Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Summer '11 Blockbuster Preview

The unofficial New Year of film begins this week with the summer blockbuster season. While the winter months may be the time for critics with the “Oscar worthy” releases, the summer is for the fans. The best the studios have to offer are scheduled for these all too short weeks between May first and August 31st. This year follows the trends of the best few summers with a lot of sequels and sci-fi/fantasy being the genre of choice. But movies have so much crossover appeal these days that I imagine almost every moviegoer is looking forward to something this summer. Here are some of them, which I’m looking forward to.

--Most Intriguing: Cowboys and Aliens

The anticipation for this movie goes beyond the mash-up concept and crazy, “What is going on?!” imagery shown in the trailers. Harrison Ford’s commitment to a new potential franchise speaks for what is likely a strong script. Add him to Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg’s involvement as producers and this thing has to be good. Jon Favreu (Iron Man, Elf) is directing and we all know he’s more than adequate behind the camera. I just wonder how believable Daniel Craig will be as a cowboy. You can't look more European than he does. Cowboys and Aliens definitely has the potential to put this year’s influx of alien-based thrillers to shame.

Honorable Mention- Super 8: JJ Abrams’ brand of mystery sci-fi can’t be questioned. It seems that the only thing that can de-rail him is bad acting. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Why this movie was ever made, I don’t know, but the trailers suggest it’s a modern thriller with an emphasis on logic. That’s something that can’t be said about any of its predecessors.

--Yeah, I’ll actually see that: Something Borrowed

I assume it’s hard for filmmakers to come up with a revolutionary concept in the romantic comedy genre, but I can’t help noticing a lot of them are the same. Kind of like how Something Borrowed looks just like My Best Friend’s Wedding. The biggest difference this time is that John Krasinski will get another go at becoming a breakout movie star. The appeal of this guy puts him right on the cusp of success in any genre. But the movie itself looks pretty good, charming, whatever. It’s not your typical cast of rom-com actors, so it will at least be different in that sense.

Honorable Mention- Kung Fu Panda 2: The trailer is funny and the animation has a different look to it. Plus, Dreamworks has been on a role for the past few years. Spy Kids 4: Probably not for everyone, but the Jessica Alba casting has me interested in what the reboot will look like.

This could be a disaster: Captain America: The First Avenger

I have much more faith in this movie than a lot of the people I’ve spoken to about it, but there is definitely a risk it could be the cheese to our summer movie taco. While Chris Evans is a strong actor, Cap seems to be one of the only Marvel heroes not to get a costume update for the big screen. Everything from the winged mask to blue cargo pants say that someone at Marvel/Disney wasn’t willing to budge. Now if that’s the case with something as trivial as wardrobe, I fear for what the script looks like.

Honorable Mention- The Hangover 2: There’s a fresh location and new antics, but it’s the same situation. There’s a bachelor party, blackout, someone is missing. There needs to be more for it meet expectations. Bridesmaids: A handful of TV regular actresses star in this comedy about a wedding. But as is the case with many movies starring Saturday Night Live cast members, it could easily crash and burn without laughs.

Best. Movie. Ever. -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

With the release of the new trailer, I see little chance this isn’t the most epic movie of the CGI era. Even if someone doesn’t know the books, the films have set them self-apart with high drama and screen specific writing. With the previous film coming out a mere eight months prior, there is potential that non-fans won't have the anticipation they've had in the past, but the likelihood of an all-out wizard’s war will likely see theaters sell out all over the world. It’s a wonderful catch-22 to be in. Do I want time to move slowly between now and July, so Harry Potter never ends, or is my anticipation just too great? I’ll probably just live in the movie theater the week it comes out.

Honorable Mention-X-Men: First Class: This has the potential to be in the disaster category, but such a different look for the X-Men franchise can also mean big success. Michael Fassbender is exactly the kind of talent that can carry a volatile project like this and good or bad it should be fun to watch. Crazy, Stupid, Love: It obviously doesn’t have the action the other two films have, but with some of Hollywood’s most sought after actors, including Steve Carell, this may be a really good movie. But as Dinner for Schmucks taught us, Carell doesn’t necessarily mean success.

Let me know your picks in the comment section.

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