Shale's Summer Movie List

How fun that you have it all mapped out.

I am totally surprised about that movie, "Friends with Benefits". I didn't see the Natalie Portman one yet, but it is strange that the same premise is being released like that within a year.

Shale wrote:My Summer Itinerary

My Fridays for the rest of the summer are already booked. Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald listed his SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW in this Sunday's paper.

Of course I already saw the MUST SEE movie Thor on May 6. Also saw the romcom Something Borrowed the next day. Here are excerpts from that article, showing the movies I plan to see this summer.

MAY 13
WILL SEE

Priest: In the ravaged, post-apocalyptic remnants of a long war between humans and vampires, a warrior priest (Paul Bettany) disobeys his superiors to try to rescue his niece after she’s abducted by bloodsuckers. Cam Gigandet and Maggie Q help him on his dangerous quest.

MAY 20
MOST LIKELY WILL SEE

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Director Rob Marshall ( Chicago, Nine) takes over for Gore Verbinski in this installment of the monumentally successfully series — so far arguably the most profitable ever to make no story sense whatsoever. Let’s hope a clear plot emerges when Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp, cashing in what has to be one of the largest Hollywood paychecks of all time) teams up with an intrepid explorer (Penelope Cruz) and the infamous Blackbeard (Ian McShane) to find the Fountain of Youth.

JUNE 3
MUST SEE

X-Men: First Class: Matthew Vaughn ( Kick Ass) returns to the superhero genre, this time without the satirical subtext, to recount the tale of how the young Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) met and became close friends, working together to create a home for other mutants. Then, as everyone knows, a rift turned them into mortal enemies. Prequels are usually lame, but the trailers for this one look pretty awesome.

JUNE 10
WILL SEE

Super 8: The trailer for this collaboration between director J.J. Abrams ( Star Trek) and producer Steven Spielberg promises an instant classic. In a small Ohio town in the summer of 1979, some young friends making a Super?8 film capture a huge train crash that unleashes something monstrous into their town. Frankly, I can’t wait.

JUNE 17
MUST SEE

Green Lantern: Not all superheroes were meant for the big screen. This adaptation of the DC Comics series about a human (Ryan Reynolds) recruited by aliens to wield a ring that gives him superpowers looks … well, a little ridiculous. Then again, Thor didn’t seem all that promising either, and look how that one turned out.

MAY SEE

Tree of Life: Every film by director Terrence Malick ( Badlands, The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) is an event, and this one appears to be no exception. Born and raised in the Midwest in the 1950s, young Jack grows up to be Sean Penn and tries to reconcile with his estranged father (Brad Pitt). In the process, Jack also struggles with questions about faith and the meaning of life. The trailer alone is a work of art.

JULY 1
WILL SEE

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Even Michael Bay has admitted that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was not exactly all it should have been and strayed too far from the qualities that made the first film in the series so enjoyable. Here’s hoping he’s not being insincere, because the idea of sitting through another Transformers movie like the last one makes me want to crawl into a cave.

JULY 22
MUST SEE

Captain America: The First Avenger: Chris Evans, who previously played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movie, tackles another iconic Marvel character: Steve Rogers, the soldier who volunteers for an experiment that will render him into a superhero with an indestructible shield. Like Thor, this one is also a set-up for the upcoming Avengers movie. Unlike Thor, there’s a lot of potential for a franchise here.

MAY SEE

Friends With Benefits: Did you see No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher? Wanna see it again? Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake star as good-looking, relationship-averse young people who try to make a go at a sex-only relationship. Wonder how that will work out?

JULY 29
MUST SEE

Cowboys & Aliens: Going by the trailer alone, this is my pick for the runaway hit of the summer. Jon Favreau directs this western about an amnesiac (Daniel Craig) in 1873 who stumbles into an Arizona town ruled by a ruthless sheriff (Harrison Ford) who doesn’t take kindly to strangers. Then aliens come swooping down and start blasting everything in sight. Tell me this does not sound like the coolest movie ever.

AUG. 5
MAY SEE

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: How do you reboot the Planet of the Apes series after Tim Burton’s awful, franchise-killing remake? You come up with the genius idea of setting the story on Earth, where a scientist (James Franco) conducting experiments on the intelligence of apes pushes things a bit too far, and the animals suddenly become too smart for mankind’s good — and decide they want to take over.

AUG. 19
WILL SEE

Conan the Barbarian: Oh, Conan, how we’ve missed you. The world’s most beloved barbarian (played this time by Jason Momoa) returns to save the land of Hyboria from hordes of monsters, wizards and other evildoers. The presence of director Marcus Nispel, who made the glossy but hollow remakes of Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gives us pause. But you have to have hope. Besides, how do you mess up Conan? Oh wait: Conan the Destroyer. Never mind.

I outlined in Red the ones I want to see on your list. In Captain America they do something very bizarre to Chris Evans, I didn't even recognize him, they have him as this puny little guy but its him in the film. Like they did to Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button when they aged him down they put Chris in that machine and out comes this muscle bound super hero.