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Summer Movie Preview:
It’s ba-aack…
The thrills, the chills, the hits, the misses – welcome to another edition of our summer movie preview! Grab some popcorn, sit back, and let us take you on a magical journey as we outline the major studio releases that will soon be assaulting us and taking our money at the local Cineplex. ¤ C.Ho.The Break-up
Release Date: June 2
Directed by: Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Down With Love)
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Cole Hauser
Plot: Co-written by Vince Vaughn, The Break-Up centres around art dealer Brooke (Aniston) and bus tour driver Gary (Vaughn), an odd couple who are so wildly different that a break-up is imminent. And so they do, but end up living together because neither person wants to give up the condo they've been sharing. A War of the Roses battle ensues, with Gary and Brooke trying every trick in the book to get the other person to fold. Even though they're wildly fighting each other, are these two crazy kids still in love?
Outtakes: The ending was changed (and possibly spoiled by errant reports [note: click the link with caution as the report contains spoilers]) when test audiences didn't take to the original scripted resolution.
Worth the Admission: Any of the movie’s appeal has been marred by rumours of the on-set romance between Aniston and Vaughn, who were front and centre for the majority of last summer’s tabloid fodder. Just like Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe in Proof of Life, The Break-up looks headed for the bargain bin after being overshadowed by the bigger summer blockbusters (and bigger pressures of on-screen chemistry, no doubt). Die-hard fans of Vaughn might want to catch a matinee, while fans of Aniston – who is starting to get very one-note with her film choices – may want to rent a season or two of “Friends” instead.
Official Website: www.thebreakupmovie.net
The Omen
The Omen: Little Damien doesn't realize that it's rude to stare. Probably because he's the devil, and will smite you anyway.
Release Date: June 6
Directed by: John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix)
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite
Plot: On June 6, 2006 (get it?), the anti-Christ will once again walk the Earth in this remake of the 1976 horror flick. This time around, the American diplomat (Schreiber) is a tad younger, and his wife (Stiles) is a lot blonder. The couple gets more than just the usual dirty diapers and 5:00 AM burpings when all signs point to their creepy child being the anti-Christ.
Outtakes: The film is already garnering controversy after sneak previews revealed that footage from the 9/11 bombings were included in the opening credits.
Worth the Admission: Countless Hollywood remakes have inexplicably failed when held to the esteem of the originals – a mind-boggling feat, considering that the formula is spelled out for them in the form of a Blockbuster DVD rental. Even when the remake is a frame-by-frame, things can still go awry. Take, for instance, Psycho: Rotten Tomatoes gives the Hitchcock original a 100% rating, while the Gus Van Sant rip-off…er, “homage,” only garners 37%. And so, here we are again; the original Omen was some frightening stuff indeed (evil children, even when drooling toddlers, are just inherently scary), and the remake has some big shoes to fill. Which, more likely than not, it won’t.
Official Website: www.heedtheomen.comCars
Release Date: June 9
Director: John Lasseter (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life)
Starring: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Keaton, Tony Shalhoub, Larry the Cable Guy
Plot: There are cars. And they talk. For those looking for a more detailed plot, Cars follows rookie racecar Lightning McQueen (Wilson) on his way to the Piston Cup Championship in California. An unexpected re-route finds Lightining McQueen in the town of Radiator Springs, where he meets other colourful automobiles like Porsche Sally (Hunt), Doc Hudson (Newman), and tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Much hilarity and life learning lessons ensue.
Outtakes: There are several nods to Pixar's 1995 breakthrough film, Toy Story, including the name of Lightning McQueen's tires (Lightyear) and the car's number (95 - the year Toy Story was released).
Worth the Admission: Cars is just one in a slew of summer animated flicks, and although it boasts a strong cast, there’s some general appeal lacking. Early trailers lead me to believe that this film is one giant snoozefest with too many tiresome throwaway jokes, and that animated cars are not the same as animated green ogres.
Official Website: www.carsthemovie.comA Prairie Home Companion
Release Date: June 9
Director: Robert Altman (Gosford Park, The Company)
Starring: Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Lily Tomlin, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Virginia Madsen, Maya Rudolph, Lindsay Lohan
Plot: Robert Altman directs another ensemble piece about flawed people, but this time, they sing too. Country radio variety show "A Prairie Home Companion" is broadcast from St. Paul, Minnesota and can be heard every Saturday night in syndication across the country. On this particular rainy Saturday night, the show is broadcasting its final installment before cancellation. The film will take place over the course of this pivotal night, and the ensemble cast is colossal. There's Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin as the Johnson Sisters, a singing duo who speak simultaneously; Lindsay Lohan as Lola, Streep's daughter; Kevin Kline as private detective Guy Noir, who now works as a backstage doorkeeper; Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly as Dusty and Lefty, two singing cowboys; Virginia Madsen as the Dangerous Woman; Tommy Lee Jones as the Axeman; Maya Rudolph as a pregnant stagehand; and Garrison Keillor as the show's emcee (he also doubles as the real life emcee of the real life “A Prairie Home Companion”). And yes, Lindsay Lohan does sing in this one.
Outtakes: Celebrities attached to this project but who eventually backed out for various reasons almost number the final cast. Included in this list are Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney, Tom Waits, and Lyle Lovett. Director Paul Thomas Anderson was also commissioned as a standby director, in case 80-year-old Altman's health failed during filming.
Worth the Admission: The buzz on this one is big, if only because of the sizeable cast and the talent at hand. Altman has an eye for ensemble pieces (MASH, The Player, Gosford Park), and sometimes he doesn’t (Prêt-à-Porter, Dr. T. and the Women). If the actors here have enough to work with, the piece will come together on its own. But if the script is poor, no amount of Streep or Harrelson is going to save this film. Fans of yesteryear musicals might find this movie more to their liking. And those that don’t can at least rejoice in the fact that Altman apparently went around calling Lindsay Lohan by the wrong name during parts of the shooting.
Official Website: www.aprairiehomecompanionmovie.comThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Release Date: June 16
Director: Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis)
Starring: Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Brian Tee, Sung Kang, Nathalie Kelley
Plot: The only thing that this sequel and the first two movies in The Fast and the Furious series shares is a bland lead actor. This time around, car racing is taken to a whole new level when Sean Boswell (Black), a misunderstood young man who spends his days in the seedy underworld of street racing, is sent to live with his estranged military father in Tokyo. As an outsider, Sean befriends Twinkie (Bow Wow), who, compared to Sean, looks like a twelve-year-old boy, and soon finds himself caught up in the world of drift racing. Sean engages in a race with the wrong man, and is suddenly owes a sizeable debt to D.K., the "Drift King" (Tee), who belongs to the malicious Japanese Yakuza gang. Not content with only being a little bit in trouble, Sean also falls for Neela (Kelley), D.K.'s girlfriend. Much hilarity, and racing, ensues.
Outtakes: This third installment in the franchise was set to bring back the Vin, with all plot points loosely the same, but talks fell through and the script was tweaked to accommodate new character Sean. All signs point to money issues, as the Vin reportedly asked for $20 million to return for 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Worth the Admission: Only if you’re drunk and can’t decide what to do and your friend swears that she was an extra in the film and offers to pay your admission and buy you popcorn and you catch a matinee in another city so that no one that you know can see you buying a ticket to Tokyo Drift. In other words: not by a long shot.
Official Website: www.thefastandthefurious.comGarfield: A Tale of Two Kitties
Release Date: June 16
Director: Tim Hill (Muppets From Space, Max Keeble’s Big Move)
Starring: Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Billy Connolly
Plot: Garfield does England. (The extended plot: Garfield (Murray) follows owner Jon Arbuckle (Meyer) to England, where he is mistaken for a regal cat and inherits a castle. But Lord Dagis (Connolly) is a big meanie, and when he learns of Garfield’s deception, he sets out to take over the castle and turn it into a tourist resort. The horrors!)
Outtakes: Jim Davis, the creator of the “Garfield” comic strip, became the most widely read strip in history, beating out Charles M. Schulz's "Peanuts." Good grief!
Worth the Admission: It’s surprising what gets greenlit for sequels nowadays and, considering the enormous non-success that the first live action Garfield film received, the studio might as well have saved its money for Showgirls 2: Back to the Strip (oh, you know you’d totally watch that). And what happened to Odie this time around? It’s as clear as Garfield’s love handles: you should skip this one.
Official Website: www.garfieldmovie.com
The Lake House
The Lake House: A movie about two star-crossed lovers with some kick-ass fashion sense.
Release Date: June 16
Director: Alejandro Agresti (English debut)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Christopher Plummer
Plot: Speed co-stars abound in this romantic tale about a lonely doctor, Kate Forster (Bullock), who rents a lakeside home. Pleased with all the tranquility and rejuvenation that the home offers, she decides to leave a note for the next inhabitant to let him know that the cabin rocks. She eventually finds herself exchanging love letters with the new occupant, an architect named Alex Burnham (Reeves). This blossoming romance is momentarily sidetracked when the two learn that Alex is actually living two years behind Kate, and the Kate of the past is one tough cookie to break.
Outtakes: This is the remake of the 2000 Korean film, Siworae.
Worth the Admission: If these two can rekindle some of that effortless Speed magic, The Lake House should be a slam-dunk. Bullock is revisiting what she does best – charmingly tomboyish and initially closed-off characters that flail about, cry a little, and fall in love. Similarly, Reeves is also treading in a comfortable role where he’s allowed to brood, wear turtlenecks, and utter halting speeches of endearment. This should satisfy the romantics at heart, and there is very little competition for flat-out romance dramas this summer. The original Korean film might also be worth checking out.
Official Website: thelakehousemovie.warnerbros.comNacho Libre
Release Date: June 16
Director: Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite)
Starring: Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jimenez, Richard Montoya, Peter Stormare
Plot: Newlywed and father-to-be Jack Black is back in this comedy about Ignacio (a.k.a. Nacho), a friar who grows up in a monastery and now moonlights as a lucha libre (freestyle) wrestler to earn money for the local orphanage. Yes, he's a wrestler with a heart of gold.
Outtakes: This is Hess' first film since Napoleon Dynamite, and writer Mike White previously teamed up with Black on School of Rock.
Worth the Admission: The movie’s trailer looks promising – this is one where the laughs were actually intentional. Black is rarely a main character in a mainstream film, and maybe it’s this way for a reason, but putting him in the forefront as an unlikely character will put his comedic talents to the test. Also, fans of Napolean Dynamite should get a kick out of this slapstick comedy, granted Jared Hess can bring the good, original stuff without trudging up his former Dynamite glory days.
Official Website: www.nacholibre.comClick
Release Date: June 23
Director: Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, Henry Winkler, David Hasselhoff, Sean Astin
Plot: Michael Newman (Sandler) is a family man and architect who never stops to smell the roses. One day, Michael can't find the right television remote control, and so decides to buy a universal remote from Morty (Walken). Since Morty is played by Christopher Walken, this can only mean that something sinister is about to happen, and it does when Michael realizes that the remote has the power to control time. Eventually, and much like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the remote starts to take over Michael’s life. Among those along for the wild and crazy ride are wife Donna (Beckinsale) and Michael's overly tanned and overly obnoxious boss, Ammer (Hasselhoff).
Outtakes: This film reunites Sandler with past co-stars Winkler (Waterboy, Little Nicky) and Astin (50 First Dates).
Worth the Admission: Frankly, I haven’t liked anything that Sandler has done since 2002’s Punch Drunk Love, so I’ll be the first to say that Click is probably as charming as Mr. Deeds, when all I’m asking is for some The Waterboy. Sure, Sandler gets to have fun and goof around and yell at people when he’s paused time, but the repetitious jokes can get old pretty fast. The denouement of the film, when Michael finally realizes that he’s missing out on the milestones in his life, will hopefully bring about an acting challenge for Sandler that is far greater than slapping Hasselhoff around. And it’s up in the air whether Beckinsale can keep up with Sandler’s comedic antics.
Official Website: www.sonypictures.com/movies/clickWaist Deep
Release Date: June 23
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall (Gridlock'd, Glitter)
Starring: Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good, The Game, Paul Terrell Clayton, Eric Lane, Larenz Tate
Plot: So there's an ex-con named O2 (Gibson) who gets caught up in some trouble when his son, Junior, is kidnapped in a carjacking. Not to be outdone by O2's inane moniker, a thug named Meat (The Game) holds Junior hostage. To complicate matters, aptly named Wanna Be (Tate), O2's cousin, is wishy-washy and won't cross Meat. It's up to O2 and hustler-with-a-heart-of-gold Coco (Good) to retrieve Junior and dispense some street justice.
Outtakes: This marks rapper The Game's official acting debut. His unofficial acting debut can be seen in a vintage episode of the dating game show, “Change of Heart,” where The Game appeared as a contestant. Sadly, he did not get the girl.
Worth the Admission: As much as I love Glitter, and I do, Curtis-Hall doesn’t exactly have the best track record in directing movies that manage to be groundbreaking in any respect. With Waist Deep, what we might be experiencing is a lot of cliché, overacting, little substance, and the occasional eye candy. Save this one for the rentals.
Official Website: www.waistdeep.netThe Devil Wears Prada
Release Date: June 30
Director: David Frankel ("Sex and the City," "Entourage")
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Emily Blunt, Adrian Grenier
Plot: Think your boss sucks? Meet Andrea (Hathaway), a recent Northwestern graduate who lands one of the most coveted gigs in the publishing industry – as a second assistant to powerful, hoity-toity magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep). At first, Andrea feels like the luckiest girl in the world, but soon feelings of accomplishment and verve turn into feelings of dread and irritation as Andrea learns that Miranda really is the boss from hell.
Outtakes: Those looking for a faithful adaptation of the best-selling novel will have to do without a prominent tertiary character, who has been removed from the story. Gisele Budchen also makes a cameo, and some might remember Adrian Grenier from the satirical HBO show, "Entourage."
Worth the Admission: If the film is anything like the book, expect things to fall flat where they need to be developed further, especially in the realm of character development. The weight of the project rests solely on Streep and Hathaway, and I hope that they are worthier adversaries than Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez in Monster-in-Law. Still, any big screen adaptation of the book should be able to add a third dimension to the villainous Miranda, and Streep may just be wicked enough to pull it off. In the very least, Miranda’s no-nonsense bitchiness in the film’s trailer should give many post-grads a nightmare or two.
Official Website: www.devilwearspradamovie.com
Superman Returns
Superman Returns: Making geeky and awkward chic again.
Release Date: June 30
Director: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men)
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Parker Posey, Kal Penn, Kevin Spacey
Plot: Everyone's favourite superhero (Routh) comes back to Earth after a years-long absence on home planet Krypton, and finds that things on his host planet have changed: Lois Lane has moved on (which is probably more of a rebound than anything else), and so, it seems, has everyone else who once relied on Superman to save the day. When an old arch-nemesis (Spacey) threatens to ruin Superman's return to Earth, Superman must don the tights once more and face his greatest challenge yet.
Outtakes: Rabid fans have already started a website called changethesuit.com, which protests the film's rendition of the Superman costume, citing changes to contour and colour of the suit as the main offenders. Unfortunately, the protest had to be cut short when the domain name expired in April. The film is rumoured to be the most expensive film ever made, topping King Kong's record of $207 million.
Worth the Admission: It doesn’t really matter what I write in this space. I could write, “Corn on the cob really rocks with a touch of butter and a pinch of salt” or “I don’t really get David Blaine,” and everyone in the whole wide world would still log off our site, head down to the movie theatre, and camp out to score premiere tickets. And so should you – Superman Returns looks like promising, the effects are first-rate, and Spacey can be my villain any time. I’ll even pardon Kate Bosworth’s casting because, on any given day, I’d take her over Katie Holmes in a heartbeat.
Official Website: www.supermanreturns.com
[ From Dead Man's Chest to Miami Vice. Part II of the preview. ]