With the summer movie blockbuster bonanza well under way, July looks to be a promising month to visit the theater for some good (looking) films to watch. No matter what kind of film fan you are, whether it is action, comedy, science-fiction or animation, there is something here for everybody. So be sure to check your show times, grab some popcorn and then sit back and enjoy these summer movies.
July 2
The Last Airbender (Paramount Pictures)
After M. Night Shyamalan’s recent track record at the cinema with stinkers like The Village and The Happening, it seemed like poor M. Night had just lost the ability to craft decent stories such as The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable. However, The Last Airbender looks like it could finally bring M. Night’s dry spell to an end which is good news for moviegoers. The film, which is the first in a proposed trilogy (providing we don’t have another Lady in the Water on our hands), could be a huge box office hit this summer. Despite catching some flak for being racially incongruent with the anime series, all of the trailers and behind the scenes footage of the Japanese anime adaptation have been very promising.
July 9
Predators (Twentieth Century Fox)
If there is one movie that I will see this summer, it will most definitely be Predators. No, Arnie is not reprising his role as the cigar chomping “Dutch” but after two decades of waiting, the mandible-faced alien hunters with the dreadlocks are finally back at the cinema and ready to hang some human prey from the treetops. Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Anatl are rebooting the popular science-fiction franchise after it was dragged across the coals and then bludgeoned with a brick in the Alien vs. Predator films. Robert Rodriguez has stated he has a deep respect for the original film and a passion for the franchise, but will it be enough to make the grade? Let’s all hope so. The Predator series may not be quite as enduring or revered in the film industry as the Alien franchise, but let’s face facts: the Predator movies kick some serious a**.
July 9
Despicable Me (Universal Pictures)
Universal Studios is struggling to make an entry into the cgi/animated film realm against the Disney and Warner Brothers Studio giants with Despicable Me which tells the story of two battling super villains both bent on having the most diabolical scheme. The premise of the film sounds promising; the trailer however, does not speak to the film’s credit. Despicable Me seems regrettably flat and lifeless despite sporting a decent cast and above par animation. Perhaps this will change once Universal Studios releases more trailer footage closer to its release date. However, if it doesn’t measure up, it will undoubtedly be swallowed up in the wake of Toy Story 3.
July 9
The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)
With so much controversy surrounding the issue of homosexual family units and the supposed “huge threat” they pose to traditional family values, this movie comes as no surprise as a way of responding to that debate. This alternative family drama focuses on a middle aged lesbian couple, played by Annette Benning (American Beauty) and Julianne Moore (Hannibal), who are raising their two teenage children in Los Angeles. However, once the kids decide to reach out to their biological father/sperm donor Paul, played by Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), the comedy ensues. The film has been very well received at the Sundance Film Festival and promises to be a decent seller on DVD.
July 16
Inception (Warner Bros.)
Only two short years ago, Christopher Nolan gave us possibly the best comic book movie ever, The Dark Knight. Now in his off time from the Batman franchise, Nolan is dabbling in a very different area: science fiction. Armed with an all star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Shutter Island), Michael Caine (The Prestige, Jaws: The Revenge) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Brick) and almost his entire production crew from his Batman series, Nolan is more than prepared to give us the most anticipated studio release of the summer. Christopher Nolan is one of the few Hollywood directors who is able to consistently deliver on the goods and in this science fiction/thriller/mystery set inside the “architecture of the mind” where dreams can be stolen and used as either a weapon or an asset, we can most certainly expect Nolan’s effects laden Inception to measure up to his previous work.
July 16
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Walt Disney Pictures)
Don’t expect to see a horde of brooms dumping water around Mickey Mouse in this newest Disney film. If any other director than Jon Turteltaub (Instinct, National Treasure 1 &2) had been behind the camera on this one, the positive buzz surrounding this movie might have taken a major hit. However, based on the success of the past Turteltaub/Cage collaborations, this movie could prove to be the surprise blockbuster of the summer, especially based on the footage that has been shown in the first trailer. Say what you will about Nic Cage’s ridiculous hair-do, his roller-coaster ride of a career or his out of control spending, but I think every film fan knows that Nic is capable of handling action, which this movie seems to have plenty of.
July 23
Salt (Columbia Pictures)
Salt is one of those movies that had been shuffled around a lot before finally entering production and with so many different actors and directors being given the chance to work on it, the chance of landing a decent cast and director almost seemed impossible. However, once director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger) got a hold of it, the film was given the go ahead and from the looks of it; it could be one of the most intriguing spy thrillers to come along in a long while. Angelina Jolie (playing a part originally written for a man) could prove that she’s still got what it takes to stay ahead of up-and-coming action star Megan Fox for a while longer.
July 30
Get Low (Sony Pictures Classics)
While the summer season may be the time of the blockbuster, there are always underdog films that slip in under the radar and go largely unknown until the Academy Awards when it gets nominated for all kinds of awards and people are trying to figure out how they missed it in the theaters. Get Low is going to be one of those movies, because while it is making a splash at every film festival it is shown at, it will most likely not get a wide release on July 30. The film, which is set in the backwoods of Tennessee in the 1930s, stars Robert Duvall (The Road, Secondhand Lions) and Bill Murray (Ghostbusters, The Royal Tennenbaums) and follows a hermit (Duvall) who throws his own funeral, while he is still alive and kicking. Sound like a good time at the movies? I certainly think so.
July 30
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner Bros.)
There are just some films that are a bad idea from the start and should never get made, but they inevitably do, such as Ace Ventura Pet Detective Jr., Bloodrayne, or Highlander 2: The Quickening. Why does this happen, you ask? The answer is quite simple. Perhaps Gordon Gekko said it best, “Greed is good.” Some money-hungry executive decided that launching this sequel to a lackluster movie a decade after the original’s release was a good idea which can only means one thing: they needed to make a few extra bucks on it before the first movie faded into obscurity forever. Fans of the series can hope for the best for this humdrum release, but against the other blockbuster flicks in theaters this July, this movie is going to get shaved, sterilized and destroyed.
