Yes, believe it or not, I am really (finally) getting my Summer
Preview out for this year. I know you are thrilled! LOL There
are quite a few films, so let's get right to it.
**MAY**
May 5
TITLE: Mission: Impossible III
PLOT: (Does it really matter?) Actually, we don't really
know. Hoffman kidnaps Cruise's girlfriend, but how that relates
to the mission (whatever that may be, if there even is one) is
beyond me.
CATEGORY: Must See (how can I miss this much hype?)
REASON: I mean, really, is anyone seeing this movie for the
plot? I highly doubt it. I know I'm not. I'm seeing it
because I like action movies, I like Philip Seymour Hoffman, and
I love Laurence Fishburne.
TITLE: The Promise (Limited)
PLOT: The forbidden love of a royal slave and a concubine.
Martial arts film from Hong Kong.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: I think I'm starting to get the hang of some of these
martial arts films. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was pretty
good, and I really enjoyed House of Flying Daggars (which I will
get around to reviewing one of these days). I hear this one is
pretty darn impressive, so we'll see.
May 12
TITLE: Poseidon
PLOT: Passengers and crew struggle to survive after the ocean
liner Poseidon is flipped upside down by a wave.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: I really liked the original, which probably isn't a
good enough reason to see this remake. Still, it should be
worth seeing (I hope). Besides, you know me and shipwrecks!
May 19
TITLE: The Da Vinci Code
PLOT: A murder investigation leads one of the world's leading
scholars to a mystery surrounding the works of Leonardo da Vinci
and the Holy Family that has been protected by a secret society
for millennia.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: I read Dan Brown's first book, Angels and Demons, and
I greatly enjoyed it! I have been intentionally holding off
reading The Da Vinci Code because I knew the movie was coming
out. No point ruining the movie by reading the almost-always
superior book first.
TITLE: Over the Hedge
PLOT: The story of various wildlife and their struggle against
encroaching suburbia. Animated, from DreamWorks.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: I want to see a little more on this one to try and
judge what kind of humor it involves. And even though the humor
was okay (generally speaking), I was incredibly disappointed
with Madagascar. Not sure if I want to risk one of my
now-limited trips to the theater on this one. We'll see.
May 26
TITLE: X-Men 3: The Last Stand
PLOT: A "cure" for mutation has been discovered, but the
government is threatening to force it on mutants whether they
like it or not. Once again, Professor X and crew must stand
between Magneto and the rest of the human race before they
anhialate one another.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: Because I love the other two! I hope Brett Ratner
does it justice. I'm afraid he might be taking it a little
*too* seriously. Let's home some of his great humor comes
through as well.
**JUNE**
June 9
TITLE: Cars
PLOT: A hot-shot stock car gets stuck in small town Radiator
Springs, where the local vehicles... er, residents help him
realize that there is more to live than fame and fortune.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: Because it is a Pixar. What more reason do you need?
TITLE: A Prairie Home Companion
PLOT: A look at what goes on backstage during the last
broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: Musicals, while admittedly more common now than 10
years ago, are still quite rare, and musical comedies even more
so these days. Add in Meryl Streep, John C. Reilly, and (one of
my all time favorites) Kevin Kline, and I am so there!
June 16
TITLE: The Lake House
PLOT: A lonely doctor begins exchanging love letters with a
frustrated architect through a mysterious postbox.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: I'll have to play wait and see on this one. I hear it
has the potential to be scary, though how given this limited
plot info, I'm not really sure. But I like Sandra Bullock, and
I really like Keanu Reeves, so there is definite potential.
June 30
TITLE: Superman Returns
PLOT: Pretty self-explanatory, I do believe, though they do go
back and re-tell the beginning as well. And FYI, the father's
voice you hear *is* Marlon Brando. It was recorded for a cut
section of Superman II, and Singer got permission to use it here
instead.
CATEGORY: Must See
REASON: Honestly, I want to see this movie because Bryan
Singer did such a good job with the X-Men series. I'm just
sorry he gave up X-Men 3 to do this movie (or I might not be;
time will tell). If it was just "somebody" doing another
Superman, I might not go see it (well, not for me, I'm sure I'd
go with DH who would no doubt insist on seeing it anyway). I
still don't think it will be anywhere close to what Christopher
Reeve did. Here's hoping it's good!
TITLE: The Devil Wears Prada
PLOT: An innocent newbie lands a dream job with the most
famous, and notorious, magazine editor in New York.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: I have been fascinated by the title of this book ever
since I saw it for the first time. I still haven't read it, so
like The Da Vinci Code, if I'm going to see the movie, I may as
well do it before I read the book. I think this one will be
fine on the small screen, though, so if I don't catch it in the
theaters, it's no big deal.
**JULY**
July 7
TITLE: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
PLOT: *Captain* Jack Sparrow discovers he owes a blood debt to
Davey Jones, and he will do anything to repay it, even disrupt
Will and Elizabeth's wedding plans.
CATEGORY: MUST SEE!!!!
REASON: If I see only one movie this summer, this will be it.
Yes, even over Cars! I absolutely adore the first one, probably
one of my top 10 (if not top 5) favorite films of all time.
Plus Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are back. What's not to
love?!
TITLE: A Scanner Darkly
PLOT: A cop gets hooked on a notorious drug that causes split
personalities, causing much chaos when his cop side sets up an
elaborate sting operation to catch his drug dealer alter-ego.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: I think I want to know a little more about this movie
before I see it. The technique is awesome (the same
Cartoon-ized live action technique you've seen on some banking
commercials recently), but that's not enough to get me to the
theater on that alone. Might be too scary or gory(?). It is a
Philip K. Dick, though, so that is certainly in it's favor.
We'll see.
July 21
TITLE: Lady in the Water
PLOT: An apartment building superintendent rescues what he
thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he
discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story
who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works
with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures
that are determined to keep her away.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: Based on a bedtime story written by M. Night Shyamalan
for his children. Kids story - good, Shyamalan - enough to give
me pause. I'll get this one pre-screened by my brother to let
me know if it's okay. I hear it is a "genre shift" for him, so
perhaps that is in my favor? I hope so. I love his style, as
long as it doesn't freak me out too badly.
TITLE: Monster House
PLOT: Three young kids discover that one of the houses in
their neighborhood really a living, breathing, scary monster.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: The buzz is that this will be the animated film to
beat this summer, and I'm hearing that from lots of real
animation fans who miss Disney's glory days and love Pixar as
much as I do. That certainly has my attention. Still, I'd
really like to see a trailer or something for it before I decide
(is that really so unreasonable? LOL).
July 28
TITLE: Miami Vice
PLOT: Um, I'm sure it's about two vice cops fighting vice
crimes of some sort in supreme south Florida, but I don't really
know more than that.
CATEGORY: Unlikely, but worth mentioning
REASON: This, as the category suggests, is one of those films
that I really don't intend to see (unless it gets sterling
recommendations from several people I trust), but it is big
enough that it deserves being mentioned. For many folks, Colin
Farrell or Jamie Foxx would be reason enough.
**AUGUST**
August 4
TITLE: The Ant Bully
PLOT: After flooding an ant colony with his water gun, a young
boy is shrunk down to insect size and sentenced to hard labor in
the ruins.
CATEGORY: Maybe
REASON: Sounds interesting, but I'd like to see a little more
of it. I'm up for most any animated film (though there are a
couple more set for this summer that I didn't even feel were
worth mentioning), and with the vocal star power they have
driving this one, it definitely sounds like it might be
worthwhile.
August 11
TITLE: World Trade Center
PLOT: The events of 9/11/2001, told from the perspective of
two Port Authority officers trapped in the rubble.
CATEGORY: Unlikely, but worth mentioning
REASON: #1: Because I have zero desire to relive those events.
Once was enough, thank you very much. #2: Because it is an
Oliver Stone (not necessarily a bad thing), but he swears it's
not a political film. Uh-huh (note the dripping sarcasm).
Still, I felt the need to mention it, if for no other reason
than so you can be prepared to maybe see the trailer attached to
another movie. I know I would be upset by it if I didn't know
to expect it.
August 18
TITLE: Snakes on a Plane
PLOT: Title pretty much says it all, though there is a cop
trying to keep a witness alive on said plane.
CATEGORY: Unlikely, but worth mentioning
REASON: This is another "the buzz is incredible, so I had to
mention it" movie. It already has a cult following on the
internet, and it hasn't even been shown yet! I also hear that
due to the amount of internet buzz it is getting, they went back
and filmed extra scenes to add in more language, nudity, and
gore, just to bring it up to an R rating and the appropriate
level of B-grade camp. For those who like that kind of thing, I
hope you enjoy! I can assure you, I will not be seeing it.
Okay, that should do it. If any more sneak up on me, I'll let
you know. Otherwise, this should more than cover my movie plans
for the summer. Hope you found this helpful!
