Summer Film Preview

Larry Crowne:

Directed by: Tom Hanks
Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts

Larry Crowne is Veteran of the US Navy who works at a Big Box Store. After getting fired from his job, he decides to enroll in community college. There he befriends his young classmates and starts developing a relationship with his teacher, Mercedes Tainot.

Verdict: If the story does not sound all that interesting, keep in mind that it is Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts starring. They were great opposite each other in Charlie Wilson’s War, and there is no reason this film will be any different. Plus, it will be fun seeing Tom Hanks playing a mild mannered middle aged man again. Not typical summer season fare, but it is there for you if you feel that you can’t see another action scene or a CGI shot.

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Horrible Bosses:

Directed by: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey

After being fed with the mistreatment they receive at the hands of their bosses, Nick Hendricks, Dale Arbus and Kurt Buckman, decide to kill their bosses, with the help of a con artist with a ‘colorful name’.

Verdict: This film plays on the universal emotion of boss hatred (which, let me say from now, is something I don’t share). The film is worth watching for the way it takes a seemingly normal premise and takes it in absurd directions, and for the great cast it employs to pull it off, plus it will be great seeing Jennifer Aniston, who usually plays nice, wholesome, girlfriend-type roles,  play an mean, evil character as one of the evil bosses (unlike my own bosses, who are really great and don’t fire people). Also, it is not everyday we see Colin Farrell in a combover. (Did I mention that I would nominate my bosses for Nobel Peace Prizes)

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Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part II:

Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes

The eighth and final movie in the saga of the young wizard. This film concludes the story which begun with the first part of the Deathly Hallows released last year, and features the final confrontation between Harry Potter and the evil wizard Voldemort.

Verdict: The Harry Potter series transcended the children’s books/films niche it was held up in at the start. Harry Potter has matured and grown considerably darker over the years, and is now enjoyed by young and old alike, and has garnered a massive fandom internationally. After seven films, this film brings the conclusion we have all been waiting for, and if you don’t care about it, then statistically speaking, you probably don’t exist.

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Winnie the Pooh:

Directed by: Stephen Anderson
Starring: Jim Cummings, Tom Kenny, Craig Ferguson

When Pooh goes to visit Christopher Robin, he doesn’t find him, and instead finds a note that reads “Bizy, Back soon”. Unable to read the letter, Pooh gets convinced that Christopher Robin is kidnapped and goes with the rest of the animals to look for him.

Verdict: Who doesn’t love Pooh? The simple minded honey loving bear from our childhood memories returns after a long absence. It would be refreshing to go back to the cartoon that takes such glee in being so simple and so naïve. Also, in an age where a film can’t call itself animated unless each DNA strand is animated individually, the film stands its ground and sticks to its traditional, simplistic 2D animation.

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Captain America:

Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving

When Steve Rogers tries to join the US Army during World War II, he is refused on account of being physically unfit. Instead, he joins Project Rebirth, a government program which transforms him into a super soldier; Captain America. As the new hero, his mission is to fight Red Skull, Hitler’s head of advanced Weaponry.

Even though the last Captain America film from 1990 being a total disaster (which is why you probably haven’t heard of it), this film looks like its going to be on par with other good superhero movies. While the notion of Captain America does sound quite dated, the character is still thriving within comic books, and with this film, we will see whether this will be true for big screen as well.

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Cowboys and Aliens:

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Williams

Adapted from the comic for the same name. Set in the Wild West, Cowboys and Aliens tells the story of an amnesiac loner with a mysterious brace around his wrist. When he enters the town of Absolution, he finds out that he is wanted criminal. However, when the town is attacked by Aliens, he, and the brace around his wrist, become the key to defeating the new threat.

It is hard to tell if this film is going to be good or not, the title is too tongue in cheek and self aware for its own good. However, the title also makes me to really want to see it, if only out of sheer curiuosity. The fact that it is directed by Jon Favreau, director of the Iron Man films, makes things look a lot brighter.