I do read in the summer but usually in a prone position on the patio with numerous impromptu naps interrupting the actual reading portion of the activity. However, what I REALLY love is Summer Blockbuster Movies.
What is better than going to a lovely air conditioned movie theater during the heat of the day and watching a completely entertaining story - preferably one that's action packed and has some eye-candy in it - with a big, cold Coca-Cola and a bucket of popcorn at your side? Nothing that I can think of really...
So, to that end, I provide you with my Summer Blockbuster Movie List. For those who may be new to the Mighty Distractible party, it will become immediately evident that I'm a giant geek and have no qualms about letting that freak flag fly. I guess what I'm saying is that many of these movies definitely have a "theme" that may not be to anyone's taste (except for a 14-year old boy, other nerds, and me.)
The Avengers
It's been out since May 4th. If you haven't seen it yet, shame on you. Probably one of the most satisfying comic book movies ever made - and available in 3D (I like the extra D) if you're into that sort of thing - this movie sports an all-star cast and Joss Whedon at the helm. It's a small slice of perfection.
Men in Black III
Okay... so it's questionable when a franchise takes a decade off. However, Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones is worth the price of admission alone. Add Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame as the villain and you've pretty much guaranteed that I'll spend real money to see this at the theater, regardless of my fear that Will Smith is going to ham it up so badly that he could, potentially, ruin the movie. Also available with an extra D.
Snow White and the Huntsman
I'm not sure how it always happens that multiple movies on the same subject seem to get released at the same time but it's happening again with the dueling Snow White movies. There's the Julia Roberts version which looks pretty Disney-fied and kind of lame and the Charlize Theron version that looks dark and evil and really, really good. I'll be going to see the Charlize Theron version (obviously). Bonus points for having hunk-of-the-month eye-candy Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers, Cabin In The Woods, and about 80 other movies this year) as the Huntsman and Ian McShane (old-school eye-candy and now just awesome actor) as Caesar.
Prometheus
Ridley Scott's new outerspace sci-fi epic. Starring the triple-threat eye-candy of Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron (something for EVERYONE!) "A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race." Yeah... that. Also available with an extra D.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Don't judge me. Also available with an extra D.
The Amazing Spiderman & The Dark Knight Rises
Comic book movies ARE summer blockbuster movies. In a perfect world, these will show as a double feature at the drive-in at some point. I'm not completely convinced that either is going to be particularly good but I'll go see them because, well, they're comic book movies. Spiderman has an extra D and Dark Knight will be in IMAX (without an extra D)
Total Recall
Yeah. I'm not really sure WHY this movie is being remade already but the cast is pretty great - Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale, and John Cho - and I guess that, with new effects technology, it could be a better movie than before. No extra D's though... which I think is kind of odd since this type of movie seems ripe for it.
The Campaign
Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, and Jason Sudeikis in a political comedy? Yes, please!
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
I saw the trailer for this on IMDB the other day and I'm kind of looking forward to it. It seems sappy and sort of lame but, by the time this comes out, I'll be "action movied" out. Might was well end the summer on a sweet note. Let's hope it doesn't totally suck.
So, that's what I'll be watching this summer. How about you? Are you a Summer Movie Blockbuster kind of person or would you rather be outside on a sunny 85 degree (F) day? (If that was C, we'd be dead and movies wouldn't be an option.)
- Alex
In addition to extra D's, Spider-man has a hyphen. Best fix that before you have to turn in your nerd card.
ReplyDeleteBattleship was another movie that seemed like it should have had the extra D but didn't. It felt like it was shot that way, so perhaps they decided to lop off the extra D for scheduling reasons. Wouldn't have saved it anyway - it had issues an extra D couldn't have fixed.
Too bad we're not in the same city - you're the only other person I know interested in seeing Snow White & the Huntsman. And we actually went to see Mirror, Mirror, so the fact that Tim refuses to see the other one is really saying something. I'll probably sneak off to see it on my own. Check out Snow White: A Tale of Terror on Amazon Prime (free!) - Sigourney Weaver is the wicked queen.
@jlweiss - That hyphen seems superfluous. I'm not adding it. ;) I miss having you as a movie-watching buddy. Although @sweaternine has been a decent substitute (when he's available).
ReplyDeleteLet's get into a big comments flame war about the hyphen in Spider-man, which is a LEGALLY REQUIRED HYPHEN! I think it's a federal mandate or something. Also, the founding fathers! Hitler! etc.
DeleteYou need to get past your audiobook blockage too - I see that being something awesome to do while knitting. I'd practically consider taking up knitting just so I could listen to more books.
@jlweiss - You're 100% right about audiobooks being the perfect companion to knitting. But, up until now, my most successful audiobook listening has been in the car, with you, on the way to Memphis. And then it needed to be a murder mystery or something equally as compelling. Weren't you with me when I tried to listen to Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco?
DeleteYes - that was not listenable at the time. I'm all about the audiobooks now though. I bet if I tried now I might like it. Or it might have just been a crappy book.
DeleteI think it was just a crappy book.
Delete"What about Moonrise Kingdom?" says the Wes Anderson fanatic.
ReplyDeleteAAAAHHHH! How did I forget Moonrise Kingdom?! Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! I've been eagerly awaiting this movie for months and regularly watch the trailer just to get a little taste of what's to come. I think I missed it because I was working off a list of upcoming releases and it didn't show up as a national release in the next three months. And, to be honest, it's not really a "Summer Blockbuster." It's a quiet, awesome, independent film that I will not miss for love nor money.
ReplyDelete@jlweiss I totally want to see Snow White and the Hunstman! I saw the trailer on youtube months ago, before I saw the Disney one, and immediately wanted to see it. I just hope it comes out here sometime. Mirror Mirror is just about out here, there are posters everywhere, so I'll probably see that one first.
ReplyDeleteThe Avengers was awesome, and I am really intrigued to see Snow White and the Huntsman, but it's just so darn expensive to go to the theaters anymore. I'll do it occasionally, but I'm patient and like getting movies straight to my home with Blockbuster @ home. A Dish coworker urged me to try it out and it's amazing! I have access to more than 100,000 movies, games and TV shows, and it costs less than Netflix! If I'm out and about I can exchange at a BB store, but for the Summer I like staying at home and can get them streaming live or by mail. It's going to be great for lounging around this summer!
ReplyDeleteAll I'm saying is if Total Recall doesn't have any 3 breasted women I will be a little disappointed... All said and done I totally agree with the list!
ReplyDelete