August looks to close out summer with several really nice
looking films spread across multiple genres. There is no single film set to
dominate the month as The Dark Knight did
in July. Rather, there are action, comedy, animated, horror, and kids films on
deck that should provide entertainment all month long. It’s a solid month of
cinema ahead.
Here is a preview of the major film releases of August 2012
with a couple of limited release films to keep an eye on.
Week of August 3, 2012
Total Recall
The Plot: Douglas Quaid is a man bored with life who visits
Recall, a company that specializes in creating artificial memories for its
clients. Something goes wrong (or does it?) and poor Doug finds himself
embroiled in a massive conspiracy without the ability to determine if the
events are real or imagined.
Who’s in it? Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston,
Jessica Biel
Ultimate Fate: Some might call this a pointless remake of the
film Arnold Schwarzenegger made famous back in 1990. Surprisingly, I’m okay with
it. I was a little annoyed when it was first announced, but they’ve changed the
setting from Mars to Earth, spruced up the effects and action, cast hot actors
and actresses in the major roles, maintained crucial story elements, and added
a few things here and there. It actually feels like an honest attempt at a
remake, which I can buy into. Not sure that it will be very good, but I’m okay
with the attempt.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
The Plot: School is out for the summer, and Greg, Rowley,
Rodrick and the other kids must find some way to keep themselves entertained.
Who’s in it? The stars from the previous two movies.
Ultimate Fate: Did you know that this is the third film in
this franchise? They’ve been cranking out one a year since 2010, which is the pace they need to maintain with a successful kid-based franchise. The film stars and
audience are growing up rapidly, so they need to churn ‘em out while they can. The first two films did respectable business at the box office pulling in $65
and $53 million respectively. I have no idea if these films are any good, but
they seem to have an audience somewhere. Grab your nearest ten-year-old kid and
ask them about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid
franchise if you want to know more.
Where I’ll be this weekend: I loved the Arnold version of the
film, and I’m curious about the new take on Total
Recall. I don’t expect to love it, but maybe they do a few new and fun
things with the premise to keep it entertaining.
Week of August 10, 2012
The Bourne Legacy
The Plot: Jason Bourne wasn’t the only super spy the United
States trained. The fourth entry to the Bourne franchise sees a new spy take
over the lead as an asset the government wants to eliminate.
Who’s in it? Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
Ultimate Fate: When I first heard that Matt Damon and Paul
Greengrass, the star and director, respectively, of the previous three Bourne
films would not be returning for the fourth installment, I was a little
skeptical that things would work. Those two guys have been major factors in the
success of the franchise, and losing them could be a significant blow. As
production on the new film progressed, however, it was good news after good
news. Jeremy Renner, who we saw as Hawkeye in The Avengers is rather awesome, replaces Damon in the disavowed
superspy role. New director Tony Gilroy was a writer on all three previous
films, and many of the ancillary characters are back reprising their roles,
which will add to the sense of continuity. That’s all good. Then came the
trailers, which suggest this film is a high-octane, action-packed spy thriller
with the same look and feel as the other entries in the franchise. Okay. I’m
sold. It looks like they may have pulled a James Bond move here by swapping
leads but keeping the roots of the franchise intact.
The Campaign
The plot: Two candidates for congress in North Carolina
bumble their way through the election process. To clarify - it’s a comedy, not
a documentary.
Who’s in it? Will Farrell, Zach Galifianakis
Ultimate Fate: Here we have two of Hollywood’s biggest
funnymen in a topical election-year comedy that might actually be funny. This
film is a completely silly and over-the-top comedy that is using politics as a
backdrop for zany fun. The more I think about it, the more I think this might
be the perfect timing for a comedy about an election. We all know that an
election is coming up later this year, but early August is too early in the
process for us to be fed up over attack ads and partisan posturing. We aren’t
too burned out for the concept to be funny. Contrast this film with Oliver
Stone’s W., which came out in
mid-October 2008 and was a “spoof” of a biography of outgoing President George
W. Bush. That film was clearly a shot at the Republican Party and was meant to
carry a political message. The basic gist was - the Republican Party are a
bunch of idiots for backing this moron; don’t follow their stupid ways again.
Heavily political, and not that funny. The
Campaign looks to avoid such heavy-handed political posturing and also
looks fun.
Hope Springs
The Plot: A married couple seek counseling from a therapist
in Maine to help revive the spark in their marriage.
Who’s in it? Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, Steve Carell
Ultimate Fate: All relationships go through rough patches
from time to time, and sometimes help is needed to liven things up again. Or so
I’m told. All of my relationships seem to blow up quickly and violently, and
there’s usually nothing left to liven up. Anyway… this film tries to find the
funny side of revitalizing a relationship. With the excellent Streep, Jones,
and Carell in the leads, this could be a really fun and sweet film. Expect it
to play for the older crowds, and expect it to play well.
Red Hook Summer
The Plot: A kid from suburban Atlanta spends an eye-opening
summer with his deeply religious grandfather in the projects of Red Hook,
Brooklyn, New York.
Who’s in it? I don’t know the actors, but the director is
Spike Lee.
Ultimate Fate: It’s been a while since a Spike Lee Joint was
in theaters. His last directorial feature was 2008’s Miracle at St. Anna, which was… not his best effort. Lee knows how
to craft intimate, deeply personal films, though sometimes he can be a little
heavy handed. This film is set in his backyard of Brooklyn, a familiar place
that will allow him to focus on telling a unique story. I can’t wait to see how
he portrays the struggles of a middle-class and not-particularly-religious
youth who is thrust into a bible thumping church in the projects. Talk about
having your worldview altered.
Where I’ll be this weekend: There are a couple of good
options this week, but I’ll be geared up for The Bourne Legacy. I can’t wait to see the new direction of the
franchise. I’ll keep an eye out for Red
Hook Summer too, but I doubt it makes it to my corner of the world anytime
soon.
Week of August 17, 2012
The Expendables 2
The Plot: Blowing up more stuff than the first film! If you
want to get technical, it’s about a gang of mercenaries trying to stop the sale
of nuclear weapons. But, really, this film is nothing but an excuse for the use
of extreme pyrotechnics.
Who’s in it? Testosterone! Sylvester Stallone, Jason
Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth,
Randy Couture, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and last but not least,
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Ultimate Fate: Awesome! The first Expendables came out of nowhere in 2010 to provide an action-packed
bro-fest of gunfights, fistfights, car chases, explosions, bulging biceps, and
all manner of manly manliness. It brought together a crazy awesome collection
of 80s action stars under one roof and put them to task in a film weak on story
but strong on action. It was great. How do you follow up such an insane film? As the poster says, by going bigger and badder. They brought in more 80s stars and upped the action. Yeah. I’m
excited for this one.
ParaNorman
The plot: Norman can see dead people. In fact, some of his
best friends are dead people. When an ancient curse threatens to destroy his
town, Norman must face off against a terrifying collection of undead creatures.
Who’s in it? The voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick,
and others
Ultimate Fate: This is a stop-motion film with a unique and
interesting visual style. It also tackles a subject matter that might be too
scary for its intended audience. Some of the creature designs and set pieces
from the trailers have looked pretty scary for younger members of the audience.
I hope that the uniqueness of the film isn’t overwhelmed by the frights. Those
who enjoyed The Nightmare Before
Christmas or Corpse Bride should
be interested.
Sparkle
The Plot: Three sisters form a Motown group in the 1960s and
must learn to deal with the fallout of fame.
Who’s in it? Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Carmen Ejogo
Ultimate Fate: The ladies of Motown certainly could belt out
some tunes. This film is most noticeable because it was supposed to be part of
Whitney Houston’s return to the spotlight. Instead, I think this will now be
her last role in a film. It’s a musical, so there’s that.
Where I’ll be this weekend: As a lifelong Whitney Houston fan,
I’m super duper exited for Sparkle.
Yeah right. If you have to ask where I’ll be this weekend, then clearly you
don’t know how manly I am. Expendables 2 for
the ‘splosions.
Week of August 24, 2012
Premium Rush
The Plot: A bike messenger is chased through New York City
by an assorted collection of bad guys over a package he was given to deliver.
Who’s in it? Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon
Ultimate Fate: Think The
Transporter on bicycles with less martial arts. That’s not necessarily a
bad thing, but it will take a lot to duplicate the intensity of a great Statham
actioner without crazy fights. Maybe fist- and gunfights are in Premium Rush, but as much as I love JGL,
I don’t buy him kung-fuing bad guys all over the place. Still, writer/director
David Koepp is pretty good, and the cast seems pretty good too. Maybe they can put
us on the edge of our seats with a crazy romp through the city. The life of a
bike messenger does seem intense.
The Apparition
The Plot: A group of ghost hunters accidentally awaken an
actual ghost who then haunts/kills them. Oops.
Who’s in it? Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, Tom Felton, Julianna Guill
Ultimate Fate: Well, Halloween is right around the corner, so I guess it’s time for some scary
flicks to hit theaters. I’m sure I’ll be rooting for the ghost in this one. If
the humans were dumb enough to awaken a ghost and attract its attention, then
they get whatever they get. It’s also a found footage film, so I’ll be annoyed
by shaky-cam and wanting to see someone other than me suffer.
Where I’ll be this weekend: I will see anything involving
JGL, so I’ll be at Premium Rush with
fingers crossed that it’s actually exciting.
Week of August 31, 2012
The Possession
The Plot: A little girl opens a magic box that unleashes a
malevolent spirit who possesses her.
Who’s in it? Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra
Sedgwick
Ultimate Fate: This is a horror film based heavily in Jewish
lore. I don’t know if that’s significant, but there seems to be a lot of crazy
cool stuff going on in the trailers that I don’t quite understand. It’s time the Catholics
stood aside and let a different religion tell a horror story for once. The film
itself looks derivative of many other horror films, but maybe it will be
different enough to entertain.
Where I’ll be this weekend: Wait. Only one wide release this
weekend? Another film, Lawless, which
has a lot of big stars and would have been a big draw for the weekend got
pushed back to the spring. Either watch a horror film or catch up on some of
the other releases of the month.
Movie of the Month: If you only see one film this month, make
it The Bourne Legacy. It will offer
all the action and thrills you can handle. As much as I would like to trumpet The Expendables 2 this month, that one
will only play to the guys. The Bourne Legacy
will be the whole package.
Are you psyched for The
Bourne Legacy or are you going all-out with The Expendables 2? Or does something else catch your eye this month? Let me
know in the comments below or on Twitter!
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