Previews for Movies Being Released in July 2008

The summer movie season is now about halfway done, with an already clear lists of hits and bombs, both financially and critically. Now July begins the second half of summer, where a few of the most anticipated movies of this period will finally come out. For this summer month of July, there is one key theme above all else- super heroes. Summer began with Iron Man and June had a Hulk rampage, but now some old and new super heroes will be out to take control of July. From Batman to Hellboy to a drunk and out of control Will Smith, July's heroes will try to fly high at the box office.

July 2
Hancock: It used to be that it was a rare Fourth of July which didn't have Will Smith taking over theaters. But Smith returns to July's biggest holiday weekend once again out to save the world. This time it will be considerably more difficult for Smith, despite having the superpowers of a hero named Hancock. The difference is Hancock is a drunk, destructive, homeless, public relations nightmare wreck, who needs his own bit of saving from PR man Jason Bateman.
The Wackiness: One of the biggest hits at Sundance, this latest weird and quirky indie comedy has Nickelodeon star Josh Peck as a pot smoking teen in 1994 New York. The cracked people around him range from Ben Kingsley's shrink, Oliva Thirbly as his step-daughter, and Mary Kate Olsen.

July 11
Hellboy II: The Golden Army: The original Hellboy was a modest hit, highlighted by veteran cult actor Ron Perlman as the bad boy devil hero. Since then, director Guillermo del Toro has become a far bigger name after the runaway success of "Pans Labyrinth." As such, this sequel has a more prestigious summer release date, as Hellboy battles more fantastical and evil beings from other worlds.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth: It took over 40 years, but they finally managed to remake the famous movie based on the famous book. There's the expected improvements in visual effects and bigger creatures at the center of the earth to battle Brendan Fraser and his family. But New Line studio is counting on it all looking more impressive in 3D.
Meet Dave: Eddie Murphy is sinking to even further depths when a movie of his is only the third most highly anticipated film in an opening weekend. But Murphy still goes on, once again in duel roles. There's no special makeup or fat suits this time, as Murphy plays someone inside himself- more specifically, the head of a tiny alien crew that controls a humanoid who looks like Murphy.

July 18
The Dark Knight: Fans are jumping at the bit with every passing day to see this sequel to the new Batman franchise. Director Christopher Nolan brought Batman back to respectability, so now fans expect pure greatness out of this one. Hopes are high that Heath Ledger's final role as the Joker is every bit as frightening as it appears in the trailers. The franchise also introduces Aaron Eckhart's version of Harvey Dent/Two Face and replaces Katie Holmes with the far less bland Maggie Gyllenhaal as Bat-girl Rachel Dawes.
Mamma Mia: There are still movie goers that don't want to face bat men and jokers and people with two faces, at least not right away. For them, there's this movie version of the famed ABBA musical, as a girl tries to discover who her real father is before her wedding day. Mother Meryl Streep sings the title tune while Pierce Brosnan, Stellen Skarsgard and Colin Firth compete for the dad prize.
Space Chimps: For those who just came down from being taken into CGI space by Wall-E, this CGI tale of talking space chimps voiced by Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines and Patrick Warburton could ease them back up above.

July 25
The X-Files: I Want To Believe: The famed series ended with fading publicity and would soon be replaced by Lost in the "hit show with barely any answers" genre. But Mulder and Scully are making one more go of it, in a movie that's supposed to resemble one of the series' stand alone mysteries. If you expected to know anymore, you must be new to this franchise.
Step Brothers: Will Ferrell may be heading for "the fall" par of his career very quick if he doesn't get some more hits soon. If he can't get success reuniting with Anchorman/Talladega Nights director Adam McKay and former "shake and bake" partner John C. Reilly, Ferrell may be in some big trouble. Here, Ferrell and Reilly are the stepbrothers who go to war after parents Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen get married.

Sources

IMDb- Now Playing: www.imdb.com/nowplaying/2008/07/