Summer of Same: August 2009

Director: Robert Schwentke
Film: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Studio: Warner Bros.
Cast: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean, Stephen Tobolowsky, Arliss Howard
MPAA rating: PG-13
First date: 2009
US Release Date: 2009-08-14 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/t/thetimetravelerswife1.jpg

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14 August

The Time Traveler’s Wife

German director Robert Schwentke follows up his surprise suspense thriller hit from 2005, the Jodie Foster vehicle Flightplan, with this tantalizing take on Audrey Niffenegger’s fascinating novel about a man with a predisposition toward traveling through time. Apparently it’s genetic, and the title character must deal with his frequent absences and the dangers that result from his visits through the continuum. Originally purchased by then couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, the final casting finds the busy Eric Bana as the man with the daunting DNA and Rachel McAdams as his somewhat understanding spouse. The last time something like this worked, it was written by Richard Matheson and called Somewhere in Time. Gimmickry does not necessarily make convincing drama, and this all sounds so high concept. Still, Niffenegger’s book had some fascinating undercurrents. Here’s hoping Schwentke added a few to the standard cinematic formulas. The Time Traveler’s Wife

Director: Vicky Jenson
Film: The Post Grad Survival Guide
Studio: Fox Atomic
Cast: Alexis Bledel, Jane Lynch, Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, Zach Gilford
MPAA rating: PG-13
First date: 2009
US Release Date: 2009-08-14 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/p/postgradsurvivalguideposter.jpg

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14 August

The Post Grad Survival Guide

What to do when the real world comes calling? That’s the plight of every matriculating college kid. Thankfully, Alexis Bledel of The Gilmore Girls and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is on hand to offer this take on how to make it through the post-graduation blues. Of course, there’s an eccentric family to return to, as well as the mandatory manhunt to live through. Through it all, Shrek and Shark Tale director Vicky Jenson brings some of her animation sensibilities to Kelly Fremon’s far too familiar live action script. A clear case of “wait and see”, though here’s betting the release get bumped to a less “commercial” climate.

The Post Grad Survival Guide

Director: David Twohy
Film: A Perfect Getaway
Studio: Universal
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Marley Shelton, Steve Zahn
MPAA rating: PG-13
First date: 2009
US Release Date: 2009-08-14 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/p/perfectgetaway.jpg

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14 August

A Perfect Getaway

Another unknown quantity as Summer skips merrily toward Fall. Writer/director David Twohy, best known for his horror efforts Pitch Black and Below has crafted a new thriller about a pair of lovers who come face to face with a murderous group of killers while vacationing in Hawaii. It sounds so Turistas it’s not even funny. Still, this is the filmmaker who was once championed as a possible macabre master. Unfortunately, the release date has been bumped a couple of times, with a direct to DVD plan plotted and then rejected.

A Perfect Getaway

Director: Neal Brennan
Film: The Goods: The Don Ready Story
Studio: Paramount Vantage
Cast: Jeremy Piven, Jordana Spiro, Ving Rhames, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Kathryn Hahn
MPAA rating: R
First date: 2009
US Release Date: 2009-08-14 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/t/thegoodsdonready.jpg

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14 August

The Goods: The Don Ready Story

We’re not exactly sure of this film’s title. Some sites have it listed with the moniker above. Others use The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard as the official name. Whatever the case, Entourage‘s Jeremy Pevin recuperates from his recent bout with Mercury poisoning long enough to play a used car liquidator desperate to turn a failing dealership around. A special July 4th promotion just might do the trick. Some have resorted to calling this film Extreme Used Cars, in reference to the Kurt Russell/Robert Zemeckis cult comedy from 1980. Apparently, it is all in the name. The Goods: The Don Ready Story