Summer Movie Preview 2007

Theaters all around the country will suddenly be filled as the month of May begins. May kicks off the summer movie season and that name tag implies a lot to movie-goers. Since summer is historically the season when most of the year's money is to be made, studios tailor specific films to be released during this time. What that means to the average person is that there will be a wide array of movies that are made for a broader audience and should make for some generally unoffending fun. Also it means that a whole ton of sequels, most of which are guaranteed to make hundreds of millions, are going to be released clustered together during the next few months.

Of the twelve movies I will be previewing here, a grand total of seven are sequels. Six of those seven belong to movie franchises that have already become trilogies or more. Why all the sequels? Those are the babies that studios are willing to pour the hundreds of millions into making and marketing, because they are guaranteed a return by established fans. 'Serious' film fans may have to wait until winter to see more risk-taking stories, but for now we should be happy to see what a $200+ million budget looks like on the big screen.

SPIDERMAN 3 - May 4th, Directed by Sam Raimi - One of the many movies this summer that are certain to make obscene amounts in ticket sales, Spiderman 3 is the almost three-hour long comic book adaptation that brings the movie franchise into darker territory. Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace join the cast alongside returning Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. The third episode will hopefully be just as satisfying as the previous two were and the dynamic of having multiple villains might keep this update feeling fresh.

SHREK THE THIRD - May 18th, Directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui - While the first two movies exuded enough charm and both went on to be monumental successes, I find myself a little concerned about this one. No doubt the box office will be equally favorable to the animated film, but am I the only one hoping that Shrek The Third does not get bogged down with cultural references and 'hip' jokes? However, if they can deliver another fun story, I will be more forgiving toward the film.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END - May 25th, Directed by Gore Verbinski - A cliffhanger ending from Dead Man's Chest should most definitely bring back audiences to the theater to see the third part of the story. Gore Verbinski has demonstrated much talent in the past two by creating very engaging action sequences this side of Raiders of the Lost Ark. All in all, it is expected to be a fairly solid addition and will surely be one of the three biggest money makers of the year.

KNOCKED UP - June 1st, Directed by Judd Apatow - The 40-Year Old Virgin was a runaway R-rated success that was able to gross-out as well as maintain a sweet, heartfelt story. Judd Apatow's follow-up is looking to follow the same principle and that is definitely a good thing. Very few movies are able to contain both hilariously dirty jokes and a good-natured tone. Here's hoping Knocked Up becomes a success so studios will start to take notes.

OCEAN'S THIRTEEN - June 8th, Directed by Steven Soderbergh - While Ocean's Eleven was fresh, frantic, and a great time, its sequel felt much more rushed and almost phony compared to the first. Director Soderbergh seems to direct the huge-budgeted Ocean's series so he is able to pursue his more personal, risky projects. While no other movie will have such outstanding star power, Ocean's Thirteen will need to remember what made the original (the original remake, that is) so exciting in the first place.

EVAN ALMIGHTY - June 22nd, Directed by Tom Shadyac - This Bruce Almighty sequel has been getting much press due to news that it is the most expensive comedy ever made. Steve Carell, possibly during the peak popularity of his career, takes the lead role as a man who is given the challenge by God (Morgan Freeman returning) to build an ark to save his family and every animal on earth. While the trailer may show glimpses that are reminiscent of The Santa Clause, with any luck Evan Almighty will have enough originality to justify its budget.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD - June 27th, Directed by Len Wiseman - Twelve years after Die Hard With a Vengeance, we are handed another John McClane over-the-top action fest. Judging from the trailer, there are a whole lot more cars-flying-through-the-air-and-then-hitting-things than any other previous Die Hard movie. Whether that is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen. As long as the screenplay can match the same fun that the original and Die Hard With a Vengeance had, this late follow-up should satisfy fans.

RATATOUILLE - June 29th, Directed by Brad Bird - Pixar Animation has an unbelievable track record, for any movie studio scale. Not only do they consistently produce blockbusters, each film is almost undeniably of a higher quality than the other CGI animation movies in town. Brad Bird, the man behind The Incredibles, returns to the writer/director seat for Ratatouille. Taking place in a Paris restaurant, the story follows the character of a rat who dreams of becoming a chef (the restaurant is owned by people; unlike Cars, human beings are once again coexisting with Pixar's unlikely characters). Pixar, Brad Bird, and New Movie. Those are the three only things you need to hear to be interested.

TRANSFORMERS - July 6th, Directed by Michael Bay - Apparently there's a large cult following to the Transformers franchise and this intimidates me because I definitely do not have the capacity to comment too much about it. This is one of the movies that is taking Shia LeBeouf and placing him into leading male status in Hollywood. I'm curious to see what happens to his acting career after the exposure of 2007. Besides that, anyone watching the trailer can see how Michael Bay-like Transformers will be.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX - July 13th, Directed by David Yates - What kept the Harry Potter book series working was a simple thing - every novel brought the stakes up higher and made the tone much darker than the previous story. As long as the fifth adaptation follows the same formula, devotees won't be disappointed. The series has always attached oddball directors (Prisoner of Azkaban's Alfonso Cuarón being the most noteworthy) and director David Yates was most likely picked because of his hand in the BBC miniseries thriller, State of Play. Fundamentalists will have much to complain about as long as Yates does the right thing and takes the series into gloomier places.

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY - July 20th, Directed by Dennis Dugan - Adam Sandler and Kevin James pair up for this comedy about straight men pretending to be gay so they can maintain their domestic partnership. The same director/actor team produced Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy. While Chuck And Larry looks to have a milligram more of maturity than those two previous outings, audiences should be prepared for a film revolving around gay jokes for 90 minutes. If you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you will like.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE - July 27th, Directed by David Silverman - The Simpsons success story is incredible and the quality of the animated television series at its peak is undisputable. That being said, fans have to worry whether the movie is coming too late since the show's peak popularity. But my love for The Simpsons shall keep my heart optimistic for the long waiting period. New characters and a bigger plot will hopefully balance well with the old favorites and the familiar Springfield feel.

These are only a few of the aptly-named popcorn flicks coming this summer. The time is upon us; the time to remove our brains from our heads, place them in a jar, and put them in a cabinet until fall. While the originality of summer movies might always be lacking, there is no reason why any film snob shouldn't be able to sit back and enjoy themselves. Happy summer movie season.