Summer 2013 Movies: Sequels, Sequels, and Zombies

The marketing does make me smile.

The Hangover Part III: Melissa McCarthy addition might be the only saving grace. May 24.

Before Midnight: Yes, it’s been nine years since Before Sunset and I can’t wait to see what Linklater has up his sleeve for Celine and Jesse. May 24.

After Earth: Paraphrasing Wyatt Cenac’s tweet: This is the only way Jaden Smith is going camping this summer. May 31.

This is the End: A Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg joint where a house party turns into the apocalypse and with Emma Watson? Yes please. June 12.

The Bling Ring: Sofia Coppola never disappoints. Teaming up with Emma Watson (is it going to be her summer or what?), Leslie Mann, and a few newcomers, Coppola’s film will falls into A. O. Scott’s “fables of acquisitions.” June 14.

Man of Steel: Another Superman flick. Snooze. June 14.

World War Z: Zomies and Brad Pitt! Is this one for his kids? Looks terrible, but is directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace). I also enjoy Mirelle Enos from Big Love. June 21.

The Heat: As a Melissa McCarthy fan and long-time lover of Sandy’s work, this is going to be great. Possibly horribly absurd, as Bullock and McCarthy play “buddy” cops, but great. June 28.

I’m So Excited: If you haven’t had a chance to get into Pedro Almodovar yet, now’s your chance. This farcical comedic tale of choreographed flight attendants has Almodovar written all over it. June 28.

Love a dinner table scene.

The Way, Way Back: Toni Colette, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell in a Jim Rash and Nat Faxon flick? Yes please. July 5.

The Lone Ranger: How can this not be racist? We shall see. July 5.

The Wolverine: X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel. Love the actor, Hate the spin-off. July 26.

Fruitvale Station: Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Light‘s Vince Howard) in a possible Oscar-contending biopic about an Oakland drug dealer. July 26.

The annual Woody Allen movie: Blue Jasmine. This time Allen features Cate Blanchet, Alec Baldwin and … Louis C.K.! July 26.

The Spectacular Now: A coming-of-age story (these always get me) from writer Scott Neustadter, of (500) Days of Summer, adapting Tim Tharp’s novel of the same name. August 2.

Elysium: Matt Damon in Neill Blomkamp’s newest sci-fi film. Will it beat Blomkamp’s brilliant District 9? That’s up to you. August 9.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints: Probably won’t make it to the smaller markets, but look for Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster in a theater nearest you if you can! August 17.

Eric Bana Double Feature

Check out Eric Bana in two supporting roles that couldn’t be more different, yet equally entertaining. The first features Bana as a rogue CIA officer who has trained his daughter in the way she should grow—just like him. Saoirse Ronan is badass (as is director Joe Wright) and Bana’s not half bad himself. The second clip has an Aussie sense of humor about a Melbourne family that refuses to give up their dream house, which sits right next to the airport. Bana’s hilarious in his small, yet significant, role.

Hanna | Joe Wright | 2011

 

The Castle | Rob Sitch | 1997

The Last 10 Movies I Saw

1. Cabin in the Sky | 1943 | Vincente Minnelli (for the musical lover)
2. Beasts of the Southern Wild | 2012 | Benh Zeitlin (for the up-to-date indie film viewer)
3. La Haine | 1995 | Mathieu Kassovitz (for the punk)
4. ParaNorman | 2012 | Chris Butler, Sam Fell (for the fam, and then some)
5. Heavy Metal Parking Lot | 1986 | John Heyn, Jeff Krulik (for the Judas Priest fan)
6. Hide Away | 2012 | Chris Eyre (for the sentimental)
7. Computer Chess | 2013 | Andrew Bujalski (for the nerd)
8. Stalag 17 | 1953 | Billy Wilder (for the war film buff)
9. The Invisible War | 2012 | Kirby Dick (for the doc lover)
10. Oslo, August 31 | 2012 | Joachim Trier (for the foreign film lover)

Top 10 Films of 2012 (unranked)

Starlet | Sean Baker | Check out my interview with Sean at FilmLinc.

Django Unchained | Quentin Tarantino

The Master | PTA

The Cabin in the Woods | Drew Goddard

Leviathan | Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel

Your Sister’s Sister | Lynn Shelton | Check out my interview with Lynn at FilmLinc.

Killer Joe | William Friedkin

Oslo, August 31 (Denmark) | Joachim Trier

Holy Motors (France) | Leos Carax

Neighboring Sounds (Brazil) | Kleber Mendonça Filho

Runners Up:

Silver Linings Playbook | David O. Russell
Zero Dark Thirty | Kathryn Bigelow

Perks of Being a Wallflower | Stephen Chbosky

The Avengers | Joss Whedon

Safety Not Guaranteed | Colin Trevorrow

Tchoutopolis | Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross

What are your top 10?

Links to another blog

My summer has been filled with movie-watching, director-interviewing and blog-writing, just not on Roundabout. Here are a few quick blog posts to check out about films to then watch…

New York Asian Film Festival: Three films take you to summer school (the fun kind)

Transmedia and Andrea Phillips (this is for the online game lovers)

The one that was most fun to write: The Shining, Barry Lyndon and A Star is Born

 

 

 

 

 

A few interviews with directors:

1) Documentarist Annie Goldson and a Cambodia doc

2) Italian director Daniele Vicari and his beautiful, bloody film

3) Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek and his latest dark comedy, Magnificent Precense—a kind of Life is Beautiful tale

4) And one of my favorite interviews: Seattle “mumblecore” director Lynn Shelton (Hump Day, Your Sister’s Sister)

Thanks for reading!

Top 10 Day-Ruiners: Movies that are sad

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: An abortion’s not a big deal, right? And the father of the unborn fetus should face no consequences whatsoever, right? Well, at least summer is here now. One of the worst movies ever no matter how many times we see Sean Penn step out of a hotboxed van.

My Own Private Idaho: I never know what the fuck’s going on in this movie, but it’s worth watching once. That said, it’s sad, and then goes from sad to crazy and then back to sad again. You probably won’t cry, but might just get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you got when you realized it might be your last summer as a kid.

Million Dollar Baby: While I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a bad movie, it’s certainly not Eastwood’s best and is most certainly a day-ruiner pretty much from beginning to end.

 

 

 

 

 

Avatar: It could be a day-ruiner because the story is so bad or it could be a day ruiner because Pandora doesn’t really exist.

 

 

 

 

 

Requiem for a Dream: (Or almost any Darren Aronofsky for that matter).

 

 

 

 

 

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: Did you accidentally kill your mother? Cause that’s what happens here. Love that Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but this film is more than a drama. It gets darker and darker.

 

 

 

 

 

Pay It Forward: So much for Karma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roger Dodger: Although there is a hint of redemption, it’s still such a sad story about a sad man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A History of Violence: Cronenberg fans may hate me, but this film is not good. I’m not just talking about the injustice of it all either, it’s sexist, slow and real rough around the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

Mulholland Drive: I hope no one has a blue key lying around the house. This film is all-around a day-ruiner. Although fascinating it never fails to make you feel terrible.

 

 

 

 

 

Realizing most of this list is from the last 20 years, let’s here it for some other suggestions. What movie is your day-ruiner?

In Memorium: Ray Bradbury

In honor of one of, if not, the greatest science fiction writers ever here are a few books to add to your summer reading list. My favorites:

1. Fahrenheit 451

 

 

 

 

 

2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

3. Zen in the Art of Writing