2nd Annual Summer Movie Preview

Seeing as Iron Man 2 hits theaters tomorrow I decided I am taking a break from the Ultimate Showdown debate with Mr. IMDB, Lenny the Critic in order to bring you the 2nd Annual summer blockbuster preview. So if you are new-ish to the blog this is the edition in which I analyze 10 movies that are being released this summer and what my expectations are for them. Last year I predicted that Harry Potter would be the top earning movie, just nudging out Transformers. Well I was very close but Transformers took the top earning spot of the summer (Transformers and Potter were number 2 and 3 for the entire year behind only Avatar, which opened in December and not on my summer list).

My format is slightly different this year. Some people were confused by the incorporation of the Nic Cage Movie Review System. They thought I had already seen the movie and given it a rating. So instead I will rank them from 10 to 1, least excited to most excited to see. Without further adieu, the 10 summer movies I'm most excited to see....(Sex and the City 2 will NOT be mentioned)

As usual, you can click on the title of the movie to see it's trailer.

10. Cyrus (July 9)- This one stars John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill and has been under the radar so far. Reilly is a down on his luck guy who finally meets a girl thats into him (Marissa Tomei). It turns out she has an awkward 20 something son that still lives with her. It's not a pure slapstick movie that we've come to expect from these two, but it definitely looks funny and could be a surprise hit.

9. Knight and Day (June 25)- This is either going to be a big hit or a huge disappointment. It's got Cruise and Cameron Diaz and it almost has a Mr. & Mrs. Smith feel to it. Cruise is a mysterious secret agent who goes on the run with Diaz and it looks like there are a bunch of plot twists and character developments. It looks like it's an action comedy, which is dangerous ground as it could be a good balance or way too cheesy. I'm banking that Cruise comes through in a role that is right up his alley. He's usually reliable with action movies.

8. Shrek Forever After (May 21) - Shrek is back. The last installment was not as good as the first two, so Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy are back to try and end the saga on a high note. The first Shrek was very funny and based on the preview, the final chapter looks like it will be just as good. It's basically a bizarro world in which every character is the complete opposite, including a fat and lazy puss N' boots. This has a chance to be the highest grossest movie of the summer due to its appeal to both kids and grown ups. Not sure where I fall on the kids/grown ups scale, but I'd like to see this.

7. Get Him To The Greek (June 4) - Aldice Snow is back. For those who don't recognize the name, Aldice Snow is the British rocker in Forgetting Sarah Marshall played by Russell Brand. Also returning in the spin-off is Jonah Hill, who played the creepy hotel worker who wants to be a musician. In this new version, Hill is an assistant for a music label and he must convince Aldice to perform at a concert. I would expect the same over the top humor from Marshall but I don't expect this to be as good as its original.

6. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (July 16th) - This is my sleeper pick of the summer, and not just because it's been years since my boy Cage has made a good movie. If you follow the blog then you know we've heard rumors about this movie last year when Paulie Walnuts snapped a pic of Nic Cage in costume, woofing down a slice of pizza in NYC. To be honest I thought this movie was either a dream or someone's idea of sick prank being pulled on me. Well I was wrong...its finally here. Jerry Brockheimer is producing so its going to have huge special effects and crazy CGI stunts not to mention people love the whole wizard/magician thing lately so I think its going to be surprise hit. God knows Cage needs the money now more than ever.

5. Toy Story 3 (June 18) - It was Pixar's first movie and it was a classic. Now Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz Lightyear as they deal with Andy going off to college. Pixar doesn't make bad movies (see Toy Story 1, Finding Nemo, Up) and it looks like they've got another hit with the last installment of the series that made them famous. My issue with this is that it's more of a kids movie than Shrek, and I am not going to see 2 "kids/cartoon" movies in one summer. Having said that, kids are going to eat this movie up.

4. Grown Ups (June 25) - Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Kevin James star along with David Spade and Rob Schneider (who are both only funny when they're in movies with the guys mentioned) as childhood friends who get together for the first time in almost 30 years. Its the old SNL in the early 90's group back together so I have to imagine its going to be funny. And its hard to not to think that Kevin James' role would have been played by Chris Farley if he was still alive, but I find James to be very funny and think he will do just fine with Sandler and Chris Rock.

3. Inception (July 16) - I'm very fired up for this movie, but some people might disagree. It's kind of trippy and the previews don't even really explain what the movie is about but its got Leo in the lead role and its directed by Christopher Nolan who gave us The Dark Knight. It looks like The Matrix with it's slow motion action and it seems like it takes place inside people's memories. It's going to be action packed, thrilling and intense and I've got really high expectations for this one. It's my wildcard for highest grossing movie due to Leo as the star and this being Nolan's first movie since The Dark Knight. This might just be an opening night attendance movie for me.

2. Iron Man 2 (May 7) - I originally had this as my number 1 most anticipated movie, but then I watched some trailers and decided to put this at 2. Its probably more like 1b and the top  movie is 1a but this is a top 10 list not a cop-out list. However, I think this is going to be the highest grossing movie of the summer (the trailer has over 30 million views already). It's got a built in audience already and is easily the most anticipated movie of the summer. To add on to that, we now have Scarlett Johansson in a tight leather suit and the addition of Mickey Rouke as the villain is pure genius. I was unsure about the original and didn't see it in theaters. That was a mistake I will not make with the sequal because I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment. Robert Downey Jr has emerged as the most dynamic actor of the past 5 years and is perfectly cast as Tony Stark. In my younger years, I might go see this at midnight tonight but I don't have the stamina for that. I will see this one hopefully this upcoming weekend, but I will most certainly have a Nic Cage Movie Review within the week. This is pretty much the definition of a summer blockbuster. I think its a lock for the top earning movie of the summer, the only question is...can it catch The Dark Knight for biggest weekend opening of all time?

1. Robin Hood (May 14) - We all know the Robin Hood story but Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott are out to prove that Robin Hood was a bad-ass and not some "take from the rich, give to the poor" philanthropist. If this is half as good as Gladiator it will be amazing, and based on the trailer it looks like it will not disappoint. I can't expect it to be as good as Gladiator because that's just not fair, but this looks like it could be more action packed believe it or not. I don't think it will gross as much as Iron Man, but I am more excited to see this. I saw a teaser preview during the Super Bowl in January and I've been looking forward to its release since then. Russell Crowe is on the short list of actors that I think doesn't give bad performances and I would see pretty much anything that he makes. I did flip flop this a few times with Iron Man and Inception, but I decided to go with this as my number 1 most anticipated movie of the summer.

Honorable Mentions: Jonah Hex (Megan Fox is the only reason why I might consider seeing this. Although if I was an actor I guess I would sign on to do a shitty movie if it meant I would have a sex scene with her, good job by Josh Brolin) , The Other Guys (can Will Ferrell finally rebound and make a funny movie. Its got Eva Mendes and Mark Wahlberg so its possible.), Despicable Me (another cartoon, I can't possibly consider 3 in one summer so I won't be seeing this one) and Dinner For Schmucks (Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell, sounds like it can't miss but the preview isn't great).

Well that wraps up the 2nd Annual Summer Movie Preview. To recap, my sleeper hit is The Sorcerer's Apprentice (no that's not a joke), my wildcard for the top earning movie is Inception and my pick for the top earning Summer movie of 2010 is Iron Man 2. If any readers see these movies, feel free to leave a comment or an email about them and I will compare my thoughts with yours. So until next time, as always.....STAY SWEET!

Ultimate Showdown Part 2

We're back to continue the debate of the 100 movies to see before you die, modern classics. Once again I welcome to the forum Mr. IMDB himself, Lenny the Critic to help me break down the years 1996, '97 and '98. If you missed part 1, check it out here.

1996

ETC: so i figured its about time to continue the Ultimate Showdow pt. 2. we left off with 1996 and we will cover '96 '97 and '98....

Yahoo's picks: Big Night, Dead Man, Fargo, Ghost in the Shell, Lone Star, Scream, Secrets and Lies, Sling Blade, Swingers, Trainspotting

I totally agree with Scream being on the list. Despite my well known hatred/fear of scary movies I have to admit this was one of the better scary movies of all time (2nd in my opinion to the original Nightmare on Elm Street). What I like about Scream was that it was entirely realistic. It wasn't some supernatural being who can't be killed, it was a couple of psychos who terrorized a town. Having said that, I'll never watch it ever again. But the best of this class, and a movie that I'd put in my top 5 of the modern classic list is Swingers. I love this movie and it really put Vince Vaughn on the map. It also helped make Vegas cool again. I can't back that claim up, but it seems like the whole "Vegas baby" lifestyle really took off after this movie (see Oceans 11,12 and 13, What Happens in Vegas, Vegas Vacation, 21, Hangover).

As for the other movies they've listed I have to disagree with them all. Amazingly, I haven't seen Fargo. I've only heard good things about it but it looks a little wierd however that is to be expected from the Coen Brothers I guess. I think the most obvious snub of this year is Jerry Maguire. Despite having a heavy chick flick feel, its a great movie. Cuba Gooding Jr's only good role and it earned him an Oscar and not to mention Cruise's best acting performance of his career (not his best movie, but probably his best performance). I'm very surprised this got snubbed but Billy Bob Thorton and Sling Blade made the list.

Some others that are personal favorites that probably don't deserve the "modern classic" title but a case could be made for them include, Mission Impossible (if 94 was the Carrey Debacle perhaps 96 is the Cruise Catastrophe) The Rock, That Thing You Do, The Cable Guy, Primal Fear and the "good, bad movie" super trifecta of Twister, Indepedence Day and Executive Decision.

And I've never seen the English Patient, but I'm glad it's left off the list just because of my support for Seinfeld and their thoughts on the movie, specifically Elaine's take.

MR. IDMB, Lenny the Critic: I admit I only saw 2 movies on this list. I totally agree about Scream needing to be on the list. It rebirthed the slasher movie craze for the modern era. Swingers is one of my favorite movies, could put it in my top 10 overall. The movie that really started Vince Vaughn’s career and coined the phrase “You are so money baby and you don’t even know it.” And find one person who goes to Vegas and doesn’t say “VEGAS BABY VEGAS” at some point during their time there and I will fund your trip to Vegas.

Cannot argue about any of the movies on your snubs list, Jerry Maguire being at the top of the list. I agree with all of the others, and would like to note that Primal Fear may be the best movie that nobody has ever heard of, easily in my top 5. The Rock (Nic Cage’s best movie in my opinion, and Independence Day with one of, if not the greatest movie speeches of all time (future blog debate?)

ETC: I'm so glad you mentioned the Independence Day speech because it is one of the greatest movie speeches of all time, at least on the unintentional comedy scale. It so happens that I included the famous Bill Pullman speech in a past blog, the 4th of July entry as a matter of fact when I went to DC for the weekend. I noticed the party was beginning to fade so i pulled up the speech on youtube and the party responded exactly how President Thomas J. Whitmore intended. The drinking games intensified, the beer began to flow like wine and the women flocked to the party like the salmon of Capistrano. Needless to say, it became an hourly tradition and something that will continue this year as well.

Mr. IMDB, LTC: WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT, WE WILL NOT VANISH WITHOUT A FIGHT.....

love it

1997

Yahoo's Picks: Boogie Nights, Eve's Bayou, L.A. Confidential, The Sweet Hereafter, Titanic

Mr. IMDB, LTC: Despite having the richest movie ever up until recently, it's kind of a lean year, only a few snubs that I could really argue to make the list.

I have only seen 2 of these movies in Boogie Nights and Titanic. Two movies that couldn’t be any more different, but both are must sees for very different reasons. Boogie Nights is probably the most unique movies I have seen and has a few great scenes with young hot Heather Graham. Titanic, despite being the love story of all love stories when it comes to movies, is a great movie. I have no problem saying that, it is a great movie. I am a huge Leo DiCaprio fan in pretty much any movie he does and he was very good in Titanic. Also, if you haven’t seen Titanic, that is just bizarre.

One movie that I definitely see as a snub is Good Will Hunting. A great script written by Damon and Affleck that launched their careers into orbit. Incredible performance from Robin Williams, all around great movie. I am a big fan of Air Force One, Harrison Ford at his best. Finally, shout out to Cage in Face/Off. I have to admit I had not seen it until very recently, and I enjoyed it.

Again, a lean year in my opinion.

ETC: As for '97, I'm in agreement. Boogie Nights is a must see, very different type of movie but totally captures the meteoric rise to fame/money/sucess and how quickly you fall from the top. Also totally changed the direction of Mark Wahlberg's career. He was still in the whole Marky Mark phase but after this movie he became a movie star.

As much as Pasquale is going to hate me for saying this, I totally agree about Titanic. It's a landmark movie, probably one of the 5 most memorable movies of all time and is the love story to end all love stories (the notebook might make a run at that title but I think it falls short). I actually saw this movie twice in the theaters and girls were crying like they lost a family member. I also am a huge fan of Leo and this is the first time I really noticed how good he was as an actor. Kate Winslett will always have a special place in my memory thanks to the famous diamond necklace drawing scene that is fantastic for a PG-13 movie and 12 year old boys.


I've seen LA Confidential and I enjoyed it but no way it deserves to be on the list ahead of Good Will Hunting. In fact this is the biggest snub to date because I think this movie might be in my top 5 movies of all time, but easily falls in my top 10. Its almost incomprehensible that this was left off the list and detracts from the credibility of Yahoo's list. Robin Williams was amazing in this movie and Damon and Affleck's script is one of the finest I've ever seen. Think about how many great speeches and moments there are in that movie. It's also Affleck's best performance as an actor and is really the only reason why I like him, even after all the bad movies hes made since then.

The other huge snubs in my opinion are As Good As It Gets, a movie in which Jack Nicholson won another Best Actor Oscar and Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery. I think if we're talking about memorable movies, Austin Powers has to be mentioned. It's such a good spoof that most people think its just a straight comedy. And as for As Good As It Gets I think that's a movie that gets overlooked. When I first saw it, I totally didn't get half the references and the deep theme of the movie, but now that I'm older and (not) more mature I like the movie much more. Also a few others that were left off were Liar Liar (Carrey still gets no love) Donnie Brasco and Men In Black.

We have to give a shout out to Cage here for his performance in Face/Off. When he was Castor Troy in the beginning, he was excellent. But when he was the husband he wasn't that good. Its a solid movie but by no means should be on the most memorable list. Same goes for Air Force One, a film that is a regular in our "good, bad movies" marathon and a favorite of Pasquale.

On to '98....

1998

Yahoo's Picks: The Big Lebowski, Out of Sight, Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary

ETC: I agree with Lebowski, Saving Private Ryan and There's Something About Mary. The first time I saw Lebowski I didn't like it at all and I still don't love the movie. But the Dude is great and John Goodman as Walter makes the movie worth seeing.

Saving Private Ryan is fantastic, there really isn't a flaw in this movie. As of now its in the top 5 of this entire list for the years we've covered (90-'98 with Goodfellas, Forrest Gump, Titanic and Swingers rounding out the list). The opening scene at Normandy is so real and intense that I heard WWII veterans didn't want to watch it because of how accurate it was. I really can't say enough good things about this movie and its a travesty that Shakespeare in Love beat this movie out for Best Picture.

There's Something About Mary was the first R rated comedy I saw in the theaters and it was so funny that it marked the first time I cried from laughter at a movie (Anchorman holds my personal record with 3 seperate "tears of laughter moments"). There are so many great moments from this movie like the "zipper scene", the battle royale between Ben Stiller and a puppy and of course the infamous hair gel scene. Absolute classic comedy that sometimes gets overlooked.

I haven't seen Out of Sight so I can't knock this one only because I've heard good things about it. Hard to argue with Clooney and J-Lo in her prime and I just watched the trailer and it looks like a movie I would enjoy. Having said that, there are some notable snubs that should be talked about. The most noticable exceptions include Rounders, a movie that I never get sick of and knowing our shared affinity for gambling I think you would agree with that assesment. Jim Carrey continues to get no love as the Truman Show is left off the list, a movie that I would argue deserves mention and possibly a spot on the list. It's incredibly unique and the first of a slew of legitimate acting performances from Carrey, not to mention the always reliable Ed Harris. Another solid movie is Enemy of the State, a movie that makes me totally paranoid about the capabilities of technology (and seeing the new features of facebook and google I'd say this movie is way ahead of its time)

A few movies that I enjoy but don't consider modern classics at all include Nic Cage as Rick Santoro, a shady cop who finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an Atlantic City boxing match in the movie Snake Eyes. Another movie I like a lot is He Got Game and you can't argue with Denzel, especially when his character blurs the line between good guy and bad guy. Not to mention Will Ferrell's first starring role in "A Night at the Roxbuy" and i was like "EMILIOOOOO". Also '98 is unofficially dubbed the meteor year as both Armageddon and Deep Impact hit the theaters this year (Interesting side note, '97 was the unofficially dubbed volcano year as both Dante's Peak and Volcano came out. Why do natural disaster movies come in pairs? Keep your eye open for 2010's "Nor'easter" and "Tropical Storm Ernesto" coming to theaters soon).

Mr. IMDB, LTC: Saving Private Ryan, I don’t think there’s anything that needs to be said, arguably the best war movie made. There’s Something About Mary is another no brainer. The movie managed to walk a line between raunchy, gross-out comedy and a romantic comedy. Stiller is great, Cameron Diaz is hot, Matt Dillon is hilarious, and a great cameo by Brett Favre. I was interested to see your assessment of The Big Lebowski. It is a cult favorite amongst a lot of people, and when I had said I hadn’t seen it, people looked me like I was crazy, so I finally watched it and here is what I think. The Big Lebowski is the most overrated movie I have ever seen. I said it. Maybe because it was so hyped up, it did nothing. I remember saying at the end “that’s it?” Hopefully I haven’t offended too many people, but that’s how I feel.

I agree with all of those snubs you mentioned, so I won’t wast time commenting on them, but I will discuss a few that may have been overlooked. Edward Norton is my favorite actor, and I loved your mentioning of Rounders. But in my opinion, other than Primal Fear, Norton’s best performance is American History X. A movie that shows the harsh reality of hatred and racisim and Norton’s transformation after being locked up. An extremely powerful movie on an unbelievably touchy subject, really displaying Norton’s flexibility and range as an actor. Definitely could argue that this should be on the list

Another movie that I believe flies under the radar, in terms of being a good movie, is Wild Things. Wild Things hides behind is intense sex scenes (yes, Denise Richard is smoking in it despite her pretty awful acting), it actually has a pretty decent plot line with endless amounts of unexpected twists and turns. Now it would be ludicrous for me to say that it should make the list, but potentially a movie that gets overlooked based on its stereotype.



Well that sums up Part 2 of the Ultimate Showdown Debate as we covered 1996-1998. We are about to enter the 2000's and there are a ton of movies to talk about so I think it will only get more interesting from here. Again we love to hear feedback and if you have any thoughts about our reviews feel free to leave a comment and we will address them in the next post. For the record, so far our Top 5 movies from 1990-1998 are Goodfellas, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Titanic and Swingers. Keep an eye out for Part 3 where we will debate the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. So until next time, as always......STAY SWEET!