Bottom Of The Barrel

2006 Summer Movie Guide

Here are the upcoming movies I am excited/intrigued about:

Mission: Impossible III [May 5] - Ok Tom Cruise is a bit crazy and cookie but with J.J. Abrams directing [thank you for not allowing John Wu to make another MI film] this could be a great action movie. I'm not sure about Phillip Seymour Hoffman [who I think is a great actor] in the villain role but we'll see. Hopefully this will be a big bang to start the summer movie season. Note: Lisa has already said she is not interested in this film.

The Da Vinci Code [May 19] - So everyone on the planet has read the book, which was great, and yes this movie features Tom Hanks and Ron Howard [note 3 Oscars between them] but will it really live up to the most popular book in the past 5 or 10 years? I'm not sure any movie can really live up to the book but I'm betting millions will still flock to see it none the less.

X-Men: The Last Stand [May 26, 2006] - The third installment is minus director Bryan Singer [who left the franchise to take over Superman Returns from Brett Ratner who is directing X-Men 3] but the entire cast is back plus new characters such as Callisto, Juggernaut, Angel and Beast. The realism of the mutants [such as Mystique or Nighcrawler] never disappoints and I am really excited to see Beast and Angel in action.

Click [June 23] - The next Adam Sandler dramedy where he receives a remote control which can slow down/speed up/pause time. It looks to have some pretty funny moments and will surely have a moral [like Bruce Almighty] side to the story.

The Break Up [June 2] - This is the film that Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn made while she was really going through her real life break up with Brad Pit and could be one of those sleeper comedies [like The 40 Year Old Virgin] that does really well even though it seems like just another summer comedy.

Superman Returns [June 30] - The Superman franchise didn't fair so well with the last few installments but with Bryan Singer directing and the recent passing of Christopher and Dana Reeves, this film could be the surprise hit of the summer. Plus we get to see Kevin Spacey return to a villain role as Lex Luther.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest [July 7] - I was skeptical about the first movie but I really loved it [and purchased the DVD] so I am excited about the sequel. Plus the studio is shooting back-to-back POTC films so we won't have to wait another 3 years for the third installment [due out next summer].

Lady in the Water [July 21] - M. Night's fourth movie since he hit it big with The Sixth Sense. This time he is putting together a apartment building superintendent and a drowning women he saves from the buildings pool, but is she really just a woman? I look forward to seeing how Paul Giamatti is used in this film and it will be interesting to see if M. Night moves away from the suspense since this film is being called "A Bedtime Story".

My Super Ex-Girlfriend [July 21] - Ivan Reitman directs Uma Thurman as the Superhero Girlfriend to Luke Wilson. When Luke dumps Uma, she takes it out on him and his new love interest using her super powers of revenge instead of good. Could be interesting and you can count on Ivan for laughs [see Stripes, Ghostbusters, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Ect.]

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [August 4] - Will Ferrell's latest project which he co-wrote with Adam McKay [the duo that brought you Anchorman] so this looks to be the bounce back film after a few less than notable Ferrell movies in 2005.

World Trade Center [August 11] - This will be the second 9/11 movies of the year [United 93 is due out in April] and it will be a game time decision if I can actually go see a movie about 9/11. Maybe I'll decide after I see United 93, which looks heart wrenching.

As always there are a number of films that I think are must skips and this summer that list includes Apocalypto [Mel Gibson is great but this time I think he's off the mark], Miami Vice [do we really need a remake of a bad 80's show?], Poseidon [love to cruise, no need to see a boat sink], The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift [although the driving looks great that will be about all it has] and Zoom [which stars Tim Allen, enough said].

Enjoy the summer movie season and don't forget to visit your local drive-in if you can.

posted by TheWino @ 9:03 AM