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Summer Box Office Predictions |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Brian | Jared | John |
| 1. | The Dark Knight Rises | The Dark Knight Rises | The Dark Knight Rises |
| 2. | The Avengers | The Avengers | The Avengers |
| 3. | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | The Amazing Spider-Man | Brave |
| 4. | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | MIB 3 | The Amazing Spider-Man |
| 5. | MIB 3 | Brave | MIB 3 |
| 6. | The Amazing Spider-Man | The Bourne Legacy | Ice Age: Continental Drift |
| 7. | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Snow White and the Huntsman | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted |
| 8. | Battleship | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Prometheus |
| 9. | Brave | Ice Age: Continental Drift | G.I. Joe Retaliation |
| 10. | That’s My Boy | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | Battleship |
| 11. | Prometheus | Prometheus | Snow White and the Huntsmen |
| 12. | The Expendables 2 | Battleship | The Bourne Legacy |
| 13. | Step Up Revolution | The Expendables 2 | Dark Shadows |
| 14. | The Campaign | Rock of Ages | The Expendables 2 |
| 15. | Rock of Ages | Total Recall | Total Recall |
| 16. | The Bourne Legacy | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Neighborhood Watch |
| 17. | Magic Mike | Dark Shadows | Ted |
| 18. | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Ted | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter |
| 19. | Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection Program | The Campaign | Hope Springs |
| 20. | Ted | What to Expect When You’re Expecting | That’s My Boy |
A week or two back Jared asked us to list the dozen movies we were most excited for this summer. Now, the summer movie season never seems to turn out well for me as all the animated sequels and mindless action flicks blur together. Every weekend there’s a new huge release that’s totally forgotten three weeks later.
But I perused the release schedule with misguided optimism, assuming I could find some diamonds in the rough. It turned out to be a good thing that Jared requested a dozen because my first long-list, which I assumed I would narrow down to the final group, came in at precisely twelve. And that’s using a very generous definition of “excited.” By the end it came down to those that I’m marginally more in favor of seeing than not. The whole process was so dispiriting I never got the list to Jared before he and Brian started posting.
I’m sure I’ll see other movies not on this list, particularly ones that pick up some good reviews. Now that The Avengers is getting good reviews I’ll probably check it out eventually. Maybe something like Bourne Legacy or The Dictator will end up being worth my time. But maybe I’ll mostly catch up on some DVDs this summer?
So here’s my list and exactly 5 words about each.
True Excitement
1. The Dark Knight Rises. Duh, I am only human.
2. Brave. Pixar without cars is golden.
Look Pretty Interesting
3. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Gotta be funnier than Melancholia.
4. To Rome With Love. I liked his last one.
5. Safety Not Guaranteed. Bill and Ted for hipsters?
Has a Good Pedigree
6. Lawless. Finally, Shia in a Western.
7. Moonrise Kingdom. Without Baumbach Anderson might prosper.
8. Take this Waltz. Can Rogen handle dramedy? Doubtful.
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild. Sundance darlings always succeed, right?
Maybe One or Two Elements Piqued My Interest
10. Ted. Great premise; hinges on execution.
11. Magic Mike. In Steven Soderbergh I trust.
12. Premium Rush. Gordon-Levitt and Shannon always rock.
The summer movie season starts with The Avengers on May 4th. In anticipation, we’re counting down the movies we’re most looking forward to. We’re doing top 12s. Because it is 2012. That’s why we get paid the big bucks.
BRIAN
4. Brave
Despite the buzz, I’m still lower on this than I expected. Maybe its just a hangover from How to Train Your Dragon, but the Scottish accents just don’t have the same original feel that my favorite Pixars have. Skepticism aside, its a non-sequel and non-Mattel driven marketing make me pleased. And those baby bears look rather adorable. Brave is where I start my “less is more” list of movies that I want to know as little about as possible before seeing.
3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The strongest indicator of my interest in this film is that after watching the initial trailer was “Wait a sec, the Washington Monument wasnt finished while Lincoln was alive…” not “Wait a sec, um, vampires? And Lincoln?” I never read the source material, but anything this ridiculous can’t be that bad. My prediction is that it is this years Rise of the Planet of the Apes — the underrated but surprisingly well-received blockbuster of the summer.
2. The Avengers
My preferred order of the Avengers films: Iron Man, Capt. America, Iron Man 2, Thor, Ed Norton Hulk (see entry on Bourne Legacy), Eric Bana Hulk. And despite only really loving the first two, I am pumped for the first movie of the summer season. The advance buzz has been phenomenal and I’m curious to see how they build a semblance of plot while having to introduce Jeremy Renner and sort-of do the same with Scarlett Johannson.
1. Dark Knight Rises
Naturally. Anyone who doesn’t have this in at least their top 3 hates America.
JARED
4. Rock of Ages – An 80s jukebox musical with Tom Cruise as the world’s biggest rock star is pretty much my ideal blend of music, movies, and absurdity. The supporting cast, including Bryan Cranston, Paul Giamatti, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Malin Akerman, Julianne Hough, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is ridiculous. That Allan Loeb co-wrote is worrisome, but Justin Theroux also co-wrote, and Hairspray director Adam Shankman is at the helm. Mostly, I’m just happy this movie exists.
3. G.I. Joe: Retaliation – If only because of Adam’s sheer glee upon watching the trailer for the first time. Also because the film was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Warnick, who wrote Zombieland. And this is a little nuts, but I kinda love the idea of Adrianne Palicki and Bruce Willis in, like, a buddy cop movie. Plus, the Rock is perfect for a movie like this. Basically, I have a lot of faith in the casting.
2. The Dark Knight Rises – I didn’t love The Dark Knight as much as everyone else in the world, so originally I had this a little lower in my rankings. But then I realized that the last one was still a really solid movie, they added three or four of my favorite actors and actresses, and there’s such a low probability of me not liking the film. Nolan may not be a perfect action filmmaker, but he’s a master of the form. I wrote this before, but am posting after that last trailer hit. But, damn. That’s a trailer.
1. The Avengers – There’s the fantastic buzz and the incredible cast, sure. But this one is simple. Joss Whedon directing a big budget comic book movie. ’Nuff said.
The summer movie season starts with The Avengers on May 4th. In anticipation, we’re counting down the movies we’re most looking forward to. We’re doing top 12s. Because it is 2012. That’s why we get paid the big bucks.
BRIAN
8. The Dictator
Considering that its only 75 minutes long, and the studio has already released the first scene — I’m pretty sure this film is going to be terrible. But. That scene in the trailer of The Dictator shooting all of his competitors in the foot race cracks me up every single time. I probably could be persuaded to spend $11 just to watch that again on the big screen even though I can watch it on YouTube for free.
7. Dark Shadows
Tim Burton’s at his best when he’s letting his freak flag fly and Dark Shadows sure looks like a return to that. Eva Green is downright sexy in the trailer, joining Michele Pfeiffer and Chloe Moretz and Johnny Depp of course. The time-traveler goes to the 70s thing could get stale quick, but the camp factor is too strong to dissuade me.
6. The Campaign
Yeah, its Will Ferrell, I know. But since he once did a passable George Bush impersonation I’m going to take it at face value and look positively upon his politically-themed comedy with Zach Galifianakis. By early August I’m going to be starving for some relief from the presidential race and this could be just whats needed.
5. Bourne Legacy
I’m fully in the tank for the Bourne series, but that was the one with Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass. The reboot features Jeremy Renner with Tony Gilroy at the helm — and the return of bit players Joan Allen, David Straitharn, Scott Glenn among others. That actually may be the strongest selling point for me — I really loved the CIA bureaucratic infighting that took a back page to shaky-cam fight scenes. Bring those actors back and you add my nonsexual mancrush Ed Norton and Rachel Weisz? Score!
JARED
8. Safety Not Guaranteed – A quirky comedy that played well at Sundance. If you haven’t read about it, the film is based on the true story of a guy who placed a craigslist ad asking for a time-traveling companion. Mark Duplass plays that guy and Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson play two reporters who investigate. Maybe it is just this high because I can’t stop thinking about all the patented Aubrey Plaza eyerolls that will happen. What’s the line, 15?
7. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - I know these history/horror mashups are multiplying at an ever-increasing rate, but since grad school doesn’t leave me much time to read, this will be my first exposure. And the concept alone is ridiculous enough to get me super excited. Plus director Timur Bekmambetov’s films (Night Watch, Wanted) are always slickly creative action flicks. Not super familiar with lead Benjamin Walker, but excited by a supporting cast that includes Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Alan Tudyk (as Stephen Douglas!).
6. The Amazing Spider-Man – Is it just me, or is this movie generating absolutely no buzz? I feel like I’m the only one excited for it. To be fair, the old Spiderman series had more than run its course, no one was asking for a new one, and Spiderman himself is a pretty lame character. But I have a ton of faith in director Marc Webb (and the producers for choosing a guy named “Webb” to direct the film). Andrew Garfield is super talented, and I think Rhys Ifans is going to make a great bad guy. And I think my feelings on Emma Stone are well-established at this point.
5. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – I don’t know about you, but to me, a romantic dramedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley on a road trip as the apocalypse nears sounds like a pretty fantastic premise. Everyone knows that road trip movies also depend on the wacky characters encountered along the way, and the supporting cast here is top notch, with the like of Patton Oswalt, Connie Britton, and TJ Miller filling out the ranks, among others. Also, the movie is written and directed by Lorene Scarfaria, who wrote the screenplay to another kind of road trip dramedy that was my fifth-favorite movie of 2008: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
The summer movie season starts with The Avengers on May 4th. In anticipation, we’re counting down the movies we’re most looking forward to. We’re doing top 12s. Because it is 2012. That’s why we get paid the big bucks.
BRIAN
12. Magic Mike
21 Jump Street sold me on Channing Tatum as being anything other than cheap eye candy. He can do funny, and I imagine that the amount of dramatic acting he’ll have to do in this he’ll succeed with since it’s practically biographical. The trailer drew me in a lot more than I thought it would. Looks like it could be good fun.
11. Prometheus
One of the biggest holes on my “movies to watch” is the Alien series. I also haven’t watched any of the
trailers for Prometheus – so this is an odd one to land on my list. But the accumulated anticipation from geeks I respect convinced me to put it in my top 12. I plan on seeing it — but going in totally in the dark. This one’s for you, Dagneau.
10. Hysteria
Quirky sex comedy about Victorian England? Sure, why not! Plus a pretty decent cast with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jonathan Pryce (one of my favorite Bond villains of the modern Bond era).
9. God Bless America
I’ll most definitely be waiting for DVD on this one, but the concept itself is rather enjoyable. There’s a little bit of Kick-Ass in the trailer, and if Bobcat Golthwait go as over the top as I imagine he will, then this should be a good cult classic. But only if they stick the landing.
JARED
12. Total Recall – The original is one of my favorite movies ever. I don’t think it demanded a remake, necessarily, but it sounds like they are going in a different direction, and Philip K. Dick stories are super-adaptable. Plus Colin Farrell facing off against Bryan Cranston should be a lot of fun.
11. Lawless – By law, if you have a movie blog, you are terribly excited for this John Hillcoat movie about bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. The cast is pretty much entirely made up of Oscar-watchers favorite actors: Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and also Shia LaBeouf. Honestly, it almost sounds like the perfect movie, my only concerns are that I didn’t love The Road and a release date that’s shifted around a few times.
10. Brave – To paraphrase a movie from someone coming up later on this list: “It’s cut! It’s cut! Pixar is cut and it’s a bad cut.” We all knew Pixar had to be mortal, even if no one wanted to believe it. They still get the benefit of the doubt, of course, and I’m super excited for the movie. Great to see Kevin McKidd get a plum role too.
9. The Expendables 2 – I’m curious if there’s anyone on the fence about seeing this movie. Because it sorta seems like you know exactly what you are getting. Obviously you all know where I stand. And it only helps that the film is directed by Simon West, who did Con Air and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
The summer movie season starts with The Avengers on May 4th. In anticipation, we’re counting down the movies we’re most looking forward to. We agreed to do top 12s, but I got a little overexcited. Actually, turns out, a lot overexcited. Here’s the second part of the preliminary movies.
19. Magic Mike – Channing Tatum stars in this film loosely based on his life as a stripper. Plus Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, and Matt Bomer, so I think the film has cornered the market on actors typecast as bland pretty boys. You gotta admire director Steven Soderbergh’s stubborn refusal to stick to any one genre.
18. Battleship – Sometimes you just want a big dumb popcorn movie, you know? Plus, it was written by the guys who did the script to Red and is directed by Peter Berg, who was kind enough to feature two Friday Night Lights alums. And, you know, Liam Neeson.
17. Sparkle – The film is about a (fictional) Motown girl group. I love Motown girl groups. A lot. And Jordin Sparks can certainly sing well. The movie, of course, has taken on a different hue after co-star Whitney Houston’s untimely passing, featuring her in a role that some had been calling a comeback for the singer/actress.
16. Dark Shadows – You may want to sit down for this revelation: this Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration looks bizarre. The cast is appropriately Burtonian (Chloe Grace Moretz’s career made this team up inevitable, for example), and Pfeiffer and Eva Green are inspired choices. Sure, the movie may be based on a mostly-forgotten TV show, but boasts a story from John August and a script from Seth Grahame-Smith, the creator of The Hard Times of RJ Berger (a fact that only interests me), and writer of a film still to come on my list.
15. Premium Rush – I don’t exactly know what a bike messenger action movie is, but if Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Shannon are in it, then I’m coming along from the ride. Also, I won’t bother to list them all out, but director/co-writer David Koepp has written at least a half-dozen action movies that you’ve seen.
14. Take This Waltz – A decade ago, Michelle Williams was on Dawson’s Creek, Seth Rogen was on Undeclared, and Sarah Polley was in a bit of wilderness after The Sweet Hereafter. Things have changed a little. With Away From Her, Polley showed a deft touch and surprising ability to craft a compelling movie about relationships. Which is relevant to this film about a happily married women drawn to another man.
13. Ted – One of those movies where even knowing a bunch about it, I essentially have no clue what I’ll think of it. The movie is Seth MacFarlane’s baby, and he voices the titular foul-mouthed teddy bear who is apparently alive or something and living with Mark Wahlberg. The trailer has some funny bits and may well be a live-action Family Guy. Mila Kunis also co-stars.
The summer movie season starts with The Avengers on May 4th. In anticipation, we’re counting down the movies we’re most looking forward to. We agreed to do top 12s, but I got a little overexcited. Actually, turns out, a lot overexcited. Here’s part I of the preliminary movies.
25. Hope Springs – Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play a married couple seeking professional counseling from Steve Carell in this dramedy from the director of The Devil Wears Prada and the writer of the last filmed episode of Cupid (the first go-round). Anyone who isn’t a little excited about Streep and Jones going head to head is probably reading the wrong blog.
24. Savages – So every preview of this film begins with Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson playing drug dealers who have to go rescue their common girlfriend, Blake Lively, after she gets kidnapped, and that the movie is directed by Oliver Stone. If you stop reading there, you’ll miss a Tarantinoesque supporting cast that somehow includes: John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Demian Bichir, Emile Hirsch, Uma Thurman, and Benicio del Toro. And that the movie looks absolutely friggin’ insane.
23. Your Sister’s Sister – I’m not the world’s biggest Lynn Shelton or Mark Duplass fan, but count me in for any love triangle involving Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt.
22. God Bless America – Sure, odds are the film ends up like Bobcat Goldthwait’s previous effort: World’s Greatest Dad – great idea, middling execution. But when that idea is a middle-aged guy going on a shooting spree to rid the world of obnoxious people, well, you get a little leeway.
21. Ruby Sparks – You might remember directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’s last movie: Little Miss Sunshine. Which came out a half-decade ago. That’s a mighty long vacation. For their “comeback”, they chose a film written by Zoe Kazan, who co-stars as a fictional character dreamed up by writer Paul Dano that comes to life. The movie boasts a rather fun supporting cast, including: Chris Messina, Annette Bening, Alia Shawkat, Antonio Banderas, Deborah Ann Woll, and Steve Coogan. The crazy talented Kazan, by the way, is due for a mainstream breakout any day now.
20. Sleepless Night – All descriptions of this French action/thriller I’ve found make it sound like a generic genre piece involving cops and drugs and having one night to get some drugs to Mr. MacGuffin’s or wherever. But the early slate of reviews I’ve seen suggest the film is a taut, frenetic, thrill ride that revitalizes the genre.
We’re expanding our customary monthly lists. The Oscars have told us there were exactly nine great movies this year so we will tell you what those nine are!
Adam
1. The Guard
2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
3. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
4. 50/50
5. X-Men: First Class
6. Warrior
7. Colombiana
8. Fast Five
9. Super
Jared
1. The Muppets
2. The Guard
3. The Artist
4. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
5. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
6. The Names of Love
7. X-Men: First Class
8. Warrior
9. Paul
Brian
1. Hugo
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3. 50/50
4. The Muppets
5. Bill Cunningham New York
6. The Adjustment Bureau
7. The Artist
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
9. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
John
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Source Code
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
4. Shame
5. Armadillo
6. The Skin I Live In
7. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
8. Contagion
9. Warrior
The calendar year is over but the movie year continues on! Us schlubs who don’t get to see everything early have to wait as films slowly expand across the country.
John
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3. Source Code
4. Armadillo
5. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Jared
1. The Muppets
2. Paul
3. The Guard
4. The Artist
5. X-Men: First Class
Adam
1. The Guard
2. X-Men: First Class
3. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
4. Paul
5. Warrior
Brian
1. Hugo
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3. The Muppets
4. The Adjustment Bureau
5. Bill Cunningham New York
We’re getting into the fast and furious part of the season. Some big changes occurred in our top fives this month and more are sure to come.
John
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Source Code
3. Armadillo
4. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
5. Contagion
Jared
1. The Muppets
2. Paul
3. The Guard
4. X-Men First Class
5. The Names of Love
Brian
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2. The Muppets
3. Page One: Inside the New York Times
4. The Adjustment Bureau
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
Adam
Adam didn’t submit a top five, but I’ve been paying attention to all that he’s been saying about 2011 movies and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on his favorites. Even though most of you might think, “no sane Adam would ever enjoy these movies that are terrible terrible terrible (save #1 which he’s just not smart enough to understand),” I ensure you Adam is a man of principle who would share with you his favorites regardless of how they might play in the court of public opinion. He’s a stand-up gentleman in that regard.
1. The Tree of Life
2. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1
3. Paul
4. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
5. Fast Five
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