Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Blockbuster Summer


There's a debate amongst geeks online about whether 2011 or 2012 is going to offer the best blockbuster summer ever. In this geek's opinion, 2012 edges out 2011. But that's next year. Let's talk about some of the major tentpole events lined up for this summer:

Sucker Punch - Zack Synder gives us another visual feast in the style of 300. This one is right up a geek's alley: guns, gals, and explosions.

Scream 4 - Wes Craven is bringing this series back from the dead. Ha ha.

Fast Five - I could point to the impossibility of reconciling the idea that god is all-powerful and good with the idea that evil exists in this world to posit that the Judeo-Christian god as he is understood cannot exist. That argument has fallen on many deaf ears over the years, so I'll offer this instead: they've now made FIVE Fast and Furious movies.

Thor - An adaption of the comic book that pulls our mythological hero out of Valhalla and sucks him into the real world. Sounds kind of cheesy until you look at who's directing: Kenneth Branagh. I like that the studios are starting to make some creative decisions with their hiring of directors for blockbusters. (Along similar lines, Shane Black has been hired to direct Iron Man 3.)

Pirates 4 - Johnny Depp plays Johnny Depp in a pirate costume.

The Hangover 2 - Probably a bad idea, but the first flick is so hysterical I'll see it regardless. Mel Gibson was slated to have a cameo until one of the cast members raised his objections. Which is kind of strange, because if Iron Mike Tyson should get a second chance, why not Mad Max?

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Jack Black is back as Po....alright, I'll own up: the first one was pretty good.

The Tree of Life - Just kidding. The word blockbuster and Terence Malick should never appear in the same sentence. Except, er, that sentence.

X-Men: First Class - James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Professor X and Magneto, respectively? Sign me the hell up.

The Green Lantern - Just when you thought there were no more superheroes left to pilfer from comic books. Martin Campbell is directing, the same man who gave us Casino Royale and Goldeneye, so this could be good.

Cars 2 - Yeah, this'll make a crap ton of money.

Transformers 3 - Okay, still not convinced that an all-powerful, benevolent God is incompatible with the fact that evil exists in this world? Michael Bay brings us Transformers 3.

Harry Potter - How long until Warner Brothers decides to reboot this series and make billions more dollars? I give it three years, tops.

Captain America - Along with Thor and Iron Man, another origin story that's also setting us up for 2012's The Avengers.

Cowboys & Aliens - A ridiculous premise that is intriguing beyond all reason. Daniel Craig as a mysterious gunslinger, Harrison Ford as a crotchety sheriff, and menacing aliens.

The Smurfs - One word: Gargamel.

Conan the Barbarian - Jason Momoa has some pretty big shoes to fill here. It's slated for an August release, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

Spy Kids 4 - Like Cars 2, this'll make some serious coin.

***

And the one I'm most looking forward to? Super 8. For a lesson in how to make an awesome trailer and perfectly capture a mood, watch this. Directed by JJ Abrams, this one's supposed to be a throwback to early Spielberg, who is involved himself. If this is anywhere near as good as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it'll be awesome.

6 comments:

seana graham said...

I'm not, uh, geeky enough to really have much to say about this list, but four words did stand out for me.

Kenneth Branagh. James MacAvoy. I'd shell out for anything they were doing. Not always wisely, if past experience is anything to go by, but I'll take my chances.

Nick Hughes said...

Yeah Super 8!!!!!

Glad to see you liked that trailer, Brian. I was going to ask you if you'd seen it. That movie will be awesome. Kids with bikes! A sense of wonder! The Old Amblin Days are new again. Thanks, JJ and Steven.

OK, enough gushing.

Nathanael Green said...

I'm seriously torn on Thor and Conan. I'm so excited about these movies, but so fearful they'll break my heart.

I've been hurt before.

So what's the lineup for 2012 that I can look forward to?

Anonymous said...

Seana -

I'm with you on Branagh and McAvoy - not everything they've been involved with has been stellar, but they have done some fine work.

-B

Anonymous said...

Nick -

JJ seems to get it, doesn't he? The idea that movies should be these big, transformative, immersive experiences. And by the way, what the hell happened to sense of wonder cinema? So few blockbusters manage to capture that mood anymore.

Ginormous explosions every five minutes ain't gonna cut it anymore, if they ever did. The scene that made me feel most like a kid again, i.e. the coolest moment, last summer involved Joseph Gordon Levitt, some hidden wires, and a rotating hallway. And that's it. It wasn't the climax of the film, there were no big explosions during, etc., nobody died...but man it was awesome.

Anonymous said...

Nate -

Why do you always have to bring up old shit? I told you, our breakup wasn't about you, it was about me. I needed some room to grow. I'm sorry I hurt you, but I know in my heart we're both better off now.