Getting Buzzed - RFP’s 30 Most Anticipated Summer Films

No yammering this year. Just heading to the list. Enjoy.
30) Winnie the Pooh (July 15)
Trailer
It seems like a strange film to be releasing in the summer, especially due to the fact that the film is done and was released in Europe in the spring. Films that skew this young just don't do well at the box office anymore. But that doesn't mean the film won't be good. It takes four previous un-adapted Pooh stories from A.A. Milne and brings them to the screen. This could also be the last hand-drawn Disney film for the foreseeable future, so to see it on the big screen is a must.

29) Horrible Bosses (July 8)
This is the one of the only two films on the list that doesn't have a trailer yet. The story follows three friends who plot to murder their horrible bosses. I like dark comedies and director Seth Gordon made the awesome doc THE KING OF KONG. But then he also made the stinker comedy FOUR CHRISTMASES. So we'll see. But wait, check out this cast — Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Donald Sutherland and Kevin Spacey (who knows a thing or two about playing a horrible boss, just think SWIMMING WITH SHARKS). Can we hope that it's as good as SHARKS?

28) 30 Minutes or Lee (Aug. 12)
Trailer
Judging from the trailer this one could be really funny or awful. Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg stars as a pizza deliveryman who is strapped with a bomb and forced to rob a bank. His best friend is comedian Aziz Ansari and the criminals are Danny McBride and Nick Swardson, who's a staple of Adam Sandler flicks. The most promising thing about this one is director Rueben Fleischer, who made the fun ZOMBIELAND.

27) Midnight in Paris (May 20)
Trailer
Woody Allen comes with this comedy about a businessman who goes to Paris and experiences fantastic journeys through time while on walks at night. Owen Wilson stars with Rachel McAdams as his wife. Allen can always put together a cast to make anyone excited. Here he also has Michael Sheen (FROST/NIXON), Tom Hiddleston (THOR) and Alison Pill (MILK), as well as Oscar-winners Marion Cotillard (LA VIE EN ROSE), Adrien Brody (THE PIANIST) and Kathy Bates (MISERY). I'm always excited about a good Allen comedy. Hope this one is one of them.

26) The Troll Hunter (June 10)
Trailer
Found footage films are really hot following CLOVERFIELD and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. This one comes from Norway and follows investigators looking into the legend of trolls. The trailer makes this one look quite fun. The buzz out of festivals where it played was good. Has there ever been a good troll movie? I mean TROLL 2 is totally entertaining, but good is not a word to describe it.

25) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
Trailer
While the first two PIRATES sequels were disappointing, the fact that Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is more the focus makes the fourth installment promising. Plus, he gets a love interest in the gorgeous Penelope Cruz. The story finds Capt. Jack searching for the fountain of youth, which is also being sought by Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Black Beard (Ian McShane). This one has mermaids and zombies and a trip to London. Big adventure for sure. This franchise could be like James Bond and have one good sequel here and a bad one there. For this one I'm hoping for the former.

24) Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (Aug. 12)
Trailer
This remake of the 1973 TV movie comes from Guillermo del Toro, who co-wrote the script and produced. The story finds a young girl moving into a creepy new house with her father and his new girlfriend. Katie Holmes plays the girlfriend — really creepy. All kidding aside, Holmes joins Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison (BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA). The trailer is spooky. It's from a new feature director Troy Nixey. Del Toro involved in an R-rated version of the TV horror flick has me interested for sure.

23) Larry Crowne (July 1)
Trailer
I have such mixed feelings about this one. Tom Hanks directs himself in a straight comedy. I've been wanting him to go back to a straight comedy for a while. He plays a super employee at a "Wal-Mart" type store, but gets laid off. He decides to go back to school where he falls for his teacher, played by Julia "Queen of the RomCom" Roberts. The trailer made me giggle, but not really laugh. I liked Hanks' first directing effort, THAT THING YOU DO!, but I didn't love it. Plus he co-wrote this one with Nia Vardalos, who hasn't done anything slightly good since MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (and that was only likeable at best too). I'm just curious because there is so much talent here. The cast also includes Cedric the Entertainer, Bryan Cranston, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Riggle and George Takei. That cast alone is worth a watch to me.

22) Thor (May 6)
Trailer
The early reviews have been solid. They mostly praise newcomer Chris Hemsworth as a new star and director Kenneth Branagh for bringing a Shakespearean scope to this superhero tale. Well, if you want a Shakespearean scope whom else do you get than Branagh? This one skews a bit from the comics, giving the thunder god no secret identity. But like the comics, he is banished from the heavens by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) for his arrogance with a chance to learn to be a real hero. Now if you're looking for a hot love interest whom else do you get than Natalie Portman? The Oscar winner plays scientist Jane Foster. Newcomer Tom Hiddleston is in as the villain Loki. The cast also includes Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba and Ray Stevenson. I'm interested in seeing if this story of gods finds a human story to ground it.

21) Cars 2 (June 24)
Trailer
Can Pixar do wrong? I guess we'll find out this summer. CARS is not the pinnacle of their canon, but I was thoroughly surprised when I saw it. It was much better than I thought it would be. Early buzz has people liking the spy riff that this film takes. In the trailer the American in Europe gags stood out for me and they seemed like stuff we've seen many times before. But every time I doubt Pixar they run me over with a semi-truck of brilliance. So while I'm not bubbling with excitement for this one, I'm certainly not doubting that it could be great.

20) Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 26)
Trailer
The original film was a huge step forward for DreamWorks Animation. I'm curious to see how the sequel handles Po as a real master. The charm of the first film was him as the ultimate fanboy trying to play with the real heroes. Returning voices include Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Lu and James Hong. New voices include Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michelle Yeoh and Dennis Haysbert. My hopes are very high on this one. I hope it's not a disappointment like the latter SHREK sequels.

19) Hesher (May 13)
Trailer
Now the early reviews of Spencer Susser's indie comedy have been mixed. The title character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a vile one. The reviews say the character pushes so many buttons from the start that he easy alienates the audience. Think BAD SANTA to the extreme. The world hating young man befriends a young boy named T.J. (Devin Brochu) who recently lost his mother. The boy's father (Rainn Wilson) is hardly fit to take care of him. T.J. also befriends a clerk at the grocery store (Natalie Portman, who also produced the film), but will Hesher mess that up too? The sheer anarchy of the trailer has me intrigued. I love films that push boundaries and with this cast I can't resist.

18) Our Idiot Brother (Aug. 26)
Trailer
Paul Rudd plays the idiot brother of the title. After getting arrested for selling pot to a uniformed cop, he goes to live with his various siblings. It seems things don't go well anywhere he goes. The great cast also includes Elizabeth Banks (ZACK AND MIRI), Zooey Deschanel ((500) DAYS OF SUMMER), Emily Mortimer (LOVELY & AMAZING), Steve Coogan (TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY) and Rashida Jones (I LOVE YOU, MAN). Rudd is very good at playing slackers and everymen, so he's right in his comfort zone here. Director Jesse Peretz worked on IMPORTANT THINGS WITH DEMETRI MARTIN, which was smart and often quite funny. So I'm hoping for the same vibe here.

17) A Better Life (June 24)
Trailer
Chris Weitz directs this film, which from the trailer reminds me of THE BICYCLE THIEF. Only this time a beat-up pickup truck is the lifeblood of a poor father. He is an illegal immigrant in L.A. trying to make a better life for his son. Once his truck is stolen, his life begins to spiral out of control. Weitz showed such promise with ABOUT A BOY, but hasn't lived up to that potential with such disappointments as THE GOLDEN COMPASS and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON. this one seems more like a grounded drama instead of a high concept flick, which might be exactly what he needs to do. It also seems like a right time to do a modern American riff on Vittorio DeSica's Italian classic.

16) Submarine (June 3)
Trailer
Here is a coming of age story where a young man sets out to lose his virginity. Wow, I've never seen that before. However, from the trailer, it does seem like something fresh. Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts, 2011's JANE EYRE) meets Jordana (Yasmin Paige, BALLET SHOES) who he believes is willing to have sex with him, He overcompensates and she thinks he's a serial killer. Meanwhile, his parents, played by Sally Hawkins (HAPPY-GO-LUCKY) and Noah Taylor (SHINE) are going through a rough patch and he worries when one his mother's old flames, played by Paddy Considine (HOT FUZZ), comes poking around. Richard Ayoade of the British series THE IT CROWD directed this adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's book. It's being called a cross between Wes Anderson and Michel Gondry. Nothing wrong with that.

15) Beginners (June 3)
Trailer
From Mike Mills, the writer/director of the good THUMBSUCKER, comes this dramedy about a man who learns that his father has terminal cancer and is gay. Ewan McGregor plays the man and Christopher Plummer his father. The cast also includes INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS heroine Melanie Laurent and Goran Visnjic from E.R. The early reviews have given big points to the smart screenplay. Apparently, the story is based on Mills' real life. When his mother died he discovered that his father was gay and was dying. The trailer makes the film look funny and touching and a touch whimsical. Good elements in my book.

14) Sarah's Key (July 22)
Trailer
British actress Kristin Scott Thomas has really been making a career of late in French language films. Her performance in I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG garnered her some Oscar buzz. Based on journalist Tatiana de Rosney's book, the story follows a journalist who looks into a Holocaust story and finds connections to her own family. Young Melusine Mayance is getting ravs for her performance as a Jewish girl who gets wrapped up in the roundups in Paris in 1942. Some are invoking SOPHIE'S CHOICE as a way to describe this one. So how devastating is it?

13) Bad Teacher (June 17)
Trailer
Cameron Diaz plays a boozing, foul-mouthed junior high teacher who wants to land a rich man so she can quit her job. She sets her eyes on the new teacher played by Justin Timberlake. The dude comes from money. Meanwhile, the gym teacher, played by Jason Segel, is hot for teacher. The trailer really made me laugh, especially the droll approach of Phyllis Smith, a teacher Diaz's Elizabeth Halsey befriends. The film is from Jake Kasdan, who made the brilliant quirky comedy ZERO EFFECT and directed the cult TV series FREAKS AND GEEKS and the underrated ORANGE COUNTY. Now the only X factor is the script from Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. Lets hope for more of THE OFFICE and less of YEAR ONE.

12) X-Men: First Class (June 3)
Trailer
I was lukewarm about this one until the full trailer hit. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender seem perfectly cast as Mr. X and Magneto, respectively. While this of course deviates from the comics in order to keep the film continuity in tact, it's interesting to see the "original" X-Men mutants woven into real events like the Cuban Missile Crisis. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Rose Byrne (GET HIM TO THE GREEK) as Dr. Moira MacTaggert, MAD MEN beauty Jennifer Jones as Emma Frost, Nicholas Hoult (A SINGLE MAN) as Beast and Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw. Origin stories can be boring because they go through the motions of typical events. From the trailer this one seems to be stepping outside the box. I really hope I'm right.

11) The Help (Aug. 12)
Trailer
Based on Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel, this one seems like one of those crowd-pleasing, uplifting dramas that is lifted up by good actors and witty writing. Judging from the trailer only, it has all of those elements. Headlining this one are two of the finest 20-something actresses working today — Emma Stone, who plays a '60s reporter working on a book about they way black maids are really being treated, and Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays the smiling racist that wants to make it a law that the black maids use a separate bathroom in their homes. Joining them are Oscar-nominee Viola Davis as one of the black maids and Oscar-winner Sissy Spacek as one of the Southern housewives. Another standout in the trailer is Octavia Spencer, a character actress who has been in everything from BEING JOHN MALKOVICH to SPIDER-MAN. And if that wasn't good enough you also get the awesome Allison Janney and Cicely Tyson. Just looks a moving and funny alternative to the summer explosion fests.

10) Louder than a Bomb (May 18)
Trailer
I like poetry slams. Yeah, don't knock them. Directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel (Gene Siskel's nephew), this doc has garnered some rave reviews. Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars during its brief indie Chicago run earlier in the year. The film follows Chicago-area high school students preparing for the world's largest youth poetry slam. The suspense comes from watching talented kids prepare for the contest and seeing if the inner-city Steinmetz school can repeat as champs, after surprising many the year previous by winning in their first year of competition. If you've ever watched DEF POETRY JAM then you know how awesome these performers can be.

9) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Aug. 5)
Trailer
While the original title, RISE OF THE APES was tighter, the addition of THE PLANET OF links the film to the past entries. Harkening back to CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, the apes rebel against their human oppressors. In this reboot of sorts, scientists experiment on apes, increasing their intelligence. James Franco plays a scientist who wants to protect Caesar, a thoughtful chimp. Andy "Gollum" Serkis provides the performance capture for the ape. Franco is joined by Freida Pinto, Brian Cox and John Lithgow. I'm hoping the film has some smart FRANKENSTEIN theme, instead of a simple monster movie agenda. While not all the PLANET OF THE APES sequels were solid, one can hope this re-imagining is closer to the original film, or even ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES.

8) Green Lantern (June 17)
Trailer
Warner Bros. and DC are finally venturing outside of Superman and Batman on the big screen. With Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE) at the helm, they have a great captain. Ryan Reynolds is a charming actor, who seems like a good choice to fit into the shoes of the risk-tasking test pilot Hal Jordan. His love interest Blake Lively is an actress I've been excited about since her wonderful turn in THE TOWN and the cast also includes the always wonderful Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong, as well as Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan in voice over roles. What I've seen of the visual effects, they look amazing (but lets hope they get them done, it was reported that the studio had to hire on more studios and add $9 million to the budget to hit its release date). Like Warners did in the very good animated direct-to-DVD GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, if they stick to the comic, they won't go wrong.

7) Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)
Trailer
Of all the classic superhero films of this summer, this is the one that captures my imagination the most. The WWII period setting of the story feels right. Heroes battling Nazis gives me fond memories of Indiana Jones, which director Joe Johnston has experience with having directed an episode of THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES. His credits are mixed I know (OCTOBER SKY; HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS; THE ROCKETEER; JURASSIC PARK III = good — THE WOLFMAN = bad). As far as the cast, I really like Chris Evans. I've always thought he just needed the right project to jump from B-level actor to bona fide star. I also find the effects to make him too like a 90 lbs. weakling to be impressive. He is joined by Hugo Weaving (always good as a villain), Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan, Neal McDonough and Derek Luke. Like I've said before, if they stick to the comic, they won't go wrong.

6) Crazy, Stupid, Love. (July 29)
Trailer
Here is the premise for this romantic comedy. A man's wife cheats on him and they split. He meets a ladies man at a bar who teaches him how to get girls. As the man tries to win back his wife, he gives lessons to the ladies man on love and commitment. How many ways could this go wrong? But watching the trailer, I laugh every time. It's mainly due to the performances. Steve Carell plays the jilted husband. Ryan Gosling plays the lothario. Julianne Moore plays Carell's dissatisfied wife. Emma Stone plays the woman who makes Gosling's character want to settle down. Marisa Tomei is Carell's bubbly new girlfriend. Kevin Bacon is Moore's confident new lover. In the 2 ½ minutes of the trailer, they made me believe in these characters, especially Gosling. Written by Dan Fogelman (CARS) and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (directors of I LOVE PHILLIP MORRIS and writers of BAD SANTA), the film better be more than a brilliant trailer. There is too much talent involved for this to be bad, right?

5) Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Trailer
Based on Platinum's comic book, the story sees an alien invasion during the Wild West bringing together warring factors in order to save humankind. Besides having a love for Westerns, the collection of talent around this one has me excited. IRON MAN's Jon Favreau is directing from a script that includes such writers as STAR TREK's Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and LOST's Damon Lindelof. That's just behind the camera. The cast boasts Daniel "James Bond" Craig, Harrison "Han Solo" Ford, Olivia "The Best Part of TRON: LEGACY" Wilde and Sam "F'in'" Rockwell, as well as Paul Dano (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), Clancy Brown (THE SHAWKSHANK REDEMPTION), Keith Carradine (DEXTER) and Adam Beach (FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS). Here's hoping for a fun genre mash-up.

4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (July 15)
Trailer
The franchise comes to end. I've been waiting since PART 1 ended to see the rest of this film. With the first entry more build up than payoff, it shouldn't be too bold to suggest that it will tell Harry's journey into becoming an adult hero. The epic battle that closed J.K. Rowling's novel was cinematic in its scope anyway and should translate very well to the screen. As one of the most consistently great film franchises in history, fans will miss new entries, but with the quality of what was produced there is a lasting classic series of films that are endlessly rewatchable. I'm really hoping PART 2 in conjunction with PART 1 will bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

3) The Future (July 29)
Miranda July's ME, YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW was a remarkable film, so, of course, I'm excited about her latest. The word out of Sundance has been spectacular. The performance artist and short story writer brought her quirky sensibility to her previous film and from what I've heard it overflows in this surreal tale of love and life. The story follows Sophie (July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater, TV's THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE) take in a stray cat that is ill, which makes them question their lives. The cat, Paw Paw, narrates the film, Jason discovers he has a superpower and Sophie deals with animated inanimate objects in a dream world. July has a cinematic eye and a poetic heart. There is nothing pretentious about her work, it's simply brilliant. I have great hope for her newest venture.

2) Super 8 (June 10)
Trailer
J.J. Abrams pays tribute to the '80s flicks of Stephen Spielberg. In this summer of sequels and franchise films, this is the closest we're going to get to original spectacle. The story follows a group of kids who, while making their own film, capture a train wreck on film. But the cargo of the train isn't ordinary, there is something living inside. Something the government doesn't want anyone to know about. It seems that the kids recorded that something on film. Afterwards people start disappearing from town. Elle Fanning takes the part of the young love interest her sister Dakota would have played a few years back. The trailer really captures a CLOSE ENCOUNTERS vibe crossed with E.T. and SON OF RAMBOW.

1) The Tree of Life (May 27)
Trailer
A new Terrence Malick film is always something to get excited about. This one stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. It's a grand story that starts in the 1950s with a young boy who is pushed and pulled between the selfish and selfless views of his father and mother. Upon witnessing death, he loses his innocence and the world becomes a complex place for him to navigate into adulthood. The trailer looks gorgeous. The film deals with life on a cosmic scale dealing with prehistoric, microbial and astronomical realms. Every time I watch a Malick film I am reminded the heights that cinema could attain when it tries for art.