-Most Intriguing:
Magic Mike- On the surface there are some elements that seem to be aimed toward a female audience, but the emergence of Channing Tatum as a comedic heavy weight combined with the big time cast makes the film look really good. But will the stripping scenes detract from the plot too much? Every woman in the world just simultaneously slapped me. Ouch.
Honorable Mention:
Snow White and the Huntsman looks so intense that I wonder if it can actually be that exciting. Does Thor have the ability to make Kristen Stewart likeable? Is Charlize Theron playing a female Voldemort? These are questions I just don’t have the answers to.
Without fail, every time the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter plays in a theater I am in, the crowd laughs. Enjoy your jokes now, World. Because fifth grade social studies as you know it will be forever changed. Or the movie could be really stupid. But they’ve got me interested.
-Yeah, I’ll actually see that:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days- Go ahead, tell me these movies are stupid. I’ll agree with you. But the two predecessors in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series are some of the best children’s comedies in recent memory. In addition to funny scripts, the actors are actually really good. With the whole crew back, I’m expecting much of the same.
Honorable Mention:
I’ve learned not to discount Adam Sandler movies on principle. That’s My Boy won’t be the first. Next time you’re watching a “really bad” Sandler movie, look next to you and tell me if kids are laughing. They probably are. But I’m confident Andy Samberg can lift this movie. The trailer seems dumb, yet promising.
Unless I’m forgetting something, Rock of Ages will be the first musical I see in theaters since Sweeney Todd. Not sure how much I’ll enjoy the singing, but the story looks to have translated well from stage to screen. An unexpected Tom Cruise role might be the tipping point to making the film memorable.
-This could be a disaster:
Battleship- The obvious choice. The movie looks like a diluted version of Transformers, but in the water and based on a less interesting toy. A cast full of highly sought after actors makes me wonder. Taylor Kitsch has already proven that he has the ability to flop a blockbuster, but in Liam Neeson I trust.
Honorable Mention:
Since the cast in The Expendables 2 is an upgrade from the original, the movie should be better. But I just can’t be sure until I see it. Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Jean Claude Van Damme. They can probably afford to kill off some of those lesser known expendable characters now… See what I did there?
GI Joe: Retaliation, another one that looks to be an upgrade from the original. But the trailer doesn’t have me convinced. Did they need to kill everyone from the original? The addition of The Rock and Bruce Willis shows promise. I just spent an hour reading about GI Joe characters on Wikipedia. Please don’t disappoint me, GI Joe: Retaliation.
-Best. Movie. Ever.
Is there any way that The Dark Knight Rises won’t completely blow our minds? The trailers have remained fairly cryptic, but we’ve seen enough to tell us that things don’t go smoothly for the Caped Crusader. Will we finally see a comic book movie nominated for best picture at the Oscars?
Honorable Mention:
The Amazing Spider-Man seems to annoy some people who would have liked another Tobey Maguire Spider-Man. I agreed with them until this new version looked so good! It’s a step away from the typical super hero blockbuster and toward a more character driven and unique spin. Plus, it’s Spider-Man, who is always awesome.
And just to finish the comic book trifecta, there is The Avengers. It’s so many years in the making that there’s a good chance it will become one of the most iconic comic book movies ever made. The buildup has definitely been a home run. I don’t see the movie disappointing anyone. How do you balance such big actors and such a big project? Bring in Joss Whedon, the X-Men writing, sci-fi creating, comic-con master.
And with that, you're ready. Get out there and see these movies.
