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Film%20Critique
Summer Movie Preview

by Barry Wurst II

May 05, 2011

This year’s crop of would be summer blockbusters features the usual assortment of old friends—if you consider Captain Jack Sparrow and Papa Smurf friends—sequels, remakes and comic-book adaptations. From Cars 2 to Transformers 3 to Spy Kids 4 to Final Destination 5, Hollywood is once again betting you’ll pay to see movies with numbers in the title.

Here are ten of the most intriguing flicks from a loud-but-potentially-fun bunch.

Thor (May 6)

The Gist: Godly comic-book epic starring relative unknown Chris Hemsworth.

Why It Will Rock: Directed by visual wizard and Shakespearen legend Kenneth Branaugh, co-stars post-Oscar Natalie Portman and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Unless: This character is silly even by superhero standards.

Best Case Scenario: When it comes to superheroes, there’s no such thing as too silly.

Bridesmaids (May 13)

The Gist: Rowdy comedy starring Kristin Wiig (who also co-wrote), Rose Byrne and Jon Hamm.

Why It Will Rock: Looks raunchy and funny enough to be this year’s The Hangover (even as it competes against The Hangover Part II).

Unless: It winds up more like the hideous Bride Wars and audiences ditch it at the altar.

Best Case Scenario: Women finally get their own iconic gross-out comedy.

The Tree of Life (May 27)

The Gist: Highly secretive historical drama starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

Why It Will Rock: Written and directed by elusive genius Terrence Malick, one of the greatest filmmakers alive. The trailer has been giving audiences chicken skin.

Unless: This was originally filmed years ago and has been pushed back multiple times. Is that a red flag, or simply Malick being Malick?

Best Case Scenario: Another Malick masterpiece.

X-Men First Class (June 3)

The Gist: Prequel starring Michael Fassbinder and Jennifer Laurence.

Why It Will Rock: A promising attempt to reboot and revive the mutant franchise.

Unless: X-Men simply doesn’t work without the original cast, including Bryan Singer, Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman.

Best Case Scenario: X-Men: Preschool gets the green light.

Super 8 (June 10)

The Gist: A top secret sci-fi thriller, written and directed by J.J. Abrams.

Why It Will Rock: Abrams is aiming for a Spielberg-like mix of explosions and whimsy—and Spielberg is on board as a producer.

Unless: The secrecy and lack of big stars cause it to get lost in a sea of sequels.

Best Case Scenario: Abrams is no longer known as the guy who created Felicity.

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (June 24)

The Gist: Documentary about O’Brien’s summer tour following his Tonight Show debacle.

Why It Will Rock: A funny and revealing look at the late-night meltdown that spawned a million “Coco” posters.

Unless: It can’t dodge the question: why should we pay for something we can see for free every night?

Best Case Scenario: Leads to a spin-off Triumph The Insult Comic Dog/Masturbating Bear road-trip movie.

Larry Crowne (July 1)

The Gist: Romantic Comedy starring Tom Hanks (who also directed) and Julia Roberts.

Why It Will Rock: Two big stars, and a return for Hanks to the Sleepless In Seattle genre.

Unless: The Hanks/Roberts team-up didn’t lure audiences to Charlie Wilson’s War, which tanked.

Best Case Scenario: Hanks won’t have to resort to a Bosom Buddies reunion special.

Cowboys and Aliens (July 29)

The Gist: Sci-Fi Adventure starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, from Iron Man director Jon Favreau.

Why It Will Rock: A genre mash-up featuring James Bond and Indiana Jones? How can it miss?

Unless: The last time we got a sci-fi Western, it was Wild Wild West.

Best Case Scenario: Fanboys worldwide glue cowboy hats onto their Han Solo action figures.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (August 5)

The Gist: Sci-fi prequel starring James Franco, Frieda Pinto and Andy Serkis.

Why It Will Rock: The studio, which nicknamed it Ape-etar, is big on it. Looks nothing like the much-hated 2001 Tim Burton remake.

Unless: Considering it’s a prequel to a half dozen movies, the ending is a given.

Best Case Scenario: Damn dirty apes are hot once again.

Fright Night (August 19)

The Gist: Shot-in-3-D remake of the 1985 horror classic, stars Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and Toni Collete.

Why It Will Rock: Farrell’s performance is what got him the lead in next summer’s Total Recall remake. Director Jim Gillespie also made the wonderful Lars and the Real Girl.

Unless: It’s another crappy remake of a good horror movie.

Best Case Scenario: Jerry Dandridge vampire costumes outsell Ghostface on Halloween.