Summer Blockbusters: Or How I Plan to Creatively Research and Write It Off on Taxes
Let’s look at my list right now, shall we?
Up. The story of that cantankerous old man and the wide-eyed 8-year-old boy scout…and that dog that wears a collar that translates his thoughts. (That alone in the trailer was enough to make me want to go.) Pixar hasn’t really made a bad movie yet—they’re 9 for 9, and this one looks like it will be just as great. Okay, so I actually saw this one and it was brilliant. Go, go see it!
Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. Clearly I don’t need to elaborate here.
The Proposal. I’m a big Sandra Bullock fan. I’ll watch pretty much whatever she’s in. And I have a teensy crush on Ryan Reynolds. Tie them together with a bow that says, “romantic comedy” and I’m there at the theater, ordering my popcorn. What can I say? I’m predictable.
Year One. My throw-away low-brow, stupid-comedy of the year movie. I always have at least one of these I watch a year. In 2001, it was The Royal Tenenbaums. (I still want my money back, Owen!) And in 2008, it was The Love Guru. (Still more funny than The Royal Tenenbaums.) The clip where Cain and Abel start fighting looks to be worth the price of admission.
The Ugly Truth. Okay, I just heard about this one. Another rom-com, my dietary staple of movies, with Gerard Butler. (All systems go.) Plus how can I resist the little visual cue where it shows the woman figure thinking with her head; and the man figure thinking in a much southerly atmosphere. Oh, stereotypes! They’re there for a reason. (And that is the ugly truth.) I imagine it’s going to be a lot like He’s Just Not That Into You, but with much, much, much better eye candy.
Public Enemies. Me not attend a Johnny Depp movie? You must be joking. Of course, my favorite is the little byline that says, “based on historical events.” Right. I’ll bring my checklist of all the things they got real creative about. Still, Johnny as a gangster? He hasn’t been this truly wicked since The Libertine, which incidentally was based on historical events too.
(500) Days of Summer. The artsy non-conventional romantic comedy of the summer. It’ll be my high-brow flick of the summer, to comfort the movie critic who gnashed his teeth at the “recycled dreck” of the other rom-coms available this summer. (Critics are so difficult to please.)
What movies are you looking forward to this summer? Or if you can’t hit the theaters as much as us single, rich folk, what rentals have you seen lately that you’ve enjoyed? Do you like doing research in movie theaters? Do you take butter on your popcorn?
Books by the Crew
52 comments:
Popcorn, no butter. Medium diet pepsi, matinee on me own. I'll all fer seein' Cap'n Sparrow with a tommy gun. And like ya, Hel, I'm all fer Sandra Bullock. The rest be up fer grabs. I'll see what else shows up.
Oh, I guess I better rent the last HP afore the next one hits the theater. (Don't hit me Cap'n!)
My Life in Ruins be on me list. Fer the sheer setting. Ice Age 3...love animated movies.
I really likes the previews of Julie and Julia... Meryl Streep can do anything!
And I be enjoyin' the summer series... Burn Notice, In Plain Sight... Cheesy scifi movies on the SciFi Channel...
Great blog, Hellsie!
Let's see. I totally am looking forward to Harry Potter too. 28 days! Yay!! But I want to see it in IMAX, so I'll probably wait two weeks for that.
The Proposal sounds great too. I share you affinity for Ryan Reynolds. And though I'm not much of a Jack Black fan, I love love Michael Cera. :)
I also want to see GI Joe and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I'm a big fan of the big budget action flick, I guess And I used to watch both those shows as a kid (I did watch Jem as well, but I liked the boys shows just as well.)
How could I forget to mention Public Enemies? I'm SO looking forward to that one. Lots of trips to the theater alone this summer.
Right now I'm all about Transformers. I'd also like to see The Hangover, but can't take kiddo to that one for obvious reasons.
The Proposal isn't doing anything new for me, but Year One does look hysterical. And I'm waiting for Cheri which is a lovely looking period piece with Michelle Pfeifer, Rupert Friend, and Kathy Bates.
I haven't heard of Julie and Julia. Must look that up. LOVED UP!
I loved Up. I think it's Pixar's best. I'll definitely see the Harry Potter movie and The Time Traveler's Wife, both of which I have been eagerly awaiting. I'll probably wait for the video of The Proposal, Julia and Julia, and Cheri. I don't go to the movies often.
Chance: I get the butter on my popcorn--and I get a real Pepsi. *LOL* A small one though.
I saw My Life in Ruins. The best part about it was making a joke to my boyfriend (before the movie) that I was going to see a documentary. Of my life.
It was okay; and the bus driver gets progressively cuter, but over all, I'd skip. I was so disenchanted with my experience of it, I went to Blockbuster after and rented a movie--the Benjamin Button one, which proved to be so much better.
Marn: I'm definitely NOT a Jack Black fan. Ick. But the concept is very amusing to me. It's like the Old Testament version of The Life of Brian, which is one of my favorite movies.
Ryan Reynolds is insanely hot. I'm pretty sure that the movie itself is probably very much a rental--but I like Ryan and Sandra so much, I'm willing to put up with it. And of course, I'll be going at Twilight so it'll be cheaper.
GI Joe looked pretty sexy-crazy-actiony. I thought I might dig that one as well.
Terr--I want to see The Hangover. Sin said it was hilarious; actually, people who have seen it keep saying it's hilarious. I might have to break and go see it.
Cheri looked good too. But I might be with Janga on this: it might be a rental. Of course, it will depend when it gets here. *LOL* And how bored I am.
Janga: I do think UP was one of Pixar's best (I loved Finding Nemo too).
And we know what a crazy fool I am for Harry Potter. Every time I see the trailer in a movie theater, I'm practically crawling up in my chair in excitement.
Everyone keeps mentioning Julie and Julia--I'm going to have to google this. OHhhhhh. Is this the one that chick wrote a blog where she cooked Julia Child recipes for like a year? She made a book on it, et al, and now I guess they've made the movie? How in the world did this make it to celluloid before Eat Pray Love? The reviews for the book weren't that good, I don't think.
We went and say the hangover. It was hysterically funny. And Bradley Cooper, with his wild hair and aviator sunglasses was some major eye candy.
We went with another couple, and both us girls walked out saying "How would they have known Mike Tyson had a tiger in his house? That's the one thing they never explained." And both the boys looked at us and said "Everyone knows Mike Tyson owns a pet tiger!" *g*. boys.
I can't wait for Transformers, Public Enemies, Year One, and the Ugly Truth. I think they're all going to be awesome
Though it's funny, I've been talking about wanting to see Public Enemies since I saw the first preview. The hubs the other day was talking about "that new bank robber movie" and I gave him a blank look. Turns out, I had no idea what it was about, I just knew Johnny Depp and Christian Bale were going to be in the same movie. Good enough for me!
(oh, and I get extra butter on the popcorn, and a diet coke to balance it out. I swear I get more excited about the popcorn than the movie *g*)
I read Julie and Julia for my book club. There's one other woman in my book club my age - we both thought it was funny. The 40's/50's women in the group were horrified by it *g*. It's very sarcastic, very witty, but I don't see how it's possibly going to be a movie. Hmmmm.
No popcorn, sneak in my own bottle of water.
I googled, watched the trailer, I WILL be seeing Julie & Julia.
water? You drink water at the movies? What's the fun in that? LOL
(though I gained six pounds last month, somehow, so I'll probably be drinking water in the movies all summer too. Good bye sweet popcorn)
Water is the only thing I drink all the time. I know, you'd think I'd be thin. But no. *sigh* I can't drink soda anymore. Long story but suffice it to say, my tummy and carbonation don't mix.
Sadly, Jack and I don't go to movie theatres--no movie date nights for us. We always wait until a movie is available to rent and then watch it in our recliners wearing bunny slippers. (Well, I do. Jack refuses to wear bunny slippers.)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the DVD release of The Proposal and The Ugly Truth, too. Usually I don't pay much attention to films until I walk through Blockbuster, though.
Hal, I'm cracking up you didn't know Public Enemies was about John Dillinger. *LOL* That was one of the first things I caught. But it'll be a very HOLLYWOOD "based on historical events" Dillinger movie. The whole "woman in the red dress" (the Judas) scene will probably be interesting to see.
Then again, those gangsters were pretty Hollywood, in a sense. The dramatized version might not be too off from the real version. *LOL*
I wonder if they'll make the desperation show good enough. We really have no idea how desperate those times really were.
Hal, why were the women horrified by the book? Because it was so sarcastic? Really? Is sarcasm really a more recently acceptable phenomenon? (I'm suddenly imagining my generation forty years from now in the Old Folks Home--a whole generation of sarcasm. That might be funny to see.)
Dee, you got the best seat in the house. Plus if you need a popcorn refill, you can pause the movie and do it without missing anything.
Jack is totally missing out on the bunny slippers. He could get some beaver slippers. That might appeal to him. *LOL*
Blockbuster has a bunch of movies I haven't seen yet...I think next on my list is Bedtime Stories or The Reader.
I do butter on my popcorn. I drop plain M&M's in the popcorn so I get the sweet and salty all at the same time:)
Great moovie list, and I agree with all but Harry. Haven't tackled the Potter books.
I'm with you on Gerard Butler...meow.
Year One looks right up my alley. Love Jack Black and the other dude, Michael somebody. He was hilarious in Juno.
I want to see Hangover, I hear it's great.
I watched Taken and New in Town this weekend. Taken is awesome! New in Town is a cute romance comedy. Love me some Harry Connick, but I wasn't feeling the chemistry between him and Renee Z.
Oh and how could I forget The Proposal. I LOVE Ryan Reynolds!!!!
Isn't the Summer movie season the best? Pretty sure there's something coming out every single weekend that I want to see!
Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to snag tickets to a sneak preview of The Proposal. It was actually a really great romantic comedy - the writing was well done, there weren't any eye-rolling moments, and both MCs were surprisingly 3D. Though, I love a good romcom, so I may be a little biased here! It also helped that Ryan Reynolds is absolutely adorable and that the two MCs work at a publishing house...
Count me on on the HP countdown - can't wait. That's the same week as RWA, but I fully plan on dragging some other writer friends to the midnight showing!
I will pay full price to see Ryan Reynolds. Big Yum.
Definitely buttered popcorn and then I take a sip of whatever the kids have cause I won't pay $4 for a bottle of water!! I never sip from the DH - he usually gets diet (a taste I can't stomach) and if they let him mix his drinks he does - not good!
Before I signed on here I went looking for showtimes for "Up". Kids are off and I have my niece staying with me so we thought we'd go to the movies. Went to Six Flaggs Great America yesterday from 10 am to 10 pm. I just hope I can stay awake during the movie.
I want to see "Public Enemy", "Harry Potter" (my first in a theater) and "Transformers" (they made me sit down last week and watch the first one and I really liked it so now I want to see the sequel). I don't go to the movies often so I doubt I'll be seeing any of the other ones.
Irish - Welcome to the Transformers club! LOL! Isn't it better than you'd expect?
I'm exhausted just reading about that long at Six Flaggs.
I've never seen an HP in the theaters either. Maybe I'll do this one, I don't know.
Lisa, my eyelid twitched when you said you agreed with all but Harry. You can't say things like that to rabid fans. It's like telling cupcakes that Morelli's a loser.
But Ryan Reynold--I've loved him since Two Guys, a Girl, & a Pizza Place--and there was a movie called "Buying the Cow" (I think that was the title) and that was hilarious with him in it. Over the top stupid funny, but I laughed hysterically at it. That guy is a nut.
Mary: I'm so glad that The Proposal is good. I'm pretty forgiving on Rom-Coms, really, so I imagine I will really like it. And I think Ryan and Sandra are pretty good in anything they do.
Isn't Betty White in it too? They always make her some crazy old person anymore...and it's hilarious to see. I wonder if she gets annoyed with the typecasting. *LOL*
Irish, that is a lot of movies in theater settings for you! *LOL* I'm so proud!
Everyone keeps raving about Transformers--I can't even make myself rent it. I like The Fast & the Furious, so it's not like I don't like cars or action flicks--I'm just not intrigued by the concept, I think. I was never a Transformer kid.
I felt the same way about "Transformers" as I did about the first "Die Hard" movie - I don't do action, I don't like violence, that isn't for me. Then I watched it and LOVED it. It's just like a good book - it's all about the story and the characters. If you've got a good story and great characters they can even make me watch an action/adventure/comic book hero movie! LOL
Should I tell you about the movie I walked out on?! (The Land of the Lost) I should have known, though, it had Will Farrell in it! The DH took the day off work. We told my son he could pick anything he wanted to do for his birthday and he picked that movie. I groaned out loud. The DH made me go cause it was his birthday gift, but couldn't stop me and my daughter from walking out of the movie theater. Even my son thought it was bad! That was one of those movies where I felt they should have paid me for giving up 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back! (Although, technically, it was only about 30 minutes)
Don't lie, Terr, we know you're not going to see HP in the theater. *eye roll* You can't even bring yourself to read the books.
Speaking of crew members who don't watch the same movies as me, I got Sin to watch pieces of POTC: At World's End last Saturday. I fast forwarded to my favorite parts. *LOL* "Look, this part is great too. Watch, watch..." And she stayed mostly awake. It was a lot of fun.
I still think you'd like Transformers if you'd just watch it. Even I watch the HP movies on TV!
Well, when the Transformers come to TV, I'll give it a whirl. *LOL*
Sorry about my lack of Harry love, I may tackle Harry at some point because I love British actors. I do love the POTC, so that makes up for my lack of Harry love:)I went to bed at 1am this morning after watching The Pride and Predjudice for the 20 th time. I flipped through the channels and saw it, and well, I'm so damn weak. "Mrs Darcy"...kiss..."Mrs. Darcy"....kiss. I can't pass it up, it gets me every time.
Have you seen Definately, Maybe? Great Ryan Reynolds flick.
I own Definitely Maybe. Great flick. *LOL*
I'll forgive you for the lack of Harry love because I've read and watched Twilight (actually read all the books) and I don't get the appeal of them. It must be what people feel like--those odd ones--who read Harry and don't see the magic of them.
BTW - I have the same problem with The Notebook. EVERY. TIME.
I loved Definitely Maybe. Transformers are on TV if you'd just get HBO. LOL!
Lisa - It's like a moth to a candle isn't it? I planned on going to bed at 10 then flipped around and found P&P. But I managed to break the spell right as she was headed to Pemberly. Got to bed around 11:30.
Terrio,
I have an entire list of "hold the phone, I have to see this movie" movies:)
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, The Wedding Planner, The Wedding Date, My Best Friend's Wedding, PS. I Love You, Sixteen Candles, The Notebook, Four Weddings and a Funeral... I could go on, but it's embarrassing.
Definitely 16 Candles. LOL! Four Weddings, yes. Plus Notting Hill, love that one. I got stuck on Ever After for a while. The irony is that if I owned any of these DVDs (and I do own Ever After) I'd never pop them in to watch them.
I saw Sandra Bullock on a talkshow and what she said about Betty White was hilarious! It was like how Cloris Leachman stole every scene in "The Women" ... I love these 'mature' actors.
The clips I've seen of Julie & Julia just makes me eyes pop for Meryl. I don't cook and remember findin' Julia Child annoyin' on tv...but her story sounds fun... And ta see Meryl do that voice? I can't wait!
Me nephews were all gaga over the first Transformer movie... To them, it was seein' their heroes come ta life. I was never inta the toys, had no kids...too far from the younger kids to 'get it' ... But it looks fun. I may rent it and then we'll see 'bout the 2nd one.
Popcorn, no butter because it ain't real butter, it's scary! Diet Pepsi jus' because I'd rather get me calories from somethin' smuggled in.
And Jaws... What is it about these movies that when we be flippin' through channels they jus' suck us in? Specially when we know they are better on the DVD, jus' steps away from the television?
Terrio! That be funny...I own DVDs but when the movies are on tv, I'll watch 'em. Like the committment ta pay attention tightly ain't so heavy... And it be fun when ya pull the DVD out later and notice how much they cut out.
Watched Alien Resurrection last night and wow! They cut out all the fun stuff! I'll do the same with Dante's Peak...
That's it. Putting in the DVD means commitment. LOL! I don't want to be committed to the next 90 mins or so. If it's on TV, I can change it if I get bored. No commitment.
And we could eject the DVD... It's some weird program...somethin' 'bout guilt... Finishin' what we start?
Plus commercials are great fer bathroom breaks and snack runs. 'Course, so be the pause button...
It be interestin'!
I don't have this guilt. If I put in a movie and decide it's not what I want to watch right now, I'll pop it out and try another.
It seems like I have to go see the HP movie too. I can honestly say that I'm NOT looking forward to it. Unless there is mass murder and chaos, then I might be able to get into it.
I take lots of butter on my popcorn. Did you know that butter on popcorn apparently leads to cancer? Well, I say, everything leads to cancer so you might as well have what you want. Including a cigerette and a tanning bed.
And Hellie, I do love you. I'm sorry that I'm late today and missed yesterday completely. There is this little thing I'm required to do in order to afford the hundreds of dollars I'm spending on scrapbooking- and it's work. The most evil of four letter words.
And because of you, I know own the complete set of Once Upon a Time, including the book books.
And I've just seen He's Just Not That Into You. My favorite line of the year is in this movie:
"I must be the exception."
He leans into her, looks at her lips and then back up into her eyes, "No, you're my exception." And he kisses her.
There were a few wonderful lines in the movie...
I thinks I avoid the theater butter 'cause I'd rather smuggle in somethin' wonderful fer that amount a' fat and calories. While popcorn? It be a good fibre source.
Wait until yer old and crotchedy, Sin...then you'll know the value of fiber.
I figure "My Life In Ruins" be a bit of a throwaway, but the scenery looks sweet. And me last cruise wit' me dad still alive was in Greece, so I likes ta revisit the memories a' that trip.
Just returned from "Up". Very, very good movie.
I felt the same way about "Transformers" as I did about the first "Die Hard" movie - I don't do action, I don't like violence, that isn't for me. Then I watched it and LOVED it. It's just like a good book - it's all about the story and the characters. If you've got a good story and great characters they can even make me watch an action/adventure/comic book hero movie! LOL
Should I tell you about the movie I walked out on?! (The Land of the Lost) I should have known, though, it had Will Farrell in it! The DH took the day off work. We told my son he could pick anything he wanted to do for his birthday and he picked that movie. I groaned out loud. The DH used the guilt card on me – “C’mon, it’s his birthday. We told him whatever he wanted (that’s a mistake I won’t make again!)” He couldn’t, however, stop me and my daughter from walking out of the movie theater. Even my son thought it was bad! That was one of those movies where I felt they should have paid me for giving up 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back! Although, technically, it was only about 30 minutes, but still what a waste of an afternoon!
I own Ever After, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill and do pop them in every once in a while and watch them. But if I'm flipping channels and they're on I always stop to watch (even with commercials) when I can just as easily stop watching it and pop the DVD in. It's crazy. Must be some kind of mind control thing!
It be the cosmic rays from the television...suckin' us in...preppin' our brains fer dessert...
Irish, I'm SO sorry about The Land of the Lost! I was afraid of that when I saw the reviews. I mean, when the trailers aren't even funny, you know it's bad. I'm a huge Will Ferrell fan and you couldn't pay me to go see that show.
Which is kinda funny. In Bewitched, Will Ferrell plays an actor--who most of Hollywood can't stand because he's an arrogant 2-bit schmuck--and his career is in the toilet for a movie he did that cost like $140 million to make but only grossed $1.3 million--and didn't sell a single DVD.
Anyone seeing any similarities here? Anyone?
I love Will. I think he's capable of range. He was excellent in Stranger Than Fiction--but when it comes to Will Ferrell, the majority of his fans don't want his range. They want his SNL stuff.
I do that with movies a lot too. Harry Potter is my worst though. They are always showing them on ABC, and even though I own all of them--and have probably watched all of them like 30 times each, if they're on, I'll watch them. It's crazy.
Irish--I'm a huge Die Hard fan--but I have a crush on Bruce Willis. *LOL*
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