Thursday, June 18, 2009

Summer Movies

I admit it.  I'm a bit blogged out.  I blog here, at my own blog, at Shapeshifters, and have already done half a dozen guest spots elsewhere this month alone.  Today...I got nothin'.  So I thought we'd chat movies, since we haven't done that for a while. 

What have you seen lately that was great?  What are you looking forward to?

Just saw Angel & Demons last weekend.  I went expecting it to not excite me.  I read the book, and found the story awesome (even better than the DaVinci Code) but for some reason didn't think they could pull it off in the movie.  They didn't.  At one point I told the hubby that I think the soundtrack wants us to believe this movie is more exciting than it actually is.  The hubby liked the movie.  Go figure.  (Though I admit Ewan McGregor did provide some nice sexy priest fantasies.)

Terminator was another disappointment.  Well, I admit, I went just for Christian Bale.  But you know, Sam Worthington, the guy who plays the terminator, actually stole that movie from Bale.  He was awesome.  Overall, I thought the movie so-so.  If you've watched the other three movies, you'll want to see it just to keep up with the timeline.  But the timeline!  It loses me every time.  ;-)

I'm looking forward to a few this summer:

Public Enemies:  Johnny and Christian.  Need I say more?  I have a feeling there will be a lot of fainting women at this one, or heck, this may be the movie that sparks a wave of summer conceptions, which would put those birthdays right around...next March.  Keep an eye on the birth announcements. Hey, I'm just sayin'.

Transformers: Just action/adventure movie awesomeness.  And I'll even admit to my girlcrush on Megan Fox (but now, she'll never replace my crush on Angelina).  This one looks great, and like it'll fulfill my need for explosions and non-stop action.

GI-Joe: Yes, I admit it, this one looks good.  Can you tell I'm all about the action in movies?  

Cheri: With Michelle Pfeffier and the nummy Rupert Friend.  Oh, my love for costume dramas, and witty romantic period pieces will be met this summer!  I just hope it plays all over so I don't have to trek 'downtown' to find it at the only theater that gets it.

Food, Inc.: Can't wait for this one.  It's getting awesome reviews.  I want to bring the hubby along because he's not convinced that 95+% percent of the food we eat is contaminated with hormones and chemicals and all sorts of stuff we should not be putting in our bodies.  It'll be a struggle to get him to go along, but I am determined.  Michael Pollan, who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma was involved in this one.  Should be enlightening.

The Hurt Locker: I dare you to watch the trailer for this one and not move to the edge of your seat in anticipation.  It is a war movie, which I usually avoid like the plague, but this one focuses on the bomb squad.  Man, it looks suspenseful, tense, and just plain exciting.  I'm there!

The Brothers Bloom:  I missed this one because I think it snuck into that one downtown theater for maybe a weekend.  Anyone seen this one?  I thought it looked like it would be fun!

Gamer:  Gerard Butler.  'nuf said.

Easy Virtue: The time period is...I don't know...1920s?  Features an American heiress marrying into a British family, and they all snub her.  I'm intrigued.

Michele

15 comments:

Cindy Gerard said...

Hey Michele. thanks for the great movie recs. I'm into something light for the summer. Really want to see the new Sandra Bullock movie - The Proposal, I think is the title.
There's just something about her that makes me feel good.

princessapr said...

My sister-in-law are going to try to be the last to hit The Hangover. I started the summer with Wolverine (eh) and Star Trek (which I loved). I'm mostly just looking forward to Harry Potter. I'll probably end up seeing more, but that's the one I'm anticipating.

Michele Hauf said...

Yes, I think I'm going to catch The Proposal this weekend just to drool over Ryan Reynolds abs.

April, yes Star Trek was awesome! I didn't expect to like it because I was never a fan of the TV series, but the story was great. And Captain James T. Kirk? Oh, baby.

Terry S said...

Harry Potter, of course. What can I say? I'm just a big kid.

Keri Ford said...

Taking the kid to see UP maybe this weekend or next. He's never been to the movies before, so we've been waiting until the new movie smell wears off to hit a Sunday showing.

Unknown said...

Star Trek WAS awesome wasn't it??!! I was thrilled. I just saw 17 Again and really liked it. Am so looking forward to Reynolds and Bullock. And da hah--the Transformer. Loved the first one, but then I have the taste of an adolescent boy. Sigh.

flip said...

Went to Star Trek last night. I loved it. It refer to all the things that I loved about the original series as a kid. I just checked out the site and saw that Simon Pegg played Scotty in the movie. He was great.

Other than that, I have been making the 180 mile roundtrip to the closest 3-D screen in the area. I have seen Coraline, Aliens vs. Monsters and Up in 3D. All three were great movies. The new 3D technology is great. I want to see Terminator, Harry Potter, Transformers, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, and GI Joe.

Debra Dixon said...

Flip-- I'm so glad to hear you loved STAR TREK. I wanted that one to be good and I haven't seen it yet.

I've been "in a cave" so far this "summer" and haven't seen much of anything for a couple of months.

I'm planning lots more movie time in July.

Gerard Butler? totally.

KylieBrant said...

Haven't gone to a lot of movies in the theaters, unfortunately. But am making a good faith effort to catch up on the ones in the video store.

Recently I've seen:

Taken--if you can suspend disbelief for all one man can do it's a decent action flick about an ex-CIA spook whose daughter gets kidnapped in Europe and he rescues her from a white slave trade.

Changeling--Angelina Jolie. A very good movie, based on a true story about a woman whose son gets kidnapped and the police return the wrong boy. Subplot about how easily women could be thrown in the asylums when they got on the wrong side of men in that day.

The Curious Life of Benjamin Button--my husband didn't like it but I'll watch Brad Pitt in anything. And I found the premise intriguing, about a man who ages in reverse. I really liked it.

Marley and Me--barf. And that's not an animal sound effect!

Doubt--with Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman about a nun and a priest. The nun is convinced the priest is having an 'unnatural' relationship with a boy. Viewers are left to draw their own conclusions. Really well done and geez did I know a lot of nuns like that! All they thought about was sex.

7 Pounds--Will Smith. A bit self-important perhaps, but if you can get beyond the fact that this guy just needed therapy, and a lot of it, a pretty moving flick. And I love Will Smith. It really made you try to figure out what was going on but it was worth it in the end.

Body of Lies--Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. A spy thriller about the head of a spy agency (Crowe) who just can't keep his fingers from stirring pots overseas, even when his meddling puts his own people at risk. Very good.

On my way to pick up Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. I love movies. Love love love them!

Michele Hauf said...

Taken was awesome. And Doubt I do want to rent.
My son told me the premise to 7 Pounds and I couldn't get past the idea of what this guy did to help others. It was basically committing a sin to atone for his sins? Doesn't work for me.

Unknown said...

Angels and Demons, Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator-Salvation. . . it's been a great early summer at the movies. I enjoyed them all, and I even went to see Start Trek a second time at the movies! I seldom do that. All were well made and carried me away, despite the fact that I'd read the book or heard the entire story line.

My latest jewel was The Hangover. I did not expect to laugh like a fifteen-year-old boy at that movie. But I did. It caught me with the unexpected, the bizarre, and the outrageous. . . and still gave me a good, romantic ending. I hope that doesn't spoil it for anybody. It was like a more grown-up version of thse awful Seth Rogan comedies. And full of characters you want to cheer for. One of them (Phil- Bradly Cooper-reowr!)even shows some maturity! They're not slackers, which makes it all the funnier. Real guy stuff, sort of, much of which catches you off guard. If you don't mind the occasional glimpse of a willie-- go see it and let's talk!

The only movie I've wanted to see but haven't is Up. Why won't anybody go with me to see animated flicks?

I am so saving-it-up for Transformers and GI Joe. And Public Enemies and Harry Potter and even the new Ice Age. . . which will test my suspension of disbelief. . . pairing mammoths and sloths and saber-tooths in the same time period as dinosaurs! But hey, the chance to hear John Leguziamo lisp adorably through another movie is too much to pass up!

Unknown said...

Oh, and Michele. . . Gamer? How did I miss Gerard Butler coming in this one?

Yeah, baby.

Michele Hauf said...

Betina, you may have talked me in to seeing the Hangover. You didn't even have to mention willies--though it never hurts-- and I was intrigued. ;-)

Vicky B said...

I agree with all the women that mentioned Star Trek. I never imagined it would be that amazing, but it really was. It blew me away.

I really want to see the new X-men. I was out of town when it came out and then never got the chance to see it before it disappeared from the theatre. I really want to see Up and Night at the Museum as well. I'm all for the kids movies. They are so relaxing.

And as far as I know, Brothers Bloom isn't out yet, right? Unless I missed it. Hmmm.

KylieBrant said...

Michelle, on 7 Pounds the thing that's hard to get past is that the hero was guilty of carelessness...which ended tragically but his burden of guilt seemed oversized for the actual act he committed. That was the biggest stumbling block, in my opinion.