Hot Stuff: The PopMatters Summer 2012 Movie Preview (July)

Director: Marc Webb

Film: The Amazing Spider-man

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Irrfan Khan

MPAA rating: PG-13

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6 July
The Amazing Spider-man

Really? A reboot of a franchise that just recently found its footing — like in 2002? Granted, Sam Raimi’s Spider-man 3 was a mess: too many villains, too much “Emo” Peter Parker, but did we really have to go back to the drawing board on this? Apparently, the answer is ‘Yes’, and fans have been rather kind to the creative call. They like Andrew Garfield as the new webslinger as well as Marc Webb behind the lens. Still, we can’t help but wonder if this will be a one-off, and not the start of another series. After all, we’ve seen most of this before, right?

 

Director: Oliver Stone

Film: Savages

Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro, Emile Hirsch, John Travolta

MPAA rating: R

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6 July
Savages

Oliver Stone has been MIA since the misery that was Wall Street 2, so hopefully this adaptation of Don Winslow’s thriller will wipe the stink away from that middling misfire. This is a director who excels where there is tension, controversy, and disagreement, not someone banking on blatant ’80s nostalgia, and this tale of a kidnapped hippy girl and the growers who confront a mad Mexican mobster to get her back sounds right up his alley. Of course, we said that about U-Turn back in 1997, and Stone failed to fuller deliver then. For our money, the filmmaker should stick to reimagining history.

 

Director: Lauren Greenfield

Film: Queen of Versailles

Cast: Jackie Siegel, David Siegel

MPAA rating: R

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6 July
Queen of Versailles

First off: it’s a documentary. Secondly, it focuses on billionaire couple Jackie and David Seigel, who made their fortune in the time-share industry. But before your Occupy Wall Street wounds reopen, the story of their rise from rags to riches takes a reciprocal turn once the economy tanks, leading to conversations about the importance of money and the completion of their 90,000 square foot mansion. While the subjects seem specious at best, Sundance loved the results. Sundance gave director Lauren Greenfield its highest individual honor. Schadenfreude, and the remote possibility of redemption, never looked so enticing… or entertaining.

 

Director: Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz

Film: Katy Perry: Part of Me

Cast: Katy Perry, Lucas Kerr, Rachael Markarian

MPAA rating:

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6 July
Katy Perry: Part of Me

It’s time for teen pop culture to control the rest of the media planet as Ms. Perry follows in the footsteps of Miley, The Jonas Brothers, and Justin Bieber, with a concert performance/documentary following her rise to fame. Considering her considerable commercial clout, this is bound to be HUGE! Of course, if the film discusses her initial attempts at fame, her gospel music background, and the ever-present claims of studio manipulation and aided auto-tuning of her voice, then we’re all in. If it’s just another marketing whitewash walking the micro-thin line between entertainment and infomercial, then we’ll probably wait for the DVD.

13 and 20 July

Director: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier

Film: Ice Age: Continental Drift

Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lopez

MPAA rating: PG

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13 July
Ice Age: Continental Drift

They’re back… And, yes, this is the fourth film in a franchise that never says dino-die. With all of the returning voice actors and the intriguing addition of Emmy winner Peter Dinklage as the main villain, we could have another upgrade on our hands. Indeed, while most of Part 3 was rote, the introduction of Simon Pegg as a renegade varmint significantly lifted that otherwise ordinary film. Of course, none of that really matters, since the intended audience, perhaps confused by the seriousness of something like Brave, will be ready for a heaping helping of family movie mediocrity by this time in the season.

 

Director: Seth McFarlane

Film: Ted

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Laura Vandervoort, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel McHale

MPAA rating: R

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13 July
Ted

What is it with Seth McFarlane’s fixation with animals/inanimate objects acting like humans? This guy will anthropomorphize anything — a goldfish, a Germanic bruin, a family canine — and now, a familiar Teddy Bear. The title character is Mark Wahlberg’s best friend, but his existence is putting the kibosh on a potential romance with Mila Kunis. Our hero must decide between his stuffed best friend and a true onscreen hottie. While the decision seems quite obvious, apparently we need a bad taste dissertation on its after effects. McFarlane owns second tier TV animation. It will be interesting to see if his brand of humor translates to a mainstream viewership.

 

Director: Daniel Espinosa

Film: Easy Money

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Matias Varela, Dragomir Mrsic, Lisa Henni

MPAA rating: R

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13 July
Easy Money

No, this isn’t the Rodney Dangerfield film from 1983, or a re-release of British comedy about the tradition of football pools. Rather, this is a 2010 Swedish thriller just finding its way into the commercial landscape of the US. The storyline centers on a young man leading a treacherous double life. Struggling to keep a rich girlfriend who believes he’s wealthy, our hero turns to dealing cocaine and dealing with the local underworld figures. Naturally, death and personal threats ensue. The movie was well received in its homeland, and in light of our recent fascination with all things Scandinavian and suspenseful, it could connect elsewhere, too.

 

Director: Christopher Nolan

Film: The Dark Knight Rises

Cast: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Thomas Hardy

MPAA rating: PG-13

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20 July
The Dark Knight Rises

May has The Avengers. June is banking on Prometheus to dominate the box office. However, our bet for the biggest film of 2012 goes to this final installment (no, Christopher Nolan is not returning to Gotham again… at least, not for the foreseeable future) in the daring Dark Knight experiment. By taking the standard comic book tropes and refitting them into a more serious, some would argue operatic, setting, the British auteur has made his caped crusader something akin to Michael Corleone in the Godfather films. We expect oddball baddies and unique approaches, but Nolan measures out his menace in tightly controlled bursts. The results have reset the genre.

27 July

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Film: Neighborhood Watch

Cast: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Will Forte

MPAA rating: PG-13

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27 July
Neighborhood Watch

This is going to be a very tricky sell, even if the storyline has nothing to do with the events of recent months. Still, when you hear the title, at least today, all you can think of is a certain dead teenager, the accused ‘vigilante’ who gunned him down, and the media back and forth that is basically trying the case in the court of public opinion. Hopefully, the studio behind the film can find a way to differentiate it from current headlines — perhaps by emphasizing the alien invasion angle of the narrative (yes, this is one of those movies).

 

Director: Scott Speer

Film: Step Up: Revolution

Cast: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Chadd “Madd Chadd” Smith, Tommy Dewey

MPAA rating: PG-13

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27 July
Step Up: Revolution

With the introduction of 3D last time around, the Step Up franchise got a bit of a creative reprieve. This time, the fourth installment keeps the gimmick but ditches its home studio (Disney affiliate Touchstone) to go to Summit. With its South Beach setting and flagrant attempt to bring a bit of Miami heat to the proceedings, expect lots of Latin rhythms. Of course, when Dirty Dancing went to Havana, no one much cared, so this exhibition of current choreography better have more going for it than sweat and sun. Based on the previous films in the series, it probably doesn’t.

 

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Film: Ruby Sparks

Cast: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould

MPAA rating: R

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27 July
Ruby Sparks

An author whose fictional character comes to life to teach him or her some valuable life lessons? Where have we heard that before? However, before we dismiss this RomCom (strike three!) outright, there are some elements here that have us curious. First, the fascinating Paul Dano is our lead, and he’s not a conventional choice. Even better, the directing team behind Little Miss Sunshine, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, are behind the lens. While Zoe Kazan (the screenwriter and female costar) is not a household name, she’s been in several films, and has quite a following from her stage work. Could be a surprise sleeper.

 

Director: Malik Bendjelloul

Film: Searching for Sugar Man

Cast:

MPAA rating: R

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27 July
Searching for Sugar Man

Like Anvil: The Story of Anvil and Last Days Here, this is another one of those fan initiated investigations into the whereabouts of a former famous musician. In this case, two South African devotees want to discover if the mysterious ’70s rock ‘n’ roller, Rodriguez, actually killed himself while onstage. It’s the kind of urban legend that has set their minds reeling since they first heard the man’s music. Rodriguez is a cultural icon in the country, his songs finding meaning within the previous oppressive setting of apartheid. What the duo discovers might rewrite history, but it can’t rob the artist of his import.