TURN UP THE HEAT
A summer of blockbusters coming soon to a theater near you
Robots and
dinosaurs.
Wizards and aliens. Superheroes and starships.
It must be the summer movie season. Time for the kids to stay up late & watch these movies.
This year’s run of potential box-office blockbusters kicks off May 1 with a familiar face, that of the lovable, not-so-humble, and quite deadly Wolverine. The slice-and-dice hero with the retractable adamantium claws is starring in his own movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with only a few familiar names from his X-Men days along for the ride.
A week later and the theaters should be packed again with the highly anticipated Star Trek reboot from J.J. Abrams, another origin story, in this instance a look back at how Capt. James T. Kirk, science officer Spock, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and the rest of the Enterprise crew met and learned to save Earth. Repeatedly.
But movie-goers will hardly be able to catch their collective breaths from the Star Trek hoopla, as Angels & Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, opens May 15, closely followed by Terminator Salvation May 21, and the next day with Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
And on it goes through most of the summer, with release dates of tent-pole movies squeezed tightly together by studios desperate for a lion’s share of box-office meat.
Other mark-it-on-your-calendar films include Pixar’s Up, Will Ferrell in a big-screen adaptation of the ’70s Saturday morning fave Land of the Lost, a new
Ice Age movie, the Tranformers sequel, and
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, a holdover from November.
So is it big-release overload for audiences?
Perhaps. But it also means considerably more choices in the multiplex. So you'll going to think - who will be the blockbusters among these then?
So, to help you get ready for the summer movie onslaught, here’s a quick rundown of the big films and maybe a few smaller films you don’t want to overlook. As always, release dates are subject to change.
May 1
X-Men Origins: Wolverine:
For those who didn’t watch the leaked version of the movie available online in early April, this pre-X-men tale explores Wolverine’s back story, and pits mutants against forces that wish to destroy them. Hugh Jackman returns as the titular hero.
Battle for Terra: Adrift on an aging spaceship, the last remnants of humanity attack the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Terra for control of the world in this animated feature. But an unlikely friendship between a Terran (voice of Evan Rachel Wood) and a human (Luke Wilson) may prove peace is a better alternative for both species.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: Charles Dickens meets romantic comedy in this tale of a misbehaving bachelor (Matthew McConaughey) who is visited by ghosts of three former girlfriends in an attempt to uncover what made him such a cad. Also stars Jennifer Garner.
May 8
Star Trek:
Captain Kirk and the crew of the original Enterprise return, only in younger guises, to take on a time-travelling Romulan (Eric Bana) from the future bent on disrupting the past. Starring Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. Directed by J.J. Abrams.
May 15
Angels & Demons:
Tom Hanks is back as code breaker Robert Langdon in the best-selling prequel to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, this time investigating an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati and its threat to the Vatican. Ron Howard also returns to direct.
May 21
Terminator Salvation:
James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise lives on without its creator, as director McG picks up the tale now set in 2018 post-apocalyptic Earth as John Conner (Christian Bale) tries to save mankind from robot annihilation.
May 22
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian:
Different museum, same antics, as famous figures from history come to life, much to the chagrin of Larry Daley (Ben Stiller). Owen Wilson and Robin Williams return , and new characters include Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), and a villainous Egyptian pharaoh (Hank Azaria).
The Girlfriend Experience: Steven Soderbergh directs this drama set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election about a high-end call girl, Chelsea (adult film star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), who offers more than sex to her clients: companionship and conversation.
May 29
Up:
Pixar’s latest is a comedy-adventure about a 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) who fulfils a lifelong wish of journeying to South America by attaching thousands of balloons to his house. Carl’s dream trip becomes a nightmare, however, when he finds an 8-year-old stowaway named Russell.
Drag me to Hell: Spider-Man director Sam Raimi returns to his horror film roots with this tale of a young woman’s attempt at breaking a powerful curse that threatens to damn her soul to hell.
June 5
Land of the Lost:
Marshall (Will Ferrell), Will (Danny McBride), and Holly (Anna Friel) become trapped in a space-time vortex filled with dinosaurs, the reptilian Sleestak, and the ape-like Pakuni in this big-budget comedy based on the 1970s Sid and Marty Krofft Saturday morning series.
The Hangover: A wild bachelor party in Las Vegas turns horribly wrong as three groomsmen wake up to find their hotel room in shambles and the groom missing. The comedy stars Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, and is directed by Todd Phillips (Old School).
Away We Go: Sam Mendes directs John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as an expectant couple traveling the country, encountering misadventures, relatives, and old friends along the way, as they search for a place to raise their family.
June 12
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: John Travolta is a criminal mastermind who hijacks a subway train and threatens to execute its passengers unless he’s paid a large ransom in one hour. Denzel Washington is the New York City subway dispatcher who tries to stop him. Tony Scott directs this remake of the 1974 suspense thriller.
Imagine That: Eddie Murphy stars in a family comedy as a successful financial executive whose career takes a turn for the worse — until he discovers the answers to his problems may be found in his daughter’s imaginary world.
June 19
The Proposal: A romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock as a publishing executive who faces deportation to Canada. In desperation, she claims she is engaged to her harried assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), whom she has tormented for years, and who agrees to her scheme, only with some conditions of his own.
Year One: Two lazy hunter-gatherers (Jack Black, Michael Cera) are banished from their primitive village, and set off on an epic journey through the ancient world. Harold Ramis co-wrote and directs this comedy.
Whatever Works: Larry David stars in Woody Allen’s latest film as a grumpy Greenwich Village resident who becomes entangled with a young runaway girl (Evan Rachel Wood) from Mississippi and her parents. Also featuring Patricia Clarkson, and Ed Begley, Jr.
June 24
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The evil Decepticons are at it again in their war against the Autobots, with human Shia LaBeouf back to help stop them, and director Michael Bay again behind the camera.
June 26
My Sister’s Keeper: Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, and Alec Baldwin star in this drama held over from December about the choices parents make to save their dying young daughter.
July 1
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Mammals and dinosaurs mingle — forget science, this is animation — in the third installment in the popular Ice Age franchise. Series fans will be happy to know Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah are back to lend their voices.
Public Enemies: Michael Mann directs an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Giovanni Ribisi in the true story of the FBI’s battles with Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger. Based on the book by Bryan Burrough.
July 10
Bruno: Sacha Baron Cohen brings his funny and often cringe-worthy comedy technique to theaters again, not as Borat, but as Bruno, a flamboyant Austrian fashionista who also appeared on the Da Ali G Show.
I Love You, Beth Cooper: A nerdy valedictorian proclaims his love for the prettiest and most popular girl in school during his graduation speech. That night, she unexpectedly shows up at his door and takes him out for an evening he’ll never forget. Chris Columbus directs. Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust star. Based on the novel by Larry Doyle.
July 15
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The gang is back for the penultimate movie in the Harry Potter saga. This time Harry is on a quest to learn the identity of the Half-Blood Prince, even as evil Lord Voldemort prepares to wage war against his fellow wizards. David Yates returns as director.
July 24
The Ugly Truth: Katherine Heigl is a romantically challenged morning show producer, and Gerard Butler is a hard-core TV personality who shares with her the ugly truth of gender relations in this romantic comedy.
G-Force: A live-action comedy-adventure about a covert government program that trains guinea pigs and other animals to be high-tech spies. Featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, and Tracy Morgan.
July 31
Funny People: Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen star in this Judd Apatow comedy about a successful stand-up comic (Sandler) with a terminal disease who takes a struggling comedian (Rogen) under his wing. Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman, and RZA round out the cast.
Now that you have seen it all until July 31, better keep posted for the updates up to August.
