The first two movies were faithful, but a bit empty and then Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire really showed what this series was capable of, with real power and depth to their scenes. Then there’s Order of the Phoenix which is absolutely terrific at times, and then at others can be underwhelming. I’m told a huge chunk of the book was cut out by Director David Yates, who returns this time around. Yates seems to do well with characters, but set pieces aren’t as mind blowing or as epic as we’ve seen in the past. Will this movie be an even bigger step lower? It’s hard to say.
I’ve read some of the differences between the book and the film, and to be honest, they aren’t very encouraging. Many of the best sequences from the book may have fallen to the wayside, which may end up alienating the most diehard of fans.
Could this Awesome? – I’m a fan of the films and there’s a lot of potential here from Rowlings original text, including a huge battle with Michael Gambon’s awesome Dumbledore and Daniel Radcliffe’s increasingly great Harry facing off against an army of zombies. I’ve also heard that a sequence that is just hinted at in the book, a battle over a bridge in London will be expanded on in the film to give it another great action sequence.
Really, the best news I’ve read about the film is that it’s being shot by Bruno Delbonnel, the cinematographer of Amélie and Across the Universe. Both movies were absolutely beautiful, and it’s possible that Delbonnel could bring a visual flair to the movie that the series hasn’t had since Azkaban.
July17
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Funny People – Is there a bigger name in comedy right now than Judd Apatow? While there are seemingly 20 films a year produced under the Apatow producing banner and we’ve started to see copycats as well, his directed features seem to have a bit more heart than the others do, and hopefully, this movie will keep Apatow perfect as far as his directing credits go.
Could this Suck? – It’s possible, but not likely. Apatow has really been on a tear as of late, and movie seems like a feature he knows a lot about
Could this Awesome? – Well, if the trailer is any indication, this movie is going to be another homerun for Apatow. With a lot of laughs and just the right amount of drama, this one looks to keep Apatow’s streak alive.
So, we wrap up the preview next week, and then its time to chow down on some popcorn goodness.
