With Clash of the Titans coming out the first weekend of April, the summer is getting started early this year.  It seems the whole affair has shifted up, with no movies of note slated for August.

Although this summer is more filled out than last, there are a lot of untested movies on the horizon.  It could be a great summer, or it could be a disappointment.  With 19 movies in my list, I’m sure to miss some.  Let’s hope I watch the right ones.

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How To Train Your Dragon (March 26) — Review —

The Dreamworks animated films are hit or miss for me.  The thing that has my interest for this one, though, is dragons and Vikings.  Okay, so dragons get a lot of airtime already but Vikings?  More Vikings movies please.

Clash of the Titans (April 2) — Review —

I remember watching the original when I was a kid and being absolutely enthralled.  The special effects were cheesy by today’s standards, but they were the cream of the crop back in the day.  I think this movie will likely ruin my memories more than enhance them, but I can’t ignore the draw of the titans.

Date Night (April 9)

The obligatory comedy comes out about this time every year.  It always stars either Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, or Will Ferrell.  This one nets us two of the three.  Comedies have a much lower barrier of entry than other genres, so I expect this one won’t be a waste of time.

Kick-Ass (April 16)

To be honest, I don’t know anything about the origins of this film.  The trailers look funny and it’s related to superheroes.  Does one really need any other reason to watch a movie?

A Nightmare on Elm Street (April 30)

I watched these movies starting from a very early age; probably earlier than reasonable.  But I turned out fine, and Freddy Krueger has remained one of my favorite movie villains of all time.  I can’t imagine a better replacement for Freddy than Rorshach, so I’m excited to see how this turns out.

Iron Man 2 (May 7)

This movie is what makes the summer.  If I see nothing else, I will definitely see this.  The trailers make this one look even more epic than the first, and superhero movies tend to do well with their second outings.  I can’t imagine not liking this movie.

Robin Hood (May 14)

I hate Russell Crowe.  He used to be cool back in the Gladiator days but now he’s just a glory hog.  Nonetheless, it’s Robin Hood.  Crowe can’t be any worse than Costner in the green tunic can he?

Shrek Forever After (May 21)

The Shrek movies are played out and I really don’t have high hopes for this one.  The 3rd one was really a disappointment, and I question whether there’s any story left to tell in this universe.  I may end up skipping this one for MacGruber, which is all the indication you need of how I feel about Shrek.

MacGruber (May 21)

This movie should really suck.  Everything about it is a horrible idea.  Although they are some of the funnier SNL skits of recent years, that’s like saying that cow dung tastes better than horse dung.  But it may be the deck stacked against it that will make it work; it certainly wouldn’t be the first SNL movie to pull off the unthinkable.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (May 28)

I’m not sure I like Gyllenhaal for this role, but I loved the games.  My biggest worry for this film is that it will end up being too actiony with very little character development, leaving it feeling like a rip-off of the Mummy movies.  I guess only time will tell.  Get it?

Splice (June 4)

I know almost nothing about this movie except the premise.  Scientists start splicing the DNA of humans and animals together.  Where it goes from there I’m not sure, but animal people are awesome.

The A-Team (June 11)

I used to have a Mr. T action figure from the A-Team.  I loved that action figure.  I’m excited about this one because I really think they’ve got the cast to make it work.  The fact that my childhood memory has faded should only help me forgive any flaws this movie has.

The Karate Kid (June 11)

I’m putting this on the list, but I think there’s a high probability I won’t actually watch it in theaters.  Although I loved the first few, I’m a lot older now.  Not only that, but the karate kid is much younger.  I think it might be great for the younger folk, but maybe a little childish for the grownups.

Toy Story 3 (June 18)

This is one of those franchises that I never got.  Other than a few chuckles here and there, I don’t understand why people love it so much.  It did usher in this style of animated film, though, and for that it deserves some credit.  It will be interesting to see the comparison between this, Shrek, and Dragon.

Jonah Hex (June 18)

I don’t know much about this movie except that it’s based on a comic book with zombies and it features Megan Fox in a Corset.  Is it necessary to know more about it, really?

The Last Airbender (July 2)

I have liked every Shymalan film at least on some level.  His worst was undeniably The Happening, but even that had its charms.  This man is just good at creating a mood with his camera work.  The source material is lost on me, but I’m hoping this ends up being a fun movie.

Predators (July 9)

I’ll probably be movied out by the time this hits theaters, so it’s likely to get a skip.  The first Predator movie is a classic, but one of those movies that is much better in retrospect than reality.  I imagine this one will be much the same, but at least we have cool special effects this time around.

Inception (July 16)

Dream invasion.  That’s the premise of this Christopher Nolan movie.  The details are few and far between, but between Prestige and the recent Batman movies, I’ll give Nolan a freebie here.  I trust that he’ll give me a great movie, even if he doesn’t have Christian Bale.

Salt (July 23)

Angelina Jolie is really the only female action hero we have.  That’s a shame, really, but at least it means that she fills a niche.  This one sees Jolie being accused of being a Russian spy, even though she has no knowledge of that herself.  Is she the bad guy?  Can’t wait to find out.

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And that’s it.  The top 19 movies I’m looking forward to watching this Summer of 2010.  If I watch them all, I’ll deserve a medal and probably a loan to pay off my credit card bill.

So how long does one have to go between posts before a blog should just be retired as a failure?  This blog has to be coming close to that limit.

Here are some quick movie reviews of my holiday movie experience.  I wanted to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks Squeakquel but the wife was resistant.

AVATAR

We watched it in 3D and it was the best 3D I’ve ever seen.  It didn’t throw a lot of gimmicks at you and instead used the 3D effectively to bring the CG worlds to life.  It added a lot of depth and life to a world which may have otherwise looked too unreal.

It’s a far better blend of live-action/CG than anyone else has managed; yes even Jar Jar Binks.  The story was pretty derivative, but done in a clever enough way that you won’t mind until you look at the movie in retrospect.  I’ve read predictions of it receiving an Oscar Nomination, but it only deserves it for technical achievement in my opinion.

Verdict: B Tilt: A-

SHERLOCK HOLMES

This movie is an odd beast.  It’s not quite sure what kind of movie it is, and if it weren’t for the saving graces of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law that flaw may have been this movie’s downfall.

The story is good, and though many feared that Holmes would become more superhero than super sleuth, there is nothing to fear.  The movie does a good job of painting Holmes as the genius that he is.  His character as portrayed in this film feels very Jack Sparrowesque.  Holmes is eccentric and almost crazy, but at the same time capable of solving crimes.

If Holmes hadn’t been around long before the two, I’d say this movie can best be described as a cross between Monk and Pirates of the Caribbean.  Strange, but true.

The bromance between Watson and Holmes is superb, and I don’t think I’ve ever liked Jude Law this much in a role.  The real takeaway from this film is the many movies yet to come. Let’s hope they leave Rachel McAdams out next time.

Verdict: B Tilt: A

If you would have told me back in May that I would be sitting in August reviewing one of the best movies of the summer I would have told you that you were crazy.  The beginning of summer 2009 had the goods, but the end of the summer was destined for suckitude.

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra was merely a way to sell action figures stuck haphazardly in the middle of August.  It wasn’t supposed to be good.  It was supposed to be mediocre at best.

The trailers all but confirmed GI Joe’s inevitable failure.  The colorful characters of our past were crammed into ‘acceleration’ suits and made to look like poorly done CGI monkeys.  There was absolutely no redeeming qualities about the trailers.

The only hint of greatness that ever came out of the Joe movie were the early stills of the characters.  At least they got actors that looked the part…

But I’m here to tell you that GI Joe is easily the second best action flick of the summer, and (unless you love Potter) the second best movie overall.  GI Joe puts Wolverine and Transformers to shame.  Something tells me Hasbro is ok with that.

What GI Joe understands is that its entire premise is a little bit silly.  Though audiences may be inclined to believe in elite agencies protecting the world, when you start talking about Cobra Commanders and lasers then it gets a little hokey.

But hokey works for this movie.  It knows what it is and its intention is to keep you engaged too fully to think about the silliness.  It takes James Bond and crosses it with [the original] Transformers and gives the audience a little something special.

Perhaps what Joe has going for it more than anything else is an extremely charismatic cast.  Though none of them are likely to win Oscars (for this or any other performance), they are a ragtag bunch of heroes that you can get behind.

Channing Tatum is awesome as Duke, and provides the audience’s perspective taking in this elite organization with super hard core members and silent ninja commandos.  With help from Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, the audience is able to marvel at Joe headquarters with our protagonists.

(As an aside, I generally despise any of the Wayans brothers, but Marlon delivers a straight-edged comedic role without getting too ridiculous in this movie.  He’s suprisingly likable.)

Near the beginning of the movie a fight scene erupts (they rarely stop throughout the film), and Snake Eyes jumps out of a plane to exact justice on a number of Cobra bad guys.  That’s the moment that Joe gets its legs and after that it never stops running.  There is just too much cool to go around.

I was impressed with how well the movie manages to give every character enough time to make them feel meaningful.  Though not all get a well-developed backstory, every character feels like they belong and should be rooted for (or reviled).

Sienna Miller as Baroness is a delight.  One of the more memorable characters from the cartoons, she really shines on screen as both an action hero and a female antagonist.  Though I don’t remember a lot about the original storylines, Baroness has a backstory with Duke here which makes the plot seem all the more relevant.

Without going into detail about the awesomeness of each character, special shout outs are in order for Christopher Eccleston as Destro, and Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow.  Both bring awesome depth to their well-known characters.  And the always riveting Ray Park does his usual awesome job bringing Snake Eyes to life.

The stupid ‘accelerator’ suits from the trailers aren’t nearly as stupid as they appeared.  In fact, their inclusion in the film opens up one of the most inventive car chase scenes that I’ve seen for some number of years.  This romp through Paris including Storm Shadow, Baroness, Snake Eyes, Duke, Ripcord, and Scarlett is a perfect example of how the script leaves no character behind.

Sure the movie is filled with ridiculous technobabble and impossible gear, but that’s what made the old GI Joe so much fun.  I actually had an action figure named ‘Croc Master’ complete with whip and pet crocodile.  GI Joe is not supposed to be grounded in modern day military reality.

If I were to give advice on what movie to expect going into the theaters I would say to expect something along the lines of the original Transformers movie.

Though this movie has a better developed cast of characters and less shaky cam, it is essentially the same mentality.  Pure action-packed adrenaline is the only way to turn a toyline into a real movie, and it looks like Hasbro has struck gold yet again.

Verdict: B- Tilt: A

Believe it or not, I’ve been anxiously awaiting this day. It has been a while since my last review of a Harry Potter movie, and that was a fun — if somewhat controversial — review to write.

I’m not a Harry Potter fan.  I have read only the first book, and I feel that most of the movies were horribly made.  They tend to be drawn out and full of fan service that interrupts the flow of the movie for no discernible reason.

This latest film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is getting rave reviews.  It’s percentage on Rotten Tomatoes is a perfectly respectable 87%.  It was moved from a winter release date in 2008 to a the more prime real estate of July 2009.

It has to be good right?

I will say that Half-Blood Prince is better than its predecessor.   While the Order of the Phoenix was full of indecipherable character subtext and questionable plot advancement, Half-Blood Prince lives up to it’s name and gets it half right.

For the first time in over 12 hours of Potter on film, the three leads finally got their act together.  Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe really own their characters in this film and emerge as the protagonists that they always should have been.

I finally believe that Hermione loves Harry like a brother and Ron like a boytoy.  I finally believe that Ginny Weasley is a wizard wunderkind herself and that she has the hots for her older brother’s best friend.

It’s hard to believe that Harry has taken 6 years to come to grips with the fact that he’s awesome, but having him finally do so is a welcome relief.  Daniel Radcliffe has confidence this time which is something that ‘the chosen one’ should have had all along (or at least after the first couple of movies).

Half-Blood Prince is also funny.  Though there were some stupid site gags (like a cauldron blowing up in a student’s face; cliche much?), there were also some genuine laughs to be had.

Sure we find out that our leads are all about getting it on with as many students as possible, but hey — isn’t that what any teenager would do if they were sent to high school away from home?

But for all its humor, good acting, and character development, Half-Blood Prince falls down about halfway through the movie.  When we’re done welcoming back the cast and seeing where they are in their love lives, we have no choice but to return to the Voldemort story line to promptly fall asleep.

Seriously, I almost fell asleep.  How can they chase Voldemort for so long without action?  How can every movie involve the introduction of a new teacher with a secret that must be uncovered, none of which actually progress the goal of defeating Voldemort?

Also, what happened to Draco Malfoy?  He used to be a delightfully mischievous boy, but now he’s just weird looking with practically no lines and no guts.  Although Malfoy is worth being suspicious of, I never really believe that Harry has a good reason to do so and thus agree with those who think he’s off his rocker.

Having not read the books, I had no idea that there was a character death in this picture.  I don’t want to give it away, but I will say that after 6 movies I really should care a lot more than I did.  The fact that I was completely unmoved by the occurrence is not a good thing.

Having a  discussion with my wife after the movie, she pointed out to me that perhaps my problem with the inconsistency of character development in the Harry Potter movies is not the fault of the filmmakers, but the situation.

Since many of these movies were filmed before the entire story had been unveiled, they didn’t know who would be important and who wouldn’t be.  They didn’t know that they should have cut out Longbottom entirely, and beefed up Ginny for future installments.

And that’s seriously a problem.  When Peter Jackson cut up Lord of the Rings, he was able to do so in an informed manner to capture the essence of the story for a film-going era.

They didn’t have that luxury with Harry Potter, and it has shown over the years.  I don’t know who to blame for that, but having not read the books it’s a pretty big ding on the films.

You Potter fans will love it.  I loved the first half.

It was coming in at a B- before Dumbledore and Harry went on a wizard adventure where they both forgot that they were wizards and that they didn’t need to do silly things like ride a boat across 50 yards of water.

Oh well.  At least I tried to like it.

Verdict: C Tilt: D+

Looking at photos of John Dillinger, he looked every bit as smug as he was.  He was a textbook definition of confidence, guts, and cajones.  There was nothing John Dillinger was afraid of, and this man without fear helped to inspire the FBI and define the word gangster.

It was a time when people didn’t have money and banks did.  He wasn’t so much a criminal as he was a folk hero.  Though he missed the ‘give to the poor’ part, people still got a big kick out of him robbing from the rich.

Catching such a man was not an easy task.  J. Edgar Hoover, then a younger man, was intent on changing the face of law enforcement.  He would be integral in founding the FBI and the whole concept of cross-state federal crime.  He was obsessed with bringing down criminals, and none more than public enemy #1 — John Dillinger.

Add to this a dogged FBI agent by the name of Melvin Purvis who was charged with bringing Dillinger down, and we have an intriguing story of cops and robbers in its truest sense.  After eventually bringing Dillinger down, Melvin Purvis ended up committing suicide many years later.  Such games are not for the weak.

With this sort of classic story filled with equal parts history and seeming fantasy, some of the best actors of our day, and a prime opening spot on the 4th of July, how could a filmmaker screw this up?

After seeing Public Enemies, that question can be answered.  Michael Mann seems to have gotten so caught up in his period costumes that he forgot what was at the center of the real story — characters.

Johnny Depp does as well as can be expected, but we never really get to know John Dillinger.  That could be excused if we instead got to know Melvin Purvis or J. Edgar Hoover, but those are also both untouchable, distant and hard to understand.

If not the characters, then at least the story of a depression era gangster as the last of a dying breed before the g-men came in and cleaned up America could have been utilized,  but even that is distant and difficult to connect with.

For all of John Dillinger’s charm, Mann seems unable to give us a consistent vantage point from which to view the goings on.  It is foolish to ignore the heart of your character when everyone knows how the movie is going to end.

Either Dillinger should have been played the martyr or the evil criminal, but instead we straddle the line between wanting to like him and knowing he doesn’t deserve to live.  He’s clearly more upstanding than many of his criminal counterparts, but that’s not saying much.

Purvis, who managed to accomplish what seemed to be impossible, could have been painted as a pinnacle of American ingenuity.  Crime-fighting was transforming.  It was a time when the FBI realized that they couldn’t fight crime with guns — they had to use their heads.

We do get brief mentions of how Purvis masterfully used forensics and tracking to catch his prey — something near revolutionary at the time — but it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.  Purvis finally caught up with John Dillinger not by outgunning him, but by outsmarting him.

Overall, I give this movie credit for inspiring me to read more about John Dillinger, Melvin Purvis, and the formation of the FBI.  I admire movies that can turn me into a history-reading nut for a few days.

But sadly, I probably would have gotten more out of an hour long documentary on the subject.  Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are underused and deserve the attention that their iconic characters deserve.

This movie wants to be so very good.  The set pieces are good, the movie takes you back to the 30s.  But for all the beauty, Mann just couldn’t manage to bring the movie into focus.

Verdict: C+ Tilt: B