Summer Movies I’m Dying to See

Can you handle another movie post? I don't know what it is but I've been in a movie mood lately, we've seen a couple good ones and it's just whetted my appetite for the summer blockbusters that seem to be bigger and better than ever this year. At least from my humble perspective. I'm just a movie nerd, what can I say?

I've already seen Iron Man (loved it) and Prince Caspian has come out (I'd like to see that one too) but here are a few I'll be tempted to pay full price to see. Won't see all of them obviously---that would total something like $16,780 for two tickets--but I'll sure see a lot of them.

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22, 2008) This one is absolutely number one on the list. It's out today and I've wanted to see this since I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark when I was 13 years old. That's still on my favorite movie list and I'll watch it over and over. Don't worry, I'm not expecting this fourth installment to be anywhere near as good as the first but on the bright side it couldn't be as bad as the second, right? (It was so bad it was as if The Temple of Doom was written by a flock of cub scouts at summer camp giggling over infantile things like monkey brains, human sacrifice and busty Indian statues.) So I'm optimistic. Plus, I like Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett which gives me hope.

2. Quantum of Solace (November 2008) Are you familiar with the newest James Bond movie? Technically not a summer release but after Casino Royale I'm so ready for another 2 hours of Bond that I'm already anticipating falling in love again. I'd never liked the Bond movies (with the possible exception of the anomaly Her Majesty's Secret Service--love Diana Rigg and James Bond saying "I do.") but Casino Royale (sigh) . . . All I can say is WOW! Loved the Blond Bond thing. Not Daniel Craig--though I'm sure he's nice enough--it's the Bond package and I'm very ready for more.

3. The Happening (June 13, 2008) M. Knight Shyamalan's latest movie isn't rated yet though I'm hearing rumors it's probably going to get an R rating (I really hope not). It's supposed to be a psychological thriller about a family that survives a natural disaster and I loved Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense enough to forgive The Lady in the Water and forget it ever happened. The Village was decent and Signs was good so I'm going to give this one a chance and cross my fingers. Go in with low expectations and you won't be disappointed, right?

4. The X Files: I Want to Believe (July 25, 2008) I want to believe this will be first-rate. I'm partial to thrillers so it's got at least more than a fighting chance of satisfying my cravings for suspense. David Duchovny has been tops on my list after Return to Me. Have you seen Gillian Anderson in the BBC version of Bleak House? She's fabulous--oh and she's good in The House of Mirth too as the famous Lily Bart though that's certainly not the same genre as X-files.

5. The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)* Now this one I'm including with a big ol' fat asterisk. What kid didn't love the 70s series with Bill Bixby? "Don't make me angry. You don't want to see me when I'm angry." But I watched all of ten minutes of Ang Lee's disaster from a few years ago and couldn't finish it. It was about as interesting as sitting in traffic--less, probably, because at least in my car I have a hope of change coming. BUT . . . I've seen the previews of the new version with Edward Norton and Arwen and I have to cautiously say it has potential--though after what I've seen of the CGI effects on the Hulk I may be in for some more pain. Not that I'm expecting a giant green man-monster to look real but somehow I didn't think it should look like this, do you? If they can make a t-rex look real why can't they make me believe in a giant green guy? Or at least bring back Lou Ferrigno. Don't you hate it when the effects are anything but special? Maybe as a matinee . . . You know what they need? An A-Team movie. THAT would be good. . .

6. Hancock (July 2, 2008) This makes my list out of my supreme fondness for Will Smith whom I would watch in nearly any situation. Not sure why, he's rather quirky and odd but he's a darn good actor and tends to be funny and entertaining. Plus I read years ago that he's got a closet fetish for proper English grammar. That alone wins my heart.

But at any rate he plays a seriously flawed superhero who helps/terrorizes L.A. with his uncontrolled super powers.

7. The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008) Batman Begins is the greatest of all superhero movies. Period. No discussion. Even despite Katie Holmes. This latest sequel replaces Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhal (whom I loved in Stranger Than Fiction) is a must-see for me. I will be there no doubt--though how I'm going to work that during BlogHer will be tricky. July 18th . . . Hmmm . . . did they consult me when they set the release date?

It will be odd to see Heath Ledger on screen I think though with all his makeup and American gangster accent it's hard to tell it's him. I heard rumor Jack Nicholson threw a tantrum when he wasn't considered for the role and I can understand that a bit--he was perfect as the Joker though it didn't feel like it was much of a stretch for him as an actor if you know what I mean. Kind of playing himself nearly (Did I write that out loud? Oh my gosh. How rude!)

8. Wall E (June 27, 2008) I'm a Pixar fan and Finding Nemo is the greatest animated movie ever, I will laugh at Ellen Degeneres till my dying day and I'm looking forward to this latest movie from the masters of digital. Ratatouille was fine but I'm hoping this latest flick is more along the lines of A Bug's Life, The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc. That is to say, hilarious and perfectly entertaining. Let's hope it's more like Nemo and less like Robots. You know what they've slated to call the sequel? Wall Eye. Kidding.

9. Kung Fu Panda (June 6, 2008) I've kept the desire to see this movie rather quiet but every commercial I've seen is hysterical and I mean fun-ny. Jack Black is going to make one hilarious, karate-chopping panda my friend and it may be Angelina's best part yet.

10. Get Smart (June 20, 2008) I thought this looked good from the first trailer I saw but then it's taken sooooooo long to come out I'm starting to get rather nervous. It's never good news when a movie gets pushed back and pushed back and pushed back. It could be a coincidence but I'm thinking they're maybe having some trouble with the whole thing. However . . . I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and hold Don Adams in my heart all the way to the ticket booth. Hey, Steve Carell is a funny guy and I've seen that part in the trailer where the Rock staples a memo to some guy's head and I laugh every time.

11. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (August 1, 2008) I have no delusions that this one will be anything but a lot of explosions, bullets, car chases, CGI effects and angry Chinese guy scenes but does that mean I'm above wanting to see it? Apparently not. I kind of like Brendan Fraser--he's likable and a no-think action flick is always kind of fun.

12. Tropic of Thunder (August 15, 2008) Now this one I'm putting on the list with a great deal of "maybe." It's Ben Stiller's latest and he can be so funny--particularly with Owen Wilson in tow (think Night in the Museum). BUT . . . he can also be pretty stupid too. So the jury's still out on this one but the reviews I read so far were encouraging which said that it's a comedy about the Vietnam War. [Pause]. Because the Vietnam War is so darn funny, it's just a virtual field of comedy waiting to be harvested.

Full Metal Jacket . . . The Killing Fields . . . Born on the 4th of July . . . Platoon . . . yea lots of comedy material around that time. But it has Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. in it (did you see those guys on American Idol as Gladys Knight's original Pips? Hysterical) and the description I heard said that it had more "grown up" humor rather than the juvenile stuff Stiller's normally known for. I'm hoping that "grown up" here means more intelligent humor, not "adult." We'll see. The summer line up could use some good funny stuff, especially if Get Smart flops--I mean Jack Black as a panda can't carry the whole summer comedy schedule now can it? And I can't handle Mike Meyers as a karma sutra swami or Adam Sandler as an Israeli counter terrorist-turned gigolo. Not this summer.

13. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (November 21, 2008) Yea, I know it's cheating to list something that's not coming out until Thanksgiving but if I can sneak James Bond onto the list why not Harry? Besides, it's fun looking ahead. I'm always curious who they'll be adding to the cast and I have Fenrir Greyback and Horace Slughorn to look forward to. Besides, I know how it ends--I can wait.

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