It's that time of year again, when Hollywood shoots out the biggest and best movies for us to enjoy on the big screen. The Summer Blockbuster has become a staple in Hollywood, but it's pretty difficult for the casual movie-goer to be able to see each and every one of the movies they want to see during a given summer.
Anyway, here is my list of movies that, if I could, I would go and see during the 2008 Summer Blockbuster Season, or from the months of May to August. I have aptly called this list 'The Baker's Dozen' and here they are in release date order:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Release Date: April 18, 2008
Cast: Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russel Brand, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd.
Plot: Segal's character gets dumped by his girlfriend (Bell) and decides to take a Hawaiian trip to get her off his mind.
Little does he know that she, along with her new boyfriend, are staying at the same resort as he is.
Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Release Date: April 25, 2008
Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Paula Garces and Neil Patrick Harris
Plot: The follow-up movie to the hilarious Harold & Kumar: Go To White Castle. Harold & Kumar look to fly to Amsterdam, but are pegged as suspected terrorists as they try to sneak a bong on board a flight.
Iron ManRelease Date: May 2, 2008
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrance Howard, Leslie Bibb, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Plot: Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) is involved in a life threatening incident that leaves him spooked. He decides to build the iron suit to protect him of future incidents, but decides to use his new suit for good as well.
Speed Racer
Release Date: May 9, 2008
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, Susan Surandon and John Goodman.
Plot: Speed Racer (Hirsch) goal in life is to win The Crucible, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Release Date: May 16, 2008
Cast: Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes and Tilda Swinton.
Plot: In what has only been a couple of years for the Pevensie children, Narnia has aged over a thousand years. The quartet of children are once again enlisted to help Narnia overthrow a ruthless villain, this time in the form of a king, and return the rightful leader of Narnia, Prince Caspian, to his post.
Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Release Date: May 22, 2008.
Cast: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen and John Hurt.
Plot: After nearly 20 years of being away from the character, Harrison Ford puts on his fedora in the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones saga. This time he is forced into a Soviet plot of uncovering secret behind the Crystal Skulls.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Release Date: July 11, 2008
Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, James Dodd and Luke Gross.
Plot: A rebellion by the mythical world begins against the Earth for control, and Hellboy and his army must save the world.
The Incredible Hulk
Release Date: June 13, 2008
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt.
Plot: Bruce Banner (Norton) looks for to understand, and hopefully cure, the condition inside of him that turns him into the Hulk.
Wall-E
Release Date: June 27, 2008
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy and Fred Willard.
Plot: In the year 2700, robots are used to do specific duties. Wall-E is no exception, as for years he has done what he is made to do, but one day he learns that there is more out there - and looks for what he is meant to do.
Hancock
Release Date: July 2, 2008
Cast: Will Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron.
Plot: Hancock (Smith) is a reluctant superhero that has fallen out of favor with the city he protects thanks to his boozing and mistakes. Bateman is his new PR who is looking to restore his image - and Theron is Bateman's wife, who Hancock develops a thing for.
The Dark Knight
Release Date: July 18, 2008
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman.
Plot: Batman (Bale) has a new enemy to worry about as The Joker (Ledger) begins to terrorize Gotham City. Harvey Dent (Eckhart) is Gotham's new District Attorney, who helps Batman with his pursuit of The Joker.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Release Date: August 1, 2008
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford and Jet Li.
Plot: Rick and Alex O'Connell (Fraser & Ford) find the mummy of the first Emperor of Quin, who turns out to be a shape shifter who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago.
Pineapple Express
Release Date: August 8, 2008
Cast: Seth Rogan, James Franco, Amber Heard, Gary Cole and Bill Hader.
Plot: Rogan is a pothead who accidentally witnesses a murder committed by the police and is forced to go on the run with his drug dealer (Franco).
Tron: Legacy: Ever since I heard that this movie was coming out I have been trying to track down the original Tron. I thought that I saw it when I was younger, but apparently I was confusing it with The Black Hole. I have not been able to track down the original to watch, but once I do I will definitely be watching this sequel.
Little Fockers: I have seen the first two films and I enjoyed them as much as you can. I don't particularly enjoy Ben Stiller's brand of humor, but I thought that the first two films had a few decent jokes. I will watch this to complete the trilogy, although I have heard it is the worst of the bunch.
I Love You Phillip Morris: OK, so when I first heard about this film I added it to my Netflix queue and there it sat - for almost two years, maybe even more. This film was made awhile ago, but for some reason never got a release, despite some decent reviews. Finally, it is coming in the mail and I will get to check it out.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: I really enjoyed the first film of this series and I have the second film in my closet, although I have not watched it. I will have to though so I can watch this, the third in the series. I am a bit upset though because the two children that I actually enjoyed don't appear to be present in this film. I haven't read the books, but I am guessing they aren't in there either. I will give it a try.
Casino Jack: I don't know a lot about this one. I saw a trailer a long time ago and thought it rather odd that a drama/mystery movie had Jon Lovitz in it. Then I hadn't heard anything else about it until now. As of now I have no plans to see it, but perhaps some time down the line.
