Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Summer Movie Preview: 25 Films That I am Excited About

Yes, 25!! I can't believe that there are so many movies I want to see this summer, but I guess it makes up for a crappy beginning of the year.  So far, I've only seen 3 films in the theater, which is just pathetic (Warm Bodies, Stoker and Side Effects - Jurassic Park doesn't really count. Although, I am planning to see Trance and The Place Beyond the Pines within the next week or two).  Here's hoping for a fantastic, movie-filled summer!!!

1. Iron Man 3 (5/3) - I was a little bored by Iron Man 2, and that's all I really remember about it....being bored.  Thankfully, the trailer for this looks epic!!  I'm actually a little more interested in it with Shane Black directing.  The only directing experience he has is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is enough for me.  I fucking love that movie.  

2. The Great Gatsby (5/10) - I've been patiently waiting 17 years for another Baz Luhrmann/Leonardo DiCaprio movie.  As a teenager, who was obsessed with movies, Shakespeare and Leo, it's safe to say Romeo + Juliet was, like, the greatest thing ever.  I was never a huge fan of the play (compared to the rest of Shakespeare's work), but I was awe-inspired watching Shakespeare's words combined with a modern-day setting.  Plus, the soundtrack is still, to this day, one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever. On a side-note, Claire Danes is easily the weak link.  It actually makes me angry to think about how awful she was, and I think that is why I still hold a little resentment towards her. She ruined an otherwise perfect movie.  Anyway, I re-read The Great Gatsby last year, in anticipation of this movie (because it was supposed to be released in December of last year) and just like the first time, I wasn't super impressed.  However, it has some spectacularly grand moments,  that could be beautiful to see on-screen and I think Luhrmann is the perfect person to do that.  If anyone had any doubts, surely they were erased with the release of the trailer...right? It looks sublime.

3. Star Trek Into Darkness (5/17) - Ugh.  Ok, I don't really want to see this, but I probably will.  I feel like I have some sort of loyalty to watch this, as a J.J. Abrams fan.  I watched the first one and was fully satisfied with it - considering I know nothing about Star Trek, it was solid entertainment.  I'm sure this one will be more of the same, but I just find it hard to get excited about. I would prefer J.J. working on something that comes from his own genius mind, but I will settle with what I can get.  It's even worse that I will soon have to sit through a Star Wars movie....come on J.J., you're killing me!!!  

4. Frances Ha (5/17) - I'm a huge fan of The Squid and the Whale and Greenberg, both written and directed by Noah Baumbach.  He collaborates with Greta Gerwig for this movie, in which she is also the star.  I just recently watch Lola Versus, and she was really fantastic (she was also great in Greenberg).  Also, the movie is set in NYC and filmed in black and white, giving it a 70's feel (Baumbach sites Woody Allen's Manhattan as inspiration)...so yeah, I'm interested.  

5. The Hangover Part III (5/24) - I was one of the few that didn't rip apart the second one.  I thought it was funny....and it was everything I expected it to be (The Hangover...again).  It's weird because the trailer arrived online a few days ago, and the reactions seemed to be surprisingly positive.  I didn't laugh at all...probably because there was not enough Bradley Cooper.  There is never enough Bradley Cooper.  I'm still excited to see it.  Bradley Cooper.  

6. Before Midnight (5/24) - If I were to make a list of my 100 favorite movies (what a daunting task that would be), both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset would be on it.  Obviously, I am excited about this.  But, I am also, like, really, really nervous.  What if it ruins everything that came before?  Do I really want to see this couple, now married with kids?  Yes? Maybe?  I think I do.  But I kind of don't.  I just don't know.  

7. The East (5/31) - Really excited to see what Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij can do with a studio-financed project.  Their first collaboration, Sound of My Voice, is a really interesting (and unsettling) movie. Brit Marling is a fantastic actress.  Another Earth, was on my best list of 2011 (which she also co-wrote). Both of these films had big ideas, bold choices and felt fresh. Hopefully, The East is more of the same. 

8. Now You See Me (5/31) - I probably wouldn't have been interested in this movie, but then I saw the trailer and it looks sort of fun.  It's about a group of people that pull off bank robbery's by using magic.  Do you think we'll find out how they do it?? Because that's the only reason I want to see it...plus, Dave Franco!!!  He makes me laugh. "Go fuck yourself!" (look it up).  

9. After Earth (6/7) - I love a big, blockbuster, Will Smith movie and it's been so long since there's been a good one....maybe as far back as Enemy of the State? I didn't really like I, Robot or I am Legend.  I do have a soft spot for Bad Boys II, but that's just because I love the first one so much ("I wanna be, I wanna be like Mike...POW!".  LOVE IT.  Don't even hate. I can recite the whole thing).  Anyway, I was totally in for this one, but then I realized M. Night Fucking Shyamalan directed it and now I have hesitations. I can't decide which of his films is the worst...The Village? Lady in the Water? Signs? Who am I kidding...The Happening is the worst film I have ever seen. Even his better films, Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense aren't great.  Hopefully, he doesn't ruin this movie.  

10. Much Ado About Nothing (6/7) - Shakespeare junkie...remember?  But actually, more than that, I am a huge Joss Whedon fan.  He gets actors from previous projects (Nathon Fillion, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz and Alexis Denisof) and adapts a Shakespeare play (and one of my favorite ones!) - of course I am going to watch it. 

11. The Internship (6/7) - I really just want to see this because of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.  I don't like Owen Wilson on his own, but paired with Vaughn (like in The Wedding Crashers), he is hilarious.  They have really great comedic chemistry and maybe, just maybe....Bradley Cooper will show up?? Probably not, but one can dream.  I don't even know what this movie is about.  Should I care?  

12. This is the End (6/12) - So, getting all these comedic actors together, like Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, James Franco and Jonah Hill, and having them play "themselves" sounds like a nightmare.  They are all varying degrees of annoying.  However, the trailer makes it look really funny.  I'm hoping for hilarious. Like, Superbad hilarious.  Anything less, and I will be disappointed.  

13. Man of Steel (6/14) - 90% of the movies that I see in the theater, I see with the same person.  He's a huge movie buff, but the problem is, he really doesn't like "superhero" movies.  Every time we see a trailer for a new one coming out, he'll turn to me and say "ugh..you're going to make me see that...aren't you?".  When the Man of Steel teaser trailer came out, he turned to me and said "ooooooh...that looks good!!".  This makes sense, because after forcing him to watch Watchmen, he admits that he loved it.  And because, FUCK YES, it looks good!!!  I have total faith that Zack Snyder is going to make me fall in love with Superman.  

14. World War Z (6/21) - Absolutely love the book and I am at the edge of my seat waiting in anticipation to see how the fuck they made it into a movie.  First, they had to cut out like 90% - there is just too much story there to make one movie (I could visualize it more as a television mini-series, like The Stand).  Second,  is it really focused on the "world" or do they Americanize it? (I can already assume the answer to that one).  And last, is it really going to feel any different than any other zombie movie?  The book feels very different because it's not really about zombies, it's about war and politics.  I guess we'll finally see how it all comes together (after waiting for YEARS!).  

15. Maniac (6/21) - So, I just watched the trailer and now I will probably have nightmares about Elijah Wood trying to kill me.  Awesome.  I heard a lot about this movie last year, but I never found a release date for it.  I'm happy that it's finally getting one - it will likely be very limited, but I'm going to do my best to see it.  I grew up watching Elijah Wood (Forever Young, The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Good Son, etc), it's going to be very hard to watch him in a role like this, but it could also be amazing.  

16. Pacific Rim (7/12) - I have to be honest, I kept hearing all this talk about Pacific Rim and I assumed it was some sort of romantic drama set on the beach.  I don't know why, that's just what the title evokes in my mind.  I flipped through my Entertainment Weekly "Summer Movie Preview" issue and saw Idris Elba's picture next to the title and thought "oh...that's interesting..I like him..." and then I saw a picture of a robot and went "WAIT....what? It's about robots and monsters!!"  That makes so much more sense now.  I should really pay attention more.  Also, it's directed by Guillermo del Toro! I feel like I missed that part as well.  Anyway, now I'm interested.  

17. Girl Most Likely (7/19) - I wasn't a fan of Kristen Wiig until Bridesmaids.  I always found her personality grating on SNL, but with Bridesmaids, she toned herself down a bit and was really the heart of that movie (which is why it worked so well).  The plot of this movie is about a woman who fakes a suicide attempt to win her ex-boyfriend back, so I assume she is supposed to be an extremely unlikable character.  I'm not sure whether it's supposed to be a comedy or drama or somewhere in-between but I'm interested to see Wiig in a more serious role.  Also, Annette Bening is always worth a watch. 

18. Only God Forgives (7/19) - Probably the film I am most excited for, and it conveniently arrives on the weekend of my birthday (which also happened last year with The Dark Knight Rises. The movie Gods must love me!!).  Drive is probably my favorite movie released in the last 5 years (maybe more than that...), so I have super high (ridiculously high) expectations for this movie.  I was trying to reserve these expectations, because this usually causes disappointment - but then the trailer was released and I freaked out!  It's amazing!  I watched it like 20 times in a row.  This movie is going to deliver.  It just has to.  

19. Blue Jasmine (7/26) - It's Woody Allen, so I'll watch it.  I'm skeptical of the plot - Husband trades wife in for a younger woman.  Really, Woody?  That doesn't sound very original (or interesting).  Hopefully, it will be a bit more complicated than that.  I'm not really a fan of Alec Baldwin (aside from his stints on SNL and of course, as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock).  I thought he was awful in the previous Allen film, To Rome with Love.  Maybe pairing him up with the fantastic Cate Blanchett, will enhance his performance??  

20. 2 Guns (8/2) - I'll usually watch anything with Mark Wahlberg, except, of course, his newest film, Pain & Gain. Seriously, what the fuck is that??  Anyway, the title of this film is just downright awful, but the plot looks good. Plus, usually when Mark is surrounded by strong actors he tends to step up his game (see: The Departed).  Pairing him with Denzel Washington could be magical.

21. Elysium (8/9) - I'm skipping the trailer for this one.  I've watched far too many trailers this year, because it's far too easy to simply click on the links.  But for the most part, I like to be surprised, so I made a conscious effort to avoid this one.  All I know is that it's directed by Neill Blomkamp, the same guy that directed the superb, District 9, and Matt Damon looks like a bad-ass.  

22. The To Do List (8/16) - Aubrey Plaza and Rachel Bilson!!!  Two of my favorite people.  They both seem to play the exact same character in every project they do, but I love them, so I guess I can't complain.  It would be nice to see them branch out a bit.  What's this movie about?  

23. Ain't Them Bodies Saints (8/17) - I've been looking forward to this movie since the Sundance buzz.  Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara and Ben Foster are all terrific young actors.  The plot is about a convict who escapes from prison to reunite with his wife and daughter.  Described as a Western, but focused on characters (instead of action), it seems like a film that I will enjoy.  

24. The World's End (8/23) - Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) teaming up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is always a welcomed adventure.  I've enjoyed all of their collaborations, so it's pretty much guaranteed that I will enjoy this.  

25. Don Jon (8/?) - Starring JGL....DIRECTED by JGL.  Do I really need to say anything else????  

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