Home > Metrospective
|
|
Big: Ben Foster soars as Angel in "X-Men:
The Last Stand" which opens May 29.
Left small: James Marsden, Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth in "Superman
Returns," which opens June 30.
Right small: Jack Black in "Nacho Libre," due in theaters June
16. |
|
Cinematic adventures
By Joe Nguyen and Adam Goldstein
nguyejos@mscd.edu | goldstea@mscd.edu
X-Men: The Last Stand (May 26)
PG-13
Dir. Brett Ratner
In this latest installment, mutants now have the choice to be cured
and become normal. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who believes
humans and mutants can coexist peacefully, and Magneto (Ian McKellen),
who believes in survival of the fittest, draw battle lines.
Forecast: Expect tons of action. Also, the rumor of Colossus’ and
Wolverine’s “Fastball Surprise” has comic-book
nerds salivating.
The Omen (June 6)
R
Dir: John Moore
This revamping of the 1976 horror classic sticks to the fundamental
plot of the original: two well-meaning and unwitting adoptive parents
(Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber) take in the spawn of Satan as their
own. Needless to say, the results are epic in their moral implications
as the bouncing baby boy grows to summon his sinister biological
traits.
Forecast: Any remake of a classic has its cards stacked against
it. Still, Mia Farrow’s return to the screen as the protective
nanny Mrs. Baylock links the remake to another classic, “Rosemary’s
Baby,” and should provide some nostalgic moments for horror
buffs.
A Prairie Home Companion (June 8)
PG-13
Dir: Robert Altman
Writer Garrison Keillor brings his long-running radio variety program
to the big screen with the aid of Oscar-winning director Robert
Altman and a roster of top name actors, including Woody Harrelson,
Lily Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep. The film centers
on a corporate buyout of the program’s radio-station home
and the final episode of “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Forecast: With a top-notch cast and a stellar director, Keillor’s
dry wit and rustic charm should find a fitting expression on film.
Be forewarned, however, this is not standard summer blockbuster
fare. Keillor is not about car chases and explosions.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (June 16)
PG-13
Dir. Justin Lin
Shaun Boswell (Lucas Black) is sent to live with his uncle in Tokyo
after getting into trouble with the law. Soon he discovers a world
of street racing he’s never seen in the States: drifting.
Forecast: Action-packed scenes, fast cars and hot women – it’s
the essential mindless summer flick. Nacho Libre (June 16)
PG
Dir. Jared Hess
Jack Black plays a priest who enters the world of Mexican wrestling,
or Lucha Libre, in order to help the children in his orphanage.
Forecast: Only Black can pull off playing a wrestling priest
with a heart of gold.
Click (June 23)
PG-13
Dir. Frank Coraci
Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) has a beautiful family, but due to
the hours he puts in at his architecture firm, he rarely gets to
see them. When he gets his hands on a magical universal remote
control from an eccentric Bed, Bath and Beyond employee (Christopher
Walken), he takes control of his life.
Forecast: It’s hard to say no to a movie with Christopher
Walken, The Fonz and David Hasselhoff. Superman Returns (June 30)
PG-13
Dir. Bryan Singer
After disappearing for several years, Superman (Brandon Routh)
returns to Earth to find his love, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth),
has moved on and his nemesis, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), is still
plotting
his destruction.
Forecast: Routh and Bosworth look the parts in the trailer and
the casting of Spacey is a stroke of genius.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (July
7)
Not yet rated
Dir. Gore Verbinski
Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth
Swann (Keira Knightley) return for more seafaring adventures. This
time Sparrow finds himself in debt to the legendary captain Davey
Jones. His problems interfere with Turner’s and Swann’s
wedding plans when they are forced to join him on his escapade.
Forecast: Knightley, Bloom and Depp provide plenty of eye candy
for every demographic and everyone loves pirates.
Lady in the Water (July 21)
PG-13
Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Paul Giamatti plays Cleveland Heep, a building manager who rescues
a mysterious young woman named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) from
the building’s swimming pool. She turns out to be a “narf,” a
nymph-like creature who has come to our world from an epic bedtime
story.
Forecast: Since it’s a Shyamalan movie, expect a huge plot
twist at the end. My Super Ex-Girlfriend (July 21)
Not yet rated
Dir. Ivan Reitman
After Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) dumps his girlfriend Jenny (Uma
Thurman), he discovers that she’s really a superhero known
as G-Girl. Using her powers, she turns his life into a living hell.
Forecast: As Saunders will see, breaking up is hard to do. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (August 4)
Not yet rated
Dir. Adam McKay
Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a cocky NASCAR star who lives by
the motto, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” When
a French Formula 1 driver, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), moves
in on his turf, Bobby has to battle him for the top driver title.
Forecast: Ferrell will continue his reign as the ultimate anti-hero
actor of the new century. The Ant Bully (August 4)
Not yet rated
Dir. John A. Davis
10-year-old Lucas Nickle (Zack Tyler Eisen) is ignored by his parents,
teased by his teenage sister and, to make things worse, has become
the main target for the neighborhood bully. Lucas takes out his
frustrations on the ant colony in his backyard, only to be shrunk
to the size of an ant by the ant wizard Zoc (Nicolas Cage).
Forecast: Computer-animated movies about ants are nothing new,
but “Bully” brings a new twist to the genre. World Trade Center (August 9)
Not yet rated
Dir. Oliver Stone
Stone tells the true story of John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage)
and William J. Jimeno (Michael Pena), the police officers who
were
the last two survivors rescued from Ground Zero.
Forecast: A surefire tearjerker. |
