Going to try and give the masses a regular person's view of August's film releases. It may not be a great month considering that Spider-Man & Batman will dominate most of July and into August but there may be some titles worth seeing.
Total Recall (August 3rd): Remake of 1990 Paul Verhoeven adaptation of the Phillip K Dick story starring The Governator. Suffice to say as a 20 y/0 I liked this film a lot. I've seen the previews of the remake and I must admit that I am looking forward to seeing this film. It's directed by Len Wiseman, who helmed the Underworld franchise and Live Free or Diehard (Diehard 4) and stars Colin Farrell as Quaid, Kate Beckinsdale in the Sharon Stone role, Jessica Biel in the Rachael Ticotin role and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as the villainous Cohaagen. On the plus side it will have better SFX (not that the SFX were bad in the original but they are admittedly dated) and I am looking forward to an updated version of the Stone v. Ticotin fight (still an awesome scene) with Beckinsdale & Biel. Farrell could really use a U.S. blockbuster and I enjoyed the 1st Underworld installment , didn't like the 2nd one and never bothered with the 3rd so I'm not sure about Wiseman's abililty but the trailers look cool (as they should) and I will most likely see this film.
Christian Slater has two films opening up this particular weekend. First is Soldiers Of Fortune which quite frankly looks ridiculous. If your going to see one film this summer about an ensemle cast of mercenaries, wait for The Expendables 2. The other is a European based spy thriller called Assassin's Bullet. This looks better than SOF but the trailer makes it appear that it's a Bourne Identity type film. Slater isn't exactly on the A or even B list anymore so if you're looking for either title good luck.
Total Recall (August 3rd): Remake of 1990 Paul Verhoeven adaptation of the Phillip K Dick story starring The Governator. Suffice to say as a 20 y/0 I liked this film a lot. I've seen the previews of the remake and I must admit that I am looking forward to seeing this film. It's directed by Len Wiseman, who helmed the Underworld franchise and Live Free or Diehard (Diehard 4) and stars Colin Farrell as Quaid, Kate Beckinsdale in the Sharon Stone role, Jessica Biel in the Rachael Ticotin role and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as the villainous Cohaagen. On the plus side it will have better SFX (not that the SFX were bad in the original but they are admittedly dated) and I am looking forward to an updated version of the Stone v. Ticotin fight (still an awesome scene) with Beckinsdale & Biel. Farrell could really use a U.S. blockbuster and I enjoyed the 1st Underworld installment , didn't like the 2nd one and never bothered with the 3rd so I'm not sure about Wiseman's abililty but the trailers look cool (as they should) and I will most likely see this film.
Christian Slater has two films opening up this particular weekend. First is Soldiers Of Fortune which quite frankly looks ridiculous. If your going to see one film this summer about an ensemle cast of mercenaries, wait for The Expendables 2. The other is a European based spy thriller called Assassin's Bullet. This looks better than SOF but the trailer makes it appear that it's a Bourne Identity type film. Slater isn't exactly on the A or even B list anymore so if you're looking for either title good luck.
360 (August 3rd): directed by Fernando Meirelles, who's done some awesome stuff but the critics rating is very low. It has an all-star cast of talent that are in an Altman type film where the characters are all somehow intertwined (Altman did this a lot and the last film I can recall like that was Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger which I thought was very good). The film takes place in Europe and the trailer looks interesting but this type of film has been done before. For me it will depend a lot on my mood and if it's playing nearby or if it's playing in Chicago at all.
Other titles rounding out August 3rd are Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the 3rd installment of the franchise. Since this film is not geared toward my demographic I will skip it but if you liked or have kids who liked the 1st 2 chapters then check it out. Celeste and Jesse Forever stars Adam Samberg & Rashida Jones who are high school sweethearts that married young and gradually grow apart. Rashida's life is going places and Samberg's isn't (what a surprise here based on some of his other works). I'm willing to bet that the plot is relatively predictable and I will stay away from this one despite it's solid RT ratings. Lastly is The Babymakers. It deals with a good looking couple trying to get pregnant the hilarity that ensues with their group of good looking friends. The theme is similar to The Switch, so look for a lot of sperm jokes. I was going to stay away from this even before I saw the trailer.
The Bourne Legacy (August 10th): the latest installment in the Bourne franchise. It stars Jeremy Renner (who is making a big name for himself since Hurt Locker) as another Treadstone project who fights to stay alive as his CIA overlords try to terminate his employment...permanently. Tony Gilroy directs and he's been involved with the original franchise to this should have the same feel as the previous installments (which is good) and there's a lot of the same cast from the last three. The trailer look excellent and I look forward to seeing this film.
The Campaign (August 10th): Stars Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis as campaign rivals. Ferrell is the incumbent who has won because he's run unopposed the last few elections. Galifiniakis is a newcomer who's clearly a fish out of water when it comes to politics. Jay Roach directs an all-star cast this could be a real funny movie or the best parts may be in the Trailer. Roach is probably the perfect director as Ferrell badly needs a hit (he's even bringing back Ron Burgandy for another go around in 2013) as his last few live action films haven't been that good (I never saw The Other Guys but it did well at the box office and I've been told good things).
Hope Springs (August 10th): Stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple that have been married a long time and the spark may have left their marriage. Streep wants to try something new but Jones is a bit stubborn to say the least. They go to a couples retreat that's headed up by Steve Carell. I've seen this preview and it just doesn't interest me. This film was done recently with a younger cast and there doesn't seem anything new from the
Trailer except for the stars are in their 60's.
Other films opening this particular weekend include a supernatural thriller set in 1921 London, The Awakening. I haven't seen this trailer but with so many supernatural thrillers out there it can be tough to determine which one to see. 2 Days in New York stars Chris Rock & Julie Delpy as couple living together in NYC with kids from a prior relationship and Delpy's father is coming to town. It's a comedy and it got high marks on RT but who knows with Chris Rock films. Red Hook Summer is the latest installment of Spike Lee's Brooklyn Anthology. Spike has kept busy doing some smaller stuff but you have to go back to Inside Job for the last time he had a hit. This could be what the doctor ordered for him to re-establish himself as a top notch indie filmmaker.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (August 15th): is a Disney version of Ted except it involves a real child and Disney family schmaltz instead of a foul mouth teddy bear accompanied by dick & fart jokes. Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play the parents who wish for a child of their own (they can't conceive & adaption seems like a plot line that just gets in the way) so they list the great qualities their child would've had, put the notes in a box and bury it in the garden. After a rainy evening, joila! a 10 y/o child shows up! I only mentioned this because it gives a good segue into the big release of August 17th but I couldn't believe this! Remember when Jennifer Garner kicked ass and did cool stuff? She more or less gave up that aspect to Hilary Swank. You have to go back to 2007 for her last cool role in The Kingdom. Since she married Affleck and has had children she's made an effort to do schmaltzy films and it's a crime in my opinion.
The Expendables 2 (August 17th): if you're puking because of the schmaltzy nonsense of the previous entry the this film should cure that. When the 1st installment came out in 2010 it was the 3rd of 3 elite mercenary unit (with all-star casts) films that get wronged and make thing right again through lots of gun fights. Of the 3, this was the best one. The original cast of your favorite 80's action heroes returns for another go around. This is not going to be Casablanca by any stretch. If you like a lot of machismo, fire fights, hand to hand combat, 3rd world despots being overthrown & Chuck Norris, then this is the film you need to see this in August. Be advised as of 7/18 the film hasn't been rated so it's a safe bet that it's going to be rated R. Send the kids to see the next entry...
ParaNorman (August 17th): from the group that gave us Coraline brings a story about an outcast kid that can communicate with the dead so to speak. He has to save his town from zombies and what not. The animation looks good so this definitely for the little ones.
Sparkle (August 17th): stars Jordin Sparks as a singer who struggles with her career in a girl group (think Supremes) and her family (the mother is played by Whitney Houston in her last role). This looks a lot like Dream Girls on the surface, as Derek Luke plays Spark's manager/love interest but be advised...it has not been reviewed yet and usually means bad things. Buyer beware on this title.
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed (August 17th): I mention this title because it is directed by Ryan Little, who directed
Saints and Soldiers in 2003. I saw the 2003 film and thought it was really good. It was a small budget war drama set during the Battle of the Bulge. This film deals with a group of paratroopers in 1944 France trying to fight their way back to their unit. Corbin Allred is again in this film as the group tries to do the right thing despite the fact that the "right thing" may increase their chance of getting killed. If this is playing in Chicago then I will see this film though I doubt it will be on a wide release.
Cosmopolis (August 17th): star every teenage girl's favorite vampire Robert Pattinson as a Wall Street mogul who appears to do a lot of things in his custom stretch limo. Normally I would runway from anything Pattinson does (he doesn't act so much as he broods his way thru scenes) but this film has a cast the features Samantha Morton (Control), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Juliette Binoche (Cache) and is directed by legendary director David Cronenberg, so I don't know what to think. The trailer looks weird (a la Cronenberg) and it appears that Pattinson's dealings on Wall Street have brought about a financial crisis of some sorts. It got good numbers on RT so I'm up in the air on this. I may wait for more buzz to make a decision.
Why Stop Now? (August 17th): stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as a piano prodigy who has a big audition on the day he is to bring his mother, Melissa Leo (The Fighter), to rehab. The problem is the rehab facility won't take her so they go to her dealer, Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) for a score. Turns out Morgan is out of drugs so they all join together on a quest to get Leo some drugs so she can get high and be admitted to rehab and he in turn can go to his audition (it's given that hilarity ensues as it always does in these situations). The trailer was interesting and it's a solid cast and it might be worth seeing.
Premium Rush (August 24th): stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in another of 3 big releases this year) as an elite NYC bike messenger who accepts a package that needs to be delivered (give you a hint the title of the film is mentioned in the film). The catch is, bad guys and the cops want the package, making Gordon-Levitt's day more interesting. It's directed David Koepp by who's been part of some quality films so it might be worth a shot. Though it seems to have similar plot lines to 16 Hours and Safe in terms of a New Yorker (cop v. bike messenger) trying to deliver something (witness/child/package) important that everyone seems to not want to reach its destination.
The Apparition (August 24th): is another supernatural thriller flooding the market this summer. A good looking twenty-something couple move into a house that somehow becomes haunted during a (botched?) parapsychology experiment? The forces involved then do mean & nasty things to said good looking twenty-something couple. At some point the good looking female lead with the fantastic body will be accosted while wearing a tank top & short shorts and I'm sure the ghosts get beaten in the end (or maybe not who knows). As it is with these types of films, buyer beware. There are so many supernatural thrillers that come out each year it's hard to pick the right one. So be careful.
Hit & Run (August 24th): This one comes from the producers of The Wedding Crashers and is directed by and stars Dax Shepard (his characters name is Charlie Bronson - really?) as a former getaway driver in the witness protection program. Bradley Cooper shows up one day as his former gang member who wants the money from their last score together (the one where Shepard drops dime on Cooper and Cooper goes to jail). Tom Arnold is cast as the bumbling U.S. Marshall who's assigned to Shepard. I guess this is supposed the be like The Driver but with laughs. Unfortunately I've seen the trailer (not by choice) and its as stupid as it sounds. How is it that a moron like Dax Shepard bags an uber-hottie like Kristen Bell? There's no realistic scenario where she would be with him, none whatsoever. Even in film.
Compliance (August 24th): is a bit of a thriller where Dreama Walker (Becky) plays a fast food employee who is accused of a crime by a police officer over the phone. The "officer" tells Becky's manager, played by Ann Dowd, to detain her and informs her that she is allowed to strip search Becky. The preview looks kind of creepy and interesting but in all honesty I've seen this premise before. In 2008 Robin Williams starred in an episode of Law & Order: SVU ("Authority" was the title) where he tells a fast food manager over the phone to "detain" a female employee and call Benson & Stabler (who quickly arrest the guy because you can't do that). It seems like it could be an interesting film but the premise has been done before and you mean to tell me there's no lawyer in the restaurant?
Other films released on this weekend include Robot and Frank, which stars Frank Langella as a retired thief whose kids are worried he can't live alone. Instead of a nursing home, they get him a robot (hence the title). The Victim is directed by & stars Michael Biehn (Terminator) as an ex-con living in the secluded woods who meets up with a nubile, young hottie who was attacked by a pair a crooked deputies in which her nubile young hottie friend was murdered. Biehn must then try to save her and elude the deputies who are anxious to cover things up. What is it about nubile, young hotties that go into the woods looking to party? Does anything good ever come from this? Thunderstruck is a film where Kevin Durant's hoops skills are magically switched over to a high school kid. Kid (who probably has no business being near a basketball court) becomes the star of his team while Durant is left scratching his head wondering where his talent went. Think along the lines of Freaky Friday meets Cornbread & Earl. I'd be willing to bet that the kid with Durant's talent realizes that the talent was just "inside him" the entire time and Durant gets his talent back to win the big game.
Lawless (August 29th): is a film based on an actual events/exploits of the Bondurant Brothers who ran illegal booze through Virginia during Prohibition. The film has an all-star cast (Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain & Gary Oldman to name a few) and is directed by John Hillcoat so it has enormous potential and the trailer was very good. My only issue is that I'm not a big Shia LaBeouf fan. However I feel that this is a film that should be seen based on the director and the cast (regardless of my feelings toward Shia).
The Day (August 29th): is a post-apocalyptic thriller where the trailer is a little vague (maybe that's a good thing). A group of scavengers go into a house and find something they didn't bargain for perhaps. Then they have to fight their way out (think Book of Eli meets John Carpenter's original Assault on Precinct 13). The trailer is gritty and the film looks like things get bloody. The thing is post-apocalyptic thrillers (though not nearly as numerous as supernatural thrillers) tend to be hit (The Road , The Road Warrior) or miss (Doomsday). So buyer beware but it may be worth it.
There five decent sized releases coming out on August 31st, none of which seem all that fantastic to me. For a Good Time, Call...is about an uptight mid to late 20's gal who is forced to share an apartment with a former rival, who's naturally a free-spirit. The uptight gal is slowly seduced by the free-spirit's lifestyle and manages to get involved in the free-spirit's phone sex gig (although she's the uptight side to start). I bet the movie ends with the former rivals becoming BFFs and the uptight gal is not so uptight anymore. The Possession is a film about a cursed box (sound familiar?) haunted by a "malevolent spirit of Jewish folklore." Think The Box meets The Golem. The rules for supernatural thrillers apply here. The Good Doctor stars Orlando Bloom as a doctor who falls in love with an 18 y/o patient after he saves her from an ailment. Trouble is she gets getting sick and having to back to being under his care. Sounds like some hunky stud doctor has got some issues with obsession. This is a departure for Bloom from his usual pretty boy roles. Though it's PG-13 so I doubt it will get to dark. The Baytown Disco has sparse details around it but it has a good cast. It's involves rednecks, female assassins, Native American Hunters, Federal Agents, a baby and a whole lot of running gun battles. Don't know what else I can say. The Tall Man stars Jessica Biel as small town nurse who's skeptical about a mysterious entity abducting the children of the small town. That is of course until her child gets abducted. Be advised...supernatural thriller rules do indeed apply here. If you're going to see one Jessica Biel film in August, go see Total Recall.
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