Tuesday, June 30, 2009

July Month Preview

July Month Preview
July is when they unleash a number of blockbusters, but truth be told, with the exception of Harry Potter, I do not see any huge moneymakers coming out this one. Sure, a few of these will hit $100, but will anything hit $200? I’m not sure. I will be away for a few weeks, missing the opening weekends of Bruno and Harry Potter, so I’ll have to catch up when I get back. For now, here are the wide release films for July.

July 1st
Public Enemies
When I did my list of my most anticipated films of the year, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies was my number 1 choice, and I stand by that. The reviews so far have been mostly great. Mann is the best action movie director working today – and one of the best all around directors period. Working with a great cast including Johnny Depp, Christain Bale, Marion Cottliard and Billy Crudup, and telling the great true life story of John Dillinger – whose story has yet to be made into a great movie (my respect for the version with Lawrence Tierny and Warren Oates notwithstanding), this is still the movie that has got me more excited than anything else this year. Anticipation Level: 10.

Ice Age: The Meltdown
I have to admit I enjoyed the first Ice Age quite a bit, and if the second one wasn’t quite up to snuff, it was still better than a lot of animated sequels. I enjoy the voicework of Ray Romono, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary quite a bit, and how can anyone dislike Scrat? This is not a film I’m dying to see, but I do want to see it. Anticipation Level: 6.

July 10th
Bruno
Borat was an absolutely brilliant, and viewed a few years later – with the hype far in the past – it still holds up remarkably well. The preview for this one has me laughing every time I see it. Sacha Baron Cohen is a one of a kind comedic talent – no one does what he does in quite the same way, so I cannot wait to see what he does this time around (although I’m going to have to, since I leave for my honeymoon the day this one opens). Anticipation Level: 10.

I Love You Beth Cooper
Sure, Hayden Pantierre is a cutie, and who knows, maybe this will be a surprisingly good comedy. But the preview for this one just is not funny at all, and that’s usually a bad sign for a comedy. If you can’t find a couple of good moments to put in the trailer, can you imagine what the rest of the movie will be like. Anticipation Level: 3.

July 15th
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The sixth book in the series is far and away my favorite. It was, to be, the most well structured of the novels, the most intense, the most surprising, the best written one in the series by a mile. I loved that the book dove back into Voldemort’s past, and for my money, this book had the most intense, and scary, sequences in the series. Although I may not be a Potter fanatic, I cannot wait to see this one. Anticipation Level: 10.

July 24th
G-Force

Talking guinea pigs who are also secret agents trying to stop an evil billionaire (Bill Nighy, who must be trying to put his kids through college or something) from taking over the world, all in 3-D. I’ll pass thank you. Anticipation Level: 1

Orphan
The preview for this movie looks downright creepy. Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga as parents who adopt a strange little girl, who of course turns out to be evil. With those two actors in the film (Even if Farmiga seems to be repeating her role in the underrated Joshua a little), you know that this will be a notch or two above most horror movies. And although it had Paris Hilton, the director’s House of Wax was really not that bad of a horror film, so I’m looking forward to this one. Anticipation Level: 7.

The Ugly Truth
Katherine Heigl was born to make romantic comedies, as she proved in the wonderful Knocked Up, and the not so wonderful 27 Dresses, which she nevertheless kept afloat. The preview for this one, with her and Gerard Butler as two people who hate each other, who will of course fall in love, is actually kind of amusing. Sure it will be silly romcom fun, but I don’t mind that. Anticipation Level: 6.

July 31
Aliens in the Attacks

A group of kids have to fight off an evil Alien race who is coming to take over the world, starting with their attic? Their only aid is a cute little alien who doesn’t fit in with the rest of them. The preview looks stupid. I’m sure kids will enjoy it, but I’m not a kid anymore. Anticipation Level: 1.

Funny People
I love Judd Apatow movies, and the ones he directs are usually better than the one he simply produces. The trailer for this one has had me laughing for months. Adam Sandler can be quite good given the right role, and this one seems to be up his alley. Seth Rogen won’t be stretching himself too much, but what he does he does well. Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman all also get laughes in the preview. My one question is this: doesn’t the preview give away the entire movie? Anticipation Level: 9.

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