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2010 Summer Movie Preview

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The 2010 Summer Movie Season is going to be HOT!

The Summer of 2010 officially kicked off at midnight on Thursday, May 6th with the release of Iron Man 2 in American theaters. As I'm sure you know by now, Summer Movie Previews/Discussion/Preds have become something of a tradition here at the Elite; here are the link if you'd like to take a look back:

The Summer of 2007 - http://perfectdarkelite.yuku.com/topic/1418

  • an incredible May lineup of Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, and Pirates 3 kicked off what became the #1 Summer of all-time at the box office (though it wouldn't have gotten there without strong returns from Ratatouille, Harry Potter 5, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Simpson Movie, plus the surprising successes of Transformers, Knocked Up, and Superbad)

The Summer of 2008 - http://perfectdarkelite.yuku.com/topic/13628

  • while not a record breaking season, '08 DID feature one of the most incredible runs in box office history by The Dark Knight, along with some very respectable showings by Iron Man, Indy 4, Hancock, Get Smart, and Wall*E

The Summer of 2009 - http://perfectdarkelite.yuku.com/topic/14599

  • Transformers 2, Harry Potter 6, and Up delivered the goods, and we were blindsided by the success of Star Trek and The Hangover, but weaker than expected returns from pretty much the whole rest of the slate resulted in a somewhat disappointing season at the box office

---

This will be our Summer-long topic to talk about the new movies we see, and also we're going to use the time leading up to midnight on Thursday, May 13th to predict the Top Five movies of the season just as we have the last three years! (Plus I'm going to post the results of last year's competition later in the week.) But first off, let's get rolling on that

2010 Summer Movie Preview!

NOTE: for these writeups, anything after a $ is in millions of dollars and is listed as (American total/Worldwide total) unless I say otherwise.

May 7th (Week #1)

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

What The Heck Is It?
Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man in the sequel to 2008's smash hit. His friends Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson are also returning alongside Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson, but be on the lookout for new villains Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell!

Why Will It Be Big?
Iron Man was HUGE ($318/$585); we just tend to forget how big it actually was due to The Dark Knight's incredible box office run later that Summer. More importantly though, IM1's word of mouth was very strong, leading to a long run after a less than overwhelming opening weekend, and it continued to perform well on DVD. In other words, this is almost an exact replica of the formula Batman Begins used to turned TDK into an absolute monster- so look out, IM2 could very well end up the #1 movie of the Summer!

Why Should I See It?
Did anyone dislike Iron Man? If so, I've certainly never met that person. Downey nailed the role (as he does every role), appears to have done so again, and this time he'll have the help of a stellar cast and bigger budget. Not seeing much of a reason to give this one a miss... especially with this to look forward to!

http://www.theonion.com/video/iron-man-2-buzz-heats-up-over-rumors-gwyneth-paltr,17275/

May 14th (Week #2)

Robin Hood

Robin Hood

What The Heck Is It?
Russel Crowe reteams with Ridley Scott for an epic retelling of the classic Robin Hood tale. Except a heavier focus on action/battlescenes/archery and lighter on romance, apparently. With Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion!

Why Will It Be Big?
Clearly Scott and Crowe are hoping this new historical epic will be their next Gladiator ($188/$458 back in 2000), but I don't know... I mean, we had a perfectly serviceable version of this story only 20 years ago- though I guess that movie did so well ($165/$390 for Kevin Costner's Robin Hood) that trying to duplicate its success makes some sense. In any case, it seems like a mistake to position this so close to IM2 given the similar audiences, so for now I'm not expecting big things from this entry.

Why Should I See It?
I imagine you probably loved Gladiator and American Gangster, but... man does another Robin Hood ever seem unnecessary. I'll probably wait for DVD on this one, outside of stellar reviews.

May 21st (Week #3)

Shrek Forever After

What The Heck Is It?
Myers and gang return for the 4th (and final!) film in the Shrek franchise. (Except not REALLY, because they're already working on a prequel for 2011 that revolves around Puss in Boots.) This time they attempt to recapture the first film's magic by transporting Shrek to an alternate dimension where he was never born, forcing him to befriend all his old pals once again.

Why Will It Be Big?
S1 --> S2 was one of those same "good word of mouth/great DVD sales/massive hype for the sequel" deals that we talked about with BB --> TDK. After S2 disappointed everyone, S3 dropped off... but still not THAT far. Here's the chart:

  • Shrek 1: $268/$484 (2001)
  • Shrek 2: $441/$920 (2004)
  • Shrek 3: $323/$799 (2007)

I'm expecting S4 to continue the dropping trend, but it's still an extremely safe bet for a good performance, especially considering how it'll be the only family movie option at theaters for a good six weeks.

Why Should I See It?
You probably shouldn't! Unless you loved Shrek 2 and 3, in which case, "erm, alright then."

ALSO THIS WEEK

MacGruber

What The Heck Is It?
Yesssss. Saturday Night Live's most popular current sketch will be stretched out to 90 minutes, with Will Forte and Kristen Wiig reprising their roles. They'll be joined by Ryan Phillippe and the world's most dangerous supervillain, Val Kilmer.

Why Will It Be Big?
Every SNL movie hopes it'll be the next Wayne's World ($122/$183 back in 1992), when in reality they've done nothing but flop ever since then. Even the ones with Will Ferrel attached! (A Night at the Roxbury, $30 in 1998) Then again, it's been over 10 years since SNL's last attempt (The Ladies Man, $14 in 2000)... maybe audiences will have warmed to their style of humor since then?

Why Should I See It?
Will Forte had me at "upper decker in the master bathroom" (see the trailer). That's why me and Infil have advanced tickets for this one already in hand!

(Also, the early reviews have actually been pretty positive. Joshua Tyler calls it "an unending string of easy scatological jokes which it executes really, really well." Which is... one of the more interesting compliments I've ever heard!

May 28th (Week #4)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

What The Heck Is It?
The most Arab dude in show business, Jake Gyllenhaal, stars as The Prince. Just as in the game, he's got to climb enough walls and stab enough guards to recover an ancient artifact that can turn back time- and hopefully win the heart of The Princess (Gemma Arterton) in the process. But not if Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina have anything to say about it!

Why Will It Be Big?
Disney has already made a hit film franchise out of a theme park ride (a whopping $423/$1,066 for Pirates 2 back in 2006); "what's to stop us from doing the same with a video game?" they say. Well, the fact that video game movies ALWAYS bomb, for one (only $21 for Super Mario Bros. back in 1993, not to mention everything Uwe Boll has ever touched). That being said, I've got to agree with Disney on this one... PoP looks really cool, and though Pirates-like success doesn't seem too likely, I could easily see it becoming the next The Mummy ($155/$416 in 1999). With a breakout hit here you can be sure that the long awaited live action Zelda film will be just around the corner!

Why Should I See It?
Imagine how disappointed Link will be if you avoid this one and he has to wait around another 10 years to do his own movie.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Sex and the City 2

What The Heck Is It?
"The girls are back!", or something.

Why Will It Be Big?
Summer is traditionally the season for bringing 15 year old boys out to the theater, so in a way it was refreshing to see something directed solely at women over the age of 30 do so well two Summers back ($153/$415 for the first Sex and the City). But... why are the movies that demographic flocks to always so awful?

Why Should I See It?
Yuck.

Also, http://www.theonion.com/articles/fbi-uncovers-plot-to-sex-and-the-city-2,17334/

June 4th (Week #5)

Killers

What The Heck Is It?
A cute, naive girl (Katherine Heigl) falls in love with an athletic hunk (Ashton Kutcher)... but uh oh, he's secretly the world's greatest assassin/top secret agent or something and they have to go on wacky killing sprees together! But don't get confused folks, because this is

  • not "Knight and Day"
  • not "True Lies II"
  • not "Mr. and Mrs. Smith II", either

Why Will It Be Big?
Clearly everyone is eying up the surprisingly successful Mr. and Mrs. Smith ($186/$478 in 2005) and saying "why can't that be us?" Well for one thing you don't have the world's #1 power couple at the height of their popularity, for two you don't have Vince Vaugh coming in hot off Dodgeball/Anchorman/Wedding Crashers and stealing scenes, and for three the idea's being done to death. That being said... Ashton Kutcher is apparently the most popular celebrity on all of twitter, with 5 times as many followers as Conan O'Brien. HOW? What has this guy done since That 70's Show and Punk'd? "Star in like five totally sweet camera commercials, dude." Oh, alright.

Why Should I See It?
I'm holding out for Knight and Day, personally.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Get Him to the Greek

What The Heck Is It?
Aldous Snow, the insane British rockstar (who you last saw dating Kristen Bell in Forgetting Sarah Marshall) returns in his own full length spin off! This time it's the story of how P. Diddy's most inexperienced record exec (Jonah Hill) has to keep Aldous away from drugs/alcohol/women long enough to get him to the biggest concert of his life.

Why Will It Be Big?
I loved Aldous Snow and am one of the biggest believers in the so-call "Apatow Gang", and not even *I* can believe they green-lit this spinoff (Forgetting Sarah Marshall only did a lukewarm $63/$105 two Summers ago). Suffice it to say, there's no way this movie ends up being their next Superbad ($121/$170 in 2007)... but it might do pretty well for itself regardless. One thing working in Greek's favor is that it features cameos from tons of today's top "real world" performers, including Katy Perry, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Lars Ulrich, and the aforementioned Diddy. Sooo, a minor hit doesn't seem entirely out of the question.

Why Should I See It?
Because you love sex, drugs, and rock and roll. OR if you laughed at Forgetting/Knocked Up/I Love You Man/etc.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Marmaduke

What The Heck Is It?
The worst comic strip in the history of the world (and that's really saying something!) "finally" receives its own full length feature film. Ugh.

Why Will It Be Big?
"How did this not go directly to DVD?", I hear you asking. Well, unfortunately for us, lots of terrible cartoons that no one has liked since the 1980s have actually done very well at the box office in the last decade, for some strange reason. I mean, check this out:

Scooby Doo: $153/$276 (2002) Garfield: $75/$201 (2004) Alvin and the Chipmunks: $217/$361 (2007)

The trouble is, Marmaduke was never popular in any format, so I have no idea what they were thinking with this one.

Why Should I See It?

  • vomits all over his shoes*

June 11th (Week #6)

The A-Team

What The Heck Is It?
The 80s continue to strike back! This time its a reboot of The A-Team, with Mr. T kicked out in place of Rampage Jackson and Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Patrick Wilson coming along for the ride as well. Oh and apparently Jessica Alba, also? Anyways they get framed for some crime and have to break out of jail in order to save the world, and so forth.

Why Will It Be Big?
Every 80s reboot wants to be Transformers ($319/$710 in 2007), but I get the sense that first this movie should just concentrate on getting past G.I. Joe ($150/$302 last Summer). Which I DO think it'll be able to do, but beyond that... I don't know, did anyone actually love the A-Team at some point, or do we only still remember it these days because of Mr. T's gimmick?

Why Should I See It?
I'm still a long ways from sold on this concept, but I like Liam Neeson's involvement and was actually somewhat impressed with the trailer. Leaning toward checking this out opening week, unless the reviews are terrible!

ALSO THIS WEEK

The Karate Kid

What The Heck Is It?
Will Smith's son moves to China for some reason, where he gets beat up by the school's martial arts "bullies" for some reason, but luckily the school janitor is Jackie Chan for some reason, and he agrees to train Will Jr in the ways of the Jedi for some reason. Startling fact: this movie was produced by Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith.

Why Will It Be Big?
As much as I didn't see a reason to reboot Robin Hood post-Costner, I see even LESS of a reason to reboot this franchise post-1984's The Karate Kid ($90). Now, I fully realize that everything Will Smith touches turns to gold but... nay, just can't see it happening this time.

Why Should I See It?
Jackie Chan's a nice guy, right? After The Spy Next Door and The Forbidden Kingdom and The Medallion and The Tuxedo it sure would be sad to see him bomb in America AGAIN, right? But neither of us will be willing to sit through this movie regardless? Right.

June 18th (Week #7)

Toy Story 3

What The Heck Is It?
Here in the real world it's been 15 years (what? it doesn't even feels like half that!) since Woody and Buzz first warmed our hearts in Toy Story 1. Well, it's been 15(ish) years in their world as well, meaning Andy has left for college and his Mom is about to box up all the toys and donate them to a day care center. Oh no!

Why Will It Be Big?
Don't joke around- you know Pixar's track record just as well as I do by this point. But as a refresher:

  • their first movie: Toy Story: $192/$362 (1995)
  • their first sequel: Toy Story 2: $246/$485 (1999)
  • their latest movie: Up: $293/$731 (2009)

At this point it's pretty obvious that anything Pixar puts their name on is going to do extremely well. But Pixar putting their names on the most beloved family film franchise of our generation... after over 10 years of build up... with zero competition from other family-friendly movies in the weeks surrounding it... in the "license to print money" that is The Third Dimension... Let's just say we could be talking about a record-setting hit!

Why Should I See It?
Give me a break- you're going to see this, and so will your mother, uncle, aunt, grandma, grandpa, younger cousins, older cousins, etc. And I bet you all love it!

June 25th (Week #8)

Knight and Day

What The Heck Is It?
A cute, naive girl (Cameron Diaz) starts to fall in love with a mysterious hunk (Tom Cruise)... but uh oh, he's secretly the world's greatest assassin/top secret agent or something and they have to go on a series of wacky killing sprees together!

Why Will It Be Big?
We covered it with Killers, but again: everyone wants to be the new True Lies ($146/379 back in 1994), especially after Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But unlike Ashton, Cruise has at least proven himself as a bankable secret agent in the past (Mission: Impossible did $181/$458 in 1996), and Diaz appears to be much less annoying in this role than Heigl. So, I'm expecting this one to be the bigger of the two films, but that still doesn't say much about either becoming a breakout hit.

Why Should I See It?
The trailer's about 5x as cool/funny as Killers; they seem to have gotten that fun True Lies-type vibe just about right, so I think I'll give this one a watch. (Outside of very bad reviews.)

ALSO THIS WEEK

Grown Ups

What The Heck Is It?
The ultimate 20 year Saturday Night Live Reunion! It's Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Chris Far- errr, Kevin James. In the context of the movie, though, these 5 were the starters on a championship grade school basketball team from the early 80s, who reunite 30 years later at the funeral of their old coach and decide to throw a reunion getaway with their whole families. Which naturally turns into an 80s-style family comedy weekend!

Why Will It Be Big?
Sandler's always been a solid draw, Kevin James is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, and their last project together was a surprisingly decent hit ($120/$186 for Chuck and Larry) , considering the movie was AWFUL. Sandler's also had quite a bit of success with huge ensemble comedies like this (The Longest Yard did $158/$190 back in 2005), and having Chris Rock involved couldn't hurt. Overall I'd have to say this has a very good shot at being the #1 comedy of the Summer.

Why Should I See It?
Ehhhh, this doesn't look quite as terrible as other recent Sandler projects, so maybe I'll catch it on DVD someday. Maybe.

July 2nd (Week #9)

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1325004/ Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1D5goGz0SY

What The Heck Is It?
Rob Pat and Kris Stew and Tay... Laut(?) return, and this time there's a war brewing between the good vampires and the evil vampires, so the good ones need to get the werewolves on their side. Or something, and in the meantime everyone looks at each other with these smoldering stares for 135 consecutive minutes but no one ever has sex because then they'd all eat each other. You know, the usual.

Why Will It Be Big?
I had no idea what "Twilight" was back in 2008, so imagine my surprise when it kept making dumptrucks full of money every single weekend (Twilight ended up at $192/$408). By the time 2009 rolled around there was no escaping the hype/hate for this series, but even so I was shocked when it exploded with the third biggest opening weekend ever ($143 million), then kept pulling down respectable weeks for a long time afterward (New Moon ended at $297/$710). If anything the hype has only gotten more deafening since then, and with perfect timing allowing it to own the entire Fourth of July holiday week here in the US... let's just say that this movie has big things in store for the box office!

Why Should I See It?
You shouldn't, since you're a man. But you're allowed to if a female drags you along against your will- provided you make snarky remarks the entire time (just below earshot).

ALSO THIS WEEK

The Last Airbender

What The Heck Is It?
M. Night Shyamalan returns with his first ever movie that's not his own original concept. Instead this is based on the anime series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and tells the story of four "nations" who can control Earth's elements. When the Fire Nation declares war on the Water/Earth/Air Nations, it's up to a little boy (who's the only person alive who can control all four elements) to save the world!

Why Will It Be Big?
A few months back, Paramount officially changed the title of this movie to just "The Last Airbender", to avoid confusion. Which was very nice of them, but while I appreciate the gesture... are you sure you want to disassociate yourself from James Cameron's Avatar ($747/$2,717) right now? Especially when the alternative is associating yourself with the last anime franchise to transition to live action (Dragonball Evolution: $9/$57)... Anyways, here's hoping M. Night can get his career back on track after suffering a box office fade in each of his last three films (most recently The Happening's $65/$163). But, I don't think I'd count on it.

Why Should I See It?
The special effects look pretty decent based on the trailer, and I've always liked M. Night as a director... for the first 80% of his movies. Hopefully since he wasn't working on his own property someone restrained him from ruining the final 20% this time! If so, I might head out to this one after all.

July 9th (Week #10)

Despicable Me

What The Heck Is It?
Steve Carell provides the voice of Gru, the (former) world's greatest supervillain who is forced to show his softer side after three orphan girls move in with him.

Why Will It Be Big?
The entire crew behind the Ice Age series appears to have returned for this movie, which is good considering what a monster their latest entry was overseas ($197/$885! for Ice Age 3 last year). But between the weird subject matter and coming out so closely behind Toy Story 3, I'm thinking Descipable should just concentrate on measuring up to Monsters VS Aliens ($198/$382 last year). Which... it probably won't.

Why Should I See It?
Awesome roster of comedic voice talent here between Carell, Will Arnett, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, and Kristen Wiig. Too bad that won't help the movie be any funnier since they're all just reading from a script! (I still can't understand why everyone except Pixar keeps throwing huge money at big name voice actors when nobody cares at all.) Anyways, the movie seems okay enough based on the trailer, but it's probably a wait-for-DVD experience for me.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Predators

What The Heck Is It?
Earth's greatest warriors travel across the galaxy to square off against the universe's greatest warriors: the Predators.

Why Will It Be Big?
Why the heck do people continue thinking Aliens and Predators movies are a good idea despite all indications to the contrary? (2007's Aliens VS Predator: Requiem made a whooping $42/$129) At least this film doesn't seem quite as direct-to-DVDable as the last couple, just based on how they were somehow able to cast Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne. ...which probably means it was just more expensive to make and will therefore be an even bigger bomb when no one comes out to see it.

Why Should I See It?
To get yourself psyched up for the two new Alien prequels that Ridley Scott will be shooting back-to-back about a month from now! (And no, I wish I was just joking.)

July 16th (Week #11)

Inception

What The Heck Is It?
Christopher Nolan is back, and he's carrying the entire TDK crew along with him! This time he's bringing Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt along for the ride alongside Batman vets Michael Caine and Ken Watanabe. Leo's a kind of high tech "secret agent" who uses a machine to invade people's dreams while they sleep, allowing him to steal their greatest secrets or best ideas while their mind is at its most unguarded. But then something goes wrong somehow!

Why Will It Be Big?
Hard to go wrong with a Leo/Nolan combination, considering they provided three of Cyber's Top Ten Films of the 2000s! (The Dark Knight: $533/$1,002, The Departed: $132/$290, The Prestige: $53/$110) Unfortunately I could easily see the whole premise being "too weird" for people, especially during the middle of the Summer when everyone's just looking to turn off their brains with a fun popcorn flick. In other words, expect a gross much closer to the Prestige than TDK!

Why Should I See It?
My favorite director and some of my favorite actors working with a script that feels like a cross between three of my favorite movies of the last 15 years (Eternal Sunshine/The Matrix/Memento). Not hard to see why this is my most anticipated film of the season!

ALSO THIS WEEK

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

What The Heck Is It?
Don't confuse this with "Season of the Witch," the OTHER 2010 film staring a medievil-looking Nicholas Cage dealing with with sorcery and witchcraft! Witch is the 14th century PG-13-rated psychological horror flick that wants to be the next Exorcist; TSA is the PG-rated modern fantasy that Disney wants to be the next Harry Potter. Anyways Nic is the world's best magician, but he needs to find a young apprentice to help him defeat some evil wizard.

Why Will It Be Big?
Joke all you want about Nic Cage appearing in a new movie every other month (and almost all of them being awful); when it comes to family/action/comedies like this the guy's "still got it". At least if National Treasure 2 ($220/$457 in 2007) is any indication. And to be fair, the trailer doesn't make this movie look TOO bad... but yeah, seems a safe bet that despite Disney's dreams of Harry Potter 6 ($302/$934 last Summer) this'll end up being the next Percy Jackson ($88/$220 earlier this year) instead.

Why Should I See It?
Monica Bellucci as a love interest, maybe? I don't know!

July 23rd (Week #12)

Dinner for Schmucks

What The Heck Is It?
Paul Rudd is an executive who's all set to win a big promotion... IF he can impress his bosses at a big "roast" they're holding that weekend, where you have to bring along a stupid friend for everyone to make fun of. (Whaaaa?) Luckily for Paul, a dim-witted Steve Carell stumbles into his life at just the right time- and so does Steve's friend, an insane amateur magician or something played by Zach Galifianakis! Hillarious hijinks ensue!

Why Will It Be Big?
Carell has really impressed me ever since bursting onto the scene with 40 Year Old Virgin ($109/$177)- Get Smart ($130/$231) was a solid performer and he's kept the ball rolling pretty nicely with Date Night ($77/$112 and still climbing at a decent rate). And let's not forget how well things turned out the last time Rudd and Carell appeared together ($149/$219 for Knocked Up). But, casting Zack G in a "wacky" comedy role these days is more or less the equivalent of announcing "we really, REALLY want to be the next The Hangover ($277/$467)!" which doesn't seem possible despite this very likable cast. Here's another where the premise is probably just too "out there" for people to latch on to, so I'm not expecting a huge box office take when its all said and done.

Why Should I See It?
Surely these talented comedians deserve the benefit of the doubt, right? No? Okay then.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Salt

What The Heck Is It?
Angelia Jolie is the CIA's most dedicated and loyal field agent... until somebody SETS HER UP as a spy! Now she'll have to karate chop her way to the bottom of this mystery in order to clear her good name.

Why Will It Be Big?
Look, everyone wants to be the next The Bourne Ultimatum ($227/$443 in 2007), and with good reason, but there have been so many spy/espionage/secret agent films in the last few years that it's hard to stand out from the pack. Having Jolie involved will certainly help, especially considering how she assisted with boosting Wanted ($135/$341) to a pretty respectable tally a couple Summers back, but even so... I having a hard time picturing this one turning into a break out hit.

Why Should I See It? I was similarly so/so on Wanted and ended up being pleasantly surprised, so I think I owe Angelia one!

July 30th (Week #13)

Charlie St. Cloud

  • Read About It: DON'T
  • Watch The Trailer: NONE

What The Heck Is It?
UGH. This week was supposed to be headlined by a very interesting-sounding love story between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. But they needed more time to finish that, so it got pushed back to September and replaced with this horrible-sounding "Charlie" movie starring Zac Effron. I mean, just listen to this synopsis:

Charlie St. Cloud is a young man overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother. So much so that he takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried. Charlie has a special lasting bond with his brother though, as he can see him. Charlie meets up with his brother (Sam) each night to play catch and talk. Then, a girl comes into Charlie's life and he must choose between keeping a promise he made to Sam, or going after the girl he loves.

Seriously?

Why Will It Be Big?
It couldn't possibly!

Why Should I See It?
You couldn't possibly!

ALSO THIS WEEK

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

What The Heck Is It?
The sequel to the almost popular Cats and Dogs from back in 2001, where the two animal races were secretly at war using high tech weaponry and gadgets. Well, this time the cats and the dogs have to unite to save the world from a common enemy: supervillain Kitty Galore. ("Kitty Galore", seriously? Isn't that a little risque for a movie aimed at 8 year olds?)

Why Will It Be Big?
Why in the WORLD would you wait 9 years to make a sequel to Cats and Dogs? Actually, why would you do a sequel at all, given how "meh" its performance was? ($93/$201) Especially since there was an even more successful talking-animals-using-hi-tech-gadgets-to-secretly-save-the-world movie just last Summer that you could much more easily have followed up on? (G-Force, $119/$292)

Why Should I See It?
You're a glutton for punishment.

August 6th (Week #14)

The Other Guys

What The Heck Is It?
Samuel L. Jackson and The Rock are the coolest team of crime fighters on the NYPD- they get the headlines, girls, and the bad guys, every time. But after they die (or something), it's time to bring in "the other guys"... the buddy cop duo of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg!

Why Will It Be Big?
Every other year, Ferrell reteams with director Adam McKay, and it's always meant good things for him. 2004 was Anchorman ($85/$91), 2006 was Talladega Nights ($148/$163), and heck, even 2008's Step Brothers ($100/$128) ended up being a much bigger hit than I expected. You don't bet against that kind of success, especially not given the smart casting of Rocky and SLJ. I only hesitate to rubber stamp this one for success because, well... we just had a buddy cop parody only a couple months back (Kevin Smith's Cop Out, $45/$47) and only like 25 people went to see it. I'm expecting a decent showing from this movie, but setting a new Ferrell benchmark doesn't seem too likely.

Why Should I See It?
This seemed like a pretty bad idea initially, but the trailer did a decent job of selling me on the concept, actually. Might just check this out at the theater after all.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Step Up 3....D!

What The Heck Is It?
Remember those last two times these dancers stepped up? Well that was nothing, because now they'll be doing it in THREE DIMENSIONS!

Why Will It Be Big?
Apparently these movies cost about 15 dollars to make, because after neither Step Up ($65/$114 in 2006) nor Step Up 2 ($58/$149) lit the world on fire, what gave them the impression that the audience demanded a trilogy? Even with the 3D "hook", I can't imagine this becoming a breakout hit... honestly, what 15 year old girl is going to spend $10 to see people street dance at the theater when she could stay home and watch 500 hours of it on youtube for free?

Why Should I See It?
Your internet connection is too slow to stream youtube.

August 13th (Week #15)

Eat, Pray, Love

What The Heck Is It?
Julie Roberts stars in the movie based on the autobiographical book of the same name that every woman over 30 has read. (Seriously- the thing has spent 160 straight weeks at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list!)

Why Will It Be Big?
We still tend to think of Roberts as the one of America's most-loved and bankable actresses, but ACTUALLY, she hasn't headlined a true blockbuster since way back in 2000 (Erin Brockovich, $126/$256). (Ocean's 11/12/13 don't count, for obvious reasons.) And she certainly didn't wow the box office in her last outing, 2009's Duplicity ($41/$78). On the other hand, this seems like the perfect role for her, and there's no doubting the film's gigantic built-in fanbase. I'm thinking this could quite easily become her ticket back to top, just like The Blind Side ($256/$299) was for Sandra Bullock. (Which is ironic, considering Bullock's role in that movie was offered to Julia first, and she turned it down cold. Whoops!)

Why Should I See It?
Take your Mom, she'll love it.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

What The Heck Is It?
Socially awkward 18 year old virgin Michael Cera falls in love with a girl during his senior year of high school. Will he be able to win her over? Oh no, it's a movie you've seen 4 times already- BUT WAIT! Watch the trailer; this is actually the movie version of one of the most insane/hilarious graphic novels of the last decade, and Scott can't date this girl until he defeats her 7 evil ex-boyfriends in crazy Mortal Kombat/No More Heroes-style battles.

Why Will It Be Big?
Yeah yeah, everyone's sick of seeing Michael Cera play the same character every six months, I know. In fact only 6 people showed up to watch him do it last time around (Youth in Revolt, $15/$18 earlier this year)- 5 if you don't count me! However, this isn't your typical nerdy high school romance, as covered above. It's an underground comic book turned to life! Which would be great news for its box office chances, except that no one outside of white males aged 17-35 showed up for Kick-Ass ($37/$67), despite it being awesome. Scott Pilgrim looks like a ton of fun, but I'm thinking it'll end up as cult classic rather than a real success right out of the gate.

Why Should I See It?
Watch the trailer and you'll know!

August 20th (Week #16)

The Switch

What The Heck Is It?
No one wants to get Jennifer Aniston pregnant, so she resorts to finding a sperm donor. But after her best (male) friend Jason Bateman accidentally loses the donation, he has no choice but to refill the cup himself. Now it's 9 years later, and Jennifer is moving back into town... but she still doesn't know that her BFF is the father of her son!

Why Will It Be Big?
You can't blame this group TOO MUCH for diving back into pregnancy, since these are pretty much all the same people who brought you Juno ($143/$231) a few years back. The bad news is that Jennifer Lopez beat them to the punch with a slightly different kind of awkward pregnancy last month... and got punched out at the box office (The Back-Up Plan, $15). On the other hand, I didn't realize what a reliable draw Aniston still was these days. Check out this string of hits: The Break-Up ($119/$205), Marley and Me ($143/$243), and she even made a decent go of it with the little-advertised The Bounty Hunter ($63/$102). You can't expect the Juno lightning to strike twice, but I could still see this one going on a nice little run before the summer is out.

Why Should I See It?
Good to see Jeff Goldblum in a movie for the second time in the last decade!

August 27th (Week #17)

Piranha 3-D

What The Heck Is It?
The best bad movie of 2010.

Why Will It Be Big?
Piranha is the next in a long line of fun summer creature features, like that one about the giant crocodile (Lake Placid, $32/$57 back in 1999) or the one about the giant snake (Anaconda 2, $32/$71 in 2004). They never make any money at the box office, but are inexpensive to make and (presumably) turn a profit by airing endlessly on late night cable TV for the next few decades.

Why Should I See It?
Grab a couple friends, catch a matinee show when you'll be the only ones in the theater, and MST3K it up. I guarantee it'll be a more enjoyable experience than watching half the other movies in this post by yourself!

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