2009 Summer Movie List

It feels pretty good to be writing my 3rd Annual Summer Movie List.

I don’t usually follow through on these recurring hobbies that I pick up for myself.  Just look at cryptid corner.  Poor Bigfoot.

As always, I probably won’t get to all of these movies but these are the ones that are on my radar.

I had to get started a little early this year, because Watchmen decided to come out in March.  I think that makes it decidedly not a summer movie, but I feel like it’s a summer movie in spirit.

So let’s get to it…

Watchmen (March 6)  — Review —

I’ve never read the comic book, but I hear it’s one of the defining titles of the entire medium.  I’m not really sure what to expect but at this point I’ll watch pretty much any movie about guys in Spandex.  Wait… that came out wrong.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1) — Review —

I loved the X-Men movies when they came out, but in retrospect they weren’t really as good as I thought at the time.  I don’t really have high hopes for this movie, but not watching it would be a betrayal of geeks everywhere.

Star Trek (May 8) — Review —

This is where my money is.  Star Trek is one of my all time favorite franchises, but it’s been stale for a while now.  Though I was never as big of a TOS fan, I’m really excited to see what a re-imagining of the universe will bring.

Angels and Demons (May 15) — Skipped —

This one is on my list because, like Harry Potter, everyone will be watching it.  I wasn’t thrilled by the first one, and I don’t really expect to like this one.  This whole franchise is one step up from National Treasure.  And that’s not a compliment.

Terminator Salvation (May 22) — Skipped —

Bale antics aside, this movie looks to be one of the more interesting entries into the Terminator franchise.  Bale doesn’t know how to fail and he’s coming off of a Dark Knight high, so I can’t imagine this being bad.  Okay… there was Reign of Fire; so he can fail.

Land of the Lost (June 5) — Skipped —

There always seems to be a comedy right around this time of the summer.  For the past two years, this spot has been held by Steve Carrell, but Will Ferrell is throwing is hat into the ring this year.  I vaguely remember watching the TV show as a child, so this could be fun.

The Proposal (June 12) — Review —

So this is a prototypical ‘chick flick’ but it has Ryan Reynolds!  The guy is always funny and his ‘Definitely, Maybe’ was a gem of a movie.  I haven’t seen Sandra Bullock do much comedy lately, but hopefully she’s up to the challenge.  I am a bit wary of the age difference here, though.

The Year One (June 19) — Skipped —

The Apatow comedies are pretty hit and miss for me, but I’m encouraged that Harold Ramis is behind the camera on this one.  I don’t know about Jack Black teaming up with Michael Cera.  I’m not sure the scrawny kid can keep up with the antics of Jack.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26) — Review —

The Autobots are back, baby!  The first Transformers was a spectacle that only Michael Bay could design, and I’m looking forward to seeing his second incarnation.  I’ve also been without ‘The Beef’ for some months now and I await his triumphant return.

Public Enemies (July 3) — Review —

This one has the potential to be interesting.  I’m not really a fan of the time period or genre, but Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are bound to make a heck of an on-screen team.  Whether or not I see this will strongly depend on its reviews.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 17) — Review —

Oh Harry Potter.  How I loathe thee.  I’ve seen every movie thus far, and I’ve yet to love any of them.  I doubt this one will be as good as the best in the series (Goblet of Fire), but it’s always fun to debate the merits of these movies with the friends.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (August 7) — Review —

And the summer ends with a little bit of Joe.  The teaser posters for this movie are totally awesome, but I’m not sure how well that’s going to translate to the big screen.  It has the potential to be a superhero style extravaganza, but it could also be a huge flop.

And that’s the 2009 movie list.  It’s relatively short this year, so I think I should get through most of them.  Any movies on your radar that I’ve left off?