Summer Preview: May
Regardless of anything you do during these warm months; swimming, vacationing, picnicking, you’ll be there in a cold theater one a few of the summer movies. It never fails, year after year, each summer promises big hype, big action, and big laughs. But what to see? There’s a lot of flicks aiming for your (important) dollar this summer, everything from cartoons, to 3-D spectacles, to franchise pictures, so let us, Killer Film, in our attempt at infinite wisdom shuffle through each of the four summer months to see what you should and shouldn’t see. To keep it all simple, we’ll state our reasonings on whether you should see it theatrically or not with a brief opinion and a See It or Skip It. Of course, we’ll be seeing everything so check back with our reviews to see if we we’re spot on, but now onto Summer Preview: May.
May 1st
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Jon: I really disliked X-Men III for a few reasons, and after I finally saw the full trailer for this, I feel as if its just X-Men 4. I know it deals with Wolverine, his origins, and Weapon X, but why are there so many other mutants in here? My hype is reserved, but I am excited to see this. I like Hugh Jackman and he looks ripped in this. Gavin Hood is a decent director, and Schrieber as Sabretooth looks to be pitch-perfect. I think this film, despite its work print being leaked onto the internet, will be a big hit for 20th Century Fox and they need it. I hope this plays out as good as its trailer promises, but Deadpool not in his comic book attire might signal an epic fail to the fan boys. See it.
Donny: I am really stoked to see this picture. While I agree with Jon that the third X-Men installment was pretty weak, and the fact that this flick is loaded with mutants kinda scares me a little, I still really want to see this one. I’m a huge fan of Schrieber and am ready to see him kick ass alongside Jackman. See it.
Battle for Terra
Jon: A big name cast, but anything outside of DreamWorks or Disney seems to fail in the animation world, despite there being a few decent flicks out there. The trailer didn’t do much for me, until I saw it in the Real-D 3-D thing, and with all the explosions and space battles, I almost want to recommend this just on that angle alone. Weak, I know, but if a film needed any angle to sell itself to a public that is wish-washy on 3-D, its this film. It could be a dud though. Skip it.
Donny: I don’t know much about this flick other than I didn’t care for the trailer, and I didn’t get to see the Real-D 3-D one that Jon did. So I’m going to keep it short and sweet and say, skip it.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Jon: Yes, this film isn’t aimed at me or my friends, but the trailer makes this seem all romantic-cheesy. This is you’re counter-programming of this week as all the guys will be seeing Wolverine. I like the cast, but the premises seems like it treads old, well-worn ground. Skip it.
Donny: Romantic flicks are a necessity for anyone in a relationship. With that said, I don’t necessarily like seeing them. Some of them aren’t bad, but this one looks like a terrible Scrooge knock off. The actors are solid, but I’m not sure they can rescue this sinking ship. Skip it.
May 8th
Star Trek
Jon: J.J. Abrams track record isn’t proven yet in theaters, although he’s a TV God and crafted a solid action film with Mission Impossible III, the big hesitant thing that is keeping me from geeking out, is to me, it still looks like Baby Trek. I know this film will be more action-oriented than Star Trek is known for, but the casting of some characters just seems off. But when the lights dim, I’ll be there with an open-mind (I promise) and I hope to see the resurrection of this franchise. I always preferred their strong stories of science-fiction and characters than over-the-top action, but I hope J.J. brings them both. See it.
Donny: Hell to the yes! I have been waiting for this forever. I love Abrams and am willing to forgive him for Cloverfield. Unlike Jon, I like the cast and am glad that they used young actors. That way if it kicks ass we get Star Trek goodness for years to come. See it.
May 15th
Angels and Demons
Jon: I was not a fan of the first film, Da Vinci Code. I don’t care how good the book was, the film was boring. Add Ewan McGregor to the mix, have the church get upset over its story, and after Frost/Nixon, I’m ready to ease up on Ron Howard. This film just doesn’t have that big, summer film feel, but it’ll bring out the older crowd, who enjoy Tom Hanks and dramas, over the high octane action of the this month’s other releases. See it.
Donny: I have no interest in seeing this flick. But the fact that the church is flexing their muscle makes me want to spend a whole paycheck on tickets just to piss off the sheep. Think for yourselves and see it if you want to, and avoid it if you don’t, but my recommendation is to see it (see sheep in previous sentence).
The Brothers Bloom
Jon: You’ve been seeing the trailer for this a lot, and the studio has been shuffling this around. Also, if you read our article on what we’re seeing (here) you’ll know I’m personally excited for this. Good cast, Johnson’s follow-up to Brick, and it’s a caper? What’s not to love here? See it.
Donny: I’m going to agree with Jon for once. I’m really excited about this flick. Great cast, interesting director, and a caper to boot. I’m there. See it.
May 22nd
Terminator Salvation
Jon: This is the summer movie I’m geeking for. Why? It’s a new Terminator film, Christian Bale as John Connor, Linda Hamilton and Arnold cameos, fantastic special effects, and its a dark, dystopia themed sci-fi film, with lighting issues. Sold, absolutely sold. I promise a fair review, but I’m all excited for this film. I have a feeling that this might be huge, in terms of box office returns and a new franchise starter. Yes, blasted McG is directing, but why am I not that up in arms over it? Jonathan Nolan, screenwriter of Memento and The Dark Knight, gave the script a rewrite on Bale’s request. See It
Donny: Well good for you Jon, we are done professionally. See it.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Jon: Yawn, but I guess this sequel had to come since enough people saw the first to make it go over $200mil. It’s all for the kids, but trust me, there’s better films out there for them this summer than this. It should be just more of the same as the first film. Better special effects and a new character maybe, whoopie-doo. Skip It
Donny: Jon just said everything I wanted to say, only I have a kid that loved the first one so I have to see it. Skip it.
Dance Flick:
Jon: My retinas are burning! Sure, the Wayans used to be funny, key word “used to be”. I pity those who see this dreck, I really do. Skip It
Donny: I’m not going to justify this crap with an opinion.
May 29th
Pixar’s Up
Jon: Hey, Pixar is on a roll, so why count this one out? I think its one of their more off-beat ideas, and the current trailer doesn’t offer much to get the feeling of it, but have they stirred us wrong? I don’t expect this to light up the box office though, mainly because of the main character being an old man, and not a cute, talking animal. Trust me on this. But if Ratatouille can make $200mil, with a mature film about culinary arts and food criticism, I can be proven wrong again. This is Pixar’s first 3-D movie, too, so I expect that will bring in families that are hesitant at first. See it.
Donny: The trailer for this one is Michael Bay awesome! I really love Pixar, they don’t really make bad flicks. If the trailer is any indication of how this one is going to play out I’m totally there. See it.
Drag Me to Hell
Jon: Horror has typically not done well in the summer, but this is Sam Raimi’s return to horror for the first time in a decade plus. It’s PG-13 (boo!) and has a decent young cast, but to me it looks like a horror version of Yes Man. Will anyone outside of Evil Dead fans care about his return to horror or is this just a time-waster till Spider-Man 4? See it.
Donny: Not really looking forward to this one. The trailer looks weak to me. In the trailer the old lady has staples in her head. What was Raimi thinking? Let me break it down for you:
Raimi: You don’t look creepy enough. I mean, your old and that in itself is sort of creepy, but something is missing.
Old Woman: What could it be?
Raimi: I know. If we put staples in your forehead you would look super creepy. PROP DEPARTMENT!
Now I could be totally wrong and this flick could totally kick ass. In fact I hope it does kick ass. I hope it kicks major ass, because horror needs a jolt. But if it does kick ass I’m gonna start a petition to stop the spread of forehead staples so that we don’t get a repeat of what happen with the chick from The Ring. Just say no to creepy for the sake of creepy.
That’s May and it looks stacked. Keep it here for news and our reviews on these films and more, can’t forget about the indies this month, only on Killer Film!
Agree or disagree? Leave a comment or contact us at jon@killerfilm.com and donny@killerfilm.com
