Wednesday, May 07, 2008

A Geek's Guide to Summer Movies

Entertainment Weekly has posted "A Geek's Guide to Summer Movies" and I had to share!

1. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (May 22) - I'm not even gonna describe this one. If you don't know the deal, and don't already have a less-gainfully-employed friend holding your space on line, then you're not a real geek, and we can't even go any further.

2. THE MOTHER OF TEARS (June 6) - No, I don't know what this is about, and I'm a little too lazy to look it up (hey, my eyes are sleepy from GTA IV), but it's directed by Italian horror maestro Dario Argento — which automatically makes it worth investigating.

3. THE HAPPENING (June 13) - M. Night Shyamalan has a lot to answer for, after the floater that was Lady in the Water. The trailer for this Mark Wahlberg ''eco-thriller'' looks like he may be ready to make amends.

4. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (June 13) - Yes, from what we've seen in the most recent trailer, this looks like The Banner Identity. And the CG Hulk still looks a little rubbery. But I'll give Edward Norton the benefit of the doubt and check it out. (It's gotta be better than the last Hulk movie...right?)

5. GET SMART (June 20) - Could be drop-dead hysterical. Could be another stillborn TV-show revamp. Either way, it gives us another chance to gaze on the brunette wonder that is Anne Hathaway, so we're all good.

6. WANTED (June 27) - Okay, I didn't understand a blessed thing that was happening in director Timur Bekmambetov's Nightwatch Russian sci-fi flicks. But they looked marvelous, and I'm hoping that look — layered over a story, about bad-ass assassins, that makes sense — will make this Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy-Morgan Freeman flick a comic-based film to reckon with.

7. HANCOCK (July 2) - Will Smith as a homeless superhero trying to get his crap together? Sold.

8. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (July 11) - Guillermo del Toro is an honest-to-goodness artiste who just happens to really dig comics. I remember talking to The O.G. himself, Owen Gleiberman, about the first Hellboy movie and he said something to the effect of, ''Say what you will about what the movie's about, it's abundantly clear that del Toro is a real filmmaker.'' So, yes, go see.

9. THE DARK KNIGHT (July 18) - Yes, please.

10. SPACE CHIMPS (July 18) - On the title alone. But only after seeing The Dark Knight.

11. THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (July 25) - I really, really want to believe that this David Duchovny-Gillian Anderson sequel is better than the title.

12. THE ROCKER (August 1) - Rainn Wilson can do no wrong. Okay, that ''home skillet'' line in Juno was almost a criminal offense, but not his fault. Here, he's playing a middle-aged dude who becomes the drummer of a high-school band. Which sounds like the makings of a fine night of comedy.

13. THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (August 1) - I think we can admit to ourselves that this one probably won't be very good. But Brendan Fraser does have a certain goofy charm, and Jet Li's the bad guy (probably, unless they make him the misunderstood antagonist — which is just lame enough to probably be what's going on). **Note - I am, however, a bit disappointed that Rachel Weisz isn't reprising her role as Evelyn. I mean, I adore Maria Bello but it will be weird to see a different person in the role.

14. PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (August 8) - Seth Rogen + James Franco + pot-ty humor = the awesome.

15. TROPIC THUNDER (August 15) - While my tolerance for Ben Stiller can run hot and cold, a couple of people here have already seen this one, and we're singing its hosannas. Plus: Robert Downey Jr. as a black dude!

16. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (August 15) - One can only hope that this CG sequel isn't another opportunity for fond Star Wars memories to be dashed by the Lucasfilm machine. We can dream, can't we?

17. BABYLON A.D. (August 29) - Here's the thing: As a geek, there are just some movies you're honor-bound to see. And Vin Diesel as a post-apocalyptic courier transporting a hot diseased lady through the danger zone? Yes, you must go, or we take away your membership card.

So, what do you guys think? Did they leave any essential summer Geek movies out? Which ones are you excited to see?

2 comments:

worldofhiglet said...

Hi Lisa,

Some great choices there - and some I'd not heard of yet, so more to look forward to! But for now....Indiana! Yay!

:)

R.A. Porter said...

Wanted: bah. Bekmambetov might be a visionary, but if that's the case he could easily have avoided misusing Mark Millar's fantastic source material about amoral super villains running the world.

An "assassins' guild"? Really? For that, he needed to license "Wanted"?