TOP 10 Anticipated Movies (July 08)

For the mini-review of The Air I Breathe, starring Forest Whitaker, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Brendan Fraser, Click Here.

10 Anticipated Movies, in order of tentative release:

The Dark Knight (7/18)
Thankfully the hype died down just enough to keep TDK from over-saturation. Yes, Heath Ledger keeps getting sick posthumous praise for his work as the Joker despite most people and critics having yet to see his performance, but it builds suspense. We almost got a look at Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face face in an online teaser.

Mamma Mia! (7/18)
Just kidding. Even as a chronic sneaker into other movies (to curb the high price of film-going, heh), it will be a sad day if I am forced to sneak into this film after TDK. This movie makes Hairspray (which I actually enjoyed) look like a Steven Seagal actioner. I'd sadly be more interested in sneaking into Andy Samberg's Space Chimps instead.

Step Brothers (7/25)
The red band trailer did much to improve on the lackluster showing of its theatre presentation. Bad language, while a film it doesn't make, can help improve one, which it did for the Step Brothers. The full scene with Ferrell and the employment interviewer is genuinely funny, so let's hope the entire film can sustain that ingenuity.

Pineapple Express (8/8)
Word has sort of died in the mainstream as of late, but will surely pick up once the release draws near. In the marijuana aficionado circles, it's the greatest thing since the sliced bong. It's exciting because everyday, after a particularly long smoking session, they discover a movie called Pineapple Express is coming out! Woah!

Tropic Thunder (8/15)
It's still hard to muster up genuine excitement for this project. As much as Downey Jr has my heart and Black has rejuvenated his career tolerance with Be Kind Rewind and Kung Fu Panda, I can't see this being more than a one-joke kind of film. Stiller, for example, hasn't had a genuine across-the-board comedy hit since Dodgeball and Meet The Fockers in 2004. So can all these egos and range of talents come together cohesively?

Disaster Movie (8/29)
I am a sick, twisted soul. In order to appreciate the fine, immaculate texture of the great films, I have to know just how bad a film can go in the opposite direction. Meet The Spartans was sheer torture, and Disaster Movie will probably be akin to scheduling a root canal with no Novocaine. Call me Arthur Denton, but as long as I can see it for free, I like knowing just how bad films can get. I'm waiting for someone to release Ass: The Movie.

Burn After Reading (9/12)
Something about this project gets stuck in my head. Possibly it's just the brilliant use of forgotten sixties psychedelic pop in the trailer (Spirit's "I've Got A Line On You"), or possibly because it's the Coen Brothers going back to comedic roots with an all-star cast (Pitt! Clooney! Swinton! Malkovich! McDormand!) that actually looks funnier than any of Pitt/Clooney's Ocean series.

Choke (9/26)
The trailer feels very disjointed, but still adequately shows the heart of the film while adding a touch of absurd humor, which I'm sure will foretell the real film considering the plot. Rockwell looks very Rockwell-esque, that is, offbeat, dirty, and yet somehow good. Kelly McDonald of Trainspotting and more recently No Country For Old Men could come off annoying.

Zack & Miri Make A Porno (10/31)
A teaser trailer pretty much shows us all we really need to know. Kevin Smith, he of Jersey Girl fame (what, wrong film of his to promote?), is going for Knocked Up territory with two hours of semi-improvisational sex jokes courtesy of Seth Rogen and a hotter woman (in this case, Elizabeth Banks) wrapped around an earnest love story. I've heard this thing might have to get cut a little to stay away from an NC-17 rating.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (12/25)
I just cannot get enough of the full-length trailer, which has now fully debuted online. It's magnificently done, and shows just enough of the plot to get the general idea of what's in store, while giving away absolutely nothing about the intricate details of its contents. A sure Oscar contender if it doesn't flame out.