Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Movies I Want To See This Summer

It's now the middle of April, which means the season of the blockbuster is upon us. In no particular order, here are some of the movies I want to see this summer...

1. Star Trek. I've already posted here and here about this movie, so I won't say any more now.

2. Terminator Salvation, because I have to see if Bale's performance is good enough to justify the ridiculous on-set rant. Okay, nothing could ever justify something like that, but still, Bale's capable of being a great actor (The Machinist, anyone?) and it's a Terminator movie.

3. Funny People, which stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Eric Bana. Sandler has been very good in his more serious roles, like in Punch Drunk Love and Reign Over Me. Based on the preview, it looks like this one will have decent drama and lots of laughs, but without descending into some of the more silly humor.

4. Whatever Works. If you haven't heard of this movie, here's all you need to know: Woody Allen directs Larry David.

5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

6. The Taking of Pelham 123. Call this one morbid curiosity. I absolutely love the original with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, and I want to see if Tony "I have to stylize every single shot in a movie" Scott pulls off a decent remake. I was skeptical, and still am, of this being a good film, but the trailer has got me wondering.

7. Public Enemies. A film about John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and J. Edgar Hoover, directed by Michael Mann. Need I say more?

13 comments:

Phil Stiefel said...

I have to say I am not too interested in too many movies coming up soon... I have been pretty disappointed with alot and I know I do not go out often so I have to wait till they are on HBO or on DVD.. Just watched CHarlie Wilsons War the other night and was looking forward to it and thought it was just ok...

Brian O'Rourke said...

Phil,

No doubt the 80-hour work week you put in has something to do with it.

I really liked Charlie Wilson's War, thought PSH was great in it.

Jenna said...

What about Crank - High Voltage? Just teasing, but I had to put that in here for Rita, my fellow-appreciator of all things Jason Statham. But on a serious note, I'll see a few of those movies, but nothing has really been knocking my socks off lately.

I'm looking forward to Flight of the Conchords Season 2 and Burn Notice Season 2.

seana graham said...

Just got through watching "The Matador", thanks to your suggestion, Brian. It was excellent. What great acting by all! And there was the added bonus of recognizing a friend's son in a bit part.

I've heard of 'Flight of the Conchords' for awhile now, but have only seen it recently--like in the last couple of weeks. Would love to see more.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Crank 2? Count me in, dear.

I think we need to bite the bullet and buy FOTC Season 2.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Seana,

So glad you enjoyed The Matador! I'm always wary of recommending movies and books to others, so I'm also a bit relieved.

What scene was your friend's son in? I'd like to check it out. And that is really cool BTW.

FOTC is a riot!

Phil Stiefel said...

Everything PSH does is always just that much better because he is in it... I just thought the movie was too short and rushed... I also finally just saw the Most recent Bond movie Quantum of Solace and thought that that was rushed too... I have noticed alot of movies and TV shows have had that rushed feel ever since the writers strike.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Philly,

Yeah, QOS was definitely no Casino Royale, was it? Kind of all over the place, actually difficult to follow at times, and the through-line of Bond's quest for revenge appeared, disappeared, and reappeared. Decent movie, but a bit disappointing following the brilliance of Casino Royale.

The Sobriquets said...

Wow, Star Trek is your #1 most anticipated? Unexpected, but welcome. I thought Public Enemies would have been higher on the list. Have you seen the trailer?

And Bale's tirade was nothing short of brilliant marketing. Ha ha.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Sobriquets -

Wow, I don't know who to address, so I guess I'll do it collectively. You're like the effing Borg.

Yeah, the list was in no particular order, but Trek happens to be my number one. To be honest, I was actually underwhelmed by the Public Enemies trailer, but I still plan to see it because it's Michael Mann and the guy's a brilliant director.

seana graham said...

Sorry to take so long to reply--my computer has been acting a bit sketchy of late.

My friend's son played what seems an unnecessary bit part, Greg Kinnear's character's partner who he goes down to Mexico with. His name, in real life, is Adam Scott, and he seems to have landed several more prominent roles since then. I don't actually know him at all, as I met his mother in the last couple of years and he obviously isn't around these parts much. However, somewhat ironically, one of my friends and coworkers actually knew him when he was a little tiny person because she worked in the daycare center he went to.

I am going to have to Netflix Flight of the Conchords so that I can see the ones I missed.

I know it's hard to recommend things--I feel it all the time in the store, as I know that half the time my tastes are completely different than the people I'm talking to. But though I don't mean to sound too commercially crass about it, I think you should just consider yourself as a kind of brand, hold forth fearlessly on your own opinions and let the chips fall where they may. Your opinions are your own, but they are going to ring true for many, and if they don't agree, well, they will just look for other sources. There really isn't much harm done in the end.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Seana,

Wow, Adam Scott! That guy has been in a lot of movies. Bit role in The Aviator and then a supporting turn in Step Brothers of all things. That's pretty cool.

You do raise a good point about making recommendations. Is that how you handle things in the store? Or do you try to recommend things to people you suspect they might like, even if they aren't your cup of tea?

seana graham said...

Yes, it is pretty cool, and by all accounts he's a pretty nice guy. He has landed something substantial recently, but I don't remember any more about that.

For better or worse, I don't really take my own advice when it comes to bookselling. I do usually try to get a sense of what they've read already to get them where they want to go. However, I do write shelf-talkers for the things I've liked, and that does sometimes get people going in a new direction. I do notice, though, that the people who are the best handsellers are the ones that impress their tastes on others by their authoritative stance. I guess people really do like to be bullied a little. But that's too harsh. I suppose that we all have to make so many blasted decisions every day that it is nice from time to time to let someone else make one for us. And then if they turn out to be wrong, we can always moan about it, which can be a pleasure in itself...