Summer movies like “Iron Man 2″ and “Shrek Forever After” practically guarantee $100 million weekends.
Other films will be elbowing their way through the sequels and remakes to survive in the year’s most competitive film climate.
So before plunking down your money to see Tony Stark or that jolly green ogre, consider the following films which might just trump all when it comes to pure entertainment value.
- “Inception” (July 16) Go See It: Director Christopher Nolan is the brain behind this summer entry, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as a man who can snatch memories out of people’s minds. The rest of the story, alas, is a mystery, but that’s refreshing in an age when every detail of a movie is spilled before we see it. On Second Thought: DiCaprio again?
- “Get Him to the Greek” (June 4) Go See It: Russell Brand stole entire scenes as the slurry Brit rocker in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” But rather than make a sequel to a film that didn’t need one, they’ve spun off Brand’s character for a film all his own. Smart. On Second Thought: Do supporting characters deserve star billing? And the film’s trailer isn’t exactly a laughapalooza.
- “Splice” (June 4) Go See It: A brainy sci-fi feature about two scientists (Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley) who create an entirely new life form. What’s not to love? On Second Thought: Too good to be true? That’s the only thing WWTW can’t think of to stop people from checking this one out.
- “Cyrus” (June 18) Go See It: The Duplass brothers, the clever fiends behind “Baghead,” go mainstream with this drama starring John C. Reilly as a divorcee who finds new love – but also another obstacle to romance. On Second Thought: The brothers aren’t exactly made for mainstream audiences – will they sacrifice edge for fuzzy sentimentality?
- “Get Low” (July 30) Go See It: Bill Murray and Robert Duvall star in a movie about a man who plans his own funeral while he’s still above ground. On Second Thought: Too precious for its own good? And Murray and Duvall’s recent film choices have been uneven, to be kind.
- ‘The Last Exorcism” (Aug. 27) Go See It: A priest hires a documentary crew to film his last, fraudulent exorcism. But the devil, apparently, is in the details: On Second Thought: Has there been a great film on the subject since “The Exorcist?”
(Photo: Sarah Polley gets a closeup look at a new life form in “Splice.”)
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Saw the trailer of Inception at the Iron Man 2 viewing today.. OMG , what a visually arresting trailer. Reminds me of Dark City, one of my favorites.
I thought “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” was an outstanding film, both intensely creepy and surprisingly touching in parts. Not as good as “The Exorcist” but still an excellent film.
I second “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.”
Thanks for the list Christian. There are several on here I haven’t heard of. I’m very excited about “Inception.” On second thought, probably too excited.