The Observer, April 25, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 26
Summer movie offerings look better than ever
Summer is the time for catching up on sleep, going on vacation, taking extra classes or working (don't do it, take a break instead!), finishing the Harry Potter series a year late...and most of all, finally finding time to go out to the movies with friends. The summer proves to be consistently one of the largest times for box office returns on films. Memorial Day and July Fourth weekends are historic weekends for premiering the great "summer blockbusters." After a relatively disappointing and sporadic summer of movie releases last year, I was skeptical to research movies to detail in this article, anticipating even more disappointment. Ideas were great for 2007 summer films, but many could hardly be considered good movies. Nonetheless, I did enjoy seeing Bruce Willis kill a helicopter with a car. That's pretty hardcore.
I could hardly finish this article. This looks to be one of the greatest summers for movies ever! Starting May 2, make sure to take a break from finals and go see Iron Man, a new superhero franchise movie starring Robert Downey Jr. This film has been getting considerable buzz, and according to initial reviews, the movie could be as memorable as the original Spiderman. All the huge franchise films will be released in May, each a different weekend: Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Sex and the City: The Movie. Make sure to also take note of some of the more independent releases: Son of Rambow, a coming-of-age story about two boys' obsession with Rambo, The Tracey Fragments, a new film with Ellen Page, and The Strangers, a horror film with a trailer that actually looks truly horrifying. Shock those good feelings you get from watching Speed Racer and get yourself spooked!
June is a noticeably tamer movie month, the highlights being Wall-E, Wanted, The Love Guru, Get Smart, and Jack Black's new animated film Kung Fu Panda. Some other movies of particular interest in June are The Happening, M. Night Shyamalan's new film, and hopefully a return to form of his earlier work, and The Incredible Hulk, a remake of a film released just years ago, now starring Edward Norton. Both films will be released on June 13.
July picks up where May left off, with a slew of new and original movie releases, including Step Brothers, the new film by director Adam McKay of Anchorman and Talladega Nights, and Hancock, an original superhero movie with Will Smith starring as just your ordinary homeless dude... with added superhero powers. Originally, the plot of the movie sounded stupid to me, but after seeing the trailer, I'm confident I'll be seeing that movie opening weekend. Some other films in July: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Mamma Mia!, based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, and The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Also, look forward to new possibilities for the 2008 Razzie awards for worst film: Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D and Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave. You heard it here first! Of course, I wouldn't be able to finish listing the releases in July without mentioning The Dark Knight, the new Batman film featuring the late, great Heath Ledger. It comes out July 18.
August's movie releases surprised me. The first weekend of August will feature four movie releases: Choke, Midnight Meat Train, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and The Rocker. Choke is the newest movie based off a Chuck Palahniuk book, and considerable praise has been given to actor Sam Rockwell, who plays the lead character. The movie premiered at Sundance this year with pretty decent reviews.
The summer ends strong, with a few noticeable releases: Hell Ride, a film produced by Quentin Tarantino and starring Larry Bishop, a biker who seeks revenge after seeing his woman murdered by the Satanic biker gang the 666ers; Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a new animated feature film detailing the Clone Wars from Star Wars mythology as seen in Episode 2; College, a new comedy about the horrors and enjoyment of living a typical "college life," by the creators of Waiting..., and of course, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Make sure to look for the release of Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder on August 15, a comedy about a bunch of failed actors who film an action movie that ends up turning 'real.' The movie proves to be a good casting wrap up to the entire summer movie season, with Ben Stiller starring as a vain action star, Jack Black as a heroin-addicted bleached-white drunkard, and a black Robert Downey Jr. Tom Cruise also makes an appearance...in a fat suit. I'd direct you to pictures of the fat Tom Cruise, but the Church of Scientology took them off the internet.
My predictions for biggest money-making blockbuster of the summer? I think it'll be The Dark Knight. Picking up where Batman Begins left off, the movie features The Joker as the newest Batman villain, played by the late Heath Ledger. It looks incredible. This summer promises to be a great movie summer, so instead of staying cooped up with classes and work, make sure to take some time to check out a few of the stellar releases soon to be hitting theaters nationwide.
