Summer Movie Preview - June

So summer movies are off to a great start with Iron Man, and the decent Narnia. My roommate liked Speed Racer even if it is not doing too well. Indiana Jones should keep things going strong this week. Thats good because from what I can tell June is going to be a bit slower.

Kung Fu Panda June 6

This is Dreamworks latest Pixar wannabe. I'd like to see one of these actually beat out the Pixar movie of the year (not too likely). I think I heard that this actually is getting decent reviews out of the Cannes festival. It has Jack Black and so far I have liked everything that I have seen him in. Still this one is for the kiddies.

The Incredible Hulk June 13

For some reason Hollywood has a really hard time making a good Hulk movie. They tried it a few years back with Ang Lee and it didn't really work. This is puzzling to me because I would think that of all superheroes, the Hulk would be really easy to do. You basically need 2 things: a simple story (nice guy scientist that turns into a big green monster when he is mad and he smashes anything around him and people either want to stop him or use him) and good special effects (you gotta make the Hulk look cool and real). Now I think the first Hulk movie had a great cast and I think it had great special effects (the scenes with the Hulk were pretty good and I think they still hold up pretty well, shame he was only in less than a third of the movie), but it had this really dragged out, slow, psycho-complicated story. This new one looks like it might be the opposite. It has what looks like a real simple story (even a real villain this time), but I think the special effects are worse. I don't like the way the Hulk looks. I am also not wild about the cast (mostly just Edward Norton, who is a good actor and all, but I liked Eric Bana more, oh and Jennifer Connelly more than Liv Tyler and Sam Elliot more than William Hurt). I do like that they are trying to put in some of the feel from the old Hulk TV show into this one. If only they could somehow fuse the strengths from both of these into one movie. Then we would maybe finally have a good Hulk movie. Also a good Hulk movie should probably be one and done. Not something that lends itself to a trilogy. If this does well enough you better believe that we will have another Marvel trilogy on our hands. As a bonus Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark aka Iron Man is suppose to have a cameo in this to pave the way to some sort of Iron Man/Hulk face off or team up. At this point I fully expect to see everything that Marvel has ever printed on a page become a movie sooner or later.

Wall-E June 27

And here is our annual Pixar installment. About a lovable robot that talks with a cute little robot accent (which will probably be funny throughout the whole movie and never become tiresome) and he falls in love with another robot. I wonder if this will deal with characters feeling out of place or not quite fitting in at all, but ultimately finding their place in the world. Sort of like Rata-whatever, the Incredibles, Cars, Bug's Life, or Toy Story. Maybe that is too general of theme and could really be applied to all movies, but it definitely describes almost every Pixar movie to date. I am impressed with the improvements that Pixar is making in 3D animation, but I miss the 2D Disney animation days. This is one that I would rather wait and watch with my kids, but it is entirely possible that I could get roped into seeing this with a group of friends.

So there you have it. In my May preview I had 2 "Definitely plan on seeing" movies. I don't have a single one here in June. In fact I have only 1 "Likely will see" and that is contingent on my being around someone else that wants to see it.

Definitely plan on seeing
None

Likely will see
The Incredible Hulk (I guess I am a sucker for the comic book movies)

Don't really care, but could enjoy
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Also coming out, but not mentioned here
-You Don't Mess with the Zohan (Do you like Adam Sandler movies? Wait maybe I should ask do you like any recent Adam Sandler movies? Cause this falls into the later. It has strong potential for not only insensitive humor, but crude humor too. At least Rob Schneider is in it to class it up).
-M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN presents The Happening (written by M. NIGHT SHYAMANANAALMA, produced by M. NIGHT SHYAMALAANAMALLAMA, and directed by M. NIGHT SHYAMAMAM-whatever. You know he made that Sixth Sense movie. That was good right? Too bad he made other stuff too. This is going to be R so I won't have to even wonder if I will see it).
-Get Smart (Remake of the old TV show which I think I liked. It has that Steve Carrel in it. I actually find his awkward humor hard to watch and unfunny. I know the awkwardness is intentionally, but I don't like it much).
-The Love Guru (Take everything I wrote about the Adam Sandler movie and place it here except insert Mike Myers' name in place of Adam Sandler and Mini Me in place of Rob Schneider's).

Next up July which I think will almost certainly be better than June.