June 7
After Earth: Despite my intention to go into more movies with fewer preconceptions to color my opinion, this one already has too many strikes against it. It's a post-apocalyptic drama, which need to have really interesting premises to draw me in. It's got Will Smith in Serious Actor Mode, who created the whole idea for this movie as a vehicle for his son. And it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan, whose movies have become so laughably bad that his name doesn't appear on the majority of the promotional material. Who knows - perhaps it'll turn out to be an outstanding movie. It's doubtful I'll ever be interested enough to find out. (Pass)
Dirty Wars: Here's the entirety of the Wikipedia entry about this movie, which apparently comes out in a week: "Dirty Wars is a 2013 documentary film directed by Richard Rowley, and written and produced by Jeremy Scahill about covert U.S. warfare." That's as much information as a cursory stroll through both the magazine and the internet will give. And it's enough to know I'll be skipping this one. (Pass)
Evocateur: Another documentary, this one about Morton Downey Jr. I'm not interested enough in him to make an effort to see this. (Pass)
The Internship: The first Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson collaboration since Wedding Crashers, this one reteams them as unemployed salesmen trying to hack it at an ultra-competitive internship at Google. Most of the press I've seen on this has to do with getting Google's cooperation, and not much about the movie itself. Though I doubt I'll rush to theaters to see it, it looks like it's likely worth a viewing some snowy night in front of the fire. (Rental)
Much Ado About Nothing: Yes! I've already Saved the Date! (Must-See)
Rapture-Palooza: There are a ton of end-of-the-world movies upon us. This one is about two teenagers battling their way through an apocalypse to defeat Satan. Goofy as that sounds, the cast list is mighty impressive. I could be persuaded into going to see this with a friend or date, but if not, I'll probably catch it soon after the DVD release. (Rental)
Tiger Eyes: This movie is based on one of the few Judy Blume books I've never read, and so I probably won't take the time to get to this one. But please, call me when they make Blubber. (Pass)
Violet & Daisy: Alexis Bledel did not impress me with her role on Mad Men. Maybe she's just one of those actors who had one perfect role, and can't really do much else. So I didn't entirely do backflips when I read that she's in this one as a teenaged assassin. On the other hand, Saoirse Ronan is also in this movie as an assassin, and that girl can GET IT. This one's too tough to call right now. (TBD)
Wish You Were Here: Joel Edgerton searches for his missing friend in Cambodia. Unless I hear some stellar reviews from friends or trusted critics, I don't think I'll bother. This one sounds kind of dull. (Pass)
June 12
This is the End: Another apocalypse comedy! At first, I thought this movie - starring people like James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Michael Cera as versions of themselves facing the end of the world at a party - smacked of an annoying vanity project. But the trailer was really good! Now I find myself really looking forward to it, even if I don't get to the theater to see it. (Must-See)
June 14
The Bling Ring: Emma Watson stars in a movie based on the real life story of the celebrity-obsessed teenagers that conspired to steal millions of dollars of stuff from people like Lindsay Lohan. This one's hard to figure. I like Watson, and Sofia Coppola has done some great work. The story isn't very interesting to me, though. We'll see how it lands, and I'll figure it out from there. (TBD)
Man of Steel: Never have I been so sure that I'll wind up seeing a movie I find myself strangely disinterested in. Much like the new Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Thor movies, I just can't get excited for another Superman reboot. That makes my excitement for the new X-Men movie supremely weird, but let's not go off on that tangent. Anyhow, even though I don't care too much about Man of Steel, I'm relatively certain that I'll wind up going with my dad or a friend. Ironically, this huge summer blockbuster tentpole may be the film I have the fewest preconceptions about and expectations for when I walk into the theater. (Must-See, but mostly because of peer pressure)
Stuck in Love: A writer (Greg Kinnear) and his ex-wife (Jennifer Connelly) work through their issues with each other and their kids. No thanks. (Pass)
Twenty Feet From Stardom: Now this sounds fascinating. It's a documentary about the backup singers who provide the support vocals for various stars, while remaining relatively anonymous themselves. This, like Good Hair or Helvetica, is one of those documentaries about a fun topic I don't know much about. It sounds right up my alley, though I'll probably wait for the DVD. (Must-See, though possibly in Rental form)
Vehicle 19: Paul Walker... Thanks, you can stop there. Oh, fine. Paul Walker gets into a rental car with a bound woman in the trunk. Can I stop now? (Pass)
June 21
A Hijacking: Somali pirates take over a Danish ship, and the negotiations for the prisoners escalate quickly. Unless this pops up to be one of those gems that comes out of nowhere, like A Separation, I'll skip it. (Pass)
Maniac: Elijah Wood owns a mannequin store, becomes obsessed with a young artist, and begins hunting scalps. Jeepers. (Pass)
Monsters University: I really liked Monsters, Inc., but unless I'm looking for a movie to take my nephew to, I don't think seeing this in theaters is something I must do. (Rental)
Unfinished Song: A British widower joins the choir his late wife belonged to. I'm not discounting it entirely, but unless I hear good things from friends and critics, it's likely to fall through the cracks. (TBD)
World War Z: Reading about the problems that have beset this movie is more interesting than the movie itself could ever be. I wasn't as big a fan of the book as everyone else was, and in any case, it'll probably be too gory for me. (Pass)
June 28
Byzantium: Is Saoirse Ronan capable of playing a normal person? Probably not, but who cares? In this one, she and Gemma Arterton are some type of vampire or cannibal or something. It doesn't sound like my kind of movie. (Pass)
Copperhead: A family is torn apart by the Civil War. I'll have to see how the reviews look before I consider this one. (TBD)
The Heat: I really like what both Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy did with Bridesmaids, but I'm not sure what to think about this buddy cop movie starring McCarthy and Sandra Bullock. Time has already shown that if the writing is crappy enough, no amount of McCarthy's charm can save it. Still, I haven't written this movie off entirely. If it gets decent word of mouth, I'll toss it on the Netflix queue. (TBD)
I'm So Excited!: I really like Pedro Almodovar, and although I appreciate his dramas, I'm happy to see this is a comedy. It's about the passengers and crew in an airplane that must stay in an interminable holding pattern, due to a mechanical failure. I'm looking forward to seeing this, although I have no great impulse to see it in the theater. (Must-See, probably as a Rental)
White House Down: I happily skipped Olympus Has Fallen, so it's strange to find that I'm kind of intrigued by this one. Maybe it's because it's directed by Roland Emmerich, and he knows how to blow stuff up. Maybe because this movie is aiming for a PG-13, so this wuss doesn't have to worry about gore. In any case, I could see myself slipping away with some friends and sneaking a beer in to enjoy this after a long day at work. (TBD)
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