Summer 2011 at the movies: part one

April 29th
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Five years after the tepid Superman sequel Brandon Routh has re-emerged from obscurity (well except for that brief stint on Chuck but then again who watches that shit?) fronting of all things a horror movie based on an Italian comic book series; uhm okay. This one has the smell of failure written all over it, particularly with Routh's less than charismatic personality, dry delivery (was that a joke you just cracked in the trailer?) and monotone voice. The film reunites Superman Returns alum Sam Huntington (Being Human) as Dylan's adorkable sidekick but beyond that no one else in the film is a recognizable name worth mentioning.

Overall: D. Based on the trailers there is at least one scene of Routh shirtless which bumps the grade up from an F, however it looks like Dog is slated to be the first flop of the summer season.

Fast Five
Is anyone else as shocked and/or appalled as I am, that the Fast and the Furious has spawned a fifth sequel? This latest incarnation re teams Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for a third adventure along with various characters from the other sequels. After four movies that focused on street racing and stealing exotic cars this latest sequel takes the series in a new direction by turning the characters into international thieves albeit using their skills with cars too pull off bank heists. While Paul Walker continues to get hotter as he ages why is Vin Diesel still being considered for leading roles , that guy lost his sex appeal circa 2005.

Overall: D. While I have no interest in this franchise, the target audience of alpha males will flock to it along with their dates as the film appeals to both groups with a high octane adventure and man candy quotient to satisfy all.

May 6th
Thor
When I originally learned that Thor was being adapted for the big screen I must confess that I felt like a kid in a candy store to learn that one of the Avengers was coming to the big screen. However with the recent flurry of trailers and new footage being released, I have changed my position on the matter. I'm starting to think that Thor is destined for Hulk (if not Daredevil) territory with a miscast actor (this is Hemsworth's first leading role), a weak origin story and a plot that serves no purpose other than setting the character up to be an accessory when the Avengers assemble next summer. While Hemsworth looks the part I call into question his ability to carry a major release in his first outing and if the clips are a hint of things to come my concerns are warranted. Not even a supporting cast that includes Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins will be enough to salvage a script which looks like it was thrown together by encompassing elements of 200 issues of the comic book; if there is a bright spot here it looks to be in Tom Hiddleston who's diabolical Loki might be enough to save this sinking ship.

Overall: C-. I really want to like this one and originally I believed that it would be better than Captain America because of the Norse god aspect of the characters origin, however based upon the footage that looks to be a minor subplot as Thor appears to be spending most of his time on Earth dealing with SHIELD instead of in Asgard.


May 13th
Priest
Based on a Korean comic book character and set in an alternate universe where humans and vampires have co-existed for centuries, Priest is poised to be the must see fanboy film in May. Bonus points for being filmed in 3D and featuring a who's who of fantasy genre favorites from film and television including: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandent, Maggie "Nikita" Q, Karl "Bones" Urban, Stephen "Bill" Moyer, Christopher Plummer and Brad Douriff.

Overall: B. the previews look great.



May 20th
Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides:
Pirates 4 finds the beloved Jack Sparrow up to his old tricks on a quest to find the fountain of youth. Along the way he meets up with some old friends and a new foe in Blackbeard who has managed to wrest the Black Pearl away (again) from Sparrow's drunken command. Thankfully Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are out as they were becoming a drag on the films and Penelope Cruz is in as a potential love interest for Depp.

Overall B. Family fun that appeals to everyone and not so shockingly will dominate at the box office with a $120m opening weekend.


May 27th
The Hangover 2
Talk about beating a dead horse, this looks to be the lamest entry in May and fully illustrates that there no longer is creativity in Hollywood and that sometimes a good or great movie (depending on what you thought of the first one) is just that and should never EVER need a sequel. I mean really was there such a need to reunite these guys and put them in more wacky adventures in a foreign country without Mel Gibson's cameo ... really?

Overall F. There is a reason why films like these are standalone.

Kung Fu Panda 2
You've got to be kidding me, one of the most boring Dreamworks creations in the last decade is getting a lame sequel?

Overall D. Not my bag (considering that the first one was tossed from the DVD player about half way through), but parents need something to keep their kids occupied. Skadoosh this.

June 3rd
X-Men 1st Class
I'm really on the fence about this one as the X-Men franchise is attempting to correct itself from the disastrous Last Stand. This prequel set in the late 1960's cold war America, is yet again another origin story focusing on the early adventures of Xavier/Magneto and showcasing several obscure X-Men (Banshee, Havok,White Queen), the classic uniforms, and the formation of Xavier's school for the gifted. Unfortunately therein lies the problem with the movie as the comic is based on the original five X-Men and other than a teenage Beast the rest of the original members are MIA (cyclops, jean grey, angel, iceman). As for the cast, it is a collection of minor league actors with the main exception being James McAvoy (although he is he really that mainstream?) and a sorely miscast Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw the villain of this piece.

Overall C. there are too many unknown variables here to rate this one any higher. While the international trailer gives you lot more substance of the film, I'm not sure that people are going to flock to this one particularly with more obscure characters, fans of the orginal films still feeling the burn and a wolverine-less movie.



June 10th
Super 8
JJ Abrams 1970's alien adventure involving area 51, goonies making a movie during their summer vacation and another Fanning child (Elle) sounds incredibly boring.

Overall D. Lame, skip it.

June 17th
Green Lantern
The movie that I naysayed right from the start particularly after the awful trailer that was released last year, has recently change my mind thanks in no small part to the latest trailer which makes the film look and feel (well) rather epic thanks to the inclusion of the lantern corps and guardians home planet. While I still believe Ryan Reynolds is completely wrong for this role particularly since he is likely going to be Deadpool(why was Paul Walker not considered-see below) and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively not belonging in this genre, I will reserve judgment on Reynold's performance until after I have seen the movie.

Overall: B. It's entirely possible that Lantern could be the hands down superhero film of the summer and while it will never rank on the level of the Dark Knight it could reach Iron Man (1 not 2) status.