June’s been pretty quiet on the movie front. Since we last
talked movies, I’ve seen Kung Fu Panda 2 (fun, not as good as the first one,
but sweet), Queen of the Sun (a documentary on bees, very enlightening and well
done), Super 8 (excellent, less about aliens and more about family, friends and
loss), and rented Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (yuck, loved the series but this
extra …. not so much), Ten-Inch Hero (excellent, an indie rom-com from 2007
with Jensen Ackles in the cast. Enough said.), No Strings Attached (funny, well
done, a bit on the raunchy side and more depth than I thought it would have), Tangled
(cute and fun) and Tron: Legacy (definitely not worth it).
The Tourist and Hereafter (new additions to my collection) are
waiting in my DVD player.
I also watched from my collection The Last Starfighter
(cheesy fun from the 1980s), Speed and The Replacements (what can I say? I’m a
fan of Keanu Reeves, and I watch The Replacements when I need to laugh) and The Italian Job (love the Mini Coopers racing against the train).
Here we go for July.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Starring Shia LaBeouf,
Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel, with newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whitely, this
third in the franchise focuses on a hidden spacecraft on the moon. Looks like some
crazy special effects. Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens June 29, is rated PG-13
(but lots of violence, parents) and is being released in 3D and IMAX
formats.
Larry Crowne: Tom Hanks portrays a man who, after being
fired for not having gone to college, decides to get his college degree, and
Julia Roberts stars as a college professor who’s lost her desire to teach. You
can see how this one starts out, but I’m curious as to how it ends. Larry
Crowne opens July 1 and is rated PG-13.
Monte Carlo: Three friends (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester
and Katie Cassidy) experience a disappointing visit to Paris
(really?!) until one of them is mistaken for a British heiress, and the three
are whisked off to Monte Carlo.
Rated PG, Monte Carlo
opens July 1.
Also opening July 1, in limited release: Terri, the story of
a plus-sized teen (Jacob Wysocki) and how his life is impacted by his rather
obnoxious vice-principal (John C. Reilly), is rated R; and The Perfect Host,
which stars David Hyde Pierce as a man whose dinner party is interrupted by a
would-be criminal (Clayne Crawford), focuses on the dark sides of both men and
is rated R.
Zookeeper: In this tale, the animals do actually run the
zoo, as zookeeper Kevin James discovers when he contemplates leaving his post.
Voices for the animals are provided by Cher,
Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Jim Breuer, Jon
Favreau, Faison Love, Maya Rudolph and Bas Rutten. Might be fun, but it’ll be a
rental for me. Rated PG, Zookeeper opens July 8.
Horrible Bosses: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason
Sudeikis are caught in work hell as they each face the Worst Boss Ever
(portrayed by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell). And what do
they decide to do? Kill the bosses, with the help of Jamie Foxx. Yep, I’ll skip
this one. Rated R, Horrible Bosses opens July 8.
Also opening July 8, The Ward is from director John
Carpenter, stars Amber Heard and Mamie Gummer and is rated R (of course); andIronclad, starring Paul Giamatti as King John, Jason Flemyng, James Purefoy and
Brian Cox, is rated R.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: The last of
the franchise, Part 2 wraps up the Harry Potter legend with the final battle
between Harry and Voldemort. It’s been 10 years in the making, folks, and
here’s where it ends. Sadly. This is a must-see-in-the-theater for me. Opening
July 15, Harry Potter is in 3D and is rated PG-13.
Captain America:The First Avenger: Another offering from Marvel, Captain America stars
Chris Evans as the titular character, going from a CGI’d little guy to a ripped
hero. The film also stars Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal
McDonough and Derek Luke. And don’t forget to stay through the credits, as you
know from watching Marvel’s Iron Man and Thor. I also hear they’re already
filming the Avenger movie, which will bring these three superheroes and more
together on the big screen. In 3D, Captain America is not yet rated and will
open July 22.
Friends With Benefits: Starring Justin Timberlake and Mila
Kunis, FWB shows best friends Dylan and Jamie complicating things when they add
another layer to their friendship. Supposedly a comedy, this film is low on my
to-rent list. Not yet rated, Friends With Benefits opens July 22.
Cowboys and Aliens: Very high on my must-see list, Cowboys
and Aliens stars Daniel Craig as the mystery man wearing a strange bracelet,
and Harrison Ford as the man who owns Absolution, a town in the desert Arizona
territory. As an alien ship starts abducting people, the town folks must band
together to stop the invasion. Rated PG-13, Cowboys and Aliens opens July 29.
Also opening July 29, Crazy, Stupid, Love, which stars Steve
Carell as a family man propelled into single life, also stars Julianne Moore
and Ryan Gosling and is rated PG-13; and The Smurfs, which stars Neil Patrick
Harris and Jayma Mays as the humans helping out the Smurfs (voiced by Jonathan
Winters, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, George Lopez, Paul Reubens, Kenan Thompson,
Jeff Foxworthy and Fried Armisen) against the evil Gargamel (Hank Azaria), is in
3D and has yet to be rated.
Further out, I’d keep an eye on a few August releases: Riseof the Planet of the Apes, The Change-Up, 30 Minutes or Less, The Help (most
definitely!), One Day, Fright Nightand Conan the Barbarian.
Any recommendations for your fellow moviegoers?
See ya at the theater!
