After a light June at the theaters, I’m a little leery of July as well. I made it to see Robin Hood and The A-Team, and I hope to see Knight and Day in the near future. I’m undecided about The Karate Kid,Toy Story 3 and Jonah Hex. Those may find their way onto my to-rent list.
Oh, and I rented Walk, Don’t Run (a funny 1966 film that I remember fondly from my childhood), Valentine’s Day (kind of fun, lots of great actors, not such a great script), and Unthinkable (don’t, just don’t).
For July, quite a few movies are on the list, just not many I’ll go see. Sigh.
Two movies open June 30: Love Ranch and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. I may see the former; I will definitely not see the latter.
Love Ranch: Starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci, Love Ranch follows the larger-than-life personalities of the couple who opened the first legal brothel in Nevada and the South American boxer who arrives to train on their property. An explosive love triangle threatens everything the couple (Mirren and Pesci) has built. Rated R, Love Ranch opens in limited release June 30.
The Last Airbender: The latest offering from M. Night Shyamalan, The Last Airbender comes from an animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The effects look amazing, and I’ve liked most of Shyamalan’s work (don’t ask me about Lady in the Water), so I may go see this one. However, it’s been redone in 3D, and if my theater doesn’t offer the 2D version, I’ll wait for it on DVD. Rated PG, The Last Airbender opens July 1.
The Kids Are All Right: A family drama, The Kids stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Two teens decide to track down their biological father, and their family is soon in disarray. Bening and Moore portray the parents of the teens, and Ruffalo is the sperm-donor dad. Good actors, neat story, definitely worth a look. Rated R, The Kids Are All Right opens in limited release July 9.
Also being released July 9: Despicable Me and Predators.
Inception: With the tagline of “Your mind is the scene of the crime,” Inception looks to be a mind-bending drama. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page, among others, the film follows Cobb (Dicaprio), an experienced player in the realm of corporate espionage. He’s able to go into people’s dreams to steal information, ideas, whatever, and now he’s on the run. Will a last job, planting an idea instead of stealing one, end everything? Rated PG-13, Inception opens July 16.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: One of the July movies I’m most looking forward to, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel and Alfred Molina. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the title says it all, and the trailers show some awesome special effects. Rated PG, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice opens July 16.
Salt: Originally conceived as a vehicle for Tom Cruise, the role was given to Angelina Jolie with a few obvious modifications to the script. Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a CIA agent accused of being a sleeper agent for Russia. The covert operative goes on the run, trying to prove her innocence, although the question remains, who is Salt? Rated PG-13, Salt also stars Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and opens July 23.
Also being released July 23, Ramona and Beezus, the film adaptation of the beloved Beverly Cleary book.
Get Low: After 10 months on the film festival circuit, Get Low finally opens to U.S. audiences on July 30. With a great cast, I’m anxious to see this one. A 1930s Tennessee hermit (Robert Duvall) throws his own funeral party, with a mysterious motive in play. It’s an event that actually happened, and has become legend with the re-telling. Also starring Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Bill Cobb, Gerald McRaney and Lucas Black, Get Low is rated PG-13.
Charlie St. Cloud: Starring Zac Efron, Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger, the film follows Charlie (Efron) after the tragedy of his younger brother’s death and how the teen copes with grief, life and love. Most of the trailers relate the main conflict: Charlie talks and plays catch with his younger brother, and a new love pulls the teen in a different direction. Adapted from the book, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, written by Ben Sherwood, the film is rated PG-13 and opens July 30.
Also being released July 30: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore; Dinner for Schmucks; The Extra Man (in limited release), and Twelve. I may try to see The Extra Man (it stars Kevin Kline), but the others are not on my list.
What do you think? Any capture your attention? Any duds? What’s on your list for summer viewing?
See ya at the movies!
