2013
8/1
Working for It: We've waited long enough. This movie, about a group of intergalactic rouges is Marvel's biggest risk in Phase 2. It has a wonderfully eclectic cast (that Parks & Rec guy, that Avatar girl, a wrestler, the voice of Riddick, the voice of that Oscar nominated smart-ass, the Doctor's Scottish companion, etc.). The trailers have been extremely effective at establishing the premise, being memorable, and building excitement. It has the look of a hit.
Working against It: Space is hard. People don't like to mix their superheroes with outer space or other dimensions. Green Lantern and Thor 2 did fine, but when compared to their earthbound cousins, The Dark Knight and Iron Man 3, there's a big drop off at the box office. This may end up a little too out there for some people. I can't imagine me not liking it though.
Odds I'll See It: 96%
Other Options:
Working for It: We all love a good music biopic, don't we? This one covers the life of James Brown. Chadwick Bronson did fine work as Jackie Robinson last year and I expect the same here.
Working against It: I've had my fill of biopics for now and I doubt how accurate the portrayal of Brown will be (how many of the latter-day stories do you think we'll get?).
Odds I'll See It: 20%
Working for It: I like Brendan Glesson from In Bruges and other movies. I like Chris O'Dowd too. I seem to remember hearing good things about it when it came to (I think) Sundance.
Working against It: A drama about a priest. It looks like it takes advantage of the more dour parts of British landscape. Not a recipe for a theater movie.
Odds I'll See It: 2%
Working for It: I've heard this described as "if Girls made a RomCom" and I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a good thing. Daniel Radcliffe is the male lead. Adam Driver is in it too.
Working against It: Even with a slightly harsher tone, it still sounds like a standard RomCom (starting as friends, potentially becoming lovers). I'm good waiting on it.
Odds I'll See It: 30%
8/8
Working for It: In terms of ridiculous things from my childhood that refuse to die despite all reason, TMNT is king. There's something inexplicably entertaining about watching these four turtles fighting Shredder and learning from a sewer rat and I'm ever so curious to see what this will look like in live action again.
Working against It: I remember the movies from the 90s fondly. If I saw them with fresh eyes, that probably wouldn't be the case. This new movie is going to have to be good enough in impress my 27-year old self, not my 7-year old self. A lot of "haters" point to things like Megan Fox being April O'Neil and Michael Bay being involved to detract from it. Frankly, April O'Neil is not what I would call a "sacred character" from my youth. Fox isn't a very good actress, but this isn't Schindler's List. And, Michael Bay is only a producer. Even if he was directing, it's not like this is outside his wheelhouse. Calm the fuck down, people. I don't have many expectations for this, but I do expect to see it.
Odds I'll See It: 70%
Other Options:
Working for It: I like Twister. This is the found footage version of Twister.
Working against It: Since paying off big in the horror genre, studios have been looking for ways to employ found footage in other genres. The problem is that it's normally highly undisciplined and by the midway point in the movie, they start opting for the convenient shots, not the authentic (or even possible) shots. Based on the trailer, this is looking like the undisciplined type and I'm not sitting through another Project X.
Odds I'll See It: 5%
Working for It: This is a comedy from Dreamworks and Harpo Entertainment about an Indian family trying to open a restaurant across the street from a fancy French restaurant run by Helen Mirren. Hijinks ensue. Of this, I am certain.
Working against It: I'm supposed to watch this after seeing The Exotic Marigold Hotel, right? This sure looks like a forgettable movie. Perhaps the Indian crowd will turn out in droves the way Latino audiences have for similar movies. I have low expectations.
Odds I'll See It: 3%
Working for It: Like clockwork, every other year there's a new one of these. The gimmick this time is to reunite some familiar faces from the previous movies (of course, neither Tatum or Dewan-Tatum are showing up). That include Alyson Stoner who some may remember from that Missy Elliot video or Mike's Super Short Show (she holds a specific place in my memories).
Working against It: By now, you know what you are getting with these movies: cool dances moves, pretty people, maybe a good montage if you're lucky. For me, that's going to earn it a pass in theaters and a maybe to rent (but probably not even that).
Odds I'll See It: 7%
Working for It: Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec), Jane Levy (Suburgatory) , Max Greenfield (New Girl), Jason Ritter (Parenthood), Maggie Grace (LOST), and others. It's an indie cast, but it's a good one.
Working against It: It sounds a lot like Ten Year or Lifeguard or A Good Old Fashioned Orgy: a bunch of twenty somethings coming home and reflecting on their lives since college. I'm expecting it to be kind of funny, kind of dramatic, and heavy on formula. This is the epitome of "I'll catch it on Netflix eventually".
Odds I'll See It: 15%
Working for It: It has James Cameron in the title. He has the highest grossing two movies of all time. This can't go wrong.
Working against It: ...except that it's a documentary that will probably be playing at educational IMAX venues exclusively, not a $100 million action movie.
Odds I'll See It: 1%
8/15
The Lock: Too much competition to decide now and nothing so good that I'm committing to doubling down that weekend.Other Options:
Working for It: Look. It's 1989s most high-octane action movie yet again. There's a couple new faces like Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Wesley Snipes this time around. It's fun. It's over the top. It's not going to be watched without a couple of drinks in me.
Working against It: This isn't going to be a complete film. It's a popcorn movie and a gimmick, one that perhaps played itself out in the first installment and beat it in with the second. Really, what's left for the series to do? I'm not sure I care and neither should you.
Odds I'll See It: 60%
Working for It: The Giver is one of those books that's been around for most of my life, always on bookshelves with prominent placement and I have no idea what it is. It won the Newbery and people seem to love it. Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges are on board. As far as Young Adult themed book adaptations go, those are some good credentials.
Working against It: The trailers for it look pretty dull so far and don't give a great sense of what it's about. Also, I don't want to assume that Taylor Swift is going to be a drag, so I'll just point out that her only acting role in a movie has been Valentine's Day and leave it at that (she's a wild card).
Odds I'll See It: 40%
Working for It: Being a comedy in August is rough. For every box office success like We're the Millers or The Campaign there's a dud like The World's End, Hit & Run, or 30 Minutes or Less. Fox is pushing it pretty hard. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are both guys I can easily see transition to big screen success. The trailers are filled with laughs and the premise is simple: two friends pretend to be cops.
Working against It: It's an idea that sounds incredibly front loaded: They do some funny stuff pretending to be cops. Then what? How it handles the moment the plot kicks in will ultimately decide this movie. Normally, the jokes dry out and it's a trudge to the end. Recent movies like 22 Jump Street and Neighbors have been bucking that trend. Hopefully this can too.
Odds I'll See It: 70%
Working for It: This is that Sundance movie in which Michael Fassbender wears a big mask the whole time and is the front man for an indie band. If that's not enough to get you to see this, I'm not sure it's for you.
Working against It: Fassbender's mask has received more praise than the movie has which doesn't speak well for it at all.
Odds I'll See It: 28%
Working for It: Hey, it's Aubrey Plaza again. Aren't indie movies grand? This one's another one of those Sandance movies. It's about a guy whose girlfriend dies and comes back as a zombie played by Plaza. I can't say I've heard much more about it. Wait, Anna Kendrick too? That's can't hurt it.
Working against It: Any buzz it once had has completely died down. Do you notice how a lot of these Sundance movies have a killer setup but no implied story? That leaves the director and writer as what I have to go off. His only other credit is co-writing I Heart Huckabees, and who can say how much of that wasn't completely changed by David O. Russell. I have no reason to trust that this is good. Still, there is Plaza and Kendrick.
Odds I'll See It: 32%
Working for It: Keith Coogan and Rob Brydon have a lot of meals all over Italy.
Working against It: I've somehow seen none of the 38 credits the director has on his IMDB page. That's a bad sign. So far, it sounds like My Dinner With Andre with better food and prettier locations. For all I know, it could be another Philomena. Somehow, I doubt it.
[Update: Apparently, this is a sequel. Obviously, I'm not well informed on this]
Odds I'll See It: 4%
8/22
Working for It: You saw the first one, right? Good, then you're caught up as much as you need. Coming out nearly a decade after the first movie, many familiar faces are back, such as Jessica Ala and Mickey Rourke along with some new ones, like Joseph Gordon Levitt and Eva Green. Expect more of the highly stylized noir-comic book look, scantily clad women kicking ass, and extreme violence.
Working against It: It's curious, after the success of the original movie and the relative esteem still held for it, that this would be buried as a late August release like this. That makes me wonder if this will be more similar to Kick Ass 2 (released last year around the same time and after long wait). It's not an apples to apples comparison, but it's close enough. I'm hoping this will be good. I'll settle for entertaining.
Odds I'll See It: 68%
Other Options:
Working for It: Chloe Grace Moretz in a leading role is pretty enticing. She's getting into the book adaptation game. I don't know much about this. Basically, she's a young musician who ends up in a coma after her family gets in a car wreck and a lot of it takes place in an out-of-body experience, I believe.
Working against It: Chloe is the only thing I'm curious about in the movie. Other than that, it sounds like a Charlie St. Cloud and I expect it to fall short of what it is trying to do.
Odds I'll See It: 39%
Working for It: It's an inspirational sports movie starring
Working against It: Between FNL and Remember the Titans, the bar is set high for high school football movies. This is about a team to won 151 games in a row, so that spoils the underdog angle. It's inspirational, so it's not going to be doing anything interesting like following the season when they finally lose. Not much for me here.
Odds I'll See It: 2%
Working for It: Mark Duplass (yay!) and Elisabeth Moss (double yay!) play a couple who goes on a couple's retreat and things get interesting from there. Good leads. Sadly, it isn't directed by the Duplass brothers. In fact, this is a directorial debut for Charlie McDowell.
Working against It: I tend to like Duplass more on TV shows (The League, The Mindy Project) than in movies (Tammy, Safety Not Guaranteed). Elisabeth Moss is also an actress who lends herself to TV more than movies although in a different way than Duplass. The premise is a little generic and I feel like I'd spend the majority of the movie trying to figure out if it's trying to be funny or not.
Odds I'll See It: 3%
Working for It: There's a comedy sweet spot that the combination of Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler has that is reason enough to see this. It's a road trip movie about a couple guys heading back to their hometown, where one is set to inherit a large sum of money. As premises go, I've heard worse.
Working against It: Matthew Weiner's directorial debut sounds very promising. Then again, all he's directed is episodes of his show (Mad Men). Your have to go back Becker around 2000 to find his last regular comedy writing job and that's not an inspiring credential. He decided to do something to get away from Mad Men and, in the process, may have gotten too far out of his comfort zone.
Odds I'll See It: 13%
8/29
The Lock: None, and so begins the late summer trudge.Other Options:
Working for It: It's a standard horror movie starring some familiar faces but no names. That's not always a bad thing. The producers are some of the guys that made Paranormal Activity and Insidious. That's helps make this look legitimate.
Working against It: The poster for it is about as generic as it gets and I assume the movie will reflect that. This is that time of year when movies like The House at the End of the Street come out that only please the most insatiable of horror fans and leave anyone desiring some nuance, underwhelmed. I could be wrong. I do know almost nothing about this movie.
Odds I'll See It: 2%
Working for It: A horror movie set in the catacombs of France. That's certainly a new location for a movie. I like Ginsberg from Mad Men (Ben Feldman) and Wade from Cougar Town (Edwin Hodge).
Working against It: I can't say that I've thought of either of them as leading men yet either. There's always a chance for a horror movie to be a sleeper hit but it's more than likely that one won't.
Odds I'll See It: 4%
Working for It: Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who is kidnapped and ransomed, whose husband doesn't want to pay. Hijinks ensue and oddball characters abound. Aniston, Tim Robbins, Isla Fisher, and Mos Def round out an all-star cast of people you'd think had something better to do.
Working against It: Occasionally, movies come out with a big cast like this that you have to assume exist only because they all had a gap in their schedule and wanted another payday. It looks like a movie that could've been made in 2004 or 1994 and still would've felt out of place.
Odds I'll See It: 1%
Working for It: The story of a guy who won Britain's Got Talent. Kind of the male Susan Boyle story.
Working against It: At this point, I may see it just because I'll be amazed it finally got released. I think this was originally set to release in December, then pushed back to later in the winter, and finally pushed to now. We'll see if it actually stays here.
Odds I'll See It: 9%
That's one busy month. I need to find a way to cut this down, because this took forever to put together. Hopefully, September will be quietly filled with enough quality movies to see and no more.
