Get ready for some overstuffed weekends.
8/7
Wide
JULIE & JULIA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Paralleling the lives of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) as she becomes a chef and modern-day Julie Powell (Amy Adams), who set out to cook all of her recipes in one year.
WILL IT SUCK?
Nora Ephron in both writing and directing mode has been inconsistent. You’ve got decent efforts like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but you’ve also got to reckon with Michael, Mixed Nuts, This Is My Life and Bewitched. On the other hand, you do have the aforementioned powerhouse casting as well as Stanley Tucci (reteaming with Devil Wears Prada co-star Streep), Mary Lynn Rajskub and Jane Lynch. Plus, I really like the idea of basing a movie on two novels (Childs’ memoir My Life in France and Powell’s Julie & Julia).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Time Traveller’s Wife the following weekend might be a bit of an issue, but this is perfect counterprogramming for G.I. Joe. And Streep is summer chick flick gold. $125mil.
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Well, it worked for Transformers.
WILL IT SUCK?
Granted, Stephen Sommers is lost outside of his Mummy wheelhouse (Van Helsing, anyone?), but the writers have at least contributed to such fare as Pirates of the Caribbean and Four Brothers (which rates higher on the IMDb than I expected). Also, I’m pretty intrigued by the casting. Joe Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander, Christopher Eccleston as Destro, Jonathan Pryce as the Prez (!?), Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Arnold Vosloo as Zartan and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty. I’m sure they’ll be wasted nicely.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The last action hurrah of the summer, so it’ll have all August to let the box office trickle in, but it will be more trickle than flood. $91mil.
SHORTS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Magic wish-granting rock lands in small community. Kid-friendly CG-driven hilarity ensues.
WILL IT SUCK?
From writer/director Robert Rodriguez, whose kids fare has produced diminishing returns since Spy Kids. Still, I’d trust him with a story more than the folks behind G-Force or Aliens in the Attic. Good cast: William H. Macy, Jon Cryer, Kat Dennings, Leslie Mann and James Spader.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Whose bright idea was it to open a kid’s film against G.I. Joe? $40mil.
A PERFECT GETAWAY
(Delayed from March)
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Couple on vacation vs. killer hikers.
WILL IT SUCK?
As a writer/director, David Twohy (Pitch Black, Below) is usually worth paying attention to (Chronicles of Riddick notwithstanding). And it’s always fun to watch Timothy Olyphant play a bad guy.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
As a writer/director, Twohy’s films tend not to make much money (Chronicles of Riddick notwithstanding). And the move from fairly competition-free March to competition-thick August is not helpful. $14mil.
Limited
COLD SOULS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Paul Giamatti plays an actor named Paul Giamatti who has his soul removed by a company (you know, for convenience) but then when he wants it back, he finds out the company has misplaced it.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz has relative newbie writer/director Sophie Barthes as the inheritor to Charlie Kaufman. With David Strathairn and Lauren Ambrose.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Almost certain to be overshadowed by Paper Heart. $4mil.
PAPER HEART
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
When you’re making a documentary about how you don’t believe in love there’s only one rule…don’t fall in love!
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mad good for this documentary/mockumentary mashup that profiles real-life couples while offering a fictionalized take on the real-life relationship between its star Charlyne Yi (stoned chick in Knocked Up) and Michael Cera. Won the screenwriting award at Sundance. Cameos by friends-of-the-actors Seth Rogen and Demitri Martin.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The box office is there for (relatively new) distributor Overture to lose. $15mil.
8/14
Wide
DISTRICT 9
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Alien Nation without the assimilation.
WILL IT SUCK?
All the buzz about this movie is actually about another movie that doesn’t exist. When Peter Jackson was tapped to supervise Halo, he tapped this film’s director, Neill Blomkamp, to direct. Given that Halo fell apart (some say over Universal and Fox being squeamish about handing the project over to an unkown – but given what happened to Tin-Tin, Jackson could have directed it with Spielberg and it still would’ve been dumped) this fim – especially with the human/alien throwdown – is being seen as a what could have been.
All that having been said, I know nothing about Blomkamp, but people seem to love his shorts, including the one this film is based on.
Screening at Comic-Con killed, apparently.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
2nd frame of G.I. Joe, 1st frame of Time Traveller’s Wife and The Goods with Inglourious Basterds following the next week? Sony better man the fuck up with the marketing and make the most of word of mouth. $46mil.
PONYO
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Hayao Miyazaki’s latest, so I don’t see how trying to describe the plot will help.
WILL IT SUCK?
If it’s anything like his previous work, it will be gorgeous and make about as much sense as a Mr. Sparkle commercial. Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not a lot of competition, but Miyazaki’s work is never wide-release huge in the States. $5mil.
BANDSLAM
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Endearingly dorky teens try to win a battle of the bands.
WILL IT SUCK?
Did you like Camp? Do you remember Camp? Same writer/director, theme.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Could make some bank off of Vanessa Hudgens being one of those endearingly dorky teens. $44mil.
THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guy travels through time. Gets married.
WILL IT SUCK?
Definitely a strong cast: Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams as time traveler and wife, respectively, plus Ron Livingston and Stephen Tobolowsky in supporting roles. And I can see how they chose their screenwriter; Bruce Joel Rubin’s breakthrough was Ghost. Director did the meh Flightplan, but I think the greater challenge this film faces is that the book is not an easy adaptation.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Crowded marketplace, but not a lot of romance. $48mil.
THE GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Comedy about a used car liquidator (Jeremy Piven).
WILL IT SUCK?
Director did some Chappelle’s Show. Not much known about the writers. Cast from every comedy you’ve seen over the last year. Funny red-band trailer.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Too. Many. Movies. $17mil.
Limited
IT MIGHT GET LOUD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The Edge, Jack White and Jimmy Page talk about the electric guitar.
WILL IT SUCK?
I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over how awesome the premise sounds. And any trailer that starts with Jack White MacGyvering an electric guitar from scratch is all right by me. From the director of An Inconvenient Truth, as if I needed more prodding. Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Music docs very rarely do well. $3mil.
SPREAD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Playboy (Ashton Kutcher) finds The One.
WILL IT SUCK?
The only really interesting aspect to this is that Ashton Kutcher is in an indie – one directed by Young Adam and Hallam Foe director David Mackenzie, no less. Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Don’t know how much crossover there is between the arthouse crowd and the Kutcher crowd. $2mil.
GRACE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Single mom raises undead baby with, um, special dietary needs.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is really good. “Restores your faith in the horror genre” kind of good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably not everyone’s bottle of blood. $500,000.
8/21
Wide
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Tarantino does WWII.
WILL IT SUCK?
Mixed early buzz seems to say that if you like Tarantino dialogue, you’re in luck. Plot, not so much.
Oh, and Christoph Waltz won for Best Actor for this film at Cannes. And, no, I have no idea who that is.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The one clear signal through all the noise this month. $71mil.
POST GRAD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Reality Still Bites
WILL IT SUCK?
From director Vicky Jenson (the other Shrek director) and starring Alexis Bledel and, more to my tastes as a Friday Night Lights fan, Zach Gilford who, once again, looks like he’ll be playing the nice-guy-who-gets-screwed.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
At least it’s not opening against fifty other films. $35mil.
Limited
THE MARC PEASE EXPERIENCE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guy (Jason Schwartzman) can’t get over how he used to be hot shit, musically speaking, in high school, even though it’s eight years gone.
WILL IT SUCK?
From co-writer/director Todd Louiso, whom you might remember as John Cusack’s not-Jack Black friend in High Fidelity. He also directed Love Liza which I remember liking but it’s been a while (I see too many movies). With Ben Stiller as Schwartzman’s ex-mentor.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
A little competition from World’s Greatest Dad. $1mil.
MY ONE AND ONLY
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The true story of George Hamilton’s mother (Renee Zellwegger) who left her husband (Kevin Bacon) and took young George on a road trip to find a new beau.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Which is nice considering that the writer has given us such fare as Hot to Trot and 3 Men and a Little Lady and director Richard Loncraine’s best-known work in the States is, sadly, the awful, awful Firewall. (He also directed the masterful HBO movie The Gathering Storm as well as the Third Reich, Ian McKellan-starring take on Richard III.)
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Going into wider release later in search of Oscar gold. $2mil.
WORLD’S GREATEST DAD
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Trials and tribulations of a middle-aged teacher (Robin Williams) with a hard-to-handle son and no game.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. From writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait, whose Stay caused a stir (but not much plaudits) a couple years back. Apparently he’s honed his craft for dark comedy.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably won’t do as well as Williams’ other, big-budget take on fatherhood, but still. $5mil.
8/28
Wide
HALLOWEEN II
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Is it a remake of Halloween II, or a sequel to the Halloween remake? I’m sorry, did I just blow your mind? No? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
WILL IT SUCK?
At this point, you pretty much know what to expect from a Rob Zombie film.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not good to open against The Final Destination. $44mil.
TAKING WOODSTOCK
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Woodstock Begins
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed with audiences more in love than critics. Ang Lee directs and James Schamus adapts man-behind-the-scenes Elliot Tiber’s novel about his pivotal role in finding a place for the event. Lee and Schamus pretty much guarantee my interest, but the cast, including Demetri Martin in the lead as Tiber, along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Imelda Staunton and Paul Dano seals the deal.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Might benefit more from a platform release. $15mil.
THE FINAL DESTINATION
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
When Coincidences Attack…In 3D! (Again!)
WILL IT SUCK?
From the writing/directing team who brought you Final Destination 2. Yeah, it’s hard to get excited about that. What if I told you that that director went on to do Snakes on a Plane? Nothing? Yeah, me neither.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Since they already used the 3D gimmick in Final Destination 3, I don’t know that that’s going to give them any extra juice here. Oh, and not good to open against Halloween II. $41mil.
Limited
BIG FAN
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Obsessed Giants fan gets beat up by his favorite player. Dark character study ensues.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good for the directorial debut of the guy who wrote The Wrestler (he wrote this, too). Patton Oswalt is supposed to be amazing in the lead. Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rappaport and Marcia Jean Kurtz co-star.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
No real competition. $5mil.
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Doc version of Devil Wears Prada
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Won the cinematography award (for docs) at Sundance.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There’s an audience for fashion docs, but not a huge one. $3mil.
Next Month: Gervais directs.
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