Anticipation

I feel like we're kind of in a dry spell of good movies right now. I should have 2 movies available at any one time that I'd like to go see. Not ones that I have some superficial interest in, or which would be a decent enough excuse to eat popcorn for dinner, but that I really, genuinely want to see. I tend to like to watch movies at the late afternoon showing, starting between 4 and 6, because I can never seem to get motivated to go out for the 7pm set, and I don't like to run into the crowds that can be at those showings, especially on the weekends. As such, when I work until 5 almost every day and lose the opportunity to go to my preferred showing, it takes a genuinely interesting movie to pull me out of my house for the dreaded primetime showing. Or as in the case of How to Train Your Dragon, I got off work at 4 and tore out of there like the place was on fire and just barely made the 4:20 showing at the only 3D theater in the area, a 15-20 minute drive from where I work. It was worth it to scramble out of work to make that showing so I wouldn't have to go back at 7:20. And as we've already established, that movie was well worth the effort.

Almost every day I wake up thinking it might be fun to go to a movie that night. Of course, 3/4 of the time, my work hours get in the way of going to the showing I'd like. It seems like for the past 2 months or so, I've opened the movie showtimes every couple of days, remembered that there aren't any movies worth seeing out, and then I close right back out. How depressing is that? If I go to the one good movie that comes out in the week but find myself bored on a Wednesday night, I should be able to find another movie to amuse myself. It's one thing if I choose not to go, but not even being able to make that choice! Alas, this is the reality I face.

Which is why instead of reviewing some interesting movie I've watched recently, I will instead look to this summer's excellent blockbuster lineup. Here are some of the upcoming movies that have caught my attention:

The Back-up Plan, April 23: Starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, and Melissa McCarthy (Sookie from Gilmore Girls!!). This is my movie for this weekend! I just started seeing commercials for it a few weeks ago, but it's got me hooked. Romance, pregnancy, babies, and an attractive leading couple? I'm there! It looks pleasantly amusing, plus I want a baby so I can totally relate.


The Losers, April 23: Starring Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek, and countless Disney appearances), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Push), among others that I no longer remember. This seems to have potential, but it's one of those that may be just bordering on too violent to get me into the theater. If I had my husband home to encourage me to go, I'd be all there. As it is, if I run out of other movies to watch, I may see it. I'll let you know. :)

Iron Man 2, May 7: Starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle. The first Iron Man was amazing, so this promises to be just as good. That said, I'll admit that I only saw the first one once. I remember being so blown away by its amazing goodness in theaters that it's really an abomination that I haven't watched it since. My husband is obsessed with it so he's really upset to be missing the 2nd one. At any rate, even though I'll be tempted to stay home the same way I did when he was gone for the Terminator Salvation release, as much as I enjoyed the first Iron Man, this is a must see. It should be amazing!

Babies, May 7: Starring 4 babies from around the world. I don't even know if this will come to a theater near me, but if it does, it looks really adorable. I remember almost crying when I saw the preview for the first time last year. How can any baby-lusting woman ignore such a promising film?

Robin Hood, May 14: Starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. This movie gives me exactly the same feeling as Iron Man 2: it's going to be one of the most awesome blockbusters of the summer, but its action-themed premise makes me a little nervous. Of course I'll want to go see it because it's Robin Hood, and it's Russell Crowe in another Gladiator-style role, and it's medieval heroism at it's best... it's exactly the kind of thing I like to watch, minus the being nervous for people's safety. lol It'll be a struggle to find a time when I feel like going to such a potentially tense action movie, but I have no doubt that I will come away blown away and loving it.

Letter to Juliet, May 14: Starring Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, and Chris Egan. Oh dear, I didn't realize this came out the same weekend as Robin Hood. This could be interesting! I've been highly interested in this movie ever since I first saw the preview. I didn't much enjoy Amanda Seyfried in Dear John (which I believe is where I saw the preview, incidentally), but that may have been more the character than her. This looks totally adorable. Amanda Seyfried falling in love with a charmingly handsome British guy (let's be honest, he's gorgeous) and all helping two old people find their one true love again. And in Italy! What's not to love? This will be priority #1 that weekend.

MacGruber, May 21: Starring Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, and Kristen Wiig. Sadly, this has potential. I've seen a couple of MacGruber skits on SNL and they were hilarious. I've never actually seen Macgyver, so I only partially got the skits, but you would not believe how often the song "MacGruber!" gets stuck in my head... It's a bit bizarre, really. Especially if I'm in the mood for an amusing farce, I may end up in the theater for this one.

Shrek Forever After, May 21: Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz. This is the biggest threat to MacGruber, because I've loved all the Shrek movies. In fact, I loved Shrek the Third so much that I actually saw it 3 times in theaters--once in Spain. That was the most enjoyable movie I saw in Spain, because having already seen it twice, I actually knew what they were supposed to be saying and could laugh appropriately. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out while it was there and I very badly missed having previously heard all the lines in English to make the translation effortless (I mean, I got it, but who wants to hear Harry Potter in Spanish? Seriously). The one thing that concerns me is that this appears to be dragging the storyline a little bit past its prime. I mean, one, two and three were amusing, but they lost some of their originality and charm with each one. This has the potential to strip all of our favorite characters of what made them our favorite characters (Donkey's utter devotion to Shrek, Puss's sexy Spanish flare, Fiona's fiery temper matched with her gentle loving side). I'm certain to go see it, but I reserve judgment on whether or not it will stand up to the precedent set by the previous movies.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, May 28: Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, and Gemma Arterton. This looks utterly amazing!! When I first saw the preview, I was stunned to see Jake Gyllenhaal in such a role. I recognize him from movies like The Day After Tomorrow, Jarhead, Brokeback Mountain, and Brothers (I've never actually seen those last two, so really The Day After Tomorrow and Jarhead--but those are the other roles that I really remember him for). They're all firmly grounded in reality. Seeing him in a fantasy/historical/awesome action hero role is thrilling! He has this kind of adorable handsomeness, but he looks all man in this movie. I'm really excited to see him in something so new, plus the plotline promises to be right up my alley. In addition, I'm excited to see Gemma Arterton in another movie. I first saw her in the Pride and Prejudice parody/tribute Lost in Austen as Elizabeth Bennet, but a very forward-thinking Elizabeth Bennet. I remember being struck first by her beauty and then by her modernness (I saw the end of Lost in Austen on television and was so shocked to see Elizabeth Bennet with short cropped hair and checking her laptop that I checked it out to see the whole thing). I was also quite enchanted by her lovely accent. My next impression of her was in Clash of the Titans, where she played the beautiful maiden Io (but don't get me started on the historical inaccurateness of her role in the film). This appears to be fairly similar to Io in that she is a lovely maiden aiding the manly hero on his quest. All in all, it promises to be quite entertaining.

Killers, June 4: Starring Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, and Tom Selleck. I haven't seen much on this one, but what I have intrigues me. I loved Ashton Kutcher in Valentine's Day even though I didn't really like the movie as a whole, so that speaks well for him. And also, I seem to think of him as some podunk actor for some reason, but I always enjoy him in movies. Perhaps because of Dude, Where's My Car? and then Punked! ? I'm not sure why I think that, since I've never even seen Punked!. He just seemed to catch some flack for that, or perhaps it was just harmless humor that I didn't understand. At any rate, I loved him in The Guardian and also in Valentine's Day, so I may go see it just for him. Plus Katherine Heigl is lovely and very funny. My biggest reservation about this one is that it appears to be the exact same plotline as Mr and Mrs Smith. At least that's what I got from the one trailer I saw. Fandango.com has a different description, so perhaps it won't be so bad after all: "An ex-assassin (Ashton Kutcher) and his wife try to learn who is trying to kill them." Sure, why not! Let's go see it. Especially if it's the only promising movie of the weekend.
 
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, June 11: Starring a bunch of foreign people. I have never actually heard of this one but just the title intrigues me. Fandango.com has this to say about it: "The composer begins an affair with the fashion icon after he and his family move into her home." I'm interested because they're both such interesting people. Well, Chanel could have pretty fashion to look at, and perhaps we'll be graced with some of Stravinsky's amazing music, like The Firebird Suite or Rites of Spring. If it has a wide release, it has potential.
 
The A-Team, June 11: Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, and Jessica Biel. I thought this also had Sylvester Stallone, but that must be a different movie. At any rate, I think this is the one I've seen previews of and it looks intriguing. Intriguing enough to overcome its inherently action-packed, suspenseful, and likely violent tendencies? We'll have to see as it gets closer.
 
The Karate Kid, June 11: Starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. I don't really remember the original Karate Kid, but I remember liking it when I was little. Also, the previews I've seen make Jaden Smith look totally adorable. If I go see it, it'll probably be for him. Or because everyone else is going to see it because it's a remake of a classic. We'll see. I'm not totally sold on this one yet.
 
Toy Story 3, June 18: Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, etc. Am I the only one who never really liked Toy Story that much? Apparently. It seems like this is one of the big anticipated movies of the summer, which I find strange. I don't even remember the second one except that there was a cute redhead and a grumpy old cowboy man. No princesses, no love from me. lol I don't know. I may not even go see this one. But as I've said before, if this is the only interesting movie out that I want to see, I'll go. Or maybe if someone else convinces me. Another one that may or may not make it on my list to see.
 
Knight and Day, June 25: Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Peter Sarsgaard. This is another one I'm not sure about. The previews look really amusing, but I have some strange aversion to Tom Cruise. I think it's because I was born too late. I didn't even know what Top Gun was until I was like 15. I don't think I saw it until I was out of high school. (As an aside, I knew who Val Kilmer was from his role as the Mad Mardigan in Willow--when I watched Top Gun and he appeared, I was like "It's Mad Mardigan!!" and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. lol) The point is, I missed Tom Cruise's heyday. When I finally started paying attention to movies and celebrities, he started jumping on couches and preaching Scientology. He was literally just "one of those really famous movie stars and now he's suddenly gone crazy" to me. So I see that he's in a movie and I can't take him seriously. It sucks, because he's really very handsome and a talented actor. This movie looks to be straight out of the classic Cruise book--he's cool and self-assured and does a lot of his charming smiles. I can't tell if I feel like he's more confident of his own good looks and charm than he ought to be or if he's really just acting as winning and wonderful as he is. I'll have to see how I feel when this one comes out, because it looks like it could be really amusing. Cameron Diaz is adorable and this role seems to fit her goofy charm well. Let's just say it's has potential.
 
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, June 30. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. Um, YEAH. I'm a big fan of the books, and it's very easy to be (or perhaps pretend to be) obsessed with these movies. Although to be honest, my love has waned over time. I saw the film with some trepidation because I thought it was going to be a scary vampire movie. Imagine my surprise when I was blown away by the intense chemistry between Kristen and Robert when I saw Twilight for the first time. I happened to be visiting my hometown at the time, so I bought the novel for the flight home and had it read by the next day. I actually went to Barnes and Noble to buy the other 3 because I just couldn't wait to read them. I had the whole series read in 6 days (thank you Thanksgiving week! lol). I was so in love with Edward that my heart leapt just thinking about him. I can't even describe how I was affected by them, and I still can't tell you why. Perhaps because my husband had been out to sea for almost 4 months and I was lonely.. Who knows. At any rate, I went back to see the movie again and I was devastated--Robert played Edward in such a depressed, brooding way, not at all the way I saw Edward in the books. I gave it some time and went to see it again, and though I still felt it was too dark, giving myself some distance from the books helped me appreciate it the 3rd time. Although my friends would consider me a HUGE Twilight fan, I'd say that has sort of faded a bit since the first reading. I tried to reread the series when my husband went underway the following spring, but I just couldn't make it through the second book. Then I tried again last fall and nearly made it to the end--I got a little ways into Breaking Dawn before my mind was captured by something else. So despite the fact that I have several pictures of me posing with cardboard cutouts of Edward and Jacob and even have 2 posters of them hanging in my guest bedroom, I've never even been able to make it through the entire series a second time. That's saying something, I think. It will never have the lasting power that Harry Potter has. I've reread Harry Potter so many times I've lost count (I'm even halfway through my second time of listening to all 7 audiobooks--consecutively). Harry Potter is my friend, and always will be, but Edward has never had the same attraction for me that he had that first time. I still think he and Bella show uncanny parallels to my own relationship with my husband, but I've never felt fluttery just thinking about him like I did the first time. THAT SAID, why is this relevant? lol Sorry. Point is, of course I'm excited about this movie. I still read http://www.lionandlamblove.org/ almost every day to keep up with the latest Twilight news, and I can't even tell you why because I don't care about 90% of it (in my defense, it always comes in pairs with my near daily checking of http://www.mugglenet.com/ hehe). I know more about it than most people I know, but it's more of a habit now than a true obsession. So...I can't wait for it to come out, and yet I almost don't care. Robert is ruining my Edward, and so while I like to see it in film, the movies will never live up to the books. At least the Harry Potter movies are something separate for me, and I can enjoy both in their own way. For Twilight, it's all so mixed up that I can't really decide how I feel. So I'll be at that midnight showing (especially if there's another library showing!), probably wearing a home-made Twilight t-shirt, but I'll probably come home more disappointed than anything. I know I was at first really impressed with New Moon, but after some time, I realized the soundtrack in particular had destroyed what I loved so much about Twilight. So we'll see. I'm giving Eclipse a chance but if it goes down the dramatic-magic-fairyland path, it may kill my affection for Twilight for good. If it can return to Twilight's edgy, sexy feel, then I'm all in. We'll have to wait and see!
 
The Last Airbender, July 2: Starring Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone (Jasper in Twilight), and Dev Patel (Skins, Slumdog Millionaire). I'll admit I have no idea what this is about. I discovered only after seeing the previews that we actually do fairly decent circulation of the anime book series by the same name. What caught my interest was the intriguing preview (world-changing, good vs evil magic and heroism? sign me up!) and the cast of surprisingly familiar actors. I don't know the main little kid, but Jackson Rathbone is in it, and this is the first movie I'll have seen him in outside of Twilight. I was even more surprised by seeing Dev Patel (I was forewarned about Jackson Rathbone by my Twilight fansite, of course lol). I first saw Dev Patel in an episode of Skins that I happened to watch one night on BBC, and it just happened to focus on him and it was really amusing. Then I went to see Slumdog Millionaire and I was like, "Hey, that's that guy from Skins!" Of course now he's the guy from Slumdog Millionaire. I really liked him in that movie because he was so softspoken and sweet, and I've seen his comic chops from Skins. I'm curious to see him in this role because it's so different from what we've seen from him before. Similar to Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia, it's a sort of widening of the boundaries. Should be interesting. Oh, and did I mention M Night Shyamalan's directing? Yep. Definitely worth seeing.
 
Despicable Me, July 9: Starring Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand. This is another one that I have no idea what it's about. I just remember the teaser having funny little cartoon guys and funny music--and after seeing the cast list, it ought to be a pretty funny movie. I feel like this must be based on something that lots of people are familiar with, something like Pink Panther, but I'm just out of the loop. So if it's anything as amusing as Pink Panther, I'll enjoy it. Fandango.com says this: "The world's second-greatest villain (Steve Carell) meets his match in three little orphans." Why not! lol

The Sorcerer's Apprentice, July 16: Starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, and Alfred Molina. This trailer looks pretty intriguing. Mostly, I figure anything with that kind of name has got to be good. Plus it's from Disney, if I remember rightly, so I'm curious to see how they incorporate the Fantasia version of this (surely there will be at least some subtle hints to it, at the very least in the soundtrack). I think it's a weird role for Nicolas Cage, but I think a lot of roles are weird for Nicolas Cage, so we'll see. Also, thanks to recognizing Jay Baruchel's name from How to Train Your Dragon, I just realized it's the same guy who voiced Hiccup and was in She's Out of My League. He was quite amusing, and he's very endearing, so this has potential.
 
Well I was going to be done, since I've pretty much exhausted the movies that I've heard of for this summer, but then I discovered this while checking to see if there were any others:
 
Step Up 3D, August 6. Seriously?? I was utterly in love with Step Up 2 for some reason, so this has potential. Unless of course the actors have all changed (how cute was Robert Hoffman as the love interest??). Sigh. I just checked, and they have. It appears that the only one who's carrying over is Adam Sevani, who played Moose. Admittedly he was a beloved character, but is he enough to provide the sticking power for this sequel? We'll have to see. If they can pull out the amazing moves they had in the last one, I'll be there. 3D could either ruin it or make it amazing. I suspect the 3D part was largely to keep up with their clever naming scheme (Step Up 2 The Streets, Step Up 3D--they sequel number is hidden within the title itself). I had no idea this was coming out. I'm curious to see a trailer.
 
The Expendables, August 13: Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Austin, and Brittany Murphy. This is the one I was thinking of with Sylvester Stallone. It's got a curious cast in it, so it might be worth seeing just for that.
 
Scott Pilgrim vs The World, August 13: Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Chris Evans. This is another one where I suspect there is a backstory that I'm not familiar with, but it still looks amusing. I love Michael Cera because he's so easy to love. He's so gentle and silly that you just can't help rooting for him. Maybe I'll learn more about what it's based on as it gets closer.
 
Eat, Pray, Love, August 13: Starring Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem. "A married woman who seemingly has it all and is trying to get pregnant, realizes that she's not living the life she wants." HOLY CRAP. That's what that book's about?! I had no idea! Apparently I'm very bad at reading book covers, because I swear I've read that one to see what all the fuss was about. Well no wonder everybody loves it. Sounds really interesting. Plus what a cast! Julia, James, and Javier. I first learned of Javier Bardem in the Spanish film Mar Adentro (Sea Inside) about Death with Dignity, and it was such an affecting movie that I've always had great respect for him. I was unaware until recently that he also has several popular films in the American market--and not just Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which doesn't count because he's the Spaniard in the film (it fits, you know). At any rate, he's a really amazing Spanish actor and that alone makes it worth seeing his movies. Spanish major, you know... can't resist. :)
 
Other movies that are too far away to have much more than a simple plot summary:
The Switch, August 20: Starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Interesting combination, plus this is the plot: "A 40-year-old unmarried woman decides to become pregnant by inseminating herself with a turkey baster." This reminds me of The Back-up Plan on crack. lol We'll see if they actually manage to come up with sufficiently distinct plots. The turkey baster part alone makes it look interesting... lol
 
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, August 20: Starring Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rhys Ifans. Apparently there's going to be a Nanny McPhee 2. I don't even remember if I liked the first one, but it seems like this may be the reason Emma Thompson wasn't going to do any more Harry Potter movies. Although I'm pretty sure I just read she's wrapping her final filming soon... ?? I don't know, but this could be interesting.
 
Going the Distance, August 27: Starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. I know they worked together in She's just not that into you, so they must have enjoyed working together. Plus the plot just seems like something I could relate to: "A journalism student and her boyfriend try to navigate the pitfalls of a bi-coastal romance."
 
Okay that's plenty far enough in advance. Hopefully now you're aware of what's coming up this summer and what you can expect to hear about. Let me know if there are any other movies coming out that might be worth seeing!
 
-PrincessM