2013
5/2
Working for It: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are fantastic in their roles. Sony is doing a good job of bringing in every available actor they can find to play a villain (specifically, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, and Paul Giamatti). And, let's not be coy. It's a Marvel movie on the first weekend of May. What else would I be seeing.
Working against It: I did not like the first movie, almost at all. One thing that movie did right, however, is it allowed a lot of room to course correct. If you remember, Spider-Man 2 was the best in that trilogy as it worked the kinks out but hadn't gotten too inflated yet. I'm expecting the same here.
Odds I'll See It: 90%
Other Options:
Walk of Shame
Working for It: I like Elizabeth Banks, Jason Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Millicent Gergich Sarah Wright, Ethan Suplee, and Bill Burr. It sounds like an Odyssey story with Banks as a news reporting trying to get across town for a big interview which has potential to be packed with small, entertaining stories.
Working against It: A week earlier and it would be a consideration. May is prime real estate with little room for pleasant movies.
Odds I'll See It: 30%
Working for It: Martial Arts movies are fun.
Working against It: I didn't see the first movie. I don't know what it's about. I don't know anyone in the movie. I'm generally too lazy for subtitles. Take your pick.
Odds I'll See It: 2%
Working for It: The poster for it reminds me of The Duchess and I like Keira Knightley.
Working against It: Knightley wasn't enough to get me to see The Duchess and she's not even in this one. You know who is? I don't. This could be one of those long-stewing movies like A Royal Affair a couple years ago, but, as I've said, there's not room for taking chances in May.
Odds I'll See It: 1%
5/9
Working for It: One of my favorite comedy Directors (Nick Stoller - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five Year-Engagement), one of my favorite comedy actors (Seth Rogen), one of comedy's stealth gems the past few years (Robe Byrne), a "pretty-boy" actor who I keep rooting for (Zach Efron), a funny concept, and more actors I enjoy playing bit parts than you can shake a stick at. Please, tell me what is working against this.
Working against It: No, please, tell me what is working against this.
Odds I'll See It: 99%
Other Options:
Working for It: I like Jon Favreau as a director and actor. He's certainly called in a few favors from big named friends with name like Downey, Johansson, and Hoffman. Reviews I've read have been quite favorable.
Working against It: It's about a guy who opens a food truck after losing his restaurant job. Frankly, I'm tired of food truck stories.
Odds I'll See It: 25%
Working for It: One of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final roles. This is one of those Massachusetts small-time crime dramas that could be interesting if done right. Also, for the Mad Men fans out there, it is John Slattery's feature directorial debut.
Working against It: This premiere in Sundance, I believe, and reviews have not been kind. It's not the kind of story that immediately jumps out at me. I figure, if I can't l find enough to like in something like Killing Them Softly, what hope does this have.
Odds I'll See It: 18%
Working for It: I mean, I don't hate the cast.
Working against It: It's exactly what it sounds like, the PG adventures of some moms who have a crazy night away from the husbands and kids. At some point, I assume they will all cry out "Ya-ya!".
Odds I'll See It: 5%
Working for It: The Wizard of Oz is one of the most highly regarded movies in history.
Working against It: This isn't The Wizard of Oz. This is animated, with big name voice actors like Lea Michele and Kelsey Grammer. It doesn't even look like they are trying.
Odds I'll See It: 2%
5/16
Working for It: 16 years is long enough to take another stab at this, and if there's any studio I trust to do it right, after last year's underrated Pacific Rim, it's Legendary Pictures. Then there's the Cranston of it all. He's still riding his Breaking Bad wave of support. Another odd little thought: Anyone curious to see how Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch will play in Avengers: Age of Ultron, guess what? Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are starring in this one too. Huzzah!
Working against It: It's been 16 years since the last Godzilla movie because the last attempt was a rather famous disappointment. After successes like Cloverfield and Pacific Rim since, is there any territory left for Godzilla to explore?
Odds I'll See It: 65%
Other Options:
Working for It: I love me some Jon Hamm. This "based on a true story" tale of a man recruiting Indian Cricket players to play baseball has serious Cool Runnings potential and Disney is the most reliable player in the inspirational sports story sub-genre.
Working against It: The Scout and Cool Runnings have done a lot of this before. The movie looks to be leaning heavily on Hamm, who is good enough to handle it, but can't do it all. Also, I'm over the "white savior" thing.
Odds I'll See It: 35%
5/23
Working for It: Everything! The ambition of this movie can only be compared to The Avengers. They've found a popular story from the comics that essentially allows Brian Singer to return to the movie franchise he started and hand-pick the stars he wants to bring back: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender - Ah! - I'm excited for this.
Working against It: The danger of ambition is the likelihood of failure. Keep in mind, this is a franchise with as many blunders and successes. How good will be considered good enough for this movie?
Odds I'll See It: 97%
Other Options:
Working for It: Drew Barrymore has been in some of the best Adam Sandler movies this side of Titanic, so this is probably the best thing that could happen for those (like me) who still have hope for Adam Sandler.
Working against It: "Forced" would be a generous way to describe the premise for this movie. At this point, I'd almost prefer that Sandler just go for PG or R with his movies because I'm yet to see a good balance of his sensibilities and family-friendly jokes.
Odds I'll See It: 18%
5/30
By far the toughest decision I'll make this month.The Lock: Undecided
Options:
Working for It: Angelina Jolie doesn't do enough movies and all indicators point to her being a magnificent Maleficent. Throw in Elle Fanning who is quickly moving up my chart of favorite under 18 actors along with a classic but underused fairy tale and this could be an absolute delight.
Working against It: Oz the Great and Powerful. Alice in Wonderland. Snow White and the Huntsman. Have any of these been a resounding success? They keep trying though and maybe eventually one will fully click.
Odds I'll See It: 51%
Working for It: Love him or hate him, Seth MacFarlane is a force in the comedy world. His style of barraging an audience with joke after joke all but guarantees a few good laughs at a minimum. He's certainly assembled a cast of people who aren't comedic actors but no doubt can be funny such as Liam Nesson, Charlize Theron, and Amanda Seyfried. Then there are the comedic actors like NPH and Sarah Silverman.
Working against It: It's no secret that I begrudged Ted's immense success. While I thought it was good, I didn't think it was $200 million good. I get the feeling the same thing will happen with this one. Hopefully, this avoids the problem Ted (and most comedy movies) have of forgetting to be funny in the third act when it remembers it needs a plot.
Odds I'll See It: 50%
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