Hope you enjoyed last week’s first installment of my summer movie preview. Here’s the skinny on the rest of the titles, with added snark!
July 15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 2
The lowdown: Ten years and eight movies in, the Harry Potter saga finally reaches its cinematic end, climaxing in the long-awaited battle between Harry and Voldemort.
Why see it? It’s the new Harry Potter movie.
Why skip it? It’s the new Harry Potter movie. Honestly, I’ve never seen a single one of these pictures, and I don’t plan to start here. Enjoy it if it’s your
thing.
Winnie the Pooh
The lowdown: What brave film dares to challenge Harry Potter on its opening weekend? Only one that hopes to slant younger, in the form of this latest adaptation of five A.A. Milne Pooh stories.
Why see it? There is legitimate hope that “Winnie the Pooh” will be accessible to both tykes and nostalgic adults. Its low-key, hand-drawn animation style is endearing and, in the age of Pixar, unique. There’s no indication that it will be released in 3D, which sounds to me like a bold and commendable way to buck the status quo.
Why skip it? How much newness can you really milk out of Winnie the Pooh? Some of the images in the trailer are striking, but the characters may be too familiar to bring in audiences looking for something different.
July 22
Captain America: The First Avenger
The lowdown: The most red, white and blue of all Marvel superheroes shows his patriotic colors in this origin story, set during the rise of Nazism in World War II.
Why see it? It’s a nice to see a superhero of Captain America’s stature finally get his own starring vehicle, a welcome respite from the endless grist mill of “Fantastic Four†sequels and minor-character spinoffs. I also dig the cast, comprised of relative unknowns like Chris Evans (as Captain America) along with Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving and Stanley Tucci.
Why skip it? The trailer gives away a lot of the story without making the proceedings seem terribly exciting, and even for Hollywood, there may be just too much superhero-overkill this summer. It does, however, look like the bees’ knees compared to “The Green Lantern.â€
Friends With Benefits
The lowdown: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake share a bedroom and nothing else, trying to succeed at the elusive, emotionally detached friends-with-
benefits relationship where countless others have failed.
Why see it? I hate that I found myself laughing numerous times during the trailer; despite the fact that it took three screenwriters to complete it, “Friends With Benefits†looks witty and hip, with some of my favorite actors – Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson – contributing some of their funniest work.
Why skip it? To paraphrase David Spade’s old sketch on “Saturday Night Liveâ€: “I liked it better the first time … when it called ‘No Strings Attached.’” But at least that ugly flick, which starred Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in an identical story, set such a low bar that I’m confident “Friends With Benefits†will exceed it without much effort.
July 29
Cowboys & Aliens
The lowdown: The title says it all here: Cowboy settlers and Apache Indians combine forces to combat an alien invasion in this neo-Western from “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau.
Why see it? This looks like so much fun, I don’t even know where to start. The Western is one of my favorite archaic genres, and it deserves a revival; perhaps “3:10 to Yuma†and “True Grit†have helped usher in this crazy flick, a far more original stab at the genre than both of those. This could also be the movie that regenerates the flagging career of Harrison Ford.
Why skip it? If there’s any sense that the filmmakers are taking this material seriously, then “Cowboys & Aliens” will be an abysmal failure. Judging by the trailer, this is a slim possibility. For my money, this is the blockbuster to see this summer.
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The lowdown: The latest vehicle for Steve Carell finds the comic actor losing his wife (Julianne Moore) and rebooting his sex appeal thanks to a playboy marriage counselor (Ryan Gosling).
Why see it? For one, I admire films that use pretentious punctuation in their titles, and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.†has plenty of it. But more substantially, it looks like directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Bad Santaâ€) are back in their raunchy comic element after last year’s misfire, “I Love You Phillip Morris.†The trailer looks hilarious.
Why skip it? If the film represents a chance to see Gosling extricated from tortured art-house brooders and delving into a mainstream comedy, the same challenging range can’t be said for Carell, who appears, as always, to be playing Steve Carell.
The Smurfs
Chased out of their mushroom village by nemesis Gargamel (Hank Azaria), the little blue creatures wind up fish out of water in New York City – until they’re unwittingly adopted by Neil Patrick Harris’ businessman – in this live-action/animation hybrid.
Why see it? I wouldn’t for any fathomable reason, but if you have to take your children to something at the multiplex, you could probably do worse.
Why skip it? The real question is, why was this made, given that anyone who remembers the Smurfs is now too old to enjoy an infantile movie such as this? The answer is, as always, the paucity of new ideas in Hollywood
Aug. 5
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
The lowdown: This documentary charts the ascension, influence, dissolution and uncertain future of A Tribe Called Quest, one of the most pioneering and artistic hip-hop groups ever.
Why see it? From the looks of it, “Beats, Rhymes & Life†speaks to hip-hop’s cultural relevance as much as the compelling story of the titular collective, and it has amassed an A-list roster of experts to riff on Tribe, including Beastie Boys, Ludacris, Common and Questlove.
Why skip it? I wouldn’t skip this one, unless you’re completely, unchangingly adverse to rap music. After the hopeful successes of “Buck†and “Page One,†let the summer of the documentary continue!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The lowdown: This update of the oft-repeated “Planet of the Apes†parable is set in present-day California, where a scientist’s Alzheimer’s testing on
chimpanzees spirals out of control, boosting the primates’ intelligence and prompting an inevitable war between man and beast.
Why see it? For his debut, little-known director Rupert Wyatt crafted a quality indie film called “The Escapist,†so he brings a strong cinema background to the popcorn-movie proceedings. And the special effects look pretty darned impressive, even for a CG skeptic like myself who, for years, has ignored the ridiculousness of the ape suits in “2001: A Space Odyssey.â€
Why skip it? Ah, the limits of science. This whole “evolution becomes a revolution†theme is pretty exhausted by, well, all the other “Planet of the Apes†movies. Some good qualities aside, this looks like sequel overkill.
The Change-Up
The lowdown: Two buddies — Jason Bateman’s harried family man and Ryan Reynolds’ committed bachelor – switch bodies after a plastered night on the town, and hilarity supposedly ensues.
Why see it? An appealing cast (the great Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde costar) and a capable comedy creative team (the director of “The Wedding Crashers†and the screenwriters of “The Hangoverâ€) could elevate an idea that sounds like a turd on paper into critical kudos; box-office gold is almost guaranteed.
Why skip it? It’s like a comedy version of ‘Face/Off,†which itself is one of the most unintentionally funny films ever made. We need another body-switching movie like we need another singing competition show.
Aug. 12
30 Minutes or Less
The lowdown: Director Ruben Fleischer’s anticipated follow-up to “Zombieland†reunites him with star Jesse Eisenberg, a pizza delivery boy captured by inept criminals and forced to rob a bank for them.
Why see it? I was never a champion of the overrated “Zombieland,†but this looks like a winning summer comedy in a season flooded with summer comedies, with the likes of Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari and Nick Swardson leading the who’s-who cast of hip young humorists.
Why skip it? The plot sounds like a decent idea for a short. Is there enough material for a feature, or will it succumb to the longevity of an “SNL†sketch-turned-film?
The Help
The lowdown: Emma Stone plays an muckraking journalist in segregated Jackson, Miss., in 1962, who ruffles the white township’s government by
detailing the plight of its black, separate-but-unequal housekeepers.
Why see it? In a summer full of pure fluff, here’s a film that at least aspires to a sliver of substance.
Why skip it? Expect that substance to be laid on as thick as molasses. The trailer – which gives the entire film away – turns the schmaltz up to 11, explaining its moral nobility every step of the way, lest we decide to figure anything out for ourselves. I don’t have to see this to tell you it’s no more challenging or profound than the rest of these blockbusters.
Final Destination 5
The lowdown: See plot descriptions of “Final Destination,†“Final Destination 2,†“Final Destination 3†and “The Final Destination.â€
Why see it? Please don’t. Please?
Why skip it? Seriously? Ohmygod. More torture porn for the unwashed masses. Go rent “Halloween†or something.
