2009 SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE

With the weather in the fritz, I myself endured a freak hail/snow storm this past week, the clichéd summer activities are at an abnormal standstill. However, our most tried-and-true pastime is still dependable, the summer movie.

If you have not already started checking movies off your “To See” list or if you have yet to create one, well, I am here to help you. Take a peak below at the movies set to release this summer.

JUNE 5th
Land of the Lost – See Will Ferrell in an alternate universe where dinosaurs rule again
Away We Go (limited release) - Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski trek across the U.S. in search of the perfect place to raise their first child.
The Hangover – Bachelor Party in Vegas = alcohol, a tiger, Mike Tyson and a baby [See Mrs. Robinson, You’re Trying to Seduce Me’s movie review)
My Life in Ruins – My Big Fat Greek Wedding in Greece

JUNE 12th
The Taking of Pelham 123 – Villain, John Travolta hijacks train. Hero, Denzel Washington attempts to save the day.
Imagine That – Eddie Murphy looks to his daughter’s imaginary friends for financial advice

JUNE 19th
Year One – Comedians Jack Black and Michael Cera go primitive, cave man primitive.
The Proposal – Love at the office and sexual harassment meet Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds

JUNE 24th
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Robot aliens from space, hot bodies from Earth (Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox), and explosions

JUNE 26th
My Sister's Keeper - Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) was born to save her sister’s life
Chéri - Michelle Pfeiffer is a Parisian cougar in the 1920s Paris

JULY 1st
Public Enemies - Christian Bale is a Top FBI agent and Johnny Depp is a notorious gangster.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – Same old friends (Sid, Manny, Ellie and Diego) in a new adventure minus the ice.

JULY 10th
Brüno – a flamboyant version of Borat (Sasha Baron Cohen), only this time he is an Austrian fashion reporter
I Love You, Beth Cooper – Love the cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) and get best night of your geeky life.

JULY 15th
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – The boy-who-lived delves deeper into the past of He-who-must-not-be-named and befriends the unknown Half-Blood Prince. (Bias Opinion Alert: Your jaw will drop in the end, and you will grasp at the edge of your seat.)

JULY 17th
(500) Days of Summer (limited release) – An offbeat, indie summer romance between a romantic and a non-believer.

JULY 24th
G-Force – Talking guinea pigs with attitudes and a license to kick a$$
Orphan (limited release) – A couple picks the wrong little girl to adopt. Her arrival is plagued with strange events.
The Ugly Truth - Gerard Butler helps Katherine Heigl with her love life, but will they fall for each other during the coaching?

JULY 31st
Funny People - Adam Sandler is a dying comedian, and Seth Rogen plays his protégé
Aliens in the Attic - Can the Pearson kids save the family from an alien invasion?

AUGUST 7th
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity vs. Cobra
Julie & Julia - Secretary Julie Powell attempts to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking

AUGUST 14th
District 9 – Aliens are refugees in South Africa.
Bandslam - Vanessa Hudgens adapts her H.S. Musical pipes for a H.S. battle of the bands competition
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard – The Piv (Jeremy Piven) goes from selling actors in Entourage to selling cars in this summer comedy

AUGUST 21st
Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino brings us Jewish-American soldiers who scalp and brutally kill Nazis
Post Grad – A recent college grad (Alexis Bledel) can't land a good job, because the economy is crap. The punishment, she moves back in with her oddball family. (Bias Opinion Alert: This is my current situation. How quick Hollywood makes a movie out of it haha)

AUGUST 28th
H2: Halloween 2 – A gruesome and modern remake of the classic horror flick
The Final Destination – The fourth installment in the series, and this time it’s in 3D. (Note: Each Final Destination movie is released three years a part)

2009 SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE

IN REMEMBRANCE: Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)

Mrs. Robinson, You’re Trying to Seduce Me celebrates Michael Jackson’s contributions to the entertainment world. He changed the face of music, and was an innovative artist. He found a way to blend the allure of movies with the sounds of music. And I am not referencing musicals.

In fact, I am talking about Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking music videos. He took them to a whole new level. “Thriller” (1983), “Bad” (1987), “Smooth Criminal/Moonwalker” (1988), and “Ghosts” (1997) burst onto the television screen and awed audiences. It was nothing they ever saw before, and surely something they would never forget.

"I'm alive and I'm here forever" - Michael Jackson

RIP

Michael Jackson

1958 - 2009

IN REMEMBRANCE: Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)

RETAKE: Nicolas Cage’s Career

I recently watched the commercial for the dvd release of Nicolas Cage’s movie “Knowing” (2009), and it made me start to think about his career. Cage has gone forgotten for some time now. His movies are not big blockbusters anymore. He is not appearing in magazine and tabloid celebrity sightseeings, in photoshoots or for any endorsement deals. When was the last time he had a major hit or was even a part of a “good” movie?

It seems, many of Cage’s movies are mediocre, not deserving of much praise or accolades. He is just riding on the steam of his “National Treasure” movies lately. Surely, we can all admit that his performance in the remake of “The Wicker Man” (2006) was abysmal. I think we are all just waiting for Nicolas Cage to rise up again, and to stick with action/adventure movies (it suits him).


What’s your opinion on Nicolas Cage? Am I alone with his retake?

RETAKE: Nicolas Cage’s Career