SUMMER MOVIES: My 10 Most Anticipated

10. “Taking Woodstock” – director: Ang Lee
(opens in limited release August 14)



Normally, Ang Lee’s name on anything has me sitting erect and alert, waiting with bated breath to see the end result, and I have no doubt his latest will be something special. In fact, the only reason this is so low on my list is how lame and familiar the trailer seems to me (and the seemingly lack-of-confidence August release date). I’ll assume/hope that’s simply the fault of a marketing team and not Lee himself, because I love the idea of him tackling a story like this, with themes/tone so vastly different than anything he’s touched upon before. I’m also fascinated to see what he does with a leading man like Demetri Martin, who I’ve never seen do anything besides deadpan stand-up.


9. “Land of the Lost” – director: Brad Silbering
(opens June 5)



I seem to be one of the few self-titled “hip” people who hasn’t quite hit my Will Ferrell saturation point, and I still think when given the right material, the guy can be genuinely hilarious (see: “Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers,” the list goes on). That, paired with (a) the fact that early test-screening reviews seemed to unanimously say that the movie is filled with surprisingly trippy/out-there visuals, and jokes whose absurdity/oddness levels push the boundaries of mainstream tolerance, (b) a moderately amusing trailer, and (c) a random feeling in my gut, have me thinking that this just might be the perfect “really fun to get high before” movie of this summer.


8. “(500) Days of Summer” – director: Marc Webb
(opens in limited release July 17)



Just when I thought I’d had all I could stomach when it comes to Fox Searchlight quirkfest romances, this trailer for a quirkier-than-quirky rom-com starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes along and makes me re-evaluate. It still might ultimately be too adorable or twee for some, word has been emanating from Sundance that the movie’s a non-nauseating crowd-pleaser, and really, how can one resist those two actors headlining a movie (even if Zooey has been going for the paychecks lately with “Yes Man” and “The Happening”)?


7. “The Hangover” – director: Todd Phillips
(opens June 5)



This is one of those cases where a trailer pretty much single-handedly convinced me I wanted to see a movie. Todd Phillips is one of those directors who just knows precisely how to handle the hetero fratboy humor (see “Old School” and “Road Trip” for prime examples), and his “Starsky & Hutch” is an underrated gem in my eyes, despite what anyone/everyone else thinks. Here, he looks to be back in prime fratboy mode, and much in the way he brought Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn to mainstream awareness, he appears to be doing the same here for “Daily Show”/”The Office” veteran Ed Helms, and one of the funniest comics in the history of comics, Zack Galifianakis. Early word from screenings is very, very good, and at least to me, it looks very, very funny.


6. “Drag Me to Hell” – director: Sam Raimi
(opens May 29)



Those of us who were wondering when horror maven Raimi would quit playing with boys in tights and get back to the good ole horror genre he got his start in should hopefully have our appetites satiated with the tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top “Drag Me to Hell,” which got enthusiastically awesome reactions at South by Southwest (SXSW) festival back in March, and looks like an insane amount of fun. Two minor drawbacks: a PG-13 rating, and the presence of Justin Long.


5. “Away We Go” – director: Sam Mendes
(opens in limited release June 5)



I can’t quite put my finger exactly one why I’m so excited for this one, it just looks like an endearingly low-key venture from a very good director who has a tendency to go for less… shall we say, subtle work (“American Beauty,” “Jarhead,” “Road to Perdition,” “Revolutionary Road”). Featuring lifelong supporting players John Krasinski (“The Office’s” Jim) and Maya Rudolph (“SNL”) in leading roles, and with the presence of Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, Jim Gaffigan, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal as support, this looks like it could potentially be a beautifully modulated small gem to offer us solace in between the non-stop onslaughts of Wolverines, Terminators and Nights at the Museum.


4. “Bruno” – director: Larry Charles
(opens July 10)



This character from Sacha Baron Cohen has always evoked a multitude of feelings from me: (a) consistent laughter and amusement, (b) admiration/reverence for the brilliant, incisive way Cohen uses the character to explore the still very prevalent homophobia that pervades America, (c) revulsion/unease/discomfort at having to watch (basically) documentary footage of a multitude of Americans display the most supreme levels of homophobic attitudes/behavior/vocabulary. I bristle particularly at the prospect of the last factor paired with having to watch Cohen’s latest in a packed theater with a potential slew of fratboy “Borat” fans, and the chorus of “ewwwwws” and other discomfiting audience reactions to come with them. Still, hopefully his latest will offer as much laughs and insight to be able to bear the negatives that come with it (similarly to how rewarding “Borat” was in the same respect). This one’s going to be a tough sit in the movie theater for me, personally, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.


3. “Funny People” – director: Judd Apatow
(opens July 31)



Apatow scored home runs with “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” and if they weren’t perfect, they showed promise that one day he might grow into the great comedy director all us “Freaks and Geeks” fans knew he one day could be. With his latest, Apatow seems to be taking another large step closer to emulating his idol, James L. Brooks (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News,” “As Good As It Gets”), if still retaining his flair for raunch and identical ensemble cast. I think this looks really, really good, but only time will tell if – like his other films – this one suffers from a case of bloat (i.e. being 15-30 minutes too long).


2. “Inglourious Basterds” – director: Quentin Tarantino
(opens August 21)



Though I’m a bit disconcerted by how fast this thing was shot (Tarantino apparently was in a rush to have it ready in time to play at Cannes this May), and I’m not happy with Tarantino seemingly dropping his affinity for visual flair, this looks like it has potential to be a shit-ton of fun, and I’ve learned never to doubt QT on anything. I’m one of the few film dorks out there who resisted the urge to read his (leaked online) screenplay, but word has it the film has a few elements this trailer doesn’t even begin to hint it, and the whole thing has a big, broad, not-grounded-in-reality vibe to it all. Hrm, we’ll see how that plays with my stickler-for-realism dad, who I know will want to see this based on the ‘killing Nazis’ angle.


1. “Up” – directors: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
(opens May 29)



It seems everyone I know has seen the first 45 minutes of this at some film festival or event or another, and their raves make me want to punch them all in the face, and wish I could just see this fucker already. With the exception of “Cars,” Pixar has never let me down, and this looks to be another massive winner in their wheelhouse. I don’t have much else to say to explain my anticipation except: “Wall-E,” “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story.” That said, if this isn’t some sort of masterpiece, more than a couple peeps are going to be disappointed.