MSN Enterainment offered up a list of the 20 Movies to See This Spring and it quickly became obvious that these were just the 20 films to be released in the next month or two before the official “Summer Seaoson” hits instead of “THE movies to see” list.
So I figured I would list them with my anticipation radar rating out of five.
So in no particular order, here we go:
12 Rounds
A movie with a wrestler as the star automatically loses a few pings on my radar. That and the vague similarity to the plot of The Marine (which I didn’t care for) but it has a decent premise for some good tense action with a testosterone pumped climax. Even after checking out the trailer, I just can’t buy into John Cena as an actor.
March 27 My Radar: 1/5
Crank: High Voltage
I saw the first one and it wasn’t an intellectually deep movie, but that was the point. It was every bit the adrenaline rush the main character was attempting to maintain. I expect nothing different in the sequel and knowing that it looks like it might just deliver the same kind of senseless “did you see that” kind of action and violence.
April 17 My Radar: 3/5
Fast & Furious
The sequel without the “the” in the title, and the most hope I have had for a fluff franchise. After the first movie, the plots have been mostly about showcasing rice rockets and pimped out toy cars. Now returning to the formula that actually made the first one worthwhile, I am actually looking forward to this. Maybe this will bring back the Deisel we liked seeing on screen.
April 3 My Radar: 3/5
Fighting
Here is a film about street fighting that isn’t Streetfighter. It might just set a precedence for recognizing Channing Tatum as a physical presence and a badass before we get to see him in GI Joe. Its been off my radar, so seeing it on this list is the first I have thought about it in a while. Looks like a good mix of drama and action. Might not be half bad.
April 24 My Radar: 2/5
A Perfect Getaway
Milla Jovovich and Timothy Olyphant aside, there is nothing about this movie that caught my attention at all. Aside from this entry on MSN, I hadn’t even heard of it. Searching online I can’t even find a trailer for it. Most of what I can find is just the premise. Milla is on vacation with her boyfriend and they cross paths with some badassses. Not very well publicized at all.
March 13 My Radar: 1/5
State of Play
Conspiracy drama with Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams? Sign me up! I saw the trailer for this a while ago and I really liked the chemistry they have even in the little we get shown. Russell Crowe doesn’t let me down, and McAdams is always a delight on screen. I look forward to seeing this.
April 17 My Radar: 4/5
17 Again
I have a soft spot for Matthew Perry and I know a lot of people will dismiss this purely because Zac Efron is in it, but I am a sucker for movies with that “do it over again” films with a soft warm fuzzy core. People are calling it “Big in reverse” but if this does for Perry what Big did for Hanks, I don’t mind that comparison.
April 17 My Radar: 4/5
The Accidental Husband
Firefighter gets revenge on a Radio Talk show host after her advice ends his engagement. So his hacker buddy marries them on paper to force a meeting. But then they fall for each other. Uma Thruman has been hit or miss with me, but this is likely the only rom/com on my list I would be making the time for. Probably a summer rental, but still a fun one nonetheless.
March 27 My Radar: 2/5
Adventureland
This looks like a raunchy comedy to the likes of Superbad, so in that regard, this is right up my alley. However it doesn’t seem to have the same charm – or it might have more. I am not convinced yet. But I haven’t written it off and the trailer still gave me a lot of laughs, so I will still check this out.
March 27 My Radar: 3/5
I Love You, Man
I am always a fan of comedies with Paul Rudd in them, and I think that Jason Segal (who reminds me of a young Judge Reinhold) is just comedy genius that I think we haven’t seen the best of yet. This is a bro-mance and it looks to really play to Rudd and Segal’s strengths. This looks funny as hell.
March 20 My Radar: 4/5
Invention of Lying
In an alternate reality there is no such thing as lying, and things are really boring. So a screenwriter comes up with the wild idea of saying something that isn’t true and all hell breaks loose. I loved Gervais on Extras and the UK version of the Office, but he has yet to have a role here that blows wind up my kilt. This cast lineup and Gervais taking on the direcotr’s chair for the first time makes me want to check it out even more but formerly called “This Side of Truth”, I can’t seem to find a trailer for this either.
March 20 My Radar: 3/5
Janky Promoters
This one has lack of appeal written all over it for me. No actors involved that I really care for, and I couldn’t find a trailer for it either. From the synopsis I was able to find out that two slacker concert promoters trip over the opportunity to represent a major act. They might be able to get the career break of their dreams if they can manage not to screw it up. I guess that I wasn’t hip enough to know what Janky means, I am automatically not the target demographic. At least SOME promotion on this might have been worth the effort.
March 27 My Radar: 1/5
Duplicity
I love a good spy movie and I like it when they don’t make it look like a college romp. With some very appealing and mature actors like Clive Owen and Julia Roberts dishing some personality in a battle of wits between two people who make it their career to lie to each other we will be spinning our heads keeping up with them.
March 20 My Radar: 4/5
Obsessed
I find Beyonce to be incredibly talented on stage, but I never really bought her as an actress. This drama might change my mind on that if I hear enough good things about her in it, but I will be waiting it out on this one. But Ali Larter plays crazy like an artform, so it will at least have that.
April 24 My Radar: 2/5
The Soloist
One of those films that got pushed back to give the studios reeling from the Writers Strike something to lay out in fiscal ’09, The Soloist has been on my radar for what seems like forever. Robert Downey Jr is always a solid favourite in my books, and to team him up with Jamie Foxx in a heart felt drama like this is just a formula for success. Its about time this has come around.
April 24 My Radar: 5/5
Hannah Montana: The Movie
This movie follows up the television series where normal highschool student Miley has a dual identity as popstar Hannah Montana. Overwhelmed by her superstar life, this film takes the title character back to her little hometown for some good old fashioned simple life. While this film seems to be littering its cast with music stars instead of actors, this Disney teen flick will obviously appeal to a demographic called “not me”.
April 10 My Radar: 1/5
Monsters Vs Aliens
This movie has not impressed me at all yet. I was waiting to see something really charming come out of it, or a trailer that would suck me in, but this doesn’t have enough buzz to make me wanna buy in. I admit there were some tiny glimpses in the trailer that had me wondering. The line “UFO has landed in America.. the only country UFOs seem to land in” and the Ronald Regan president made me smile but that’s about where it ended.
March 27 My Radar: 2/5
Race to Witch Mountain
A remake of the Disney family classic, I wasn’t too excited about, but the trailer and cast really won me over. I think one day AnnaSophia Robb is going to be huge. And of course the only wrestler to successfully become an actor is Dwayne Johnson, so I am usually interested in anything he is in. This seems to have a lot of updated charm and genuine entertaining laughs to it, so I anticipate this film as one I can bring my kids to and be fairly certain to enjoy myself as much as they do.
March 13 My Radar: 4/5
Knowing
Nic Cage used to rank on my top favourite actors and I would instantly want to see anything he is in. However in the last …well, decade, not so much. He has been hit or miss with a lot more miss and I keep holding out hope for him and I got a little giddy after seeing this trailer because I think this is a good one for him. He plays the “slightly odd” guy a little too well, so like in National Treasure, he once again gets to put on the crazy guy who turns out to be right kind of guy.
March 20 My Radar: 4/5
Watchmen
As a comic book fan, I have been waiting two decades for this to come out. And I think this current climate where comic book films are being taken more seriously is the perfect time to do this. However I already predicted the bipolar results of this movie since it isn’t your standard comic book story. This one really doesn’t count on this list considering it just came out this week, but its clearly on the top of my radar list still, so its on here.
March 20 My Radar: 5/5
So Stubs, are there any that ping 5/5 on your radar?
