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Summer Movie Preview:
The blockbusters…
A young boy wizard fighting the forces of evil. Giant car robot aliens attacking Earth. A casino heist – again. Gullible tourists being lured to their gory deaths. The promise of Jessica Alba in a bikini. Whatever your speed is, chances are that there’s a film out there for you this summer. Here are some of the biggest summer films vying for your hard earned money, and others to watch for once you’ve exhausted your must-see list. ¤ C.Ho.
Knocked Up
Knocked Up: There's nothing like a hint of morning sickness to cap off a first date.
Release Date: June 1
Director: Judd Apatow ("Freaks and Geeks," The 40 Year Old Virgin)
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann
What It's About: Allison Scott (Heigl) and Ben Stone (Rogen) make the oddest couple yet in this romantic comedy about a one-night stander's worst nightmare. When Allison, a responsible, A-type personality and up-and-coming entertainment writer, has a drunken one-night stand with Ben, a slacker-type who can't think past next week, they’re chagrined to find that he’s knocked her up. Now the young couple must decide whether they can weather the storms of parenthood, or if they're better off alone. As the mismatched Allison and Ben get to know each other, hilarity ensues.
Outtakes: Anne Hathaway was originally cast as Allison Scott, but dropped out of the project.
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: If the theatrical trailer is anything to go by, Knocked Up is a sweet, often funny, and highly predictable film that will probably end up somewhere in the top ten in its opening weekend, only to be forgotten by the next month. With an up-and-coming comedic director and a leading man who is better known as the sex-obsessed sidekick in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, it’s surprising that this film is even being released in a season best known for explosions, big names, and talking animals. And that’s precisely why you should see this one – if you’re looking for a romantic comedy light on special effects and heavy on comedy, this is a good bet.
Official Website: www.knockedupmovie.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%Mr. Brooks
Release Date: June 1
Director: Bruce A. Evans (Kuffs)
Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook
What It’s About: Earl Brooks (Costner) seems like the perfect man, but there’s more lurking beneath the surface than first appears – for Mr. Brooks harbors an alter-ego, Marshall (Hurt), who is a serial killer.
Outtakes: The last film that director Evans helmed was Kuffs (1992), an action comedy starring Christian Slater.
Why You Shouldn’t See It: It’s an interesting premise, but it might be a dangerously close rehash of American Psycho or Fight Club or High Tension, which all feature an is-this-real-or-in-my-mind sort of plot twist that audiences might have grown wary of. Save this for a matinee, at most.
Official Website: www.theressomethingaboutmrbrooks.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 56%Hostel: Part II
Release Date: June 8
Director: Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel)
Starring: Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Vera Jordanova, Heather Mattarazzo, Roger Bart, Richard Bugl, Stanislav Ianevski
What it's About: This time around, three female American students studying abroad are lured to the Elite Hunting Organization, which can only mean one thing: lots of gore. In addition to more torture porn, the machinations of this gruesome corporation will be further explored.
Outtakes: Paxton (Jay Hernandez), the lone survivor from the first film, will be reprising his role in this sequel.
Why You Shouldn't See It: Fans of the first film will probably not be disappointed by Eli Roth’s creatively sadistic mind, but sequels seldom deliver the gusto of its predecessor; this is most evident in horror films. The plot of this sequel to the sleeper hit sounds strangely like the first one, but with impressionable young women instead of horny young boys. By the end of the Hostel franchise, everyone in Europe is probably going to fall prey to pretty locals and the Elite Hunting Organization. Save this one for the DVD rental.
Official Website: www.hostel2.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 45%Ocean's Thirteen
Release Date: June 8
Director: Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Twelve, The Good German)
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino
What It's About: The gang’s all here, plus two new additions, in the third installment of the Danny Ocean saga. This time around, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) runs into a little trouble with big casino boss Willie Banks (Pacino), and Ocean (Clooney) steps in to instill a little revenge. Also out for blood is long-time arch nemesis Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who wants in on the Banks bashing. This time it’s not just a heist…it’s personal!
Outtakes: Al Pacino and Andy Garcia previously starred together in The Godfather, Part III, the lowest received film (both commercially and critically) in the trilogy.
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: Let’s face it, as trite and as wearisome as this film might turn out, we’ve all got a soft spot for Danny Ocean and his rag-tag team of thugs, thieves, and con men. Although the cast keeps expanding (I’m expecting to see Ocean’s 300 by next fall) and yet eliminating itself along the way (so Tess is a stay-at-home mom now?), the chemistry from the first Ocean’s film is still here. In the very least, we can expect some witty rapid-fire dialogue and a few cool new tricks along the way.
Official Website: www.oceans13.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69%
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: Nothing says team work like matching outfits.
Release Date: June 15
Director: Tim Story (Barbershop, Taxi, Fantastic Four)
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Andre Braugher
What It’s About: That pesky Dr. Doom is back, and it’s up to the Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing) to stop whatever havoc he is bound to wreak. But complicating things is the arrival of Galactus and The Silver Surfer, intergalactic creatures with super powers who would love nothing more than to destroy Earth.
Outtakes: Screenwriter Don Payne (My Super Ex-Girlfriend) has expressed interest in turning The Silver Surfer into a spin-off movie.
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: I’m kind of on the fence about the Fantastic Four series, and it seems that fans and critics are as well. If the reviews on the Internet Movie Database for the first film are to be taken into consideration, then the sequel should be a fun ride full of awesome special effects and Jessica Alba. But if you’re following the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (25% on the Tomatometer), and if the sequel is anything like its predecessor, then the film should be “an overblown version of Saturday morning TV,” a “B-grade comic book,” and a “fantastic bore.” Watch at your own discretion.
Official Website: www.fantasticfourmovie.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 36%Nancy Drew
Release Date: June 15
Director: Andrew Fleming (The Craft, Dick, The In-Laws)
Starring: Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, Max Thieriot, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan
What It’s About: Lovable amateur sleuth Nancy Drew (Roberts) is thrust into the world of fast cars, fast women, and Starbucks lattes when she accompanies her father (Donovan) on a business trip to Los Angeles. While there, Nancy stumbles upon an unsolved murder mystery involving a beautiful actress.
Outtakes: Does Emma Roberts look familiar? She’s the sixteen-year-old daughter of Eric Roberts, and the niece of Julia Roberts.
Why You Shouldn’t See It: Fans of the worldwide successful teen series might be chagrined to find several changes to their endearing heroine: she’s younger, peppier, brunette(r), and loves science instead of journalism. The film is obviously targeted to younger audiences who may or may not have read a Nancy Drew book, but for those of us who want to preserve the fond memories, this movie isn’t for us. Even though Emma Roberts comes from a legacy of leading women, she’s horribly miscast as the teen detective; an older, sassier Nancy (think Veronica Mars) would have fared better.
Official Website: www.nancydrewmovie.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 52%Evan Almighty
Release Date: June 22
Director: Tom Shadyac (Liar, Liar, Bruce Almighty)
Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, John Michael Higgins, Wanda Sykes
What It’s About: If you’ve seen Bruce Almighty, then you’ll remember hapless television news anchor, Evan Baxter (Carell). Now that he’s starring in his own film, you’ll be happy to know that he’s made up with Bruce, quit the television biz, and run for Congress. Now it’s Evan’s turn to be tapped by God (Freeman) – this time, to build an arc. At first Evan is incredulous, but as he begins to appear more and more Moses-like, he comes to realize what his destiny truly is.
Outtakes: Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston were optioned to return for the sequel. Both actors declined.
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: Since 2003’s Bruce Almighty, Steve Carell has come a long way, earning a myriad of accolades for his work on “The Office” and Little Miss Sunshine – which makes his expanded leading role in the Almighty series a natural choice. While the premise and trailer seem a little tired, Carell’s natural likeability makes all the difference. Also a great casting choice is Lauren Graham, whose talent in the last few seasons of the “Gilmore Girls” has been painfully wasted. And honestly, you can never have enough animal gags in a movie.
Official Website: www.evanalmighty.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 23%Live Free or Die Hard
Release Date: June 27
Director: Len Wiseman (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Timothy Olyphant, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
What It’s About: John McClane (Willis), the man responsible for bringing “yippee-ki-yay” into our lexicons, is back in this fourth installment in the Die Hard series. Although John should be at about retirement age now, living in a condo in Florida somewhere, he’s instead a recovering alcoholic divorcé spending his time working for the United States Department of Homeland Security chasing down computer hackers. Coincidentally, a group of highly dangerous hackers have recently overtaken the United States traffic light system, with the stock market and bank networks as their next target. Luckily, McClane has just taken a brilliant computer hacker (Long) into custody, and together, they set off to stop these Internet bullies from taking over the world.
Outtakes: John McClane’s daughter, Lucy, has a large role in this film. Actresses who auditioned for the role include Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton.
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: Can Bruce Willis still wield a gun? Can he take a beating and still keep on ticking? Does he know what the Internet is? There’s only one way to get all these probing questions answered.
Official Website: www.livefreeordiehard.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 50%
The Martian Child
The Martian Child: Part martian, part...vampire?
Release Date: June 29
Director: Menno Meyjes (Max)
Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Sophie Okonedo, Bobby Coleman, Joan Cusack
What It’s About: A science fiction writer (Cusak) unexpectedly loses his fiancée. He befriends his next-door neighbour (Peet) and, to assuage his loneliness, decides to adopt a six-year-old boy (Coleman) who believes he’s from Mars. A string of strange occurrences lead the couple to believe that the boy may be speaking the truth.
Outtakes: Based on the award-winning novelette by David Gerrold, who based the story on his own experiences as a single parent who decided to adopt.
Why You Shouldn’t See It: If this film is anything like K-Pax, then disappointments are sure to abound. And even if this isn’t like the 2001 stinker, The Martian Child – which is set up to be a romantic dramedy – seems too whimsical to appeal to mainstream audiences, and too adult to appeal to children. It might be a good matinee diversion, but save this one for the Netflix rentals.
Official Website: www.martianchild.com
Update: The Martian Child is now slated for release on October 26, 2007.Ratatouille
Release Date: June 29
Director: Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles)
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Brian Dennehy, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Peter O'Toole, John Ratzenberger
What It’s About: Remy (Oswalt) is a rat who wants to be a chef against his parents’ wishes, and despite the fact that he’s a freaking rat.
Outtakes: The animation from this film comes from Pixar Animation Studios (The Incredibles, Cars).
Why You Shouldn’t See It: It would only be a matter of time before Pixar jumped onto the rodent bandwagon, and the story, as uplifting as it may be, just seems tired and silly. Unless you’ve got a little one that wants to see a film, skip this one.
Official Website: www.ratatouille.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%Sicko
Release Date: June (TBA)
Director: Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11)
Starring: Michael Moore
What It’s About: Moore’s latest documentary takes a look at the American healthcare system.
Outtakes: Moore describes his film as a “comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on Earth.”
Why You Shouldn’tSee It: Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Michael Moore makes you think. With his latest undertaking, Moore sets his sights on the American healthcare system, which will no doubt spark controversy, but it will also get people talking – which is one of the greatest accomplishments any director could hope for.
Official Website: www.michaelmoore.com
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
[ From Harry Potter to The Simpsons Movie. Part II of the preview. ]