Spring is in full flow, and pretty soon the Sun will be shining, the mercury will be rising and Olympians will be running, which means...it will be time to huddle together in a cold dark room to watch movies. Yes, the summer's bounty of films is approaching, but which ones are worth your hard earned cash? This helpful guide will tell you which ones I predict will be the good, the bad and the turkeys this sunny season.
Can't wait to see...
- Prometheus (June 1)
I have a good feeling about this unofficial/loosely-based prequel to the Alien saga, directed by the man who started it all: Ridley Scott. It tells the story of a group of astronauts who discover a spaceship which is possibly the craft from the first Alien, complete with the infamous Space Jockey. With a cast including Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Guy Pierce, this is shaping up to be really rather special. Also with rumours circulating that James Cameron wants to direct a sequel, the cycle could be repeating itself all over again. Let's just hope it doesn't end with Prometheus vs Predator 2.
2. The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)
I had a sneaking suspicion that this would turn out to be a disappointing third instalment, but on second thoughts, Christopher Nolan has a habit of making thought-provoking films that also appeal to the masses. But the question will always be: can it top the genre-altering The Dark Knight? In what promises to be the final chapter in the recent reboot, Batman will face off against Bane, played by Brit Tom Hardy. With the trailer featuring a spectacular shot of an American football field collapsing during a game, I think this could be a match for the previous instalment.
3. Avengers Assemble (April 26)
Ok, ok, Captain America was forgettable and Thor verged on the ridiculous at times but this comic book crossover could be the superhero film to end them all. If anyone can pull off a film of this magnitude, it is uber-geek Joss Whedon. Whatever you think about his TV programmes (Buffy, Firefly, Angel), he could be the ideal director to hold the various strands together. Marvel characters, including Ironman and The Incredible Hulk, have to put their differences together to prevent the end of the world. If nothing at all, this film should be a larger than life popcorn flick.
4. The Cabin in the Woods (April 13)
This has been out in America for a while now, where it has drawn comparisons with Shaun of The Dead. Speaking as someone who is not the biggest fan of predictable horror films, this seems interesting because it subverts the traditional slasher clichés. If you enjoyed the excellent Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) this should be right up your street.
4. Casa de me Padre (May 10)
Will Ferrrell stars in this comedy with the dialogue entirely in Spanish. I'm sold.
Might be worth a watch...
1. Lockout (April 20)
This Sci-Fi actioner looks like a cross between Die-Hard and Escape From New York. Guy Pierce is a gunslinger who has to enter a high security space prison to rescue the President's daughter. It features a deranged looking Joseph Gilgun from This is England fame. I think it could be great.
2. Ted (August 3)
The creator of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane directs and co-writes this live-action comedy about a man (Mark Wahlberg) whose childhood teddy comes to life. The trailer is pretty hilarious with the foul-mouthed Ted voiced by McFarlane himself.
3. Men in Black III (May 25)
This threequel has a lot of making up to do but, who knows, it can't be worse than the second instalment, can it? Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in, err, black, this time with some time travelling thrown in for good measure.
4. The Dictator (May 18)
Sacha Baron Cohen introduces a new character, the Middle Eastern despot General Aladeen. This promises to be more of a narrative-led story than his previous mockumentaries Borat and Bruno, with Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris also starring.
5. The Amazing Spiderman (July 4)
Is it too early to reboot the Spiderman franchise? I guess we'll find out this summer.
6. Total Recall (August 22)
This is a tricky one. On the one hand it is directed by Len "Die Hard 4.0" Wiseman, but, judging by appearances, this could be a slick, 60s style Sci-Fi thriller. Also, anyone who says, "how dare they remake the 1990 classic", should realise the original was hardly Citizen Kane. So it could go either way.
Avoid like the Plague...
1. Battleship (April 11)
This dire-looking action flick comes with the tagline: "From Hasbro, the toy company that brought you Transformers", as if that is suddenly the new benchmark for quality. It stars Taylor Kitsch, who single-handedly killed Gambit with that awful attempt at an accent in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and who was also in the biggest flop of all time (and rightly so) John Carter of Mars. To compound the misery, Rihanna makes her feature film debut in a role she said she spent ages researching (really?). The plot features aliens, capabale of inter-stellar travel, who decide the best way to attack Earth is via the sea. This just screams shameless cash in and I await with dread the inevitable line, "you sunk my battleship".
2. The Three Stooges (July 20)
No. Just no.
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