August Preview
Written
on 6/8/08
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (August 1st)
Plot Synopsis: The first emperor of Qin Dynasty is unleashed after a centuries old curse was put on him, and it is up to Rick and his family once again to stop the mummy.
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, and Jet Li
Director:Rob Cohen
Jon’s Take: Rob Cohen can direct some sweet action scenes but isn’t this series stale? Switching the mummy from Egypt to China should add some spice, but “Mummy Returns” was undone by weak CG, an over-blown plot that made little sense, and was too cartoon-like. They have their work cut out for them and the departed (from franchise) Rachel Weisz and in comes Maria Bello could be a tell-tale sign of the script. Stephen Sommers for many ruined the Universal Monsters so his departure is welcomed, but this is Universal’s one of two potential blockbusters for the company, so a lot is riding on it to bank. It’ll do better than people think, regardless of its content and its smell of being dead on arrival. The shot of all those arrows descending down onto the camera and CGI army’s made me wince after I saw the trailer. I don’t know…
Donny’s Take: I’m a fan of the first two flicks, I can appreciate well done cheese every now and then. I don’t think this flick is going to pack the same punch that the other two films did, especially after finding out that Rachel Weisz isn’t coming back. I thought that the trailer was fun, but much of the 3D looked unfinished (I’m hoping that I’m right and it looks better on the big screen). With all that said, I’m still going to check this one out in the theater.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $175mil
Swing Vote
Plot Synopsis: A hapless man has the choice to make his vote count between two Presidential candidates.
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, and Kelsey Grammer
Director: Joshua M. Stern
Jon’s Take: Looks decent, but a tad too on the nose about the subject matter. Hooper makes anything watchable, so who knows? Could be a hit due to action fatigue some face this time of year and an older audience wanting some drama this time of year.
Donny’s Take: I’m actually looking forward to this flick. I very much enjoyed the trailer, and I am excited to see this type of subject matter peppered with comedy. All of the actors are competent, and like Jon said this one could offer up some relief from the onslaught of action thrown at viewers this blockbuster season.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $70mil
Pineapple Express (August 8th)
Plot Synopsis: Dale is a huge stoner who accidentally witnesses a cop commit murder. Now on the run with his drug dealer, the cops want him dead.
Starring: Seth Rogen and James Franco
Director: David Gordon Green
Jon’s Take: Another Apatow produced comedy. Ugh. The premise sounds interesting and having indie fav David Gordon Green here could add some livelier expectations to the film. This is being positioned much like “Superbad” was last summer: adding a late summer comedy, without much hype, hoping for word-of-mouth, to roll in the dollars. It might or might not. But then the trailer was released. I was hooked. Stoners and murder, what else can we want from life? Could be something special…
Donny’s Take: Just ignore Jon, Apatow kicks major comedy ass! I’m a huge fan of the man’s work and also a huge fan of Rogen and Goldberg’s writing style. A stoner comedy that’s not just for stoners? Count me in, I can’t wait for this bad boy to grace me with its funny. I know a lot of people are getting tired of seeing Apatow’s name attached to everything in Hollywood (Jon), but I for one and think that seeing his name anywhere in the credits guarantees at the very least a watchable film. I think this one could be a runaway hit this summer, and I very much enjoy being right, so if your reading this then get your ass into the theater and check this one out.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $90mil
Tropic Thunder (August 13th)
Plot Synopsis: While on the set of an “Apocalypse Now”-type of war film, the lines between filming and actual war have been blurred by the enemy.
Starring: Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Stiller
Director: Ben Stiller
Jon’s Take: The trailer looks dead on as a bad ass spoof should be. All those spoof comedies like “Meet the Spartans” or “(insert name) Movie” need to take a lesson from Ben Stiller. He adds the spoofing within the narrative and doesn’t make a scene spoof a gag, then another gag, until the running time is up. Downey as a black man? Genius. Nick Nolte as Marlon Brando? Equally genius. This looks to be an absolute blast. Stiller is a rarity behind the camera and he’s pushing for an R-rating. I thought his “Cable Guy” was criminally under-rated, so maybe it’s make up time for us to show him we love his comedies he chooses to direct?
Donny’s Take: This is another one that I’m really stoked about seeing. All of the actors are on top of their comedy game and the trailer is stupid funny. The only thing missing from this one is Apatow’s name somewhere in the credits. This one looks like it could take the comedy spoof into the right direction, and I’m going to support the cause. Another reason to check out this flick is the awesome publicity campaign the filmmakers have flooded the web and traditional print media with. With this lineup of flicks August is shaping up to be a month for killer films.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $190mil
Star Wars: Clone Wars (August 15th)
Plot Synopsis: Fills in some missing time in-between Episodes II and III, in which Jabba the Hutt’s son is kidnapped.
Director: Dave Filoni
Jon’s Take:I am pretty much over the prequel storylines and after the trailer was shown, I still feel the same way. It’s weird seeing the WB logo opening the trailer instead of Fox, but whatever. I re-watched the trailer and determined it looked pretty good. Surprisingly, none of my fellow nerds have talked much about this. Hmmm.
Donny’s Take: The only reason I’m going to see this is because my kid really wants to check it out. I haven’t enjoyed anything with the “Star Wars” name on it since Jedi and this one hasn’t really peaked my interest either.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $90mil
Mirrors
Plot Synopsis: An evil unknown force is using mirrors to get to an ex-cop.
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland and Amy Smart
Director: Alexandre Aja
Jon’s Take: I really like Aja two films, “Haute Tension” and “Hills Have Eyes”. I like his grim, nasty approach to horror. But this one looks to J-Horror for my tastes. I’m personally not a fan of supernatural horror, but until Aja proves me wrong, I’ll be there. The trailer doesn’t look like much, but I’ve heard the Red Band trailer makes it look better. Horror has been weak this year, so we’ll see.
Donny’s Take: I agree with Jon about director Aja’s grim approach to the horror genre. I enjoyed both of his previous films and am looking forward to seeing what he does with this supernatural thriller. Kiefer Sutherland is an awesome actor and I’m excited to see him return to the horror fold with a director like Aja. I agree with Jon on this one, I’d like to see a good horror flick on the big screen, and that hasn’t happened for me in quite a while, lets hope this one delivers.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $65mil
Hamlet 2 (August 23rd)
Plot Synopsis: A down on his luck playwright goes for broke and writes a sequel to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and causes a huge ruckus.
Starring: Steve Coogan and Elizabeth Shue
Director: Andrew Fleming
Jon’s Take: I initially thought what a stupid idea. When I saw the trailer, I just had to laugh. With funny songs (like “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”) and some “South Park” help, I am down to see this wacky ass film.
Donny’s Take: I’m not interested in this flick at all, so I’m going to let Jon check it out and write about it so that I don’t have to.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $45mil
Death Race
Plot Synopsis: Prisoners are used in a hit reality game pitting them against each other for their freedom.
Starring:Jason Statham, Joan Allen, and Tyrese
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Jon’s Take: The long rumored remake of a minor classic from Roger Corman finally got made but by “Resident Evil’s” creator. Ugh. Looks cheesy and lame. I doubt anything good of it will come, sadly. I’m hoping for some exploitation goodness, but not by PWSA. Expect another franchise though.
Donny’s Take: “Death Race 2000” kicked major ass, and I was against this remake until I found out that Jason Statham was slated to take on the leading role. Statham is my favorite action star making films right now, and if he’s in it then I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fun. It might be cheesy, but it’s going to be fun.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $80mil
Fly Me to the Moon
Plot Synopsis: Some flies get caught in a NASA rocket heading to space.
Director: Ben Stassen
Jon’s Take: We deserve a better class of animation outside of Pixar. Will this be it? Don’t bet on it. If anything this will be a mild diversion for your kids, but that plot seems too silly. Flies in space? Why? But it’s being marketed as the first computer animated film made specifically for 3-D. So there you go.
Donny’s Take: All I know about this one is what I’ve seen in the trailer, which looked pretty weak. I’m sure my kids will drag me into the theater for this one, but I’m not so sure that it’s going to live up to anything that Pixar has to offer. This is one I could do without.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $45mil
Babylon A.D. (August 29th)
Plot Synopsis: When a mercenary takes a high-risk assignment in escorting a woman out of Russia, the assignment gets complicated when he finds out she’s carrying a virus that could wipe out mankind.
Starring: Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Jon’s Take: Little is known about this film; expect that various crew members left the film; the director and Vin were at constant battle over the direction of the film, all the while as the director was fighting a nervous breakdown. Who’s going? What appears to be a low-rent “Children of Men” could be one of those interesting disasters to watch or one of those disasters that are just disasters? Vin has lost all of his popularity and his next film is “Fast and the Furious 4”, so I’m expecting little from this. Maybe luck will smile upon us and deliver a fun sci-fi tale?
Donny’s Take: Vin is another killer action star, and I’m totally excited to see him return to the genre. Like Jon I’ve heard horror stories about this production, but I’m hoping that they worked it out and are going to roll out a cool sci-fi flick. The story sounds interesting and I’m a sucker for science fiction so count me in on this one.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $60mil
Disaster Movie
Plot Synopsis: A spoof on films like “Day After Tomorrow” and “An Inconvenient Truth”.
Starring: Carmen Electra
Director: Aaron Seltzer
Jon’s Take: Why have these spoof films become so popular? They are no where as good as “Airplane!” and they just plain suck. I find them so unfunny they give “Love Guru” a run for its money. Wait, what money? We, as intelligent human beings, avoid junk like this. Right? Right?
Donny’s Take: I HATE this type of spoof flick. I’d rather spend the day with George Bush (man would that suck) than watch this garbage. I hope this one tanks so they stop making this crap, please make an intelligent decision and avoid this one like a hooker with cold sores.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $10.00 (for the one idiot dumb enough to see this)
Traitor
Plot Synopsis: The FBI is going after a man with ties to Afghan rebels, but a web of lies opens up.
Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and David Clark
Director: Jeffery Nachmannoff
Jon’s Take: After seeing this trailer, I was immediately interested. I like espionage and Don Cheadle rules all, but I have to wonder if this film is being dumped by Overture Films? Lack of buzz or marketing doesn’t help and late August/early September is one of two so called dumping grounds Hollywood has for projects they have no faith in. But I could be wrong. I hope.
Donny’s Take: Don’s a bad ass actor and I think it’s about time he gets a leading role, but I haven’t heard much about this one which tells me that it might get forgotten about by the moviegoing public. So if your reading this do yourself a favor and check this one out instead of “Disaster Movie.” It is going to have some solid acting and is better than spending the day with W.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $55mil
And that does it for Summer 2008. Be sure to keep coming back for reviews of these films and coming in for September, this list will change a bit with a monthly preview of recommendations, instead of a full monthly preview. Be sure to check that out next month. Until then, see you weekly for reviews of these August films, only at Killer Film!
Plot Synopsis: The first emperor of Qin Dynasty is unleashed after a centuries old curse was put on him, and it is up to Rick and his family once again to stop the mummy.
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, and Jet Li
Director:Rob Cohen
Jon’s Take: Rob Cohen can direct some sweet action scenes but isn’t this series stale? Switching the mummy from Egypt to China should add some spice, but “Mummy Returns” was undone by weak CG, an over-blown plot that made little sense, and was too cartoon-like. They have their work cut out for them and the departed (from franchise) Rachel Weisz and in comes Maria Bello could be a tell-tale sign of the script. Stephen Sommers for many ruined the Universal Monsters so his departure is welcomed, but this is Universal’s one of two potential blockbusters for the company, so a lot is riding on it to bank. It’ll do better than people think, regardless of its content and its smell of being dead on arrival. The shot of all those arrows descending down onto the camera and CGI army’s made me wince after I saw the trailer. I don’t know…
Donny’s Take: I’m a fan of the first two flicks, I can appreciate well done cheese every now and then. I don’t think this flick is going to pack the same punch that the other two films did, especially after finding out that Rachel Weisz isn’t coming back. I thought that the trailer was fun, but much of the 3D looked unfinished (I’m hoping that I’m right and it looks better on the big screen). With all that said, I’m still going to check this one out in the theater.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $175mil
Swing Vote
Plot Synopsis: A hapless man has the choice to make his vote count between two Presidential candidates.
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, and Kelsey Grammer
Director: Joshua M. Stern
Jon’s Take: Looks decent, but a tad too on the nose about the subject matter. Hooper makes anything watchable, so who knows? Could be a hit due to action fatigue some face this time of year and an older audience wanting some drama this time of year.
Donny’s Take: I’m actually looking forward to this flick. I very much enjoyed the trailer, and I am excited to see this type of subject matter peppered with comedy. All of the actors are competent, and like Jon said this one could offer up some relief from the onslaught of action thrown at viewers this blockbuster season.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $70mil
Pineapple Express (August 8th)
Plot Synopsis: Dale is a huge stoner who accidentally witnesses a cop commit murder. Now on the run with his drug dealer, the cops want him dead.
Starring: Seth Rogen and James Franco
Director: David Gordon Green
Jon’s Take: Another Apatow produced comedy. Ugh. The premise sounds interesting and having indie fav David Gordon Green here could add some livelier expectations to the film. This is being positioned much like “Superbad” was last summer: adding a late summer comedy, without much hype, hoping for word-of-mouth, to roll in the dollars. It might or might not. But then the trailer was released. I was hooked. Stoners and murder, what else can we want from life? Could be something special…
Donny’s Take: Just ignore Jon, Apatow kicks major comedy ass! I’m a huge fan of the man’s work and also a huge fan of Rogen and Goldberg’s writing style. A stoner comedy that’s not just for stoners? Count me in, I can’t wait for this bad boy to grace me with its funny. I know a lot of people are getting tired of seeing Apatow’s name attached to everything in Hollywood (Jon), but I for one and think that seeing his name anywhere in the credits guarantees at the very least a watchable film. I think this one could be a runaway hit this summer, and I very much enjoy being right, so if your reading this then get your ass into the theater and check this one out.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $90mil
Tropic Thunder (August 13th)
Plot Synopsis: While on the set of an “Apocalypse Now”-type of war film, the lines between filming and actual war have been blurred by the enemy.
Starring: Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Stiller
Director: Ben Stiller
Jon’s Take: The trailer looks dead on as a bad ass spoof should be. All those spoof comedies like “Meet the Spartans” or “(insert name) Movie” need to take a lesson from Ben Stiller. He adds the spoofing within the narrative and doesn’t make a scene spoof a gag, then another gag, until the running time is up. Downey as a black man? Genius. Nick Nolte as Marlon Brando? Equally genius. This looks to be an absolute blast. Stiller is a rarity behind the camera and he’s pushing for an R-rating. I thought his “Cable Guy” was criminally under-rated, so maybe it’s make up time for us to show him we love his comedies he chooses to direct?
Donny’s Take: This is another one that I’m really stoked about seeing. All of the actors are on top of their comedy game and the trailer is stupid funny. The only thing missing from this one is Apatow’s name somewhere in the credits. This one looks like it could take the comedy spoof into the right direction, and I’m going to support the cause. Another reason to check out this flick is the awesome publicity campaign the filmmakers have flooded the web and traditional print media with. With this lineup of flicks August is shaping up to be a month for killer films.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $190mil
Star Wars: Clone Wars (August 15th)
Plot Synopsis: Fills in some missing time in-between Episodes II and III, in which Jabba the Hutt’s son is kidnapped.
Director: Dave Filoni
Jon’s Take:I am pretty much over the prequel storylines and after the trailer was shown, I still feel the same way. It’s weird seeing the WB logo opening the trailer instead of Fox, but whatever. I re-watched the trailer and determined it looked pretty good. Surprisingly, none of my fellow nerds have talked much about this. Hmmm.
Donny’s Take: The only reason I’m going to see this is because my kid really wants to check it out. I haven’t enjoyed anything with the “Star Wars” name on it since Jedi and this one hasn’t really peaked my interest either.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $90mil
Mirrors
Plot Synopsis: An evil unknown force is using mirrors to get to an ex-cop.
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland and Amy Smart
Director: Alexandre Aja
Jon’s Take: I really like Aja two films, “Haute Tension” and “Hills Have Eyes”. I like his grim, nasty approach to horror. But this one looks to J-Horror for my tastes. I’m personally not a fan of supernatural horror, but until Aja proves me wrong, I’ll be there. The trailer doesn’t look like much, but I’ve heard the Red Band trailer makes it look better. Horror has been weak this year, so we’ll see.
Donny’s Take: I agree with Jon about director Aja’s grim approach to the horror genre. I enjoyed both of his previous films and am looking forward to seeing what he does with this supernatural thriller. Kiefer Sutherland is an awesome actor and I’m excited to see him return to the horror fold with a director like Aja. I agree with Jon on this one, I’d like to see a good horror flick on the big screen, and that hasn’t happened for me in quite a while, lets hope this one delivers.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $65mil
Hamlet 2 (August 23rd)
Plot Synopsis: A down on his luck playwright goes for broke and writes a sequel to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and causes a huge ruckus.
Starring: Steve Coogan and Elizabeth Shue
Director: Andrew Fleming
Jon’s Take: I initially thought what a stupid idea. When I saw the trailer, I just had to laugh. With funny songs (like “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”) and some “South Park” help, I am down to see this wacky ass film.
Donny’s Take: I’m not interested in this flick at all, so I’m going to let Jon check it out and write about it so that I don’t have to.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $45mil
Death Race
Plot Synopsis: Prisoners are used in a hit reality game pitting them against each other for their freedom.
Starring:Jason Statham, Joan Allen, and Tyrese
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Jon’s Take: The long rumored remake of a minor classic from Roger Corman finally got made but by “Resident Evil’s” creator. Ugh. Looks cheesy and lame. I doubt anything good of it will come, sadly. I’m hoping for some exploitation goodness, but not by PWSA. Expect another franchise though.
Donny’s Take: “Death Race 2000” kicked major ass, and I was against this remake until I found out that Jason Statham was slated to take on the leading role. Statham is my favorite action star making films right now, and if he’s in it then I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fun. It might be cheesy, but it’s going to be fun.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $80mil
Fly Me to the Moon
Plot Synopsis: Some flies get caught in a NASA rocket heading to space.
Director: Ben Stassen
Jon’s Take: We deserve a better class of animation outside of Pixar. Will this be it? Don’t bet on it. If anything this will be a mild diversion for your kids, but that plot seems too silly. Flies in space? Why? But it’s being marketed as the first computer animated film made specifically for 3-D. So there you go.
Donny’s Take: All I know about this one is what I’ve seen in the trailer, which looked pretty weak. I’m sure my kids will drag me into the theater for this one, but I’m not so sure that it’s going to live up to anything that Pixar has to offer. This is one I could do without.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $45mil
Babylon A.D. (August 29th)
Plot Synopsis: When a mercenary takes a high-risk assignment in escorting a woman out of Russia, the assignment gets complicated when he finds out she’s carrying a virus that could wipe out mankind.
Starring: Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Jon’s Take: Little is known about this film; expect that various crew members left the film; the director and Vin were at constant battle over the direction of the film, all the while as the director was fighting a nervous breakdown. Who’s going? What appears to be a low-rent “Children of Men” could be one of those interesting disasters to watch or one of those disasters that are just disasters? Vin has lost all of his popularity and his next film is “Fast and the Furious 4”, so I’m expecting little from this. Maybe luck will smile upon us and deliver a fun sci-fi tale?
Donny’s Take: Vin is another killer action star, and I’m totally excited to see him return to the genre. Like Jon I’ve heard horror stories about this production, but I’m hoping that they worked it out and are going to roll out a cool sci-fi flick. The story sounds interesting and I’m a sucker for science fiction so count me in on this one.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $60mil
Disaster Movie
Plot Synopsis: A spoof on films like “Day After Tomorrow” and “An Inconvenient Truth”.
Starring: Carmen Electra
Director: Aaron Seltzer
Jon’s Take: Why have these spoof films become so popular? They are no where as good as “Airplane!” and they just plain suck. I find them so unfunny they give “Love Guru” a run for its money. Wait, what money? We, as intelligent human beings, avoid junk like this. Right? Right?
Donny’s Take: I HATE this type of spoof flick. I’d rather spend the day with George Bush (man would that suck) than watch this garbage. I hope this one tanks so they stop making this crap, please make an intelligent decision and avoid this one like a hooker with cold sores.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $10.00 (for the one idiot dumb enough to see this)
Traitor
Plot Synopsis: The FBI is going after a man with ties to Afghan rebels, but a web of lies opens up.
Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and David Clark
Director: Jeffery Nachmannoff
Jon’s Take: After seeing this trailer, I was immediately interested. I like espionage and Don Cheadle rules all, but I have to wonder if this film is being dumped by Overture Films? Lack of buzz or marketing doesn’t help and late August/early September is one of two so called dumping grounds Hollywood has for projects they have no faith in. But I could be wrong. I hope.
Donny’s Take: Don’s a bad ass actor and I think it’s about time he gets a leading role, but I haven’t heard much about this one which tells me that it might get forgotten about by the moviegoing public. So if your reading this do yourself a favor and check this one out instead of “Disaster Movie.” It is going to have some solid acting and is better than spending the day with W.
Killer Film’s Box Office Prediction? $55mil
And that does it for Summer 2008. Be sure to keep coming back for reviews of these films and coming in for September, this list will change a bit with a monthly preview of recommendations, instead of a full monthly preview. Be sure to check that out next month. Until then, see you weekly for reviews of these August films, only at Killer Film!
