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June’s summer movies: WALL-E, Get Smart, etc.
June is a transitional month for summer movies, traditionally offering mid-level hits sandwiched in between the heavier hitters of May and July. At the end of the month, I expect there to be one giant hit.
Here’s my May forecast.
JUNE 6
The lowdown: Jack Back plays a panda trained in martial arts.
The box office: $180-200 million
The forecast: When I first saw the posters, I thought, “THAT’S the big summer movie from DreamWorks?” But then the very amusing ads started to win me over. I hope it’s more Over the Hedge than Madagascar.
The prospect: B
The lowdown: Adam Sandler plays a Mossad agent who reinvents himself as a hairstylist.
The box office: $90 million
The forecast: “Adam Sandler plays a Mossad agent who reinvents himself as a hairstylist.” Huh? The good news here is that Sandler co-wrote this with comedy god of the moment, Judd Apatow. The bad news is, it’s directed by Dennis Dugan, a member of Sandler’s stable of anonymous hacks. Think that doesn’t make a difference? Consider that Steven Brill, another member of that stable, made Drillbit Tayor, the Apatow-backed movie that made most people say “Meh” at best. I’m curious but leery.
The prospect: C
JUNE 13
The lowdown: M. Night Shyamalan returns with another world in peril thriller, this time apparently focusing on some kind of natural disaster. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star.
The box office: $100 million - maybe higher if it delivers
The forecast: This may be the single biggest question mark of the whole summer. After the fiasco that was Lady in the Water, Shyamalan seems to be retrenching to scary thrillers, which seems to be the right move, but will it be enough damage control? Right now it’s just too early to tell. Here’s a curio: word has it this will be his first R-rated film.
The prospect: B
The lowdown: He’s mean, and green, and he is … well, hopefully not as bad as most people thought he was last time.
The box office: $100 million
The forecast: OK, supposedly this time you’ve got more action in your Hulk movie after people complained the Ang Lee film was too slow and dour. Given all the reports of strife surrounding this do-over, I’m concerned Marvel may have erred too far in the other direction and dumbed it down. I’ll see it, but I’m worried.
The prospect: B
JUNE 20
The lowdown: It’s another remake of a beloved TV series, with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in the leads.
The box office: $125 million
The forecast: Simply put, the trailers are very funny. If the film is as clever as its ad campaign, this movie could be even bigger than some predict.
The prospect: B
The lowdown: Mike Meyers returns to live action comedy, playing the bearded title character who tries to help a hockey player.
The box office: $60 million, tops
The forecast: Meyers looks ugly and so does this movie. The godawful trailer gives me Cat in the Hat flashbacks. Somebody needs to tell Mike that donning makeup and talking in a funny voice just aren’t enough.
The prospect: D
JUNE 27
The lowdown: A robot janitor who remains on Earth long after the human race has left finds out what he was meant to do.
The box office: $250 million
The forecast: Pixar+robots=easy sell. I’ve heard many people say they want a WALL-E of their very own already. Still, Pixar is taking a bit of a gamble on this one by having very little human dialogue. Can Pixar make material like this work for 90 minutes plus?
I’m thinking yeah.
The prospect: A
The lowdown: James McAvoy gets sucked into his dad’s super-secret assassination organization, with an uber-babe, Angelina Jolie, as a partner.
The box office: $50 million
The forecast: I’ll admit the trailer looks like this might be loopy fun, but still - this has “been there, done that” written all over it. This will get lost in the shuffle.
Tomorrow: July’s movies, including Hancock and The Dark Knight.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By Sir Critic
April 30, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
Kim: I think Pixar is being smart by playing WALL-E close to the vest, making you wonder what it’s about, much like Spielberg did with “E.T.” This much I know, however : WALL-E lives in Earth of the future after humans have left. Another robot named EVE comes to Earth. EVE is the robot who reports to humans that live in space. She finds out something important about WALL-E, who falls for her.By Kim
April 30, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Wall-E has me scratching my head - wondering what the plot will be other than a string of “cute robot” gags. But again - free movies for me - so I’ll see it! I was never a fan of Get Smart - TV or otherwise, but I am intrigued by this remake of a remake of…well - it is the cast that makes me even remotely interested. I love Anne and Steve - curious to see what they can bring to these roles. I think that everything else can pretty much get flushed - but I might reconsider upon hearing your reviews!By SRCputt
April 29, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
The movie I’m most looking forward to this summer is Wall-E. The movie I’m next most looking forward to is my second viewing of Wall-E.By Kim S.
April 29, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this
The only must-see out of this list for me is “Get Smart”. I’ll see “The Happening” in a theater probably - I have more faith in the cast than the director, but I didn’t see “Lady in the Water”. I’ll see “Hulk” and “Wanted” when they roll around on DVD. “Zohan” and “Kung Fu Panda” I’ll probably pass on. Nothing against them - they just don’t peak my interest. The only “hell no” film in this set is the Myers. But it’s all gearing up for “The Dark Knight” in July for me.