Fright Night – August 19th
I’m the last person to jump on the remake/reboot bandwagon, particularly when it rolls right over the toes of sacrosanct films like the original 80s horror/comedy Fright Night. On August 19th, the Craig Gillespie-directed remake comes out, and though I hate the idea of what they may have done to the original concept, I will definitely have to see it.
Gillespie doesn’t fill me with confidence, as his only film worth mentioning is the bleak Lars and the Real Girl. Marti Noxon wrote the script, and that alone gives me hope. Noxon has a great cheeky tone, and has written (and produced to) episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Mad Men. She also wrote the screen adaptation for I Am Number Four.
As a horror buff I admit I do go out to see almost every horror movie released, whether it looks terrible or not. I’m always looking for the next 28 Days Later or Session 9. The Fright Night reboot certainly won’t be of their caliber, but here’s hoping it’s at least fun. – Amy Curtis
Apollo 18 – August 26th
Like Super 8, the trailers for Apollo 18 leave plenty to the imagination. This found-footage style sci fi/horror film takes place on the moon, and has had quite a number of theatrical release dates. No doubt wanting to take advantage of the summer crowds, the savvy Weinstein Co. has set a date for August 26th. Let’s hope it sticks this time.
The movie’s story setup is intriguing; the last official manned mission to the moon was Apollo 17, until footage is discovered of a secret Apollo 18 mission, which the government denies ever happened. The footage shows two astronauts doing their thing on a lunar mission when strange (and I’m assuming life-threating and supernatural) events beset them. Everything from sudden technical malfunctions to some kind of infection and a stalking threat. At least, that’s what I could get from the trailer. It melds two of my fav genres, and the story is pretty original. But the found-footage angle is overdone, in my opinion. Ok it was fresh in the Blair Witch Project, even Cloverfield, but now it’s being abused. Hopefully it won’t detract from the film, which looks to be an out-of-planet experience. – Amy Curtis
Captain America: The First Avenger – July 22nd
Marvel’s original avenger hasn’t been getting the best buzz in terms of superheroes this summer, but the trailers do look promising. After initial skepticism, Chris Evans seems a good fit as both pre-super serum Steve Rogers and Captain America. The trailer indicates plenty of action and minimal CGI, which is always a good sign. The war torn older setting might turn the younger audience away, but it seems to be following the comic’s storyline of Cap pretty closely. More importantly see this movie for Hugo Weaving, the makeup on the Red Skull looks terrific, a perfect representation of one of Marvel’s most famous villains. Captain America: The First Avenger may not be receiving the most buzz, but it just may be the biggest surprise. – Benjo Colautti
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – May 20th
Johnny Depp is back as everyone’s favorite rum drinking, swashbuckling pirate in the fourth installment of the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Is it a reboot or just a continuing adventure with some retuning faces and a bunch of new ones? Who cares, it’s just more reason to watch Jack Sparrow along with a sexy love interest, in the form of Penelope Cruz. The storyline has been kept under a tight lid and the trailers don’t exactly roll out the whole plot like the previous films did. With a new director on board (Rob Marshall), On Stranger Tides seems like a fresh take on a genre that has been pure gold lately. Hopefully audiences just haven’t got tired of pirates. – Benjo Colautti
The Hangover Part II – May 26th
Easily this summer’s most anticipated comedy, Todd Phillip’s The Hangover Part II appears almost exactly the same as the original, but this time it’s set in Bangkok instead of Vegas. Usually that’s a recipe for disaster, but the formula for The Hangover is what sets it apart from other comedies and it’s also the film’s greatest asset. It just needs to be as funny and outrageous as it was before, and not rely on recycled jokes that will make it seem stale. – Benjo Colautti
Rise Of The Apes – August 5th
A Planet Of The Apes prequel you say? Count me in! The original Planet of the Apes is a great film and although the sequels started to get worse and worse, the franchise as a whole was still pretty good. I’ve always enjoyed it and I’ve been looking forward to the prequel since it was announced, I’m interested to see the whole backstory on how the apes came to power. Tim Burton’s version wasn’t that bad in my opinion but this one looks a lot better. The effects from WETA look spectacular and with a cast that includes the likes of James Franco, Brian Cox and John Lithgow, Rise Of The Apes is one to watch out for. – Matt Joseph
Green Lantern – June 17th
Green Lantern may be this summer’s most under-rated and over-rated upcoming film. Fans are going nuts over how faithful it is to the long-running comic book series and its science fiction roots. But anyone not associated with the character and Green Lantern universe has to admit it looks silly and bizarre. Nonetheless, director Martin Campbell knows how to balance storytelling and well-shot action scenes as good as Spielberg, and Reynolds has been on a roll lately.
The abundance of CGI used may seem like a turn-off, but if it manages to help transport audiences to the world of Green Lantern more effectively, then why not? The actors and talent involved are too great not to have faith in, and the early footage so far has been building up positive buzz. If it connects with audiences, fans of the comic book as well as those who aren’t, than look for Green Lantern as one of the year’s biggest money-makers. – Benjo Colautti
Bad Teacher – June 24th
Cameron Diaz in a spiritual sequel of Bad Santa, could it work? Well judging by the red band trailer, she seems to have the comedic timing down perfectly. The supporting cast fits in well to, Jason Segal especially. But Diaz isn’t great at carrying movies herself, and is relatively new to raunchy comedies. Maybe this is the different direction that she needs to be seen in for an encouraging new way people look at her as an actress. R-rated comedies are great at restarting your career, and if Bad Teacher is just as funny and foul as its trailer suggests, then Diaz and company could pull off a sleeper hit. – Benjo Colautti
Cowboys & Aliens – July 29th
Jon Favreau has now departed from Iron Man. He was replaced by Shane Black and has moved on to another lesser known comic book adaptation, Cowboys & Aliens. This genre mashing spectacle looks like it could be one of the most entertaining thrill rides of the summer. Both the trailers have been fantastic, showcasing a film that looks to contrast with the lighthearted froth of the Iron Man movies.
This looks tougher, darker and more grizzled. Partly down to the casting, Daniel Craig generally looks pretty intimidating and then you have Harrison Ford on horse back, almost a Rooster Cogburn character. With dazzling effects, a rustic Deadwood-esque Old West setting and a marvellous cast this is shaping up to be a great summer movie. – Will Chadwick
Cars 2 – June 24th
Apologies for bringing down the tone but every time I see trailers for Cars 2, I shake my head and just say why. Of all the Pixar films they could have picked from to develop another franchise they chose Cars. Despite looking pretty amazing, the original film was a turgid, over long, incredibly dull movie. It was pretty much the first Pixar film that failed to appeal universally across all generations. Neither did I think it would appeal to kids, it was a two hour movie about a race car trying to re-tarmac a road.
This time around they have come up with a profoundly stupid premise of having the cars as super spies. Completely crossing the boundaries of credibility, in the first film they were essentially racing cars and now they’re spies. It looks boring, cartoonish and a bit rubbish. It does have a decent cast though with Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Jason Isaacs, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, Bruce Campbell etc, but I just can’t be excited for this, it just looks entirely pointless. – Will Chadwick
Friends With Benefits – July 22nd
This is the year’s second attempt at a film revolving around a strictly sexual relationship, the first being No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The problem with these types of movies is that they always end up with such a lackluster story and a tame approach. If you’re going to attempt to make such a risky movie, then take some risks! Friends with Benefits looks to change all that though.
It stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis who play two busy people that are so wrapped up with work, which causes them to have difficulties maintaining an emotional relationship with anyone. This leads to the genius idea of having a relationship solely based on sex. In addition to Timberlake and Kunis, Friends with Benefits has a decent supporting cast that includes the likes of Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Rashida Jones, Emma Stone and Andy Samberg.
The movie looks a bit more raunchier and more R-rated than No Strings Attached, which is a good thing. If it can remain less sappy and romantic than No Strings Attached then director Will Gluck may have another hit on his hands. – Jeremy Lebens
Kung Fu Pada 2 – May 26th
I’m a big fan of the original Kung Fu Panda. The film stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman and David Cross. Being a fan of the first film, I’m looking forward to this one. The cast is great and Dreamworks is usually pretty dependable when it comes to animated films.
The first film received fairly positive reviews and it looks like Dreamworks is cooking up a similar movie with Kung Fu Panda 2. I’m excited to see how it turns out and how it will compete with the superb animated films we’ve been seeing recently, such as Toy Story 3, Despicable Me etc. Good or bad the film will undoubtedly perform at the box office (the first one took in $630 million). Hopefully this one turns out good though. I liked the visual style as well as well balanced mix of humor and heart that the first one had. If this one can repeat that recipe, I think we’ll be all good. – Matt Joseph
The Devil’s Double – July 29th
Out of all the movies at Sundance this year, The Devil’s Double is one of the ones that I was most interested in. I’ve read a ton of reviews on the film and have been eager to see it for a while now. The Lee Tamahori directed movie has Dominic Cooper in the lead role as Uday Hussein and his double Latif Yahia. Lionsgate picked up the film at Sundance and it looks like they really have a hit on their hands. The trailer looks fantastic and this combined with all the reviews I’ve been reading only heightens my excitement. The film also supposedly pulls no punches and showcases some brutal violence, giving us an authentic look at the terrifying man that was Uday Hussein. Cooper looks terrific in the lead role and his performance is already gaining some buzz. You can be sure that this will be one of summer’s stronger films. – Matt Joseph
So there you go, that’s what we’re looking forward to. What about you? Let us know in the comments.
Published: May 2, 2011 05:35 pm