The Summer of '09 officially kicks tonight with the release of
Wolverine in American theaters. As you may recall from two years back, we had a very engaging discussion of the record-setting Summer season of '07, which can be found at
http://perfectdarkelite.yuku.com?topic=1418It ended up being the biggest season in history, both in terms of money made and overall theater attendance. Well, 2008 didn't smash those new records, but it was still a really enjoyable season that was of course capped by one of the most incredible runs in box office history by
The Dark Knight. Feel free to click back to our discussion of
TDK and last season's other top performers (
Iron Man,
Indy 4,
Hancock, and
Wall*E):
http://perfectdarkelite.yuku.com?topic=13628This will be our Summer-long topic to talk about the new movies we see, and also we're going to use this first week to
predict the Top Five movies of the season just as we have the last two years! Plus I'm going to post the results of last year's competition pretty soon. But first off, let's get rolling on that
2009 Summer Movie Preview!NOTE: for these writeups, anything after a $ is in millions of dollars (and a US total), unless I say otherwiseMay 1st (Week #1)X-Men Origins: WolverineRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458525/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmbGzQaOCsWhat The Heck Is It?
After making three movies about Wolverine from 2000 to 2006, FOX finally drops the pretense and just calls #4 "Wolverine." Hugh Jackman returns (as a younger Wolverine than the Wolverine he played 9 years ago) in this X-Men reboot/prequel.
Why Will It Be Big?
Marvel superheroes have been doing big business ever since
Spider-Man (
$404) in 2001, and last summer's
Iron Man (
$318) certainly didn't show any signs of stopping the trend. But people don't seem to realize how fantastic everything
X-Men has done as well: the original posted
$158, X2 improved that to
$215, and despite X3 being generally considered the weakest of the trilogy, it just kept the train rolling with
$234. Also, these movies always get off to incredible starts- X3 did $102 million for its opening weekend, which at the time was the 4th biggest ever. So yeah, Wolverine is about as safe a lock as you could imagine in terms of getting the Summer season off to an incredibly fast start, and ought to post a pretty respectable final number as well.
Why Should I See It?Do you even know how to kill me?
I'm gonna cut your goddamn head off. See if that works.Also,
Gambit! He was always a favorite from the early 90s cartoon show, so I never understood why they never gave him even a small cameo in the X-Men trilogy. Based on the trailer it sure looks like the movie won't lack for big action sequences, and you should pretty much know what you're getting into after seeing the last three... so yeah, I'm pretty excited to catch this at tonight's midnight show!
May 8th (Week #2)Star TrekRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0xaCB2nLS0What The Heck Is It?
The world's second most popular sci-fi franchise earns the reboot treatment- it's the second straight weekend for origin stories as we see how Captain Kirk and Spock and the rest of Enterprise crew originally teamed up.
Why Will It Be Big?
The original
Star Trek movie was huge back in '79, earning
$83 (which doesn't sound like alot, but at the time that made it the 35th highest grossing movie ever). It was diminishing returns from there out, though... the latest attempt (
Nemesis in 2002) grossed only
$43, making it by far the weakest of the franchise. But it's been 7 years and the public has probably forgotten that flop by now, plus it seems that with all the positive word of mouth this movie is getting and the franchise still being such a big name, we could have a real hit on our hands.
Why Should I See It?And the "
Transformers in 2007" award for
Movie I Had No Interest in But Am Actually Pretty Excited to See After Watching the Trailer goes to...
Star Trek! The special effects look great, but that trailer makes it look like this reboot is going less Star Wars and more
Battlestar Gallactica (a show that I really like from what I've seen of it so far). Unless the reviews end up being very poor, I think I'm going to have to catch the midnight show for this one as well... surely going to be a really good atmosphere considering the hyper dedicated fans this series has.
May 15th (Week #3)Angels & DemonsRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcE8QaKiTGkWhat The Heck Is It?
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks (and presumably all of the crew) reunite for the sequel to 2006's
The Da Vinci Code. Except that it's actually a prequel (I think?), even though this Dan Brown book didn't become a huge bestseller until AFTER Da Vinci had already rewritten all of the record books for fictional paperbacks.
Why Will It Be Big?
For some reason people have this impression that
Da Vinci Code was kind of a flop three years back, I guess because it was really expensive to make and the reviews weren't all that great. But it actually did very well in America (
$217) and was an absolute BEAST everywhere in the world outside of the US, earning a total of
$758 across the globe (which makes it the 27th highest-grossing movie worldwide in history, if you can believe it). Now
A&D wasn't as popular as a book and probably some of the Dan Brown hype has died down lately, but even so you're crazy if you don't think this movie is going to pull in a huge audience.
Why Should I See It?Even though I've never read the book,
Da Vinci Code seemed like a pretty fun, enjoyable movie from where I sat, so I never understood all the hate for it. Sure alot of the "history" it gets into is utter nonsense, but come on people, it's a movie/fictional paperback, lighten up! But yeah,
Angels looks to be more of the same bad-history, riddle-solving, running-from-mysterious-people-with-guns adventure; count me in!
May 22nd (Week #4)Terminator: SalvationRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcg5t0mT8V4What The Heck Is It?
In this true sequel (it takes place years after the events of
Terminator 3 and
The Sarah Conner Chronicles which followed) John Connor is all grown up and living in the post-nuclear apocalyptic world where he attempts to lead the human rebellion against the super-AI Skynet and the machines its using to wipe out humanity.
Why Will It Be Big?
The original
Terminator (
$38) wasn't actually that big of a hit, but it developed a huge following on the new VHS machines that arrived a couple years later and paved the way for
T2's absolute monster of a run to
$205. (Which keep in mind was in 1991 dollars- at the time T2 had become the 13th biggest movie ever, and if you adjust for inflation it would be a little over $350 million today.) 2003's
Terminator 3 has kind of been regarded as a flop, but I don't think that's too fair... it did a pretty respectable
$150. Good number, but if that excellent trailer is any indication,
T4 should be able to leapfrog over that total with ease.
Why Should I See It?Christian Bale as John Conner instantly turned this movie in a must-see for me- could you imagine anyone more perfect for the role? Also it looks like they've cut back somewhat on the CGI for this installment and are instead focusing more on real life stuntwork, which should be a refreshing change of pace from the rest of 09's action movie crop. This looks like another winner that I'll have to catch on opening night, unless the reviews end up being poor, which would frankly be very surprising to me.
May 29th (Week #5)UpRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkqzFUhGPJgWhat The Heck Is It?
Pixar sets their sights on extending their unprecedented streak to
ten consecutive major hits with their latest blockbuster-to-be, this time telling the story of an old man who sets off on adventure after flying away in his balloon-propelled house.
Why Will It Be Big?
Oh golly, here we go again! I'll just quote last Summer's writeup instead of typing this all over again for the third season:
"Are you kidding me?
Toy Story,
$192.
A Bug's Life,
$163.
Monsters Inc.,
$256.
Toy Story 2,
$245.
The Incredibles,
$261.
Finding Nemo,
$340.
Cars,
$244.
Ratatouille,
$206. No other company in history has put together this kind of winning streak, and it likely to never be done again. Pixar is the king of family animation, and the amazing thing is, all they'd have to do to continue printing money would be to churn out movie after movie featuring cute talking animals (like the competition is constantly pushing out-
Ice Age,
Shrek,
Madagascar,
Over the Hedge,
Chicken Little, etc etc). Instead, they continue to take bold risks and push the medium to new heights with every outing. "
Yup, and
Wall*E keep the streak alive with a showing (
$224) that was frankly incredible, given the extremely strange subject matter. Up's storyline still seems pretty "out there", but it doesn't sound like as hard of a sell as
Wall*E, and plus Pixar's packing 3D this time around, which never fails to draw in the families big time. In short, this is probably the safest bet for a very strong box office showing you could ask for.
Why Should I See It?Because you enjoyed
The Incredibles,
Toy Story, and hopefully at least 5 of the other 7? To support PG-rated family entertainment that is actually
entertaining?
June 5th (Week #6)Land of the LostRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457400/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sdWZaeACzMWhat The Heck Is It?
In this re-make of the classic (?) mid-70s TV show, Will Ferrell travels back in time or to an alternate dimension or something and gets involved in some hilarious hijinks involving dinosaurs and giant crabs and stuff.
Why Will It Be Big?
Well, guess I could repeat my comments from last season's Ferrell comedy,
Step Brothers:
"Will Ferrell is a weird fish... he was the Next Big Thing after
Elf (
$173) and
Anchorman (
$85) hit it big, but looked like box office poison after
Bewitched and
The Producers flopped, then appeared to be back on his game after hitting it big with
Talladega Nights (
$148) and
Blades of Glory (
$119), but NOW he's back to bomb status after almost no one showed up to see him as Jackie Moon in
Semi-Pro (
$33). Was that just a minor hiccup, or are audiences finally starting to tire of Ferrell's antics?"
The answer: everyone still loves Will! Because
Step Bros managed another very nice
$100 showing. So with him apparently still in his comedic prime box office wise, and combined with all the adventure and special effects that this movie promises, it sure looks like we're going to have another 100+ hit on our hands with this one.
Why Should I See It?What a crazy trailer... I really like the "Matt Lauer can suck it!", but aside from that it sure seems like this movie is basically scenes from every special effects-driven action movie ever all stitched together. There's some heavy
Jurassic Park in there, plenty
Planet of the Apes, a little of
The Time Machine, some
Pirates of the Caribbean... in any case it's clearly not going to be very good, but might still be fun since it doesn't take itself seriously whatsoever. Seems more like a possible rental than something to see at the theaters though, from my vantage point.
June 12th (Week #7)The Taking of Pelham 123Read About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1111422/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgq9Y_gTs_oWhat The Heck Is It?
After John Travolta hijacks a New York City subway train and takes all the passengers hostage, it's up to Denzel Washington to take him down before anyone else has to die.
Why Will It Be Big?
Hmm... Denzel has been one of Hollywood's most consistent draws ever since hitting it big with
Remember the Titans (
$116) and
Training Day (
$77) back in '00/'01; he even got
$77 million dollars-worth of people to see
Man on Fire despite no one even
liking it. And he's coming in hot after his latest action film,
American Gangster, was his biggest success yet (
$130). Still, even with a big name like Travolta involved this seems like the kind of not-exactly-blockbuster that's going to get lost in the mix during the busy summer schedule. I get the feeling this would have done better if released earlier in the year like
Inside Man, or later on like
Deja Vu. Still, it seems silly to bet against a Denzel action vehicle having at least a decent showing regardless of circumstances.
Why Should I See It?Apparently nearly all of the same crew is back from
Deja Vu, which is great news for me as I ended up really enjoying that movie. And I like this trailer quite a bit... has kind of a
Collateral vibe that, as Shep could tell you in detail, I really dig. This will be one of those where the reviews determine whether it's a theater film or a eventual rental, but I'm kind of leaning toward the theater right now.
June 19th (Week #8)Year OneRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045778/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTNBwIAY9ZoWhat The Heck Is It?
Jack Black and Michael Cera star as two lazy cavemen who have the "world's first road trip", a wacky adventure in the year... I don't know what. It's like 4,000 BC and they're with all these Old Testament characters, but then a minute later they're in 1 AD and there's all these Romans and New Testament characters around?
Why Will It Be Big?
Is there any comedy duo hotter than Black (
Shallow Hal $71,
School of Rock $81,
Nacho Libre $80,
Kung Fu Panda $215,
Tropic Thunder $110) and Cera (
Superbad $121,
Juno $143)? Even so this placement feels weird... seems more like something you'd set up as a classic "sleeper comedy" for the middle of August after all the big guns are out of the way, like
Tropic Thunder and
Superbad the last two years. Here's another that I feel will get lost in the mix somewhat and probably not post a big number as a result.
Why Should I See It?I know, I know, the Black/Cera combo feels very "flavor of the week", but keep in mind its being directed by Harold Ramis (for our younger audience: the guy who directed
Groundhog's Day and
Caddyshack, and helped write
Ghostbusters). A good showing here could be just what he needs to get that long-awaited
Ghostbusters 3 project off the ground! Anyways I'll admit I expected the worst after seeing the poster and a couple commercials for this movie, but the full trailer was actually more funny than I expected. Maybe this will be worth seeing after all!
June 26th (Week #9)Transformers: Revenge of the FallenRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055369/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmgbbGJW6ZEWhat The Heck Is It?
TRANSFOMERS 1 SPOILERS: The good Transformers beat up on the bad Transformers and dropped them in the ocean and stuff. But now they are BACK, for REVENGE, I guess!
Why Will It Be Big?
Everyone has this impression that the first
Transformers was a huge blockbuster that everyone loved and that saved the '07 Summer season after business had died down once the "Big Three" releases had died off. And everyone is... right!
Transformers put up a whopping
$309 two years ago, a total so impressive that it actually knocked out one of the Big Three (
Pirates 3) to land as the third biggest movie of the season. Even better though was how
Transfomers packed them in outside the US- it made a huge
$708 worldwide, putting it in the top 30 of all time there. With a full month separating this movie from the previous huge sci fi blockbuster, I would be very surprised if
Trans 2 doesn't put up similar big-time numbers in '09.
Why Should I See It?Ugh, that trailer gives me a headache. The special effects once again look amazing, and the character designs for the new evil Transformers seem pretty awesome, but I guess I just didn't love the first movie as much as most others seemed to. I mean I'll still be seeing this opening week for sure, just not sure getting there at midnight will be a huge priority... we'll see as more info/hype comes out later on in the season.
July 3rd (Week #10)Public EnemiesRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWof6CovHxIWhat The Heck Is It?
In this (kind of) true life story, it's the 1930s and Johnny Deep is John Dillinger, the most famous bank robber of all time, but he's being hunted down by Christian Bale, an extremely aggressive FBI agent.
Why Will It Be Big?
Everyone (except Dayle) loves Johnny Depp (
$300+ for everything
Pirates,
$206 for
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory even though no one actually liked it,
$50+ for
Sweeney Todd and
Finding Neverland, movies that would have done about $5 without him) and of course Bale is becoming a huge star in his own right (
$533 for
Batman, plus probably a ton for
Terminator from the month before). Add director Michael Mann to the mix and we're looking at what could very well be the best movie of the Summer, action or otherwise. But is that going to result in a big box office draw? I think... yes!
Why Should I See It?Two of my favorite actors plus the guy who directed
The Last of the Mohicans,
The Insider,
Heat, and (you guessed it)
Collateral? Of course you can count me in! Plus I'm still riding high off the good vibes from that last string of 1930s bank robberies (from over in
Road to Perdition, a film me and Dayle really loved). But the biggest selling point is that because these mobsters operated mainly from Chicago, Wisconsin played a big part in their adventures and as a result Mann and Depp did alot of filming on location inside WI. They shot some scenes way up north near where our family cottage is (Dillinger and his gang had a hideout up there where
one of the most famous shootouts of his career took place), and they also filmed a shootout and bank robbery in a city just south of me called Oshkosh, only a block away from the building I sometimes work at! A bunch of the girls there stayed after work a couple hours to watch some filming, and then Johnny came out and signed autographs and took pictures with them once he was done for the day, which was a huge deal since they're all in love with him.
But anyways long story short this is my most anticipated film of the summer for all kinds of reasons!
July 10th (Week #11)BrunoRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ShQPfCVegoWhat The Heck Is It?
He's not Ali G, and he's not Borat- he's Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen's third most popular character, and this homosexual Austrian fashion critic is ready to take America by storm in 2009.
Why Will It Be Big?
Borat, or as its better known
CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN, was a huge sensation back in November and December of 2006. Despite being made for less than $15 million the film opened to $20 mil, then went on an incredible tear that eventually landed it at
$129 in the US. And even more remarkably SBC did just as well outside the US, earning a worldwide total of
$262 for Borat! Still though, that had to be just catching lightning in a bottle; there's no way the stars could align for another huge showing like that. Right? In any case I think SBC and his team got a little too confidence in sticking this movie right in the middle of the Summer... something late in August with less competition would seem a better bet. Personally I can't see it repeating Borat numbers, but it also wouldn't shock me to death if it came close.
Why Should I See It?From a 20 minute sneak preview held last week:
In the first of the two special events that Universal hosted at South By Southwest tonight, we were shown 20 minutes of "Bruno,"which will be released on July 10th. Sacha Baron Cohen, putting on an exaggeratedly posh version of his own English accent, appeared onscreen seated in front of an Avid, and he explained that what we were seeing was still rough, and that not all of the footage we saw would end up in the final cut of the film. Short non-spoiler version first: amazing. It appears that he has dramatically upped the stakes from "Borat," and I truly expect that this will be THE social conversation of July. If you do not see "Bruno," you will be on the outside of that conversation, and it's one that will encompass thoughts on race, religion, and (of course) sexuality. It is a conversation that is already in progress in much of America, one that was spurred on in California last year with the passing of Proposition 8, one that continues to affect the daily lives of millions of people. Seems like a lot of weight to hang on a wacky comedy, but after the footage we saw tonight, I'm confident that Cohen's more than up to the task.
Spoilers!
Spoiler
Bruno's heartbroken, so he decides to reinvent himself once again, this time as "Straight Dave," the single most heterosexual person in the world.
The final clip begins at the start of an event organized by Bruno's new incarnation. Straight Dave's Man-Slammin' Maxout is a cage fighting match, and the crowd is made up of precisely who you expect would fill a middle-American venue to watch a string of guys kick the living shit out of each other. Much free alcohol and many free t-shirts are distributed to the crowd, and by the time Straight Dave takes the stage, people are positively bloodthirsty. Straight Dave launches into a monologue about how great it is to be at a hetero event for hetero people with "no fags here." He continues his intro until someone yells out "You're a fag!" from the audience. Straight Dave threatens to beat the hell out of whoever said that, and his former assistant (evidently a major character in the film) comes out into the ring. He charges Bruno, and for a moment or two, they actually seem to be fighting, punching and kicking and throwing brutal shots to each other's ribs. And the crowd's totally into it, cheering on Straight Dave, ready to watch him beat the hell out of the gay guy.
And then there's a moment, right in the middle of the fight, when Bruno and his assistant are face to face. Time seems to slow down as they realize what they're doing, why they're doing it. And finally, they lean in and start to kiss. Not just a little, but a hardcore swirling-cameras Hollywood make-out.
And the place... goes... crazy.
I've never seen a crowd react like that. If they could have gotten into that cage, they would have killed those two. People seem to be having actual mental collapses as they watch these two guys start to strip each other's clothes off, kiss each other's bodies. Bruno gets on his knees in front of the underwear-clad assistant, starts kissing his stomach. Chairs and beer and glass and anything not bolted down all get thrown into the ring. People try to climb the fence to get in. It's chaos.
Read About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96QRVfto7OMWhat The Heck Is It?
Number six, out of the seven. (However, book 7 is being split into two movies: one for Christmas 2010, and the last for the Summer of '11.)
Why Will It Be Big?
Surely no one needs to be told, but I'll copy over my writeup from movie #5 just to be sure.
"Seriously? If you don't realize that Harry Potter is a absolute
machine by now, I don't know if there's much hope for you. Check these numbers: Potter 1 -
$318/$976, Potter 2 -
$262/$877, Potter 3 -
$250/$790, Potter 4 -
$290/$892. Yeah, it was trending down slightly, but
Goblet of Fire did a nice job of kicking it back up, and if this trailer is any indication, Phoenix should be continuing that trend."
And I was right!
Order of the Phoenix ended up being the biggest Potter since the first, scoring
$292 in the US and an even better
$938 worldwide. I'm not positive that Harry will again be able to improve with this latest installment (Potter-mania was at its peak back in '07 when
Phoenix opened, as it was only a month away from the final book being released), but it will surely come close, you won't get a much safer bet than that (well, along with Up).
Why Should I See It?Come on, after six times you know what you're getting into by now, right? This trailer didn't really impress me like the one for
Phoenix did, but it still looks like a solid 2.5 hours of entertainment and you can still count me in for opening night.
July 24th (Week #13)G-ForceRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436339/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMZ4XvlPX_EWhat The Heck Is It?
Apparently, "A specially trained squad of guinea pigs is dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world."
Why Will It Be Big?
Ugh. UGH.
Why Should I See It?You see, this is the kind nonsense we'd have to see getting advertised every other month if not for Pixar.
July 31st (Week #14)Funny PeopleRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201167/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24VVnvrjI8wWhat The Heck Is It?
Judd Apatow's third film looks to be his biggest yet- his good friends Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill and Leslie Mann once again return, but this time the project is headlined by Adam Sandler, who plays a successful stand up comedian who finds out he's dying (of cancer?).
Why Will It Be Big?
Apatow isn't
quite the Hollywood golden boy he was back in late '07 after
The 40 Year Old Virgin (
$109),
Knocked Up (
$149), and
Superbad (
$121) were all major hits. But ehh, last year's
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (
$63) and
Pineapple Express (
$87) still saw very respectable returns, and with most of his funny friends back in the cast and Sandler hanging around as well, this could very well put him back on top of the world. Adam's still one of the biggest draws around- check out my writeup on him from a year back: "He's taken four borderline awful films in a row and turned them into big winners (
Chuck and Larry $120,
Click $137,
The Longest Yard $158,
50 First Dates $121); imagine what could happen if this movie isn't quite so awful!" And I was right, because
You Don't Mess with the Zohan still earned
$100, even without being good!
Why Should I See It?I'm by no means an Adam Sandler fan, but I have a ton of faith in the Apatow gang and the trailer for this one does seem quite promising... count me in!
August 7th (Week #15)G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1046173/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG1UnOwJht8What The Heck Is It?
Wait wait wait, this ISN'T animated? I haven't been this surprised to watch a trailer and see it was live action since
Transformers! But uh yeah, the Joes are a super elite military team and they've got to save the world from the evil Cobra organization, just like back in the 80s.
Why Will It Be Big?
I guess if it worked for Transformers it could work for G.I. Joe? Ehh, personally I'm not sold...
Transformers had those insane special effects whereas it looks like GI's have been a little toned down, and plus fighting giant robots are just naturally a bigger draw than fighting normal sized humans. Got to imagine this is going to fail to capitalize on the nostalgia factor, like that attempted
TMNT reboot from a couple years back.
Why Should I See It?Well, Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols might be two good reasons. And Marlon Wayans as Ripcord? Hmm, it'll take more than a 30 second teaser to sell me on this one, but I guess I don't count it out entirely.
August 14th (Week #16)The Time Traveler's WifeRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/Watch The Trailer:
Not available yet
What The Heck Is It?
It's pretty weird, that's for sure, but it could also be the second best movie of the season, if the book is any indication! To quote, "
The Time Traveler's Wife (2003) is a love story that centers on a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably time travel, and his wife, an artist who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. The novel has been classified as science fiction and romance, as well as combination of the two, and explores issues of love, loss, and free will."
Why Will It Be Big?
Generally women are turned off by science fiction and men are turned off by romance, but TTTW has shown what a powerful combination they can be if done right- the novel is one of the biggest success stories of the decade, having sold over 3 million copies. We could easily be looking at the next
Twilight here... except that in this case the novel (and presumably movie) are actually, you know,
good.
Why Should I See It?If you love Eric Bana, you're in luck this Summer! First
Star Trek, then
Funny People, and only two weeks later here he'll be again! Except this time he's sitting across from the almost supernaturally lovely Rachel McAdams... no wonder this movie's already generating
Notebook-type hype! Can't wait to see if they manage to pull this one off.
August 21st (Week #17)Inglourious BasterdsRead About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQWhat The Heck Is It?
Eight Jewish soldiers are dropped down behind enemy lines within Nazi-occupied France. It's 1943. It's time... for revenge.
Why Will It Be Big?
When you think about it, it's kind of weird that Quentin Taratino has never done a war movie until now. And with this Band of Basterds being lead by none other than Brad Pitt, it seems a sure bet that the box office result is going to be more along the lines of his major hits (
$108 for
Pulp Fiction,
$136 for
Kill Bill) instead of his disappointing last showing (just
$25 for
Grindhouse).
Why Should I See It?It's
Quentin Tarantino, people, you know what you're getting! If you couldn't sit through the infamous "Stuck in the Middle with You" sequence in
Reservoir Dogs then it seems safe to say that
IB is not for you. But if you loved every minute of
Res Dogs and
Pulp Fiction like myself, needless to say you're going to be lining up opening weekend for this one as well!
August 28th (Week #17)H2Read About It:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1311067/Watch The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVeX5EDWfVsWhat The Heck Is It?
Rob Zombie returns after successfully rebooting the
Halloween horror franchise last September. Commence stabbings!
Why Will It Be Big?
H1 did pretty well, pulling down
$58 (
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did
$80 back in '03 which got the whole horror remake ball rolling, but most other movies that tried have failed to hit 50) so it's not surprising that this sequel got the remake, considering how cheap these are to make. It's not going to light the world on fire or anything but will still result in a nice return, I'm sure.
Why Should I See It?Well, Rob Zombie certainly knows how to put together a disturbing film, and with the entire Summer being pretty much devoid of any horror options, you might not have seen one in four months by the time this movie rolls around. So go for it! I'll just be right over here, playing StarCraft.
