Farewell, summer blockbusters. We’ll miss your big action explosions, your spandex wearing heroes, and your tear-jerking Julia Roberts movies. As summer fades away and movies begin to vie for our Oscar-sized attention, know that we’ll never forget you. That is, until next year, when Michael Bay brings us his next robot opus, Thor swings his mighty hammer, and Pixar revs up a sequel to “Cars”.
Friday, August 27
Going the Distance
Oh, Hollywood romance. Power couples always make the best romantic comedies. Look at Jennifer Lopez and the affable Ben Affleck: their hit romcom Gigli did so well, not only financially, but critically too. Real life couple Drew Barrymore and The Mac Guy himself, Justin Long, have teamed up in this one as a couple that endure the pressures of a long-distance relationship.
Takers
This one’s been moved around a whole lot. Here’s what I said last year about the movie: cross your fingers that it’s actually going to come out. Let’s just assume it’s bad: “We’re takers, gents. We take,” the plot succinctly laid out for us by a line of dialogue. Bank robbers rob banks, while police officers try to catch them. Paul Walker is still pretending that he’s from the streets with an overly urban accent that he hasn’t lost since The Fast and the Furious XII or whatever number. Matt Dillon, Rapper “T.I.” and Hayden Christensen co-star.
The Last Exorcism
Meet Nell. She’s a nice farm girl from a small farm community. She’s also possessed by the devil. A preacher named Cotton Marcus comes to her house to try to rid her of the devil. When people name their kid Cotton, he’s got to be a preacher or a suspected serial killer à la “Scream.”
Get Low
This flick is opening locally at Salem Cinema. A 1930s Tennessee hermit (Robert Duvall) decides to hold himself a funeral party before he dies so that he’s able to attend. Duvall’s character is a local legend, often shooting his gun at people. He enlists the help of a funeral director (Bill Murray) and his assistant (Lucas Black) to host the party. Naturally, look for Bill Murray making snarky comments.
September 1
The American
Clooney. Has he made a bad film? No, no, please ignore “Batman and Robin”. Blame the nipples on Joel Schumacher. In this flick, Clooney plays an assassin who hides out in Italy for his last assignment.
September 3
Machete
As if The Expendables wasn’t enough killer action for moviegoers, Hollywood has an answer in this knife-wielding version of it. Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba and Steven Seagal star in this movie. Trejo plays the titular character who betrays an organization that hires him and then launches a rampage against his former boss.
