Avatar 2, 3, and 4?

We’ve known for a while that James Cameron was working on an Avatar sequel. In fact, he’s stated in previous interviews that he was planning to shoot Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 at the same time. The new films will feature aquatic environments, new planets, different populations of Na’vi, and in general will expand on the settings and themes introduced in the first film.

Home sweet home

Now comes word from Sigourney Weaver that Cameron is filming a fourth Avatar film.

The exact quote from her interview with showbiz411 was “Then she films “Avatar” 2, 3, and 4 with James Cameron. That’s right: they’re making three sequels to the blue 3D phenom all at the same time. Weaver says she has no idea how long it will take, or how it’s going to work. “I just show up,” she said.”

Apparently she didn't die in Avatar

It sounds like Cameron has had some intense brainstorming sessions with his artists and producers and come up with enough material for another film. It also sounds like he’ll be filming them all at the same time over the next couple of years. The fact that Weaver has no idea what the stories are about, how long it will take to film them, or when they’ll get started shooting the new films indicates that it might be a while until we see the first sequel.

The idea of three sequels sounds good to me. I thought the visuals of the first were amazing and beautiful. I also thought there was a lot of room in the story for more adventures on Pandora. We now know who the main characters are and how the whole avatar process works. Cameron spent a lot of time developing the Pandora mythology and landscape. It will be fun to revisit that world again and unleash the Avatars against the insidious Resources Development Administration or some other terrible government agency.

Dreaming of a return to Pandora

The plan is for the first sequel to hit in 2014 with the other films coming out annually thereafter.

Are you down for multiple returns to Pandora and beyond? Think the sequels will make billions at the box office? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Robot and Frank Trailer

One of the things I enjoy most is introducing you guys to weird or off-your-radar little films that look cool and entertaining.

Here is a trailer for a film called Robot & Frank. It’s a comedy/drama about an elderly man who receives a robot to look after him in his old age. However, it looks like this new gift also will cause him to return to one of his old and dangerous pastimes.

That looks cute and exciting and potentially a lot of fun. Frank Langella is a great actor, and pairing his crotchety old man with a neat little robot should make a great partnership. Of course, him teaching the robot to be his apprentice thief and having to navigate those troubled waters is pretty cool too.

I’m not sure I can add more than what is shown in the trailer except to point out that this should be hitting theaters on August 24, 2012. It’ll probably see a limited release, so keep a sharp lookout.

Does this look intriguing to you? Would you like for me to inform you about more of these offbeat films? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

The Amazing Spider-Man IMAX poster

For the past several IMAX films, IMAX has been offering some really cool posters for midnight releases as a way to say "thank you" to audience members. Original artwork was commissioned for recent releases John Carter, The Avengers, and Prometheus. So far, the posters have looked great.

With the release of The Amazing Spider-Man coming up in a few weeks, IMAX has announced a fresh poster for that film.

Yeah. Not so great. It's dark and very blue and weirdly lit, and it just looks sloppy. Like most of the marketing for The Amazing Spider-Man, this poster just seems to miss the mark. I've seen fan-made posters that were better than this (like this one and these). Even the most ardent Spidey fan might pass on this poster. Let's hope that the actual film surpasses the mediocrity of this promo poster.

If you're really into The Amazing Spider-Man and want this poster for your own, then you can get yours when the film opens at 12:01 on July 3rd.

For reference, here are the past few IMAX posters that actually looked great. All three of these are either on my office door or hanging on my wall.

Are you going to waste your time run out and see The Amazing Spider-Man on opening night? Does this poster get your juices flowing? Let me know in the comments below and follow me on Twitter!

Guns N Roses gear auction

I'm what you might call a Guns N' Roses fan. I love seeing those guys in concert and have traveled throughout the United States to see them play. I caught them in Las Vegas 2001, Jacksonville, Florida 2006, Chicago 2011, and, most recently, New York City 2012. I would be traveling in Europe to see them on their current tour had I the time or the money to do so.

Up close and personal in NYC

Predictably, I have quite a bit of Gn'R gear. Various t-shirts, posters on the wall, coffee mug, those sorts of things. I try to not go overboard with my Gn'R purchases, but I just might now.

The Guns crew are clearing out some warehouse space by auctioning off some of the gear they take out on the road. You can see the list of the gear available on eBay here:

Guns N' Roses gear!

When I say gear, I mean actual equipment and essentials they use out on the road. We're not talking about stashes of old t-shirts or posters from previous tours. Right now, it's several cases used to haul wardrobe, drum kits, amps, guitars, and such between venues.

The auction will cary on for a while as they move stuff out and will supposedly get more diverse over time. Amplifiers, keyboards, racks, cases, staging, props, backdrops, pedal boards, guitar effects, and more will be coming up in the following days. Apparently, this stuff is legitimate, though you won't get anything autographed and it won't come with a certificate of authenticity. I can say, having seen these cases being wheeled around as they set up for shows, that what is shown looks like the real deal.

Personally, this stuff is more exciting to me than a t-shirt. This is the gear they actually use to put on shows, which are loud and flashy and awesome. I'll be keeping an eye on what's offered, and I'll let you know if anything particularly awesome comes up.

What Gn'R gear do you want to see auctioned off? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

George Bush in Game of Thrones

Did you know that former President of the United States, George W. Bush has a cameo appearance in the season one finale of the awesome HBO series Game of Thrones?

Well, he kindof makes an appearance.

43rd President of the United States

See, at the end of season one, several of the newly anointed king's enemies have been beheaded and the heads placed on pikes as a warning to others. Joffrey, being the punk kid that he is and punch drunk on power as the king, really likes throwing around his newfound authority by cutting off body parts of those he dislikes. Sometimes it's hands, sometimes tongues, bust mostly it's heads. In the series finale, Joffrey forces Sansa Stark to look at the decapitated head of her father and a few others stuck on pikes atop the castle wall, which is a very mean thing to do to the woman you will soon marry.

Total brat and terrible king

In an effort to depict the chaos and calamity that Joffrey brought to King's Landing, which serves as the capital city for the Seven Kingdoms, HBO needed to get their hands on a lot of decapitated heads. The prop department HBO contracted to provide these heads came up with a George W. Bush head that they had used in a previous gig. They put a wig on it, bloodied it up a bit, and made sure it was turned at an obscure angle when filming began.

Saw her dad and G.W.B. on a pike

Nobody even knew that the prop was a head of President Bush. That is, it went unnoticed until one of the producers said something on the commentary on the Blu-Ray. Even then, it took several months for people to catch on. The original air date for the episode was June 19, 2011, and the Blu-Ray was released on March 6, 2012.

The exchange between series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss on the episode commentary went something like this:

"People may not have noticed this. They should back up. The last head on the left is George Bush."

"George Bush's head appears in a couple of beheading scenes."

"It's not a choice, it's not a political statement. We just had to use whatever head we had around."

It seems innocent enough. At the time of production for season one of Game of Thrones, HBO didn't know if they were going to have a mega-hit or a complete flop on their hands. They were trying to do an epic fantasy series justice while keeping the budget low. HBO could have lost a ton of money if the series didn't catch on with the public. The production was looking to reduce costs any way they could. It stands to reason that the prop department would mine their warehouse for materials they could recycle from other projects rather than make all new props.

A prop that doesn't hurt anyone but the person who sits on it

However, now that people are aware that Bush's likeness was used to depict a beheaded figure, this has become a real headache for HBO. They are taking unprecedented, and some might say silly, steps to smooth over this situation. For starters, they released an apologetic statement on Facebook.

"We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste. We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this inadvertent careless mistake. We are sorry this happened and will have it removed from any future DVD production."

Alright, apologizing at the first hint of trouble. That's fine. You would think that would be the end of things, but no! They are also recalling existing inventory of Blu-Rays and DVDs and pulling digital video copies from HBOGo. One presumes that they will be digitally altering the scene to remove or replace the offending image.

Somewhere, the Imp is amused

It all seems like a major knee-jerk overreaction to me. There's little reason to be offended by a company re-using a prop, even if the prop in question is a head of a former President. It wasn't done with malice, it wasn't done for political gain. This is a crisis that hurts noone, and yet HBO flipped their lid. I would feel much better about the state of society if HBO just shrugged their shoulders and carried on with business as usual. Instead, they have caved to phantom pressure. They are taking what at most should be a minor issue and blowing it way out of proportion.

What do you think of the Game of Thrones crisis? Do you view this as President Bush's head on a pike, or is it simply a prop? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Prometheus: The Art of the Film

Count me as one of the people who loved Prometheus. While the story seems more concerned about raising questions than answering them, the visuals are dead on in creating a new world, exotic spaceships, and frightening beasts. It's one of the most beautiful films I've seen in years. It's on par with the Lord of the Rings level of visuals, which were revolutionary when those films were coming out. I've seen the film twice now and am contemplating catching it a third time before it's out of IMAX theaters.

Most of the arguments about the film revolve around the story structure, plot holes, gaps in logic, and questionable character motivation. All of those things are creating quite the debate on internet forums and blogs. Personally, I think the debates are a good thing as most films released in this day and age have their opening weekend and are forgotten. The creativity of Sir Ridley Scott and company has given us a spectacular film worthy of debate. I find the discussions about Prometheus to be fascinating. It's a lot of fun to have a film that is this deliberately open-ended in the public consciousness.

The visuals of Prometheus are astounding. Nobody questions that. Even the most hardened anti-Prometheus critic will acknowledge that the visuals are top-notch. To celebrate the spectacular design of the film, Titan Publishing has published a book of production art and behind the scenes photos and includes a forward written by Scott himself. It's called Prometheus: The Art of the Film, and it looks pretty awesome. It's packed with 186 pages of details, including pre-production artwork, on-set photos, and write-ups of scenes, locations, and creatures. It even has a lot of material that didn't make it into the final cut of the film.

Here are scans from a few pages as shown on the Prometheus Forum, a site dedicated to all things Prometheus. There are some incredible shots in here. I'm not one who usually buys these sort of behind-the-scenes books, but I may make an exception for this one.

Will this cool book be sitting on your coffee table soon? Want to make a friendly blogger really happy by gifting him one of these? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

The Amazing Cast for The Counselor

I've made it known before on this blog that I love me some Cormac McCarthy. He's one of the greatest American authors working today, and any project that sees him put pen to paper is noteworthy. In previous posts, I have talked about the HBO adaptation of McCarthy's play, The Sunset Limited, which hit Blu-Ray a few months ago, told you that McCarthy sold an awesome-sounding spec script titled The Counselor, and that Sir Ridley Scott was making the new script his next directorial project.

Cormac McCarthy

The film is about a lawyer who decides to try his hand dabbling in the drug trade. Knowing McCarthy's work (The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian), this arrangement will not go well for the lawyer or those around him.

Now that Prometheus has been released (and is an amazing experience; go see it!), Sir Scott can begin turning his attention the McCarthy script. There is a lot of buzz coming out this week about casting announcements for the film. We knew Michael Fassbender was part of the film, but now Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz have been added to the cast. That is a great cast no matter what, and I can't wait to see who gets brought on board next.

Sir Ridley Scott

Needless to say, I'm growing more excited about this project with every bit of news that comes out. It will definitely make my list of most anticipated films of 2013, and it might be at the top. The prospect of a McCarthy-written script hitting the big screen, directed by a visionary filmmaker, with an all-star cast is almost too much to take. It's going to be a long wait until this film hits.

I'll be keeping you updated with every nugget of information about this project that I can dig up over the next several months.

Are you excited about this combination of master story teller, master director, and master thespians? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

AMC Theatres: The Dark Knight Trilogy

The AMC Theatres chain is one of my favorites in the movie industry. My local megaplex has 24 screens, including an IMAX screen, and the place is always clean and the people friendly. It is well organized, it's comfortable, and, overall, it's a great place to spend a few hours watching a movie (or 3).  

Another major factor in my love for the chain is that they frequently host movie marathons. They've had a couple of excellent marathons already this year, including one for The Academy Awards, which featured nine movies over two days, and a Marvel Movie Marathon, which featured the five most recent Marvel films culminating in the midnight release of The Avengers. With another major movie franchise wrapping up this year, AMC Theatres will soon be hosting another cool marathon.

In July, The Dark Knight Rises caps off the Christopher Nolan-directed trilogy of Batman films. Obviously, these have been some of the most successful films of all time with Batman Begins at #115 all-time ($205 million dollars) and The Dark Knight Rises at #4 all-time ($533 million dollars). The AMC Theatre chain is showing both Batman films leading to the midnight release of The Dark Knight Rises.


You can get tickets to see all three films as part of a marathon for a cheap $25 from the AMC Theatres website. Not only will you get to see all the movies for that price, but you also will receive a commemorative poster and lanyard.

If you want something really cool, some theaters are even showing all three films in IMAX. Tickets for those films are $40. I'm a big fan of the IMAX format. The visual and audial quality are top notch, and that's the way to see any film if you can. Theaters doing the IMAX trilogy are few though, so be sure to check the list of participating theaters to see if it's happening in your area.

The fun begins at 6 PM on July 19, 2012.

Think you can handle the coolness of all three Batman films back-to-back-to-back? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Texts Between Dr. Shaw and an Engineer

So, I saw Prometheus in the IMAX theater on opening night and caught it again in IMAX as a matinee on Sunday. It's a gorgeous film, every frame jumps off the screen, and the IMAX format is spectacular. I'm sure it looks good in any format, but I urge you to try to see it on the biggest screen possible.

And you should definitely see it. It's a technical marvel and should win all kinds of awards for set design and special effects. It's an absolute visual treat. It looks like a proper sci-fi film should, and you won't be disappointed by what you see. It also has some jaw-dropping horror elements that will surely make your skin crawl (in a good way, naturally).

Unfortunately, the story doesn't quite live up to the visual spectacle. The story has a bad case of attention deficit disorder. Ridley Scott and company have tried to pack in too many complex themes into this film. The end result is a film that asks a lot of questions, provides few answers, doesn't flow that well, and often contradicts itself.

There is a series of photographs going around the intertnet depicting a text message conversation between Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and one of the Engineers, the beings who seeded life on our planet. The exchange points out some of the major inconsistencies with the story, but I found it pretty humorous.

Spoilers obviously follow, so only check out the texts if you've seen the film.

As I said, it's pretty funny. And, it hits the nail on the head for more than one of the major plot holes of the film. Still, I enjoyed the Prometheus experience; I just didn't love it as I had hoped.

If you are a fan of science fiction films or the Alien franchise, you owe it to yourself to see this film. I liked it enough to give it a 4 out of 5 despite the weak story. There's plenty of cool stuff in the film to make it worth the trip to the cineplex.

Let me know what you thought of Prometheus in the comments below or on Twitter!

Wreck-It Ralph Trailer

Disney has really nice looking animated film coming out later this year called Wreck-It Ralph. The film is about a video game character named Ralph who grows tired of being the bad guy and wants to find a new game and a new role. Disney has just released the first trailer for the film, and I'm totally buying it.

It has a very Pixar feel to it, no? The story seems a lot like Toy Story or Monster's Inc. Now, this is NOT a Pixar film, coming instead from the computer animation arm of Disney. Still, I hope that some of the Pixar magic rubs off on the characters and story.

I love the idea of a video game villain trying to change his destiny. It's packed with potential for a fun time. There are a ton of famous video game characters in that trailer, and it's going to be fun for the video game fans to find them all. Then, consider how much more of that sort of "Where's Waldo" fun we will get in the full movie. Good stuff! I think this movie should appeal to anyone who, like myself, has grown up with a steady diet of video games. The film hits November 2, 2012.

Do you have a favorite video game character you want to see in the 8-bit goodness of Wreck-It Ralph? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Own the Iron Throne

Do you like Game of Thrones? Of course you do. It's one of the best fantasy series in quite a long time, and it's gaining popularity every day. The books are rich, dense tomes filled with exotic locations, diverse and interesting characters, political intrigue, and enough magic/mysticism to keep things interesting.

There is also pretty good series on HBO that people seem to like (it's awesome!) and a role-playing video game that's tearing up the sales charts. So, it's a really good property with a lot of ways to enjoy the world that George R. R. Martin has crafted.

One of the iconic images from the series is the Iron Throne. The throne was forged by Aegon Targaryen from the swords of the men who surrendered the Seven Kingdoms to his rule. It's a massive structure that reminds everyone of the blood that was spilled to unite the kingdom, and it keeps the king honest with those ever-sharp blades.

HBO is offering a replica of the Iron Throne for your enjoyment. You are going to need a lot of space though. It's 7 feet tall, 6 feet deep, and 5 feet wide. You'll also need lots of money as one will set you back a cool $30,000 plus and extra $1,800 for shipping and handling.

The good news is that this one is made from fiberglass rather than actual swords. No need for a tetanus shot if you sit on this guy.

If you snap up of these babies for your game room, let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Special Prometheus IMAX poster

I'm loving the visuals of Prometheus. I am trying not to spoil the movie for myself, so I am actually avoiding many of the featurettes and marketing tidbits that have been released for the film, but everything I have seen so far has indicated that we are about to witness a top-notch science fiction horror film. It just has the look, you know?

One of the cool things from the trailer is the room with the giant face. I'm not sure what that's about, but it looks impressive.

The film will be released in IMAX theaters at 12:01 on June 8, and they have commissioned a special poster to be handed out to the first patrons at those showings. The poster is set in that room, and it does a nice job of conveying the mystery and adventure of the film.

I'll be there to get mine! Who knows, I might come back for more shows over the weekend. I may get enough of these posters to wallpaper my office and be the envy of everyone at school.

What do you think of this poster? Do you share my excitement for Prometheus? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Bad omens for The Amazing Spider-Man

Last week I caught Men in Black 3 at my local IMAX theater. That film was decent, but nothing that special.

However, before the movie, there was a six-minute preview of the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man. That preview was incredibly noteworthy and not really in a good way. Here are my impressions/warnings regarding that preview.

• Loud
• Dumb
• Seizure-inducing color pallet

I hate to sound like an old man, but man I hope they turn down the volume on this thing. It was nothing but pounding drums, blaring music, and every line was screamed directly into your eardrums. I know that it was just a preview and things like sound editing and sound mixing still have a long way to go, but they are not doing themselves any favors by cranking up the volume to 160 decibels.

The story appears dumb and awkward. The preview featured an exchange between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey that was almost unbearably awkward. I know that high school kids are developing social skills and asking a girl on a date can stress those skills to the max, but the scene shown was laughable. After a couple of minutes of silly posturing with Peter struggling to string words into actual sentences, I wanted Parker to simply club the girl in the head and drag her off to a cave. That would have at least been a direct approach to the situation, and it would have ended the dumb posturing the two were displaying. I hope the rest of the film surpasses this quality of dialog. It would be painful indeed if the rest of the film is that idiotic.

Finally, a word of warning. If you are prone to epileptic seizures, stay away from this movie! One of the major selling-points of this film is the first-person perspective of Spiderman flying around New York. These sequences look terrible! The colors are overly bright and they flash by too rapidly. I got a headache just from the few seconds I saw (though the pounding bass drum probably didn't help). I have a feeling that people prone to seizures are going to lose it during the movie. Even if you don't have a full-on seizure, I can't imagine that you're going to enjoy these sequences. It's painful to watch.

I was hoping that the preview might help settle my nerves about this movie, but I have to say, I'm not sold. A well-done action film could be awesome and justify the reboot for the franchise. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good for this one.

I suggest you lower your expectations for this one on July 4 weekend.

So, are you going to ignore my warnings and be at the midnight release of the film? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!

Movies of the Month: June 2012

The 2012 film year may have already dealt it’s biggest card with The Avengers, which came out in early May. That film is cruising its way into the number three spot on the list of highest grossing films of all time as we speak. It should surpass the domestic total of The Dark Knight, which currently is sitting at $533 million, in the coming weekend. It’s not clear if The Avengers has the muscle to crack the James Cameron stranglehold at the top of the charts. It has a long way to go to reach Titanic’s $658 million or Avatar’s $760 million. Still, settling down at #3 all-time is pretty snazzy. The Avengers has set a high bar for the rest of the summer films.

While few films in the rest of 2012 are likely to make The Avengers money, there are some great looking films coming out in the next few months that are certain to entertain.

The month of June contains a cool-looking reinterpretation of a beloved fairy tale, a live-action film from the creator of Family Guy, and a new Pixar film. It also contains my most-anticipated film of 2012, Ridley Scott’s revisit to the world of Alien.

Week of June 1, 2012

Snow White and the Huntsman

The plot: The Evil Queen orders the Huntsman to track down and kill the beautiful Snow White. Instead, the Huntsman sides with Snow White in a rebellion.

Who’s in it? Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

Ultimate Fate: This appears to be a telling of Snow White by way of Lord of the Rings. I like that idea. It looks grim and gritty and violent – which is to say, quite different from the 1937 Disney cartoon. The trailers have looked promising, and early reviews are great.

Piranha 3DD (limited release)

The plot: Those silly piranhas are up to no good again, this time chowing down on some kids at a water park. Oh my!

Who’s in it? Danielle Panabaker is the headliner so I guess she survives. David Hasselhoff as himself

Ultimate fate: It will be even dumber than the first one, but I think that’s the point. This movie wants to up the stupid factor to the highest degree possible, all in the name of creating mayhem with the fish. If fish-on-people violence, gratuitous nudity, ‘The Hoff”, and a complete lack of story are your thing, then this film is for you.

Where I’ll be this weekend: Even though I study marine biology, I hate wasting my time with stupid movies, so Piranha 3DD is out. I’ll be watching Snow White and the Huntsman for some epic fantasy battles and to bask in Charlize Theron’s beauty.

Week of June 8, 2012

Prometheus

The plot: Space explorers visit a mysterious planet to learn about the origins of life on Earth. Instead, they become embroiled in a fight with aliens to determine the fate of human civilization.

Who’s in it? Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron

Ultimate fate: This is my most anticipated film of 2012 by far. This film began as a prequel to Alien and was soon transformed by director Ridley Scott and company into something slightly different. As it sits now, the movie tells a unique origin story set on the Alien home world. The trailers have looked amazing (the IMAX trailer was my favorite part of watching Men in Black III, and I liked MIB3), and the artwork I’ve seen so far has been beautiful. This looks like a proper sci-fi film. Given the talent involved, I expect it to be a great experience.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

The plot: Our loveable zoo critters are trying – still – to make it back to New York City. This time they find themselves sidetracked in Europe. They join a traveling circus in a bid to find passage back home.

Who’s in it? The voices of Ben Stiller, Jada Pikett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer

Ultimate fate: The previous Madagascar films have been hot-and-cold affairs with some pieces that worked very well and other pieces that fell flat. I’ve enjoyed them, but I find them to be inconsistent family comedies. I hope that Madagascar 3 can even out that experience and be great throughout.

Where I’ll be this weekend: Prometheus, Prometheus, Prometheus! I’m trying hard to keep my expectations down for this film, but it looks so good.

Week of June 15, 2012

Rock of Ages

The plot: A young guy and gal on Sunset Strip in the glory days of the 1980s try to rock out.

Who’s in it? Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti

Ultimate fate: A musical set on the Sunset Strip of the 1980s? What? The Sunset Strip was ground zero for the hair metal explosion that defined the decade of the 80s. Turning that era into a glammed up Broadway musical is both inspired and laughable. The flashiness of the times seems to fit the mold for a musical, but watching a dance troupe prance around to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” is almost too absurd to be real.

That’s My Boy

The plot: A slacker dad tries to reconnect with the son he fathered while still a teenager on the eve of his son’s wedding.

Who’s in it? Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg

Ultimate fate: Adam Sandler has been making movies for a long time and has carved out a distinct comedy style for himself. You know what you’re getting in an Adam Sandler movie. It will be silly, absurd, a little gross and off color. It will also have a nice, happy conclusion. The inclusion of Andy Samberg is promising. He’s a fine actor and is capable of pulling off comedy as well as drama. This film looks more promising than Sandler’s last film, Jack and Jill.

Where I’ll be this weekend: Can I see Prometheus again? Neither of these new films do much for me.

Week of June 22, 2012

Brave

The plot: A young princess is determined to find her own path in life and sets off a chain of events that leads to chaos in her kingdom.

Who’s in it? The voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kelly Macdonald

Ultimate fate: This is the latest film from Pixar, which is about all you need to know. It’s going to be a great adventure set in the beautiful landscape of Olde Scotland. This film hasn’t had the buzz as previous Pixar films, but I think it’s just been overshadowed this summer by the juggernauts of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Take the family to this one and have fun!

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The plot: In a word: dumb. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t just a President of the United States of America. He also hunted vampires!

Who’s in it? Benjamin Walker has the thankless task of portraying our 16^th President.

Ultimate fate: Crash and burn. Do you remember the fad last year, or maybe a few years ago by now, where authors were re-imagining classic literature by injecting monsters? One of the most active “authors” on that front was Seth Graham-Smith who brought us “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” (inexplicably due in theaters next year). Well, not content to ruin literature, Graham-Smith decided to try monkeying with the movie industry as well. Some knucklehead studio head snapped up these film rights to a couple of his “novels” and dumped a bunch of money into the projects. That was a mistake big guy! Every time I’ve seen a trailer for this movie, I’ve heard snickering all over the theater. Director Timur Bekmambetov made a name for himself in the outrageous and cool Wanted and has tried to re-outrageous himself by taking on this film. The action looks insane and parts of the film could actually be entertaining. Too bad only eight people are going to bother watching it.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

The plot: When an asteroid threatens to wipe out Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife bolts. He makes a cross-country trip to find his high school main squeeze with his neighbor who decides to tag along.

Who’s in it? Steve Carell, Keira Knightly

Ultimate fate: This film is from the director of the sweet Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, so it has promise. Carell is at his best when playing the down-on-his-luck guy, and I love Knightly, so the cast looks good. I’m not sure why it’s releasing against Brave, but this is the sort of mid-budget film that does well with a long release and positive word-of-mouth. Best of luck to it!

Where I’ll be this weekend: It’s Pixar all the way! It may not have the hype of previous Pixar films, but Brave looks good to me, and I trust the Pixar brand.

Week of June 29, 2012

Magic Mike

The plot: Male strippers on a rampage.

Who’s in it? Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, Matthew McConaughey

Ultimate fate: I know I had some of you at ‘male stripper’. It’s pretty wild to think that a film whose plotline is basically ‘experienced stripper teaches young stripper’ is getting a wide release. Especially when that film stars one of 2012’s breakout stars in Channing Tatum. I guess Tatum actually was a male stripper at one point, which explains how he broke out in the dance film Step Up (fly moves, yo!). I’m perplexed about how/why this film got made, but I’m guessing the ladies will appreciate.

Madea’s Witness Protection

The plot: A Wall Street banker accused of a Ponzi scheme hides out with good ol’ Aunt Madea

Who’s in it? Tyler Perry

Ultimate fate: It’s been all of six months, so naturally it’s time for another Tyler Perry film. This guy cranks out movies at an astonishing pace. I’ve never watched one, but the sheer volume of Perry films out there will ensure that I’ll see one eventually. There is a dedicated audience for his films, and there doesn’t seem to be much slowing him down. I think at some point we’ll see Tyler Perry saturation, but for now that train keeps rolling on.

Ted

The plot: A man finally decides to grow up and leave behind his teddy bear. Of course, his teddy bear is a foul-mouthed animated bear who isn’t interested in breaking up the relationship with his good friend.

Who’s in it? Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and the voice of Seth MacFarlane

Ultimate fate: Seth MacFarlane is bringing us a live-action comedy about a slacker guy and a pot-smoking teddy bear. Somehow that sounds about right. MacFarlane is a funny writer, and his Family Guy show remains ever popular. Now we get to see if he can get away from the short, funny, pop-culture references and carry a full-length film. I love Wahlberg and think he has some good acting chops. I’m optimistic that this will be a fun comedy, but I’m a little worried that the gimmick might run thin by the end of the film.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (limited release)

The plot: Bizzare. A little girl down in the Louisiana delta goes in search of her mother when her father’s health fades. There also are some weird prehistoric creatures called aurochs that are running around.

Who’s in it? Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry

Ultimate fate: This movie is notable because it’s been getting rave reviews for its originality and beauty. It’s been on a tear through the festival circuit and won several awards, most recently at Sundance. It’s a fantasy film that apparently captures the imagination and wonder of a six-year-old girl and uses the backdrop of the Mississippi River to wonderful effect. Think Where the Wild Things Are, and you’ll have an idea about what to expect.

Where I’ll be this weekend: It might be worth checking out Ted this weekend. I’m curious to see if MacFarlane can pull off the feature film comedy bit. If Beasts of the Southern Wild comes near me, I’ll see that, but I suspect this film will have a very limited release.

Movie of the Month: As if I have to say it, Prometheus. I’m ready for a proper sci-fi/horror film from one of the greatest directors of our time. I’ll be at the IMAX screening at midnight. I might have to see it a couple of times in theaters before all is said and done. If you’re not down for an R-rated sci-fi/horror flick, then Brave should be pretty amazing too. 

Which of these films sound most appealing to you? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!