Summer movies are pre-packaged and vacuum sealed to provide maximum entertainment.
The season still manages to throw us some curve balls, films that dare to divert from the blockbuster boilerplate.
And thank goodness for that, since summer needs a jolt of unpredictability to give the sure things some competition.
The following films could be summer sleepers – or the latest excuse to run for the comfort of another sequel or remake.
- “Bruno” (July 10) – Sacha Baron Cohen can pull off scene-stealing moments (“Talladega Nights”) and voice-over hilarity (“Madagascar”), but his mock-documentary “Borat” announced a major new talent had arrived. But “Bruno,” based on his fey fashion journalist character, follows the same Candid Camera meets Punk’d template as “Borat.” Can Cohen capture lightning in a bottle twice? FUN FACT: Congressman Ron Paul is one of Cohen’s comedy victims this time around.
- “Public Enemies” (July 1) – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale star in this tale of the real-life bank robber John Dillinger from overrated auteur Michael Mann. On paper it can’t miss, but adult minded dramas have been tanking of late (“The Soloist,” “State of Play,” “Body of Lies”). “Enemies” could get lost in the blockbuster haze. FUN FACT: John Dillinger killed 10 people during his crime spree, including a sheriff.
- “The Hangover” (June 5) – Every summer worth a darn needs an R-rated sleeper, and “The Hangover” could be it. A bunch of pals congregate for a buddy’s bachelor party, and boy do they regret nearly everything they did in the process. FUN FACT: Co-star Nick Galifianakis’s cousin, Nicholas Galifianakis, works as a newspaper cartoonist.
- “Funny People“ (July 31) – Comedy king Judd Apatow returns with his third feature. So why isn’t a movie from the mind behind “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” in the “sure things” department? Take a less than hilarious trailer that gives away the whole story and add Adam Sandler as the lead and you have a few serious question marks. FUN FACT: Apatow is married to Leslie Mann, who stars in all three of his directorial efforts.
- “Drag Me to Hell” (May 29) – Sam Raimi (The “Evil Dead” trilogy) returns to his bloody roots after a decade stuck in Spidey’s web. “Hell” looks like a blast, but the untested Alison Lohman is asked the carry the film, and Raimi’s final “Evil Dead” chapter lacked the spirit of the first two flicks. FUN FACT: Raimi is connected to a remake the great Asian action film “House of Flying Daggers.”
(Photo: Zach Galifianakis as Alan holds Baby Tyler, Bradley Cooper as Phil and Ed Helms as Stu in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ comedy “The Hangover,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Frank Masi)
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
A personal funfact: my cousin’s grandfather (now deceased) was arrested twice by the FBI in San Francisco because they thought he was John Dillinger.
Wow … that’s the best fun fact of all. Thanks Tink!
michael mann “overrrated” i disagree. respectfully of course. i am not saying that Mann is the best out there but he has made several great films .
Mann has his backers, Ronn. I wish I were one of them … but am prepared to be wrong about “Public Enemies.”
I’d say that’s a fair summation of Mann’s career. But his reputation is much more than that. Hence “overrated”.
Judd Apatow has only directed three features? I suppose that means he’s a member of that select group of writers and/or producers that get auteur status (in the broad sense of getting primary credit for movies they are involved with).
Apatow’s name is attached to virtually every comedy these days, but he’s only directed two (and the upcoming Funny People makes three)
Glad Raimi is still making horror flicks. Huge fan of Evil Dead. I loved Army of Darkness. The Director’s cut has a different ending than the theatrical release, btw. I had friends that hosted Evil Dead parties and I’ve probably seen everyone at least 15 times. Must be a sentimental thing.