Summer 2009 Movie Preview

The summer is the best season for movies! Films have even moved their debut dates in order to be a part of this steamy time of year. And with the economy still as sticky as a movie theater floor in August, cinema execs are anxious to see what the summer of ’09 will bring. Here are 6 films to sit in the a.c. and enjoy this summer…

June

June 5th – Away We Go – I saw this trailer during “Adventureland” and promptly (and semi legibly) scribbled down the release date so I wouldn’t forget. This “road trip” comedy starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph is about a couple having their first child who travel from friend to family member in order to find a place they can call home for their new little one. The ensemble cast is impregnated with our favorite character actors including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, and Catherine O'Hara just to name a few. This dramedy is sure to be chocked full of outlandish parenting advice, touching moments and lots of laughs.

June 24th – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Summer is a time when the industry likes to pump out sequels and 2009 is no exception. Just from the trailer “Transformers 2” looks promising with more action, total destruction, CG galore and an intriguing back story. Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf – who was in a car accident and seriously injured his left hand during the time he was making the movie) learns more about the history of the giant robots wreaking havoc worldwide in countries like Egypt, Paris and the US. I’ve also read that there is some IMAX footage, which only adds more excitement to the eye popping special effects.

July

July 1st – Public Enemies – If I was a movie exec and you pitched this film to me all you would have to say is “Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.” “Sold! Where do I sign?!” That’s how easily I'd agree. As an added bonus, this movie is directed by the hugely successful Michael Mann (‘Collateral,’ ‘Ali,’ ‘The Insider,’ ‘Heat,’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans’). “Enemies” is a crime drama about infamous, depression era bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) and the clean cut FBI agent on Dillinger’s tale Melvin Purvis (Bale). With behind the scenes accounts that Bale was in character 24/7 and that Depp was as giddy as a school girl at the opportunity to handle Dillinger’s actual brief case – this film is producing expectations of being the only summer hit that will be remembered at Oscar time.

July 15th – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – This shouldn’t be on the summer ’09 list, but the head honchos who made “Prince” wanted to move the film to the summer for financial reasons. The latest installment of the JK Rowling series is ready to be showcased on the big screen. A darker story yet focusing on the origins of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with a number of memory type flashback sequences that hold a lot of information for Harry. We also get a little more love in our favorite Hogwarts’ students lives (but I won’t tell you who in case you haven’t read the book).

August

August 21st - Inglourious Basterds – Yes, that’s spelled correctly. The latest movie by Quentin Tarantino starring Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, B.J. Novak and Cloris Leachman – is a movie with two stories combined. The first revolves around some Jewish-American soldiers out to take down a group of Nazis. The second revolves around a young Jewish woman who witnessed the death of her family and plots to avenge them while working at a movie theater. How do these two stories relate? The movie theater is the key (oh the irony).

August 28th – The Boat That Rocked – About a week ago I’d never heard of this movie, but then the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly landed in my mailbox and all I had to do was read the cast for this summer film to catch my attention. “Rocked” stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace”), Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, January Jones (“Mad Men”), Rhys Darby (“Yes Man”), Jack Davenport (the “Pirates” series), Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”), Rhys Ifans (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Kirsty Mather (“Mamma Mia”), and Tom Wisdom (“300”). I mean…wow! What a line up! AND it’s directed by the man who gave us “Love Actually” – Richard Curtis.

What summer movies are you looking forward to? Can’t wait to see the ones mentioned above?

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra
So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.
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