There’s a little something for everyone in the next two weeks. July 29 will bring us Cowboys and Aliens and a live-action version of a beloved children’s cartoon with The Smurfs. Opening on August 5 is a comedy featuring the likes of Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds and also James Franco doing his best acting next to CGI monkeys.
July 29
Cowboys & Aliens
What do you get when you combine House’s 13 and Han Solo? Jon Favreau hopes its his next big franchise takes after Iron Man. Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, and Daniel Craig play Western outlaws who encounter aliens. It looks like a good popcorn flick, but don’t go into it expecting any depth.
The Smurfs
This one looks smurfy. I mean, what was stopping smurfin’ Hollywood from coming up with a live-action Smurfs movie? The only thing this movie has going for it is Neil Smurfing (aka Patrick) Harris. Though Hank Azaria as Gargamel ain’t too shabby either.
August 5
The Change Up
This is basically a comedy version of Face/Off. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman play Mitch and Dave, respectively. Mitch is a bachelor of epic proportions, enjoying his single life of debauchery. Dave is the polar opposite, of course: a married man with kids. The two friends go out on the town and end up urinating in a wish fountain while drunkenly wishing to be each other. Abracadabra – it happens.
The Darkest Hour
There’s not a whole lot known about this movie. What’s out about the premise is that a group of kids in Russia (with Emile Hirsch leading the group) struggles to survive after an alien invasion. It was originally scheduled to be out in December, but moved to August 5. It’s rumored to have cost $44 million to create. One of the writers is also penning the script for James Cameron’s Prometheus. Is it worth watching? Who knows.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
When James Franco isn’t yawning through the Oscars, he’s making some really good movies. Somehow the creation of this prequel avoided my radar until the teaser came out a few months ago. Now there’s a full trailer out in all its ape glory. I’ve got nothing to complain about. Those damn dirty apes are back in what looks to be a well-developed movie, and James Franco and John Lithgow on the same screen is nothing to scoff at.
The Sitter
This movie is being compared to Adventures in Babysitting, but I’ve got to call blasphemy on that. There’s no way that Jonah Hill can be as adorable as Elisabeth Shue. I will admit, however, that the premise of the movie is about Hill being roped into babysitting kids and a wacky night ensues.
