2006 ReelFellas Summer Movie Preview
Fritz Esker and James Jones
Fritz here. Just like last year, I am listing 10 films (in aplhabetical order) that I feel I must see this summer. I'm in a hurry, so without further ado, here's my summer movie preview!
Art School Confidential (opens in New Orleans in May) - Director Terry Zwigoff and writer Daniel Clowes reunite for the first time since 2001's Ghost World, one of my favorite films of this decade. Once again, they explore the world of the nerd. In this case, the school and love troubles of a bunch of art school geeks. I'd be dying to see this even if the film didn't have a killer preview.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt chills out in "Brick"
Brick (opens in New Orleans in May) - I am a huge noir geek. I have read every novel ever written by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and I cannot wait to see first-time writer/director Rian Johnson's attempt to merge the world of noir with the world of high school. The preview, centering on the efforts of a boy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to find his ex-girlfriend, makes the film seem like a witty, clever reinvention of the genre.
The lovely Audrey Tautou and someone else in "The Da Vinci Code"
The DaVinci Code (May 19) - I'll admit, I am very wary of this effort by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man) to adapt Dan Brown's bestseller to the screen. Mainly, this is because the best parts of the book involved the detailed backstories of the Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene. That kind of backstory is much better suited to books than film (witness the deadly first third
of National Treasure). I'm not sure Howard can pull it off, but I'm curious enough to definitely see it, if for no other reason that to annoy the religious fanatics who will protest the film.
Flags of Our Fathers (Aug 4) - Clint Eastwood, fresh off his Oscar for Million Dollar Baby, returns to the director's chair for this film about the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. The image of these men with the flag is now an iconic one, and the film will tell the story of what happened to them after they raised the flag. It looks like it will be a thoughtful examination of war and the shameless way in which heroes find themselves exploited by the powers that be.
Miami Vice (July 28) - Okay, I am very disappointed that, from the looks of the preview, the film will not be set in the 1980's and Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) will not be wearing ice cream colored suits. I'm only half kidding here. Seriously, I think a modern film adaptation of the popular television show that still took place in the mid-80's could be a really fascinating look back at the time period. But, it appears writer/director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) has set it in modern times. Oh, well. Mann is still a skillful enough director of action fare that I will definitely be in line to see this one.
Tom Cruise defends Xenu's entire fleet of DC8-like
spaceships in "Mission Impossible III"
Mission Impossible III (May 5) - Any summer movie preview must list at least one slam-bang, kick-ass Hollywood action film. Of this summer's crop, this one looks the best. I am interested to see what Lost creator J.J. Abrams will bring to the table here. While initially skeptical of Philip Seymour Hoffman's ability to play a villain, his delivery and demeanor in the preview have changed my mind. Also, as goofy as people may find Cruise's personal life, his professional choices are generally pretty savvy. Think about it. While he has been in some misfires in his career, the man really has not been in an extended slump since bursting on the scene in 1983 with Risky Business. Quite an accomplishment for someone in the biz as long as he has. So, I have a hunch this one will be a lot of fun.
Meryl Streep and Garrison Keillor in "A Prairie Home Companion"
A Prairie Home Companion (June 9) - Director Robert Altman is working on this ensemble piece, from writer Garrison Keillor, on life behind the scenes at a radio show. Altman's brand of ensemble comedy (this one features Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, and many others) should be a refreshing change of pace from the usual summer fare.
The Road to Guantanamo (national release July) - Versatile, but often overlooked director Michael Winterbottom (The Claim, 24 Hour Party People) tells the story of three English men (of Arabic descent) who were deported to the infamous Guantanamo prison camp without charges and kept there for two years. This should be troubling, unsettling, thought-provoking, and controversial viewing.
Winona Ryder in "A Scanner Darkly"
A Scanner Darkly (July 7) - An impressive merging of talent here: Writer/director Richard Linklater (School of Rock) and author Philip K. Dick (whose stories have provided source material for Minority Report and Blade Runner). The wild card here is Keanu Reeves, who plays the main character, a policeman. In the right role, Reeves can be effective (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, River's Edge, Speed, The Gift). However, when Reeves screws up (too many films to mention), he goes down in flames, often taking the entire film with him. Good or bad, this one will be interesting.
Snakes on a Plane (Aug 18) - Yes, the plot of the film (an assassin unleashes a crate full of snakes on a passenger jet and chaos ensues) is ludicrous. Yes, Samuel L. Jackson will likely overact. Yes, I think this is the first film in the P.C. era to be sent back for reshoots to get it from a PG-13 rating to an R-rating. And yes, I will definitely see this. If it works on it's admittedly silly terms, it has the potential to be a fun, tongue-in-cheek genre romp like Tremors or Cellular. If it stinks, it has the potential to be laugh-out-loud, hilariously-over-the-top bad (like Anaconda or Color of Night). Either way, moviegoers can't lose with this one.
Will Ferrell in "Talladega Nights."
James here. It looks like there’ll be lots to talk about at theaters this summer. If movies such as Mission Impossible: III, Poseidon, and the soon-to-be-canonized Snakes on a Plane didn’t make this top 12 list, it must be a loaded summer. There’s a good mix of popcorn and brain candy here, so bring your 32 ounce frosty beverage and let’s get it on. (As always, I’ll count down in reverse order. That way we’ll end with my #1 most anticipated film for the summer) ….
12. Strangers with Candy (June 28) – The long awaited prequel to the short-lived, much-loved Comedy Central series starring Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert. We’ll get to see how Jerri Blank (Sedaris), everyone’s favorite 47 year-old racist, bisexual Flat Point High (“Home of the Concrete Donkeys”) student landed in the clink after a downward spiral of drug-use and donkey shows. With appearances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Kristen Bell + freakazoid in "Pulse."
11. Pulse (July 14) – Another Japanese horror remake (it was called Kairo the first time around), but for some reason I actually have a good feeling about this one. Wes Craven co-wrote the screenplay and it stars “That girl that plays Veronica Mars” (Kristen Bell) and “That dude who got killed on Lost” (Ian Somerhalder). The main reason this made the list is that the preview scared the bee-geezus out of me and that pretty much never happens. This film probably has more fluffy kernels per frame than any other popcorn movie on this list.
10. The Da Vinci Code (May 19) – I haven’t read the book and director Ron Howard is beginning to annoy me after A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man. I want to see this film for 7 reasons: 1. Cool pseudo-religious goings-on 2. Audrey Tautou 3. Audrey Tautou 4. Audrey Tautou 5. Amelie 6. Audrey Tautou and 7. Audrey Tautou. Tom Hanks and Paul Bettany also share screen time with Audrey Tautou, who is pretty.
Jack Black is "Nacho Libre."
9. Nacho Libre (June 16) – From the director of Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess) and Jack Black comes this crazy comedy about a noble young Mexican wrestler. I’m going to let the film’s summary on Film-Releases.com speak for itself: “Nacho Libre is a young man who was raised in a Mexican monastery and now works there as the cook, and takes it upon himself to rescue the holy place from financial ruin by joining a local Lucha libre tournament and becoming one of the Luchadors. Naturally, Nacho isn't acting out of purely altruistic measures, as he wishes to help Sister Encarnacion, a beautiful Mexican nun who has recently arrived at the monastery, as well as the gaggle of young orphans who live there.” Isn’t it awesome that they can make movies with plots like these nowadays? Wait, did that really say “gaggle of young orphans?”
8. Lady in the Water (July 21) – I know that M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) annoys a heck of a lot of people, but I had fun in Signs, I think Unbreakable is a seriously underrated superhero flick, and I didn’t see The Village so I’m not holding that whole thing against him. Even if you’ve written him off, you’ve got to admit that he’s really good at building suspense. In fact, he’s one of the best. The problem is that ever since The Sixth Sense he’s tried to end each of his films with a Usual Suspects-style super-surprise ending. And to make matters worse, none of them have worked. I don’t care. I like Paul Giamatti (American Splendor), I’ve heard good things about Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard’s daughter, Manderlay), and I’m intrigued by the fact that I have no idea what it’s about.
Ben Foster in "X-men: The Last Stand"
7. X-men: The Last Stand (May 26) – I have to admit, I have some very serious concerns about Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) taking the helm of my favorite film franchise (I read X-men religiously from 1984 through the mid-90’s, and if you think it’s funny that my only “friends” during this period were Rogue, Wolverine and Colossus then … will you be my friend?). Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin and Famke Janssen return for more wacky, mutant-style fun.
Brandon Routh in "Superman Returns."
6. Superman Returns (June 30) – Honestly, Supes is not a very interesting comic book character, but he’s an icon and his stories translate really well to film. Director Bryan Singer (who I’m still mad at for jumping ship from the X-men) wants to return this franchise to its former glory, and he’s enlisted Brandon Routh (Superman), Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane) and The-artist-formerly-known-as Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor) to help.
5. Miami Vice (July 28) – On one hand, I’m super-amped because this film is directed by the same man who executive produced the original 80’s series. And that man, Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider), is at the absolute top of his game right now. Teaming Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crocket and Tubbs in a Mann-directed film seems like a guaranteed home run. But why isn’t it set in the 80’s? I think they missed out on a huge opportunity to make a completely serious, balls-to-the-wall cop movie that just happened to be set in the 80’s. And the point in that film when Crockett would have inevitably proved to us that he was the biggest bad-ass in Florida, while wearing a pastel blue suit, a pink t-shirt, and no socks would have been the most kick-ass, memorable scene of the year. After that scene, the bad fashions and hair would just melt away, and we would have simply been focused on the story and the characters (sort of like what happens in Boogie Nights, but with more guns cigarette boats and stubble). Now I’m pissed. Whatever, I’ll go see it anyway.
Keanu Reeves in "A Scanner Darkly."
4. A Scanner Darkly (July 7) – The preview for this Philip K. Dick adaptation looks amazing. It is directed by Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused) and animated by the same outfit that he worked with on Waking Life. Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., and Woody Harrelson star in this futuristic yarn set in an America where two out of every ten people are enlisted to spy on the other eight.
3. The Science of Sleep (August 4) – Director Michel Gondry helmed one of the best movies of this decade, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This sounds like another surrealistic jaunt; the plot summary on IMDB.com reads, “A man held captive by the people in his dreams tries to wake himself up and take control of his own imaginings.” Uh, okay. I’ll be over here in my spaceship. Stars Gael Garcia Bernal of Motorcylce Diaries.
2. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (August 4) – This is the first movie title that has ever made me laugh out loud. It’s also the second effort from the creators of Anchorman, director and co-writer Adam McKay and co-writer and star Will Ferrell. This is as close to it gets as a sure fire winner with Sacha Baron Cohen (“Ali G”) prominently involved as a French driver and John C. Reilly (The immortal “Chest Rockwell”) as Ricky Bobby’s wingman. Plus there’s gotta be a Vince Vaughn cameo here somewhere, right?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in "Brick."
1. Brick (May 19) – Rian Johnson’s directorial debut is already playing in some parts of the country, but won’t hit New Orleans until May. This film has been making waves in the film community with its fresh approach to an established genre. Brick is an unironic, straightforward film noir set in a modern day California high school. But what’s really interesting is how Johnson has remained true to the origins of noir by retaining the snappy, dense, back-and-forth style dialogue that permeates older works in the genre, such as Touch of Evil and The Third Man. Every write-up, review, or mention I’ve seen has referred to Brick as “brilliant.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin), Emilie de Ravin (television’s Lost), and Lukas Haas (Solarbabies) star.