Friday, June 3, 2011

Popcorn Pick- June 2011

Greetings, avid moviegoers!

Popcorn Pick is back! In blog form, at least- the way it began. I'll still be coming to you every month bringing you my expertise on the current cinema.
And, it's officially summer! Which means all the big franchise movies are appearing. Some will suck, some will rock your socks, some will be utterly forgettable. Maybe I can help sort them out for you.

Friday, June 3rd
X-Men: First Class

The fifth X-Men movie is yet another prequel, but early reviews say it's much better than the disappointing Wolverine. Clearly they're trying to replicate the success of the stellar first two films, by examining the backstory of Xavier (before he's a professor) and Magneto (before he's evil). Several familiar faces show up, and it wouldn't be X-Men if they didn't have a whole bunch of new colorful characters as well. My biggest question: how the heck does Xavier wind up in a wheelchair? Our heroes are played by rising young stars James McAvoy (Wanted) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds).

Friday, June 10th
Super 8

I know, I know. I've converted to the church of J.J. Abrams and I bow down to all that he does. And I know, I'm pretty much the only person that's super excited to see this. But has anyone seen the trailer? This looks like a mash-up of Abrams' last film Star Trek and producer Steven Spielberg's classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The plot involves a bunch of kids in the '70s who accidentally film a train crash and discover the supernatural secret the train was transporting- a secret the government doesn't want you to know. Is it an alien? Details are very hush-hush, which makes me want to see this even more. Stars Kyle Chandler (TV's Friday Night Lights).

Friday, June 17th
Green Lantern

Tis the season for superhero movies. If you're experiencing Marvel fatigue (Thor, X-Men), try the DC universe. Ryan Reynolds plays the obscure comic-book superhero who wears a green suit of light and can create any object he thinks of using a magic ring. This is a massive CGI experience, which could help it or hinder it depending on the amount of action in the film. Worth a look...but skip the 3D version.

Friday, June 24th
Cars 2

Sigh... I'm one of Pixar's biggest fans, so I was very disappointed when I heard this was their film for this year. The sequel to the lulling 2006 hit throws out all connections to the first film and makes it a globe-trotting spy action thriller. (My theory: after star Paul Newman's death, they had to create a plot that wouldn't question why the main characters aren't in Radiator Springs.) It seems even a studio as great as Pixar will sell out eventually and make a movie for money instead of for art. But I'm being unfair- I'm still going to see it, for curiosity if not for anything else, and for my love of the studio.
It's also worth noting that Disney is the only studio that does 3D well, and the film is available in that format. If you're one of the few excited to see this movie, shell out the extra cash for the glasses.

July brings even bigger movies, in fact, the biggest movies of the year, so stick around! I'll see you at the theatre next month!