The Great Movie Project: Inevitable Summer Movie Post

Unlike a lot of my fellow movie bloggers, I love summer movies. Many of these movies are exactly what I’m looking for in my continuing efforts to escape from my own life: good, mindless fun; movie magic at its very best. I don’t necessarily avoid the more serious films that get the buzz in February, but they’re not really my bread and butter, either. You’ll notice that some Art House types made the list of movies I plan on seeing during the extended May to September summer movie period.

MAY

The Avengers – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans.

I’m betting that this will be the actioniest movie of the season, although Battleship and The Expendables 2 may give it a run for its money, but given Marvel Entertainment’s overall quality, and the expense that they’ve put in to this (and setting it up with Thor and Captain America standalones), I’m betting on total win.

Mother’s Day – Jaime King, Patrick Flueger, Rebecca De Mornay, Warren Kole

I’m not putting this way high up on my list of priorities, but the concept of Rebecca De Mornay in a horror movie is probably worth checking out. Sure, she’s done a few thrillers and light horror, like Hand That Rocks The Cradle, but I don’t think I’ve seen her do anything designed to be horror. I’m not entirely sure this is going to be real horror, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

LOL – Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Ashley Greene

I’m wicked unimpressed with Miley Cyrus in pretty much everything she does, from singing to acting, but I figure it’s got to suck peaking at 16, and I should probably do what I can to support her so that she doesn’t end up living out of a garbage bin. I’m mostly interested in seeing this so Ashley Greene, my favorite smoking hot, psychic vampire keeps getting work that isn’t stupid Twilight.

Dark Shadows – Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Moretz

I am more than a little tired of the trinity: Depp, Bonham Carter, and Tim Burton. It’s not that they haven’t had a very successful partnership, but there are just WAY too many of these dark comedies involving all three of them. They’re starting to feel a little formulaic. That being said, I’m probably going to check this out. The ratio of success to failure of the trinity is too high to ignore. My only concern is that it’s more of the same as The Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd.

Girl in Progress – Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Patricia Arquette

Truth, I’m mostly thinking about seeing this to make my blog a little more female friendly, although I do really dig Eva Mendes. She isn’t always great, but she’s always interesting, even in bad movies. I’m a little worried this will be too melodramatic for me, but there is that tendency I have to enjoy coming of age movies. I won’t burn any rubber finding this in my DFW theaters, but if it’s available and I have the time, I think it’ll be worth watching.

Hick – Chloe Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Blake Lively

I’ve heard a lot of titterings about this on the internet, and the truth is, I’m interested in seeing it purely based on the cast. Also, I’m more than a little amused at the concept of a movie named Hick, so this might be one of those times when they draw me in by the name alone. I’m occasionally like that with books, back when I bought books. Sometimes the cover draws me (or the title in the case of the self help book, F@#k Yes!). My only concern here is that this won’t actually come to one of my DFW theaters.

Battleship – Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Liam Neeson, Rihanna

So, well, I happen to believe this is going to be a total shipwreck. About a year ago, when I heard they were going to be taking several classic board games and making movies out of them, and then I heard this was one, I was a bit incredulous. This isn’t the most story intensive game to begin with, but melding a naval battle with what appears to be equal parts of Skyline and Independence Day just seems stupid. Add in the mostly lackluster cast, and I think the special effects are going to be the only reason to go.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting – Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks

First off, I have to give these guys some serious props for not delivering what I would have been expecting, given the name of the movie. I would have expected a romantic comedy where a couple is trying to get pregnant, then struggles to adapt to life during pregnancy. I never once would have pinned this down as a comedic effort, and the trailers that I’ve seen to date look good. I’ve actually laughed at it each time I’ve seen it, and it hasn’t changed. With any luck, the trailer won’t just be a compilation of the only good parts.

Chernobyl Diaries

A bunch of no-names come together in what might be a decent little ghosty, supernatural thriller using a real life horror as a backdrop. I was nine when Chernobyl happened, but I don’t actually remember anything about it, with the exception that “Chernobyl” was in my vocabulary before I turned 11, because my last year of school in Southern California I had a pair of “Chernobyl” yellow Vans. Nothing makes fear better when there’s a little bit of reality behind it.

Moonrise Kingdom – Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand

As someone who loves a good story in a movie, this is going to be one of those movies that isn’t about the effects or the magic, but has an outstanding story that probably will be something I can relate to. I’ve heard almost nothing about this movie, but it keeps popping up on the movie blogs that I read, so I think I’m heading down the right track. My only concern is that I won’t be able to find this in a theater somewhere nearby.

MIB III – Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin

I’m lukewarm on this series. I liked the original MIB, but found the sequel to be something less than totally enjoyable. I’m kind of wondering if this time travel story might be a little too Austin Powers and not enough sci fi. At the very least, this will be the movie magic effects that I like. Not necessarily much else, though.