411 Movies Roundtable: June 2007 (Part 1)
Posted by Chad Webb on 06.05.2007
The month of June marks the return of John McClane, the "Fantastic Four", and Eli Roth. Read about all the staff's thoughts!
The Movie Zone Proudly Presents:
The 411mania Movies Roundtable
Greetings to all the roundtable readers! This month's theme of pictures is based on Knocked Up btw. We have more blockbusters coming in June, but these probably won't make as much money as the offerings that May brought us. So far, none have received near universal acclaim in terms of quality. Maybe this month will be different.
In this issue, one thing is official, everyone but myself hated Ocean's Twelve. Other than that, I suggest that no one mess with Trevor Snyder when dissing the title for the new Die Hard flick. Also, Scotty Flamingo visits Wikipedia, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer gets a mixed reception, and everyone has something to say about Michael Moore. I decided to let the staff comment on a documentary this month. Enjoy!
The Month That Was
Owain J. Brimfield
Biggest Winner of the Month:Dreamworks, who scored a fantastic opening weekend for the latest Shrek despite increasingly dour reviews. Let's face it, an average Dreamworks film is better than most other animated offerings out there - and it's the solidifying of that reputation that has earned them this spot.
Biggest Loser of the Month:Paris Hilton. Does anyone really care any more?
Biggest Movie News of the Month:Jackson and Spielberg rumoured to be teaming up to direct a Tintin animated trilogy. With their creative might, couple with Herge's brilliant stories (and hopefully more than a dash of his artistic skills), this has the potential to be a fantastic venture.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month:It absolutely has to be Die Hard 4.0, despite its preposterous title which I refuse to acknowledge. The trailer is two minutes of pure adrenaline, and Bruce Willis nearly always steps up to the plate with his action projects. Hopefully this will have the same sense of mindless fun that turned the last film in the series from an unpromising idea to a top-notch actioner.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month:Not loads to recommend this month, so I'll go with the special edition of 28 Days Later that saw the light of day here recently. Despite what the sequel would have you believe, the original really is a wonderful piece of film-making.
Classic Movie of the Month:Having spent most of this month moving house I haven't had the chance to watch much, but one DVD I did dig out was Garage Days, Alex Proyas' surprising departure from his usual cult sci-fi efforts. Although horrendously cheesy in parts, it's definitely worth a watch.
Bryan Kristopowitz
Biggest Winner of the Month: Sony, Dreamworks SKG, and Disney each get to share the honors this past month as each studio released a mega hit. "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third," and "Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End" each had massive opening weekends, massive international box office takes, and massive merchandise sales. Well, I'll just assume on that last one, but the first two are dang true.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Fox Atomic, the studio that released "28 Weeks Later." While "28 Weeks Later" probably made money, it's not going to be as successful as the first one and likely will not be hanging around a few months after its release like the first one did. The flick just got killed by Shrek.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: According to Dread Central I believe, Showtime has agreed to a third season of "Masters of Horror." The first season was a blast, the second season was quite blah, but I'm excited anyway about the possibilities of a third season. Maybe we'll get that "Re-Animator" movie with William H. Macy as the President of the US.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: This is a pretty big month in terms of "must see" movies. "Knocked Up" looks good. I've wanted to see "Surf's Up" since I saw the preview last year. "Die Hard 4" is a definite. I want to see what Eli Roth does with "Hostel part II" even though I was quite hostile (ha!) to the first flick. And, of course, the return of big, fat Michael Moore with "Sicko." It'll be a good month.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: "Stone Cold" (1991): The best movie Brian Bosworth ever did, one of the best action movies Craig R. Baxley did (before he started doing the Stephen King miniseries that Mich Garris decided he didn't want to do and, oh yeah, before he sold out to the Christian right and did "Laeft Behind III"), and one of the best nasty butt villain performances you're likely to see from both Lance Henriksen and William Forsythe. Bosworth is a tough, scumbum hip and edgy cop out on suspension for being tough, hip and edgy, and a scumbum, who then gets hired by the FBI to go undercover and infiltrate the Brotherhood motorcycle gang headed by Henriksen. The Brotherhood, in retaliation for jailing one of its founders, decides to start killing judges, killing mafia guys, running drugs, and killing national guardsmen. Bosworth has to find out what the gang is likely to do next. According to amazon.com the disc isn't going to have any special features, which is a shame because a commentary and or a making of would have been fun (the action scenes in this movie are insane and it would have been cool to see how they were put together) but, hey, we'll have "Stone Cold" on DVD. That's enough.
Classic Movie of the Month: "The Barefoot Executive" (1971): One of Kurt Russell's early Disney movies, and one of the better comedies to come out of Disney in the 1970's. Russell plays Steven Post, an ambitious mail room nerd at TV network UBC who thinks he has great TV show ideas, but because he's young, rides a motorcycle, and goes to the night school on Melrose Avenue, no one at the network takes him seriously. His girlfriend Jen (Heather North) has a pet chimp named Raffles who, as Steven finds out by accident, can pick the top rated TV shows. Steven hates Raffles but sees that he can use the chimp to help out the network and maybe, just maybe, make it in the TV business. Features great performances from John Ritter, Wally Cox, Joe Flynn, and Harry Morgan. Also features one of the most memorable movie theme songs in history. You will be singing "He's Gonna Make It" for at least a week after watching. And you will realize that the show idea "Abe Lincoln's Doctor's Dog" is a can't miss.
Movie Quote of the Month: "Hey, Wang, I think this place is restricted so don't tell them your Jewish, okay, fine."- Al Czervik, Rodney Dangerfield, "Caddyshack" (1980)
Scotty Flamingo
Biggest Winner of the Month: Scotty Flamingo - Gotta go with Sam Raimi. Spider-Man 3, biggest opening of all time. It has already past $300 million. Can't argue with those numbers.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Scotty Flamingo - Rosie O'Donnell. She is so obnoxious that they couldn't even stand to let her stay until the end of the month. The fat hog sits around and spews her lefty propaganda, which is fine, because that's what a panel type show like The View is for. But then she trashes Elizabeth Hasselback day in and day out for being conservative. Ok. Fine. Here's the kicker though, Rosie gets hurt feelings because Elizabeth didn't defend her! Remember when Rosie sold herself as the "Queen of Nice"??
Biggest Movie News of the Month: Scotty Flamingo -For me it was the reveal of Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight. This ain't gonna be Nicholson playing Jack in clownwhite. This is gonna be the stuff that kids wet the bed over.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: Scotty Flamingo - After the insane May we just had, this month has cooled off. There is good stuff coming out, but nothing I have to see opening day. I'll go with my pick for the big comedy hit of the summer and say Knocked Up.
Classic Movie of the Month: Scotty Flamingo - Harvey. I typically don't watch many films that were made before 1960, but this is one that holds up remarkably well today. Jimmy Stewart is awesome and the movie is hilarious. There's always talk of a remake floating around, but you gotta know that they'd ruin it with a CGI rabbit jumping around.
George H. Sirois
Biggest Winner of the Month: Considering how much money Spider-man 3 made so quickly, I have to give Sam Raimi and Co. the nod for that kind of accomplishment.
Biggest Loser of the Month: The Spider-Man fans that found out that the movie that's making so much money is such a disappointment.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: Nic Cage dropping out of The Untouchables: Capone Rising. I'm hoping that this means the movie is one step closer to ultimately not happening. I'm so sick of prequels that latch on to far superior projects, and I'm really sick of prequel titles that use the word "Rise" or "Rising." Guys, Hannibal Rising didn't work; don't expect this one to either.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: I have to go with Knocked Up. I loved Seth Rogen in The 40-Year Old Virgin, and Katherine Heigl's… well… she's Katherine Heigl, so I'm expecting two great tastes that taste great together.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Since I'm most looking forward to Knocked Up, I'll be recommending The 40-Year Old Virgin, but make sure you're getting the R-rated version. The Unrated cut has a lot of scenes that just go on too long until they stop being funny.
Classic Movie of the Month: After watching the piece of crap that was Robocop 3 for my latest Scene Anatomy 101, I went ahead and watched the original Robocop afterwards. I almost forgot how terrific that film is. Yes, that's my classic pick.
Movie Quote of the Month: "Will somebody call a Goddamned paramedic?!" -- Dick Jones in Robocop. This was the first line after ED-209 put 67 holes in Mr. Kenney after it malfunctioned.
Trevor Snyder
Biggest Winner of the Month:Hollywood, in general: With all three of the big May releases doing record business, but also receiving mixed reviews, I wouldn't really single one out as the big winner of the month. But their success does signal a great month for the movie industry. It seems that for the last few years we've constantly heard about how ticket sales going down. Summer is usually the one time of year where things get a little better, but never as quickly as this year. In one month we've already had three new films join the ranks of the top five biggest weekend openings ever. I'm sure theater owners, in particular, were loving it, and the industry must be somewhat happy to know that even if the rest of the summer is a washout (which isn't likely, with upcoming high-profile releases like Transformers and Harry Potter), the season will still have been a successful one.
Biggest Loser of the Month:The Punisher franchise: The dozen or so fans eagerly awaiting a sequel to The Punisher (and I'm one of them, so that's not a knock) were dealt a blow when Thomas Jane announced he was dropping out of the sequel rather than appear in a film he doesn't believe in. Sure, the first film was a massive letdown, but no one ever really seemed to think it was Jane's fault. In fact, for the last couple years the one person who has seemed to be busting their ass the hardest to give Punisher fans the movie they want to see has been Jane. So the news that Lions Gate's creative and business decisions have pushed him away from the sequel is even more depressing. Hey, Lions Gate, why not just take a chance and actually listen to Jane's opinion? He clearly cares a lot more about the character than you ever did.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: I'm kinda stoked about Robert Rodriguez directing a Barbarella remake, but the news that got me the most excited was hearing that Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino will team up once again for an indie thriller called Righteous Kill. And, unlike their previous pairing in Heat, the director of this film is promising they will be onscreen together for most of the picture. Both men have had a spotty track record later (although Pacino has fared a little better than DeNiro), so hopefully working off of each other again will bring out the best in both of them, and give us another classic performance from both.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: For me, it's a tie between Live Free or Die Hard (and yes, I do love the name) and Mr. Brooks. The first because, well, it's freaking Die Hard. And while I expect Mr. Brooks to unfortunately tank, the trailer looks very cool, and I'm always up for seeing Costner and Hurt do the evil thing.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: This month sees the release of the Sergio Leone Anthology, a box-set featuring special editions of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, and Duck, You Sucker (aka A Fistful of Dynamite). In other words, a box just full of awesome.
Classic Movie of the Month: In honor of Live Free or Die Hard, I'll give the "classic movie" shout-out this month to Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Why Die Hard 2? Because no one ever shows Die Hard 2 any love. People always talk about what a groundbreaking and classic film the original Die Hard was, and they always fondly reminisce about how funny the pairing of Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson was in Die Hard with a Vengeance. What seems to always be forgotten is that Die Hard 2 is quite the good action movie in its own right. It simply has the misfortune of being the worst of the Die Hard films, but hey, that still places it miles above most other American action flicks.
Movie Quote of the Month: They all have husbands and wives and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they've all made themselves a part of something and they can talk about what they do. What am I gonna say? "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?" – Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack), hitman, worrying about his high school reunion in Grosse Pointe Blank
Arnold Furious
Biggest Winner of the Month:Columbia Pictures/Marvel. It was a big risk dumping $250M+ into one film but Spidey 3, despite critical pastings, has got it's budget back and now they're into the profit making exercise. As soon as the toy lines and DVD sales start pouring in plus the tonne of money it'll make globally then Spidey 3 will have been quite a cash in operation. Shame the film wasn't that great.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Lindsey Lohan. To be fair she's still just a kid. She's only 20 years old and has a lot to learn. She's not as dumb as Paris Hilton or Britney Spears but she's going to end up like them if she's not careful. Of all those people Lohan is the one with everything to lose. The others have already made their money. Lohan has incredible promise as an actress if she'd just drop the bullshit diva routine. Hopefully her most recent fuck up's (like carrying cocaine in her car and then crashing it) will serve as a wake up call. Hey, I'm not saying people aren't allowed demons but they should be professional about it.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: The potential for a forthcoming Tintin movie. It's a character I grew up with. I've read all the books. I own all the books. I'm hoping for someone good in the Captain Haddock role. This could conceiveably become a great series of films because there are 20-odd books. Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure would be at the top of my wish list. Followed by Seven Cristal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun. Although I'll take anything the later books were the best. With Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson involved I shouldn't have too much cause for concern.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: Sicko. I'm one of the few confirmed Michael Moore fans. While he makes some figures up to support his arguments he's always been hugely entertaining. His show TV Nation was superb and I'm happy he's getting success through cinematic released documentaries. He's not the best documentary film maker in the world but he's always got something interesting to say.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: The definitive DVD release of Transformers: the Movie. The double disc edition comes in a tin box and has five hours of bonus footage. Although I already have it on DVD and on videotape (although I've seen the video so many times the tape is wearing thin) this is well worth a gander. £15 off Play.com. I know that seems a little pricey but it's one of those films I can't see too many times.
Classic Movie of the Month: Die Hard. With the impending release of the 4th film in the series everyone would do well to go back and watch the original just to remind themselves of what a fantastic film that was. Genre defining action movie that changed the way action films were made.
Movie Quote of the Month: "Pearl Harbor didn't work out so we got you with tape decks" – Joe Takagi in Die Hard demonstrating the Japanese attitude towards taking over the world.
Dave Tomlinson
Biggest Winner of the Month: Why go against the grain? I'll agree with everyone. The big winner is anyone who has stock in Disney, Dreamworks or Sony. Three of the top five opening weekends came in the span of a month. Pirates, Spider-man, and Shrek all did gangbusters at the box office to the tune of record shattering debuts. I guess now we know that people will go see more than one big movie in a month. Look for more loaded months in the summer from here on in.
Biggest Loser of the Month: I think it's a tie. First off I have to give some love to TV hottie Kristen Bell for the cancellation of Veronica Mars. One of my favorite shows over the past couple years, I'm really sad to see this one go. The other loser might just be me. I shelled out for 3 consecutive weeks of movies I was really pumped for. And in the end, all 3 kind of disappointed me. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed them, but they were just… disappointing.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: We all saw that shot of Heath Legder as the Joker. Creepy doesn't really do it justice, this really is the Joker of nightmares
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have said Die Hard, no question. But now? I don't know… Knocked Up is really starting to grow on me. If this has any of the laughs and charm 40-Year-Old Virgin did, it's going to be a big winner.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month:Seraphim Falls. I'm sure most of you missed this one since it had a limited release. Just track it down, check out my further thoughts in my as yet unpublished review. It should be up this weekend.
Classic Movie of the Month: Um… I dunno. Clueless has been kicking around on HBO this month, so I'll go with that. Back in the days when Alicia Silverstone was the next big thing, and no one had a clue who Paull Rudd or Brittany Murphy were. How times change huh?
Movie Quote of the Month: "I don't care! I would rather put on Beautician and the Beast. I would rather listen to Fran Drescher for eight hours than hear Michael McDonald one more time. All I know is that if I have to hear ‘Yammo Be There' one more time… I am going to Yammo burn this place to the ground!" – Paul Rudd in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I'll give my props up to Judd Apatow's last flick.
Ron Martin
Biggest Winner of the Month Crappy sequels. Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End all prove that you don't have to be a good movie to make lots of money. Their big opening weekends were based solely on the quality of their predecessors. For the most part, all three have received mixed (that is being very generous) reviews but have made tons of money. Viva la Brand Names!
Biggest Loser of the Month Originality. Producers and movie studios are now less likely than ever to take on original scripts. Why should they when they can put any crap out there, throw a brand name on it and watch the money roll in? Get used to it America, this is what your watching for the next ten years.
Biggest Movie News of the Month Sequels for long dead franchises. Yes, not even movies and franchises that have been dead for 20 years are immune to sequelitis. Currently infected: Wall Street, The Lost Boys, Beetlejuice and the Terminator series. All of these movies are set to get sequels within the next few years whether you like it or not.
Most Anticipated Movie of the MonthEvan Almighty. I did not see Bruce Almighty because of a Jim Carrey bias, but Steve Carrell has been stamped and approved of by this guy. A new take and update on the old Noah's ark story is always welcome, especially with the people involved here. I have the added nervousness that the trailer did not make me laugh out loud. I highly anticipate it, which may become my downfall.
Recommended DVD of the MonthNorbit. This Eddie Murphy comedy about…just kidding! Meatballs: Rudy the Rabbit Edition. I know the original Meatballs has already come out on DVD, but this edition has a three part making-of featurette and has been remastered. If you have the 1999 version, then don't worry about it. If you don't, you need to get this because well, it has Bill Murray in it. That is the only reason you need. That and it's a throwback to the late 70s/early 80s raunchy comedies that didn't have to get cute and rely on gimmicks to be funny. They were just funny. You! Go Get! June 5!
Classic Movie of the MonthThe Lost Boys . With all this talk of the sequel that has absolutely no chance to succeed, just watch the original instead. Though set in the 80s, the film is timeless and still holds up to this day. The dark atmosphere of the movie is exploited to the fullest, perfecting the teen vamp film. Many would follow, and all would pale in comparison. Jason Patric, the Coreys and Keifer Sutherland – how can you go wrong?
Movie Quote of the Month "Mmmmm. Look at all those steaming wieners. Do you know what they're saying? They're saying, "This is the year that Fink beats 'The Stomach'. Fink picks up a hot dog and holds it to his ear
No, it's a couple of them over here... but they're saying it." – Tripper Harrison, Meatballs
Jason Chamberlain
Biggest Winner of the Month:Sony and Marvel for the big time success of Spider-Man 3. I know Dreamworks and Disney also had hits with Shrek and Pirates 3 respectively, but Spidey opened at the beginning of the month and has owned the theatres ever since, breaking records and bringing in truckloads of cash.
Biggest Loser of the Month: A tie between all the haters who somehow found no enjoyment in Spider-Man 3 (your loss!), and the people of the world for the news that Paris Hilton will go to jail for 20 days. Not that it isn't awesome she's going to the slammer, because it is. But because, even though it'll be 20 days in one of those country club prisons, she will still come out of it with this "I'm tough cause I've done time" attitude. And we'll hear about it, in crappy songs, crappy shows, crappy books… probably even a crappy jail themed hotel chain.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: Star Wars turned 30 this month! It is almost impossible to list all the ways that the Star Wars saga has influenced not just filmmaking, but storytelling. Countless directors, writers and actors have been inspired by these films, and it was the first film to show that moviegoers were craving something fantastic in their film going experience (to the tune of a record breaking box office take). I love the originals, I love the special editions, I love the prequels, I love the books, comics, games and toys! I love Star Wars! Here's to another thirty years of it!
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: Fantastic Four 2. I'm really anticipating this sequel. More of the team, more Doom, the Silver Surfer, and above all, more Alba!
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Ghost Rider. Was it Shakespeare? No. Was it a fun supernatural action flick? Hell yes.
Classic Movie of the Month:My Favorite Year- This 1982 film (set in the 1950's) featured Peter O Toole as Alan Swann, a washed up Errol Flynn type movie star. He is contracted to be the special guest on a weekly variety show, but when he shows up to rehearsals completely smashed, he is almost fired until a young intern named Benjy Stone (Mark-Linn Baker) promises to look after him and keep him clean. Stone idolizes Swann as his hero from the screen, and the two form a bond. Stone helps Swann find the courage to get his life together, and Swann helps Stone get the backbone to stand up for himself at his job and chase the woman of his dreams. It's a funny, heartfelt movie.
Movie Quote of the Month: In My Favorite Year, Alan Swann goes to take a piss in the woman's bathroom, and an old lady looks at him in shock.
Woman: This is for ladies only!
Swann: *whips it out* So is this love, but every now and then I need to run a little water through it.
Chad Webb
Biggest Winner of the Month: As much as I hate to admit it, Spider-Man 3, despite being terrible, is the big money winner currently. I still think Pirates 3 will top it in the long run, but as of now, Spidey 3 is standing taller than the competition. The records they have broken will likely not be toppled anytime soon.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Rosie O' Donnell. Do I even need to elaborate anymore? Her name will get reactions the same as Michael Jackson's does at this point. That's all you need to say is her name. Rosie O' Donnell. I am amazed that she continues to show herself in public after some of the ridiculous and asinine things she has said on television.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: Well, for me, it is the news that a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe film will be made. Apparently, it will resemble the film 300's style. I have this to say though. Even though a producer and screenwriter have been confirmed, keep in mind that this was proposed before, and subsequently sat on the shelf of Director John Woo until it got bagged completely. Nevertheless, I am a hardcore fan, and will pre-order tickets to any sort of adaptation. I hope they don't screw it up royally.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: I love just about anything Pixar releases, so Ratatouille is #1 on my list, but yes, I am looking forward to Ocean's 13.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: I'll save some money this month because not a whole lot comes out. Black Snake Moan seems like my first choice for recommendation though.
Classic Movie of the Month:Planet of the Apes from 1968 is a bonafide classic. Unfortunately, I saw the remake before the original. I didn't understand why everyone hated it, but then I saw Director Franklin J. Schaffner's superb piece of cinema, and knew right away. However, I still feel that remake was very admirable. I loved the original film from start to finish. Charlton Heston is great as Taylor, while Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter are terrific as Cornelius and Zira. The filmmaking is top-notch, the makeup is brilliant, and action sequences are well executed. This may be campy, but it still rocks. The final scene is legendary. Beneath the Planet of the Apes might have been one of the worst follow ups in history, but the original is still great.
Movie Quote of the Month: How could I not select the memorable line from this flick? The first words ever spoken by a human to the apes: George Taylor-"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"
Coming Attractions
June 1st
Mr. Brooks
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Stars: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt
The Plot: A detective (Moore) tracks a potential serial killer (Costner), an otherwise normal man with a devious alter ego (Hurt).
Brimfield: Costner the killer? Everyone forgets how good the guy used to be (Dances With Wolves, Field of Dreams…), and maybe this could be what he needs to reinstate himself as a respectable cinematic figure. Demi Moore sucks, though.
Kristopowitz: The more I learn about this movie the more intrigued I am by it. The whole "Dark Half" thing between Costner and Hurt sounds like good fun, and it's always fun anyway to see William Hurt play a bad guy. Although I'm a little worried about the whole Dane Cook thing. It's freaking Dane Cook for the love of God. How good can he possibly be in it?
Scotty Flamingo: Kevin Costner is one of my least favorite actors for some reason. I think it is because he always looks like he's 5 minutes away from falling asleep. This looks kind of interesting and might be one of those movie I would like if I had to see it on a date or with friends. Since I have neither, I won't be seeing it.
Sirois: I've never had any problems with Costner. He's always been a good actor that made some great films, so it's good to see him giving a dark performance like this that can hopefully give his career the kickstart it could use.
Snyder: I've always thought Costner should transition more towards villain roles, and William Hurt should be great as always. Plus, I give Dane Cook credit for finally taking a role that requires more from him than just being Dane Cook (now the question is, can he pull it off?). I'm really looking forward to this one, it's just too bad it will probably be lost amidst the bigger summer movies.
Furious: This will either work out perfectly or it'll suck. I think it'll rely on how the William Hurt thing works out. Demi Moore is pretty one dimensional but she's playing the straight laced cop so not much rests on her. Costner can act and he's shown that many times before. Could be worth a look.
Tomlinson: Underrated is probably the best description here. This looks very cool and creepy, but I haven't seen much about it aside from a certain friend of mine who is really high on this flick. If not for him (in fact you can read his own thoughts on the flick on this very page, I'll leave it to you to figure out who I mean) I might not have even heard about this one. Anyway, I think it's gonna be a winner, if not financially, certainly quality wise.
Martin: I'm a Kevin Costner fan and a Dane Cook fan though it may not be the coolest thing to like either one of these guys. That being said, I probably won't see this film as there just hasn't been any advertising for it. If it weren't for the random Dane Cook podcast, I may not even know about it. In the midst of summer blockbuster season may have not been the best time for release of this movie.
Chamberlain: I generally avoid Kevin Costner movies, unless they involve Robin Hood. Is Robin Hood in this one? No? Pass.
Webb: I have mixed feelings about Costner and this film. The director, Bruce A. Evans, has not done much as a filmmaker, so who knows what will happen here. The cast is good enough that I will definitely go see it, but I have doubts that it will be special. I'm not sure about Dane Cook whenever he tries to act, but we'll see. This is up in the air.
Knocked Up
Director: Judd Apatow
Stars: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd
The Plot: A guy (Rogen) hooks up a one-night stand with a beauty (Heigl) who's way out of his league. An unplanned pregnancy leads first to a tough decision, then to a series of unexpected events.
Brimfield: Word is that this is the business. While I have my doubts about Heigl (she was in Under Siege 2 for Chrissake), Rudd is immensely likeable and this should be one of the better comedies of the year.
Kristopowitz: Yes! Harold Ramis is back in a movie! I'm hoping that this comedy is as good as the hype, as good as the cast makes it look, and is as good as the director's track record suggests. I think, though, that if, for whatever reason, the movie tanks, Seth Rogen is the one who will suffer the most. At least Heigel has "Grey's Anatomy" to go back to if things don't work out.
Scotty Flamingo: I love everything Judd Apatow does. This is this years 40 Year Old Virgin. Mark it down. The plot is very basic, but shows that you don't have to have 8,000 characters to make a movie work.
Sirois: This has potential to be one of the funnier films this year. Not as funny as Hot Fuzz, of course, but I'm looking forward to taking this one in.
Snyder: Apatow has always been one of the most reliable names in comedy, and it's nice to see most of America finally starting to catch on to that. If this is just half as funny as 40-Year-Old Virgin it will be the best comedy of the summer. Luckily, most of the advance buzz has been saying it's equal to Virgin - so, even better.
Furious: Apatow is coming off 40 Year Old Virgin, which is pretty good. This movie will see whether the sophomore jinx kicks in. Previews have had mixed reviews depending on whether the people in questino liked stupid movies. It'll probably be daft and chances are it'll be quite funny.
Tomlinson: See my comments above in "Most Anticipated Movie" category. ‘Nuff said.
Martin: This movie seems to be gathering a lot of quiet steam. One thing really bothers me about it. It's what I call the George Costanza effect. There is no way the dude in the movie would even get close enough to the girl in the movie to smell her, let along impregnate her. Now, they may explain why this unholy coupling takes place and maybe even in a humorous way, but I don't know if I can look past it. I may have to wait for the DVD.
Chamberlain: I'll definitely check this out as I'm a fan of Apatow and Rogen.
Webb: I was a huge fan of The 40 Year Old Virgin just like everyone else, so obviously I am eagerly awaiting this new comedy from Judd Apatow. I loved Freaks and Geeks, and am happy to see Seth Rogen in a starring role. This should be a lot of fun. Apatow has a bright future ahead of him.
June 8th
Surf's Up
Director: Ash Brannon Chris Buck
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder
The Plot: A behind-the-scenes look at the annual sporting event: The Penguin World Surfing Championship.
Brimfield: LeBeouf's increasingly frustrating ubiquity, coupled with Heder's increasingly annoying face, mean that this one won't exactly be first on my ‘to watch' list.
Kristopowitz: This is one computer animated flick I'm actually excited about seeing. The idea of penguins surfing is just bizarre enough to work, and the whole "it's set up like a documentary" is intriguing. How much like a documentary is it? It it just going to be a bunch of random scenes where a character talks directly to the audience for no apparent reason? I can't wait.
Scotty Flamingo: Please, for the love of all that is Holy, will someone stop making Penguin Movies????? And we have yet ANOTHER movie with Shia Laboof. What is the deal with this kid?? He HAS to be related to someone famous. That's it! I'm gonna find out!
*goes to Wikipedia*
"Shia LaBeouf (pronounced [ˈʃajə lə'bʌf], "Shy-uh La-Buff"[6]) was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Jeffrey LaBeouf, a former mime[7] at a circus and rodeo clown[8] who "drifted" from job to job, and Shayna Saide, a dancer and ballerina[6] turned visual artist;[9] his maternal grandfather was a comedian who worked in the Borscht Belt of the Catskill Mountains.[10] LaBeouf has said that he comes from "five generations of performers" and was "acting when I came out of the womb".[9] LaBeouf's father is a Cajun (once described by LaBeouf as a "Ragin' Cajun")[9] and his mother is Jewish,[11][12][13] and LaBeouf was raised in the Jewish religion[14] and had a Bar Mitzvah.[15] LaBeouf has described his parents as "hippies", his father as "tough as nails and a different breed of man", and his upbringing as similar to a "hippy lifestyle", stating that his parents were "pretty weird people, but they loved me and I loved them".[9][16] LaBeouf's father used to grow cannabis,[7] and the two had smoked marijuana together when LaBeouf was ten.[9][17] LaBeouf has also said that his father was "on drugs" during his childhood, being addicted to heroin and placed in rehab, while his mother was "trying to hold down the fort".[7] His parents eventually divorced and he had what he has said was a "good childhood", growing up poor with his mother (who worked selling fabrics and brooches)[18] in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, and attending a predominantly Latino and African-American school.[11]"
Ok. So no Nick Cage nepotism going on there. Surprising. Well good for him.
What were we talking about?
Sirois: Since everybody's got a penguin movie coming out these days, the trick is finding a unique way to present them, and I love the documentary aspect of this film. I'm not in the biggest rush to see this, but I have to admit I'm interested.
Snyder: Shia Lebouf strikes again. Seriously, by the end of this year this guy will have taken over Hollywood. Anyway, I know I should be sick of all this penguin crap by now, but the trailer for this one – the one made to be like an actual surfing documentary – worked for me, so I'm curious enough to give it a try.
Furious: I've seen the trailer, while waiting for Spidey 3, and it looked pretty funny. I'm not a big fan of kids movies in general but there's space for another animated penguin movie about surfing.
Tomlinson: Well initially I was hesitant to see this one. I am resigned, knowing I'll be in the theatre on opening day, as my girlfriend has a bizarre fascination with penguins. But after I nodded off during the lame Happy Feet (boy, did that piss her off) I became kind of terrified of another computer animated penguin flick. But the more I see about this the more I think it might be descent. Here's hoping
Martin: I am seeing penguins in my sleep. Leave it to Hollywood to take a good thing and run it into the ground. I need a penguin break and the previews from this flick do nothing to convince me not to take it right now. By the way, when does Shia Lebouf sleep?
Chamberlain: This LaBeouf kid is popping up everywhere! I have quite a backlog of animated movies I need to see, so this one will get added to the pile.
Webb: If I never saw another penguin movie for the rest of my life, it would not bother me at all. Seriously, this craze needs to end. I'll admit though, this doesn't look too bad. If it is even somewhat decent, it will probably win the Oscar. The positives are that the directing team is from Toy Story 2. The voice cast doesn't impress me, but that has never mattered. Maybe this will be ok, but I just hope the penguins are done with after this.
Ocean's 13
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Ellen Barkin
The Plot: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and circles up the boys for a third a heist, after casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould).
Brimfield: If this is anywhere near as self-referentially smug as the last one, it's not looking good. Still, as always the cast is pure gold, so it'll undoubtedly have some merits.
Kristopowitz: I wanted to set the screen on fire when I first saw the trailer for this. That last bit in the trailer where Clooney, Damon, and Pitt are looking at the audience and that hip and edgy classy jazzesque music is playing, man, I wanted to yell to the world "Just because you wear a suit and use that jazz music doesn't make you cool or classy so just stop it!" Yeah, we don't have big big star movies like this anymore because the big stars are often too bust being artists to do it, so it does have that and Al Pacino going for it. But I just can't get excited about this.
Scotty Flamingo: I enjoyed Oceans 11. Never saw 12, but heard mixed things about it. I might rent 12 and check this out.
Sirois: I didn't care much for the Rat Pack original, but I got the biggest kick out of the Clooney & Co. remake. Ocean's Twelve, however, pissed me off by being so damn smug with itself and basically just being two hours of "George Clooney's European Vacation." The reviews I'm hearing about this one make it seem like they learned the folly of their ways and brought back the spirit of the first film. So I will be giving this one a shot.
Snyder: Well, they sure have a lot to make up for, don't they? I'm not convinced that simply adding Pacino to the mix guarantees a better film this time around (let's not forget the amount of crap Pacino has made in the last few years), but I'm hoping their own admitted realization that Ocean's 12 sucked has in fact led them to try a lot harder this time. Soderbergh could use a well-received hit again, so here's hoping this works out for them.
Furious: This can go one of two ways. It can be a genius return to form for Soderbergh and a film more along the lines of Ocean's Eleven or it can be a confused mess that everyone hates like Ocean's Twelve. They lost me when they introduced Catherine Zeta-Jones to the series during the second film. Now I've lost interest. There was no need for a sequel there damn sure isn't need for another sequel. What is it with Hollywood these days? Does everything need to be a trilogy right off the bat?
Tomlinson: These boys have a lot to answer for. As they've all pretty well admitted that the second flick sucked. They're treading on my last bit of good will here, don't blow it.
Martin: This one pretty much has a built in audience by now. Very few people are going to walk into this one without having seen the first two. It'll do well, though will slag behind the others in the year of the trilogies.
Chamberlain: Didn't see the first one, didn't see the second one, don't plan to see this one. And Clooney couldn't deliver Frank Sinatra's lunch.
Webb: I am not afraid to admit that I enjoyed Oceans 12. It had problems, but was a lot of fun in my opinion. It is a guilty pleasure flick of mine. I can't wait to see how Steven Soderbergh closes out this trilogy. At least, last I heard it was going to end as a trilogy. Anyway, the addition of Pacino should be marvelous. The only thing that aggravates me is that none of the women have returned. Other than that, count me in.
Hostel: Part II
Director: Eli Roth
Stars: Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips
The Plot: While studying art in Rome for the summer, three young American women (German, Matarazzo, Phillips) are lured away to a Slovakian hostel by a model from their class. Soon they will experience the grim reality their weekend getaway has in store.
Brimfield: And there I was just pondering how the complex existential storyline of the original Hostel could do with a touch more exposition. Let's face it, the only reason to watch this is if you get your rocks off to hot chicks being tortured. Actually, wait a minute…
Kristopowitz: As much as I didn't like but wanted to like the first flick, I'm intrigued as to where Roth is going to take his torture porn sequel. It looks more like a straight up horror movie and less like a hip and edgy excuse to be hip and edgy. But that could just be the commercials. Maybe the movie is just an extension of all of the stuff that Roth did, in my opinion, wrong in the first one. Maybe. I will see it, though.
Scotty Flamingo: Hostel was one of the worst excuses for a "horror" movie that I've ever seen. The premise is interesting, but really is something more suited to a 30 minute episode of Tales From The Crypt instead of a hour and a half feature. Add to that the fact that it just was not scary, and I have no desire to see the sequel.
Sirois: Still haven't seen the original film, but I really liked the original idea that was floating around the Internet for the sequel. I kept hearing about how this one was going to focus on the point of view of the torturers rather than the tortured, and that would have been a really interesting role reversal. It's a shame that this one just comes off like the first film, only with girls instead of guys.
Snyder: I feel like I'm the only 411 writer who liked the first film. In fact, as anyone who read my review of the original will remember, I loved it. Still do. That being said, I never really thought it needed a sequel, so I'm a little wary of this one. Whether or not Part II is effective probably depends on if Roth pulls off his promise to focus more on the people who run the torturing business, and the men who pay to take part in it. That sounds interesting, and will hopefully make up for the fact that the rest of the movie just sounds like a remake of the last one with girls instead of guys.
Furious: I just saw the first one. I'm therefore confused as to why there's a need for a sequel. Hostel was kind of fun until it became another generic horror film gorefest. I quickly lost interest. It wasn't scary or original or good. There's no need for a sequel and I won't be watching.
Tomlinson: I saw the first one with a couple buddies who are WAY more into horror flicks than I am. And I really dug it (I'm a much bigger fan of horror that could actually happen), but it's hard to watch. I have a feeling watching these brutal things happen to a trio of girls might be even worse. I don't know if I'll make it through this one. Plus I watched Attack of the Show a few days ago when Bijou Philips filled in for Olivia. Something about her just irritates the hell out of me, can't put my finger on it.
Martin: As a fan of horror and gross out films, I will see this. Eventually. Probably on DVD. I was duped by the first one, I will not be so much duped by this one. Gore is fine, but if you want to get my $8 from a theater, you got to have something of a compelling storyline. Gore gets you a $3 DVD rental.
Chamberlain: Allow me to opine for a moment. I hate horror movies, slasher flicks and this latest sub genre, ‘the torture movie'. There's already enough sickos out there in the real world without glamorizing them with their very own movies. "Yeah, let's go watch Hostel and watch some poor tourists get really, really killed." Not seeing the entertainment value, personally.
Webb: I just hope the world doesn't forget that the first Hostel was one of the worst movies of last year. They attached Tarantino's name, and everyone went to see it. This is the same plot with girls, instead of guys. I hope this bombs badly behind Surf's Up and Oceans 13. I am still keeping an open mind that maybe Eli Roth has inserted an actual plot this time around, but I doubt it.
June 15th
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Director: Tim Story
Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans
The Plot: The Fantastic Four face two severe threats: the arrival of the enigmatic Silver Surfer, who has come to Earth with a planetary destruction in mind, and the shocking return of their main nemesis.
Brimfield: One of the more promising trailers of the year, the Silver Surfer looks totally ‘rad' (zing!). However, the uninspired cast has a lot to do to erase the memory of the original's flaccidity. And if they screw up Galactus, super villain extraordinaire, they'll heave a legion of fans to answer to.
Kristopowitz: I still haven't seen the first flick. I need to see that first before I comment even further on this. The trailer with the Silver Surfer in full view was fun, though, and that lobby display I recently saw with a life size Silver Surfer is pretty cool. I wonder how many dumpster riots there will be when theatres decide to take it down. Because you know the nerds will be scoping out the dumpsters waiting to see the manager chuck it.
Scotty Flamingo: Those that read my last column know my thoughts on this. The first one was a on again off again mess that was great one second and unwatchable the next. I expect more of the same from this.
Sirois: The first film was perfectly mediocre, a real missed opportunity that came off like a half-assed version of what it could have been. This one seems like another perfectly mediocre film with a badass looking Silver Surfer, so it seems like a bit of an improvement, but not enough of one for me to go to the theater for it.
Snyder: The first film was one of the biggest pieces of cinematic turd to ever come down the comic-movie pipeline. Will this one be any better? Well, let me see…is Jessica Alba still playing Sue Storm? She is? Yep, this is gonna suck. One would at least hope that they can only go up in quality after the last movie, but the news that the sequel has turned Galactus into a giant storm cloud (huh??) doesn't really give me much faith.
Furious: I've seen the trailer for this too. I was really excited at the prospect of Galactus but I doubt that we'll get to see anything of him during this film. The Silver Surfer is a fun substitute though. I didn't agree with most of the casting in the first film but since we're pushing on and trying to make it into a franchise we might as well enjoy it. The worst part of the first one was Dr Doom and Julian McMahon was nowhere to be seen during the trailer. Bonus. This should be quite cool but very limited. I dig Marvel films though so I'm onboard.
Tomlinson: Didn't see the first one, won't be seeing this one. Next.
Martin: Let's see. Jessica Alba has crossed over into the borderline crazy young starlet club and I used up my comic book movie quota for this year with Spider-Man. Next.
Chamberlain: I loved the first one. That's right, I said loved. I was never a big fan of the comics going in, so if the movie wasn't faithful to them, I don't know/care. I dug the team interaction, Doom was great at the enda, and Alba! That Alba… I'm a little worried that Marvel's First Family may take a backseat in their own movie with the inclusion of the Surfer, but I'll withhold my judgment until I see the film.
Webb: The Fantastic Four group just aren't made for movies I think. It just doesn't work properly. The first one was not awful, but not interesting enough. It had oodles of flaws. That being said, I cannot wait to see the Silver Surfer finally make his way to the big screen after so many years of trouble. The character has gone through a lot of hassle to be in a movie. He looks pretty cool, but the returning cast members are not any more impressive from the looks of the trailers.
Nancy Drew
Director: Andrew Fleming
Stars: Emma Roberts, Tate Donovan, Max Thieriot
The Plot: While accompanying her father on a trip to Los Angeles, teen detective Nancy Drew (Roberts) begins to put clues together that could unravel the mystery behind a movie star's death.
Brimfield: The last time I heard of Tate Donovan he was dating Jennifer Aniston. Is it really ten years since he was relevant?
Kristopowitz: This flick doesn't look half bad. There's nothing wrong with a corny clean cut teen comedy every now and then. I think the biggest potential problem for this movie is how much time it spends on the whole "teen girls with cellphones at the mall" thing that's such a big part of the trailer. I'm not a teenager, I don't know any teenagers, but I have serious doubts that they want to watch a movie about that stuff.
Scotty Flamingo: Huh? When did THIS get made?? This is the first I've heard of it. Nice marketing job.
Sirois: I have no issues with this one at all. I won't be seeing it anytime soon, but it'd be nice to see this become a success and bring back an intelligent character like Nancy.
Snyder: I'm sure this will be a perfectly fine and inoffensive film for its target audience, which I am definitely not a part of. I'm thinking the chances are pretty good I will never, ever see this thing.
Furious: Not really my thing. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were the American version of teen investigators. I'm British so I grew up on the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. They don't convert too well to the big screen so I'm not really interested.
Tomlinson: Given that I'm not prepubescent nor a girl I don't have much use for this flick. Emma Roberts is charming enough I'm sure, but I doubt I'll ever have occasion to watch this.
Martin: As an uncle, I will eventually have to watch this film. Nothing wrong with the premise and a film version of Nancy has been long overdue.
Chamberlain: Nah.
Webb: If there was a movie that I am guaranteed to skip, it is this one. I never really read the books, and don't plan on starting now. This seems like the type of film you'll see on Nickelodeon or the Disney channel years down the road.
June 22nd
Evan Almighty
Director: Tom Shadyac
Stars: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham
The Plot: God (Freeman) tasks Congressman Evan Baxter (Carrell) with building an ark in anticipation of a great flood.
Brimfield: Hopefully Carell's comedic nous and Freeman's gravitas can save this entirely unnecessary franchise from the mediocrity to which it seems to aspire.
Kristopowitz: Wouldn't this movie have been funnier in concept if it had been Brick Tamblin as the one chosen by God to build an ark? I never saw the first flick, the one with Jim Carrey, and I don't have any interest in this one. It'll probably be funny, though.
Scotty Flamingo: I love Steve Carrell, but I think this was a poor choice after 40 Year Old Virgin. This is a very safe milk toast type of movie. I'm sure there will be funny parts, but I also expect a lot of animal poop jokes. I guess that pointing out that in The Bible, God promises Noah that he will not destroy the world by flood ever again (and thus the rainbow) would be thinking too much...
Sirois: I love Carell, but this looks really weak. I have a feeling that there's going to be some sort of bait-and-switch at the end that's going to prevent the great flood.
Snyder: I have a feeling this is going to strongly test my "Steve Carell can do no wrong mentality. The fairly lame Bruce Almighty was not really a movie that called for a follow-up, and all the bad buzz already attached to this picture isn't doing much to improve my feelings about it. Who knows, maybe it will end up being OK, but I think as far as June comedies go, this one isn't gonna be able to touch Knocked Up.
Furious: This is another sequel that jumps leapt out of left field. I know Steve Carrell is hot right now so they're looking for projects that people will like him in but Bruce Almighty had such a sense of finality about it. This whole thing about a modern Ark seems a bit preposterous. I felt the original only worked because of how good Jim Carrey was in it. Carrell will need a similar level of performance to make this work.
Tomlinson: I actually liked Bruce Almighty and I really dig Steve Carell… but something about this seems wrong doesn't it? They really should have just left well enough alone
Martin: Ah, my most anticipated movie of the month. As mentioned above, the trailers have me a bit worried, but when you have God, Steve Carell and monkies, how can you go wrong? This will be 10 times funnier than anything Jim Carrey could have done in the first film. Please don't make me eat those words, Steve.
Chamberlain: Never saw the one with Jim Carrey, but I do love Steve Carell… might give it a rent.
Webb: Since Jim Carrey hates doing sequels; Steve Carell was next in line. I concur with basically everyone here when I say that I am a fan of Mr. Carrell and Mr. Freeman, but this does not seem all that funny, or intriguing, or absorbing. Its like The Santa Clause meets Bruce Almighty. I'll wait for Darren Aronofsky's Ark adaptation.
