Your Summer 2009 Movie Guide!

The weather is finally starting to heat up and so is the start of the summer blockbuster season! This summer’s lineup of blockbuster releases hopes to offer something for everyone. Whether you’re into fantasy or comedy, action or animation, there’s sure to be something for you in this eclectic mix!

Here’s the lineup:

Wolverine- May 1
Star Trek- May 8
Angels & Demons- May 15
Terminator Salvation- May 21
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian- May 22
Up- May 29
Land of the Lost- June 5
Transformers- June 24
Public Enemies- July 1
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- July 17
GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra- August 7
Inglorious Basterds- August 21

Despite the difficult economic times, distributors are still anticipating strong box office figures. Wolverine has grossed $151,090,744 in the three weeks since it’s release. Star Trek’s opening was massive, and the project has already generated $147,611,000 in just two weeks. The most recent release, Ron Howard’s, Angels & Demons, has already made quite a mark on its first weekend alone, making roughly $48,000,000.

Terminator Salvation is next on the release docket; promising action fans a thrilling cinematic experience. The flick will star

Production still of Bale in action on set of Terminator

The Dark Knight’s Christian Bale as the film’s hero, John Connor and Helena Bonham Carter as the villain, Dr. Serena Kogan. Set in 2018, the film acts as both a sequel and prequel to the previous three films, and focuses on the ongoing war between humanity and Skynet.

This is the first major blockbuster from director McG, whose experience includes episodes of the teen hit The O.C., and two Charlie’s Angels movies. According to Entertainment Weekly, McG had a rough time convincing Bale to sign on to the film, but in the end, Bale was sold on the action flick, much to the relief of auiences everywhere!

When the lights go off, the battle is on! Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian should be one of the family favorites of the summer. The decision for a sequel to 2006’s Night at the Museum was quite a surprise to audiences, but after a worldwide gross of

The crew on location in Washington, D.C.

$574,480,450, 20th Century Fox made the decision to take their cash cow for one more ride. Audiences are sure the laugh their way through history with an all-star cast of fun men. Ben Stiller will lead the troupe as Larry Daley, the museum’s night guard, along with Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, Owen Wilson as Jedediah Smith, and Hank Azariah as Egyptian Pharaoh Kah Mun Rah. Amy Adams (Enchanted) will play Amelia Earhart, and Stiller’s romantic interest.

Director Shawn Levy coordinated scenes to be shot on location at the historic Lincoln Memorial
View Larger Map in Washington D.C. as well as at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Keeping with the theme of family features comes Disney/Pixar’s latest collaboration cleverly titled Up. This film is sure to find it’s place in the hearts of the young and old alike as it follows the adventures of 78-year-old Carl Frederickson as he uses 10,000 balloons to make his house fly to South America to fulfill a promise to his late wife. By accident, Carl unwittingly takes a precocious 8-year-old boy named Russell along for the journey.

Up made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, being the first 3D film ever to show at the prestigious festival, and received a more than a warm welcome. Accompanying the feature, an adding an extra dose of fun, will be the Pixar short Partly Cloudy. The trailer has already begun to generate interest from audiences all over the world, giving Disney/Pixar hope that they’ve got another hit on their hands!

Depp on set of Public Enemies

For those with a bit more of a sophisticated taste in film, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies should hit the spot! It will be Christian Bale’s second big project of the summer, starring alongside chameleon Johnn Depp, and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose).

The film is an action packed adaptation of the Brian Burroughs book “Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-43,” and revolves around the government’s attempt to stop the 1930’s Midwestern bank robber John Dillinger and his gang. Before it’s wide release on July 1, the flick will have it’s world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival as the Centerpiece premiere on June 23.
View Larger Map

This summer will also bring the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, once again follows Harry, Hermione, and Ron on their adventures at and outside of Hogwarts. The project is to be directed by David Yates, who also directed the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Academy Award nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel is said to have taken a new approach to the Harry Potter series. Yates has said of Delbonnel,

“The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes… It’s very layered and incredibly rich.”

It’s no surprise that Harry Potter fans have been anxiously awaiting the project, especially since it was originally slated for a holiday 2008 release. Last October, fans packed theatres for a taste of what to expect from the upcoming film with the release of this trailer.

The seventh and final film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is already in production and release is rumored for 2010. As has been true with the previous five installments, fans are sure to savor every magical moment!

The final big action release of the summer should be an exciting one for the now grown up little boys of the GI Joe generation!

Sienna Miller on set as the Baroness

GI Joe and the Rise of the Cobra will be the first live-action GI Joe film, and although based off the popular Hasbro toy, will be geared toward more grown-up audiences.

The plot is set ten years in the future, and is the story of the origins of the Cobra Organization, as well as Duke (played by Channing Tatum) and Ripcord’s (played by Marlon Wayans) introduction to the GI Joe team. Sienna Miller will co-star as the Baroness, with Dennis Quiad as General Hawk. The film is directed by Stephen Sommers who is also working with Hasbro in developing films based on the popular board games Monopoly and Battleship.
This summer’s blockbusters are sure to be action packed and full of fun and theaters are bound to be packed full! With sites like Fandango and MoiveTickets.com you can have the guarantee that you’ll have a seat for any showing!

So enjoy the summer and take in all that Hollywood has to offer! Take a couple hours and get lost in worlds of fantasy, crime, and adventure! You’ll be glad you did!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – 2009

Time for the update on yet another summer blockbuster! Box office favorites Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg will bring the Transformers back in a big way on June 24. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen will see Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox return in the lead roles, much to the relief of fans.

Wikipedia lists this synopsis of the film: “Sam Witwicky discovers something about the origins of the Transformers and their history on Earth after receiving visions from a remaining piece of the Allspark. The evil Decepticons need to capture him for information. The climactic battle takes place at the Giz Pyramis complex, where a temple is located within. [Producer]Lorenzo di Bonaventura explained the film will start before the pyramids were built, tying the Transformers to the beginning of civilization, and implying that “all our heroes end up here because of the Decepticons’ master plan.” Furthermore, Egyptian heiroglyphs resembling helicopters and other present day vehicles in real life will be explained in the film as being depictions of those Ancient Cybertronians who visited Earth.”

The project has been in development since the successful release of the first Transformers flick in the summer of 2007. The sequel promises not to skimp on the action and effects (including an IMAX release), as the budget has climbed nearly fifty million dollars from the first. Production began in May 2008, filming the majority of the project in Los Angeles, with selected scenes shot in Philadelphia and Egypt. Production faced a slight hiccup when the star of the flick, Shia LaBeouf, broke his hand in a car accident. Production was halted for two days, and LaBeouf was able to return to the set after roughly two weeks.

Returning cast also includes Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas) as Capt. Lennox, Tyrese Gibson (Anapolis) as Sgt. Epps, and John Turturo (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) as Agent Simmons. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) will lend his voice to Megatron, along with Peter Cullen as Optium Prime. The Office’s Rainn Wilson will also join the cast as Sam Witwicky’s college professor.

Enjoy the trailer below!

Kung Fu Kid – 2010

“Wax on, wax off…” those immortal words will once again excite audiences when director Harold Zwart (Pink Panther 2, Agent Cody Banks) will remake the 1984 classic The Karate Kid set for release in June of 2010.

The wise mentor Mister Miyagi will be recreated by action star Jackie Chan, with ten year old Jayden Smith (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Pursuit of Hapyness) in the title role of the “kung fu kid.” The original Miyagi, Pat Morita was nominated for an Oscar for the role in 1985.

According to Slashfilm, fans of the original film are seemingly outraged at Columbia Pictures’ decision to actually put the remake into production. Hoping for a more kind reception, the studio opted to change the name from the original “Karate Kid” to “Kung Fu Kid.” This remake seems to suffer from the “why can’t they just leave it alone” viewer reaction, especially after 1986’s The Karate Kid II and 1994’s The Next Karate Kid.

The project is set to film on location in Beijing, China, although no official start date is on the books. The film will appropriately feature kung fu instead of karate. FirstShowing.net states, it’s much more relevant today to use kung fu as opposed to karate (which isn’t as popular as it was back in the 80’s) and also more appropriate considering karate actually has its historical roots in kung fu. As in, story updates and Chinese influence caused them to change the title to be more culturally relevant and accurate.”

Famed producer Jerry Weintraub (who also produced the original) along with Jayden’s old man, Will Smith with produce the picture, written by newcomer Chris Murphy.

So what do YOU think? Box office gold or first weekend flop?

While you decide take a little walk down memory lane with the trailer from the 1984 original…

The Land of the Lost – 2009

“Livin’ in the land of the lost…” What child of the 1990’s could ever forget that theme song? Surely not me! Just in case the adventurous land of dinosaurs, monkeys, and the unforgettable sleestacks dare escape the current generation, the character of Rick Marshall will once again be ressurected by funnyman Will Ferrell in this summer’s Land of the Lost.

A teaser trailer hit theaters several months ago and made a TV devut during February’s Superbowl, but it’s about that time for the big summer flicks to start buzzing once again! With a release date slated for June 5, 2009, it is unclear whether audiences will enjoy this updated version of a childhood memory, or wish it stayed lost in the past!

Ferrel will be joined by Pushing Daisies’ star Anna Friel, Pineapple Express’ Danny McBride, and Andy Samberg sidekick Jorma Taccone as Chaka.

Production began in March 2008, with an original release date scheduled for July 17, 2009, but after taking a budget cut of near $25,000, the project’s release was pushed forward. Lemony Snicket helmer Brad Silberling led production crews to recreate the pre-histotic land at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The Internet Movie Database gives this synopsis of the pic: “On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?”

The popular Saturday morning TV shows of the seventies and nineties featured a father and his two children on a vacation gone wrong. It seems that producers have taken a slight departure from the original story line, but hey, it’s 2009 and judging from the following clips, it seems the idea was due for a little update!

Land of the Lost Circa 1974….

and 1991….

Now take a look at what’s to come….

Inglorious Basterds – 2009

After nearly a decade of developing his precious plot, Quentin Tarantino will finally be releasing Inglorious Basterds in August of this year.

Brad Pitt will headline the flick as First Lt. Aldo Raine or “Aldo the Apache,” a hillbilly from Tennessee who leads a team of eight Jewish American soldiers in WWII.  Other cast includes The Office’s BJ Novak, Austin Powers Mike Meyers, and recent Dancing with the Stars alum Cloris Leachman.

Production began in October 2008, shooting on location in Germany and France, under a tight time frame. Tarantino and production company The Weinstein Company, accelerated it’s orginal production schedule so that the film would be completed in time to be released at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The project has since been accepted into the festival and will be competing for the Palme d’Or award in May.

IMDB gives this synopsis of the picture: “When a Jewish girl’s family is exterminated by the Nazis, she flees to Paris and meets a kindly woman who takes her in. Working for this woman at her movie theatre, the girl finds herself in a unique situation when an infatuated German war hero persuades his superiors to screen their latest propaganda film at her theatre. Will she seek revenge?
Meanwhile, aware of the plans for the movie premiere, a group of Jewish-American soldiers, working deep behind enemy lines enact their own plans to throw a wrench in the German war machine”

According to Variety magazine, the project will be a Pulp Fiction length film of five chapters: Chapter One: Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France. Chapter Two: Inglourious Basterds. Chapter Three: German Night in Paris (filmed in “French New Wave Black and White”).  Chapter Four: Operation Kino. Chapter Five: Revenge of the Giant Face. I suppose that will all make sense once you’ve seen the film!

Sherlock Holmes – 2009

Elementary my dear Watson. It’s about that time of year again, all the summer blockbusters have released their trailers and now the upcoming holiday releases are starting to buzz. Guy Ritchie’s newest project Sherlock Holmes is no exception. It seems about time that the classic Arthur Conan Doyle story of detective Holmes and his trusty Mister Watson finally make it to the big screen!

The film is currently in the post-production phase after having shot the majority of it last October on location in the UK. Robert Downey Jr. will star as Holmes, with Jude Law as his sidekick Dr. John Watson. Rachel McAdams will join as Holmes’ love interest Irene Adler.

Downey’s version of good ol’ Sherlock will likely be quite different than the sly gentleman the mass majority have in their minds. According to Variety, Downey’s Sherlock will be a ‘lean, mean, fighting machine.’

Slashfilm.com has released this synopsis of the film, “In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge.  Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.”

Screenplay credits go to newcomer Mike Johnson, Don’t Say a Word’s Anthony Peckham, as well as helmer Ritchie. The pic is being produced by Dan Lin and Joel Silver under the watchful eye of Warner Bros. Sherlock is set to hit the big screen Christmas day of this year.

A bit of teaser footage was shown at the annual ShoWest convention this past March. It seemed to get quite a favorable response, creating quite a bit of hype for what will likely be Ritchie’s most high profile film to date. (Click here for a more detailed description of the footage that was shown at ShoWest.)

Personally, I’m excited to see how this take on Sherlock will turn out! Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that all the Madonna/ Guy Ritchie divorce business won’t have any effect on the outcome of the film, especially since shooting took place right in the midst of the marital drama!

Howl – 2010

Gus Van Sant and James Franco are at it again! After the recent success of Van Sant’s controversial biopic Milk, he will now put on his executive producer hat for yet another controversial biopic Howl.

Howl follows the story of poet Allen Ginsberg in the mid to late 1950’s and the obscenity trial surrounding his poem of the same name. In 1957 customs officials seized over five hundred copies of the poem that were being imported from the printer in London. Howl contains several references to illicit drug use and sexual behavoir both hetero and homosexual, which pushed the limits of social decency at the time. 

According to Variety, Werc Werk Works will produce and finance the film which began filming on March 16th in New York City. Rob Epstein (2 time Oscar winner) and Jeffrey Freidman will co-direct the project which they also wrote. James Franco (Milk, Pineapple Express, Spiderman) will star as the eccentric beat poet Ginsberg, along with I Love You, Man’s Paul Rudd, Weeds‘ Mary-Louise Parker, and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm. Hamm will play defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, whose life inspired the populat TV series Perry Mason.

It seems that lately Hollywood has found quite a cash cow in biopics, and the more controversial, the better! With such an all-star cast, my prediction is that Howl will do quite well. After all, despite the morally questionable nature of the topic, Americans never seem to be too off put by seeing their favorite actors play homosexual roles. Plus the more controversial a film, the more the Academy seems to love it… just look at Milk and Brokeback Mountain.

Where the Wild Things Are – 2009

It’s been a long time coming, but Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is finally slated for release this fall. The Maurice Sendack classic is being released by Warner Brothers, with an original screenplay by Jonze and Dave Eggers.

The story follows a boy named Max, who after being sent to his room one night without supper, creates an imaginary forest filled with giant monsters who crown him their ruler. He befriends several monsters, specifically one named Carol (voiced by The Soprano’s James Gandolfini) who helps him learn the meaning of love. Max is played by eleven year old newcomer Max Records. Other cast includes Forrest Whittaker, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, and Lauren Ambrose as various “wild things,” and Catherine Keener as Max’s mother.

The film has had its share of troubles since shooting in Australia in late 2006. Poor responses from test audiences in December 2007 caused Warner Bros. to give Jonze more time and money (upping the budget from $80 million to $115 million) to work on the project. It seemed that the footage shown was a bit intense for the target audience of young children, and according to the Los Angeles Times, “Jonze has also had tons of issues with the wild things. Originally shot as actors in furry creature suits with animated faces, as well as animatronic puppets, they were a big disappointment. Instead of being scary or funny, they almost seemed blank, with little warmth or emotion. Jonze is now retooling the film, using CGI to create more life-like monsters.”

The trailer for the film was released this past Tuesday, March 24 and has been getting quite a bit of attention. Take a look below!

If you ask me it looks pretty sweet! The combination of imagination, adventure, huge furry creatures, and a great song by Arcade Fire makes for a truly inspiring trailer… hopefully the film will live up to all the expectations!

Twilight: New Moon – 2009

Okay, so even though I don’t get what the big deal with the Twilight series is, it’s kind of a cultural phenomenon, and therefore in my mind worth blogging about! Everyone is buzzing about the second installment in the series, New Moon… is it because the story is just that good or is it because the teenage girls of the world can’t wait to once again feast their eye’s on the cast of extremely good looking twenty-somethings? I don’t know that that question can really be answered for sure, but I doubt that Summit Entertainment is complaining!

The pic is already slated for a release date of November 20, 2009, just one year after the first film was released… that’s what I call taking advantage! After Catherine Hardwicke, director of the first Twilight backed out, production seemed to be at a stand still, but luckily The Golden Compass director Chris Weitz has now signed on to direct, with production set to begin March 23 in Canada. Wyck Godfrey and Mark Morgan will return as producers, and Melissa Rosenberg will adapt Stephanie Meyer’s novel into the screenplay.

Of course, Robert Pattinson will reprise hs role at Edward Cullen with Kristin Stewart as Bella Swan. Taylor Lautner, Jackson Rathbone, and Kellan Lutz will also revisit their roles. Dakota Fanning is rumored to be in talks to play vampire Jane opposite Pattinson.

A Serious Man – 2009

Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen are at it again, and this time they’re heading back to their Minnesota roots! The writer/director duo of brothers are currently in the post-production stage for their newest project entitled A Serious Man. The dark comedy is slated for release in late October of this year.

The Coens grew up in St. Louis Park, MN, which is the setting of the film. In some ways the project is a bit of a recreation of the brothers childhood growing up in the Minneapolis suburb in the late 1960’s. The project was filmed entirely in Minnesota from September- November 2008, with it’s main location being a house in Bloomington. They also shot on location at the Key’s Cafe in Roseville, (just down the road from good ol’ Bethel U!) and on the campus of St. Olaf.

The story follows physics professor Larry Gopnik (played by Broadway actor Michael Stuhlbarg) as his wife leaves him for one of his colleagues, his children seem to be out of control, and as he faces issues at work and with his seemingly dead-beat brother. He seeks the advice of several rabbis in his attempt to overcome his troubles, become a righteous person, and of course, a serious man.

The Coens will write, direct, and produce along with long time collaborators Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, and Robert Graf as executive producers. The cast includes quite a slew of newbies and Twin Cities locals, as well as Richard Kind as Gopnik’s uncle Arthur, and Adam Arkin as Don Milgram.

Keep your eyes peeled for this one, it’s sure to have tons of that unique Coen flair… and you never know, you might just see some familiar Minnesota sights!