Special Mention: The Fall
While this could turn out to be a case of style over substance, this caught my eye with what has to be the trailer of the year. Shot in 18 countries and boasting stunning production values and an interesting story (David Fincher's executive producer credit is also a plus), this immediately jumped to the top of my most anticipated list. Whether it's brilliant, mediocre, or even flat out terrible, this fantasy-meets-reality fable is one film that has to be seen on the big screen.
Excitement Level: VERY HIGH
And now onto the TOP 10 Films You Should Care About This Summer (June-Late August)
10. Pineapple Express - Yet another film from the Judd Apatow team (though this time he's not heavily involved), and written by Apatow protege Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), this is one stoner comedy that looks worthwhile. When Dave (Rogen) accidentally witness a murder by a corrupt cop, he flees to his weed dealer Saul in order to find out if a rare form of weed he was carrying (named Pineapple Express) can be traced back to him. Raunchy, politically incorrect laughs are bound to follow. After Walk Hard restored my faith in Judd Apatow and his cohorts, I'm actually excited to see where this wacky journey will go.
Excitement Level: Decent
9. Mamma Mia! - Most people will see Mamma Mia because A) they love ABBA or B) they love the Broadway show. I have a completely different reason: I love Meryl Streep and I'd rather pay $10 to see a big budget movie than $150 to see a Broadway show, where the quality can fluctuate from night to night. While it looks enjoyable, I still have some doubts seeing as the stage show isn't as well liked as "Hairspray", "Phantom", or "Chicago". However, the trailer looks like some sort of bizarre hybrid of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Hairspray, so this could be the sleeper hit of the summer. The only thing going against it (box office wise) is that it opens the same weekend as The Dark Knight........BAD idea....
Excitement Level: Decent
8. Wanted - If you read my previous preview post, you'll remember that this film was featured on there. Oops. As it turns out, the film isn't coming out in May, but rather late June. Oh well. Not much more to add. It just looks like ridiculous summer fun (that and it'll be interesting to see James McAvoy in action hero mode).
Excitement Level: Decent7. The Happening - perhaps this will be the year that M. Night Shyamalan finally gets his groove back. After misfires (The Village) and complete disasters (Lady in the Water) over the past few years, M. Night could possibly redeem himself with this thriller. The film centers on a teacher (Mark Wahlberg, refreshingly going against type) and his estranged wife, who get caught up in a strange crisis spreading all over the planet: something is causing people to simply stop moving, before they suddenly drop dead/commit suicide. Aside from the well put together trailer, the film also peaked my interest in that there's real potential considering the subject matter. The film plays off the all too possible threat of biological weapons and airborne diseases and so on. If it's handled right, this could be the horror/thriller of the summer season.
Excitement Level: Good6. Hamlet 2 - though the title screams "sequel-itis", the film is surprisingly original for a comedy. A failed actor turned theater teacher (Steve Coogan) decides to save his career by writing a sequel to, you guessed it, Hamlet. When asked by his wife (Catherine Keener) how there can be a sequel when "pretty much everyone died at the end of the first one", Coogan responds with his warped idea: a time machine operated by Jesus. Throw in crazy song and dance numbers, and a cameo by Amy Poehler, and this looks like an original winner.
Excitement Level: Good5. Get Smart - sometimes you can just tell from a film's trailer whether it will be good or bad; a hit or a miss. Let's hope that's the case with Get Smart, because Steve Carell is in need of a hit after the massive critical and commercial flop that was Evan Almighty. So far, it seems like a good comedy, with Carell's dead pan idiocy fully intact. Luckily, unlike some comedies where only the main character gets to be funny, the film seems to have been kind enough to Anne Hathaway, The Rock, and Alan Arkin, and given them their own unique forms of humor.
Excitement Level: Good4. Tropic Thunder - Yup, another summer comedy; Hollywood must really be in a laughing mood this year. And hopefully we'll be able to laugh along with them in what looks like a potential comedy smash hit. When a director (Steve Coogan again) filming an Apocalypse Now-style Vietnam epic gets fed up with his prima donna cast, he drops them off in the middle of the jungle to fend for themselves. However, the three principle actors think they're just part of an elaborate exercise to help themselves get more into character. While the film features comedy vets Ben Stiller as the brash leading man (he also directs), Jack Black as the comedian-turned-serious-actor, the film packs another hilarious surprise: Robert Downey Jr. as the award winning prestige actor. If you don't recognize the Downey in the trailer at first, it's because his character (within the movie) decides that his character (in Coogan's fiction movie) would benefit from him undergoing special makeup so that he can be, well.....black.
Excitement Level: High3. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - isn't it always refreshing when a sequel comes along that looks BETTER than its predecessor? That's exactly the case with this follow up to 2004's Hellboy. With a more epic story, gorgeous (and unique) production values and wicked cool creatures, this looks like a great bit of less conventional action fare. The fact that Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) returned to direct is also a major plus.
Excitement Level: High2. Wall-E - I'll admit, I wasn't too excited when I first heard about Pixar's latest. However after seeing the trailers, there's something about it that has me dying to see it. The story revolves around Wall-E, a robot who is in charge of cleaning up earth 700 years in the future (humans have abandoned the planet for the time being). However, one day a peculiar spacecraft lands and whisks the curious little robot (think of him as an adorably naive R2-D2) off on a glorious adventure through space. Though there isn't much speaking in the film (Wall-E communicates in little bleeps), I have a feeling that this could be one of the most refreshing screenplays of the year.
Excitement Level: Very High1. The Dark Knight - really, was this any surprise given the amount I've time on this blog I've dedicated to pimping out the movie? Early word of mouth has been good (especially for Ledger's performance) and as a whole it just looks so much better than Batman Begins (which was great). The darkness and grittiness seem to have been amplified by a factor of 10, and for a superhero as dark as Batman, that can only be a good thing. Expect great things (there are rumors that Ledger might be good enough to snag a postmortem Oscar nomination...wouldn't that be something?).
Excitement Level: VERY VERY HIGH
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