My Summer Movie Schedule

I have a new banner! It is courtesy of my friend Adam, who also writes a movie blog that you should read! It's called Cinematically Yours, and you can find it over there in my sidebar.

Summer movie season is almost upon us, and I can safely say that big budget, high action popcorn flicks are my favorite part of summer (as if you couldn't tell). Invariably, I don't get to see as many of these as I want to (having a full time job really cuts into my movie watching, you guys. But without it, I couldn't afford the tickets. Conundrum!), but I get excited about them, nonetheless.

Let's see what I'm particularly looking forward to!

May 6th: Thor
Apparently my birthday or thereabouts (May 8) is the unofficial start of summer movie season, and it really couldn't make me happier. Speed Racer (2008), Iron Man (2009) and Iron Man 2 (2010) were all released on my birthday, and all of which I loved, so it's hard NOT to be excited about Thor, even though I was never attached to him as a comic character.

May 20: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
I am afraid of this movie. On the one hand, I remember how EXCELLENT the first one was... and then my other hand slaps me a little and reminds me how terrible the second two were. But we're starting over, kinda, with a new story and new characters. And it'll be big, and pretty, and tropical, and there will probably be rum jokes. So I'll be there.

May 26: Kung Fu Panda 2
GARY OLDMAN. IS AN EVIL PEACOCK. I CAN'T be the only one excited about this, can I? I mean, look how far Dreamworks has stepped their game up with How To Train Your Dragon. It'll be fun, right?

May 30: Hangover 2
Ennh. I'm concerned. But the first one was so, surprisingly hilarious that I have hope.

June 3: X-Men: First Class
You can see from my trailer writeup that I cannot WAIT for this one. X-Men is my comic specialty, and the Hellfire Club has always been one of my favorite villainous organizations. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw? Yes please.

July 1: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Michael Bay calls this one "more sinister and frightening" without the "dorky humor" of Revenge of the Fallen. Which I can only take to mean the Nitwit Twins will not be featured, which I take to mean AWESOME. Also I got to watch them film bots on Wacker Drive, and let me tell you, the ravaged streets of Chicago will look fantastic in this. And let's be honest: this could look half as good and I'd still be salivating about it. I loved the first one just that much.

July 15: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
WAR IS COMING TO HOGWARTS AND I AM SO READY. I will probably cry all the tears, though.

July 22: Captain America
The Avengers franchise hinges on how good this one will be, and I think it looks super promising. My trailer impressions are over in my Super Bowl entry, but to sum up: visually it looks like they've struck just the right combination between a period piece and a superhero flick. Bring it ON.

July 29: Cowboys & Aliens
Is...is this based on a graphic novel? I just found an image (here) that leads me to believe that, and if so, I would like to read it. Probably not until after I see the movie, though. I've gotten weird about the order in which I expose myself to stories. But! Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, the wild west, and alien spacecraft. It's like Wild Wild West, only it looks actually good (I'm sorry, Kevin Kline. I love you, I really do).

August 12: Mr. Popper's Penguins
I never read the book, but Jim Carrey looks charming and I really do love penguins.

(Release dates provided by a combination of teaser-trailer.com and apple.com/trailers. All trailers provided by apple.com/trailers. Also note that this is not a comprehensive list of films being released this summer - just the ones I want to see.)

Unnecessary Sequels

It is no mystery that Hollywood is obsessed with sequels, and as much as it (sometimes) annoys me, I totally get it. Cinema is, like everything else, first and foremost a business. People who work in film, whether they are actors, producers, set people, studio monkeys, whatever, are just trying to make a buck. So I don't begrudge them the desire to make money off a sure thing. If a movie is successful there's a good chance a sequel will be coming out, because if the first one was a hit, a second one is more likely to make money than a totally new idea (see also: remakes).

But there are some things that really, shouldn't be touched. Like this.

First of all, based on my above analysis, I'm not entirely sure that making a sequel to Watchmen even makes fiscal sense. It only recovered its cost of filming after international sales, and it got pretty reamed in the reviews. I liked it, actually quite a bit (I also love the comic, before you even ask), but I know I'm in the minority. What part of that makes sense to make another one?

In the article I linked to above, Snyder AND the actors agree with me: this is a Bad Idea. DC, why do you want so hard to sabotage your film studio? As Malin Ackerman, an actress I don't even LIKE, says, "... I don’t really know how [a sequel] would ever be possible. Because ‘Watchmen’ is ‘Watchmen,’ and we covered pretty much the whole novel."

DC is hardly short of good superhero material. As long as they keep making Batman movies, I will keep seeing Batman movies (I ALSO wish that Brandon Routh would reprise his delicious turn as Superman, but unfortunately, his contract ran out and there hasn't even been a whisper of a rumor of that being renewed). So please, leave well enough alone. Let those of us who enjoyed the movie keep watching it, and rejoice that you made the comic more accessible to more people. This sequel would just cost you time, money, and credibility.