Summer Movie Top Ten

[stan4d_steph]

The Summer movie season is near. Heres a list of the movies Premiere magazine predicts will be the Top 10 films of the Summer, based on box office.

1. Spider-Man 2 - $300 M
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - $275 M
3. Shrek 2 - $250 M
4. The Village - $220 M (This is the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan starring Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.)
5. The Day After Tomorrow - $180 M (Action movie involving natural disasters from the director of Independence Day)
6. The Terminal - $150 M (Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks as a Balkan emigrant forced to live in an airport after theres a coup in his home country. Also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as the love interest.)
7. Troy - $140 M (Men in leather, fighting. Stars Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and other less attractive people.)
8. Van Helsing - $130 M (Hugh Jackman kicking serious monster butt.)
9. Collateral - $120 M (Tom Cruise as a contract killer. Also stars Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith and Javier Bardem.)
10. I, Robot - $110 M (Inspired by the Isaac Asimov short story collection, starring Will Smith.)

Agree? Disagree? Think some others will crack the top 10? What other Summer flicks are you looking forward to?

[3894]

Cool thread, Steph! Thanks for setting it up.

My movie choices are shaped by the fact that I go to the movies with my girls, 11 and 14. Mr. 3894 and I usually rent movies together (if he gets called in to consult on an emergency - which happens too often - then we just stop the tape and pick it up later) and all year long we save the R movies for when the kids are at summer camp.

So ... based on that, my theater picks are:

1. "Shrek II" - my 6th grader is already doing that pop! thing the donkey does in the previews.

2. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Who Cares"

I guarantee I won't see any of the others on the list.

[Not Afraid]

I usually hate most of the summer releases, but there are a few I'm interested in:

Coffee and Cigarettes
Shrek 2
Harry Potter Prisioner.....
The Mother (Hanif Kureishi wrote it!)
Two Brothers


Maybe:

The Village
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Vanity Fair

[stan4d_steph]

Cool thread, Steph! Thanks for setting it up.

My movie choices are shaped by the fact that I go to the movies with my girls, 11 and 14.

Thanks Helen. Since this is the case, I predict that you may also end up seeing The Princess Diaries 2 and A Cinderella Story.

[XHarryB]

interesting, they don't think King Arthur will crack the top ten? I doubt it will be a huge success and I think the approach they took will confuse people, but it does have a half naked Kiera Knightly kicking butt and looking good doing it.

I'm pretty sure they've nailed the top of the pack though with Spidey, Harry & Shrek. Those are the only gauranteed money makers. There are always surprises, but those 3 would have to be Cat in the Hat bad not to rake in the dough.

[scaeagles]

I am a huge Shyamalan fan. The least of his works thus far, Unbreakable (good concept, great ending, a little slow), was on ABC Sunday night, and while I wasn't watching it, I managed to flip channels at the time they started the semi-preview of The Village. Looks incredibly creepy. The thing I love about Shyamalan is how he builds suspense with hardly any visuals. In Signs (one of my all time favorites), you only get tiny glimpses of the aliens until close to the end, and that movie scared the buhjeebies out of me. I also love the twists in his stories.....I have never been so surprised by a movie ending than in The Sixth Sense - in fact, I immediately bought another ticket to a showing later in the day to watch it again, as I couldn't believe that Willis had had no conversation with anyone except the boy. In Signs, I love the message that everything happens for a reason. Anyway, I am really looking forward to The Village - more so than any other this summer.

[XHarryB]

a friend of mine actually slept with a glass of water by his bed for weeks after he saw Signs..... and he was in his early 20s at the time!

[dsnylndmom]

Well I know we'll see Shrek 2, my boys have a countdown for it! LOL

I want to see:

The Village

Van Helsing

Stepford Wives(just have to see it)

Cinderella Story(sucker for these movies)

Troy(mmm brad pitt)

[stinkerbell]

We'll see Shrek 2 (in 2 wks!) and I couldn't be more excited! Others we're VERY excited for are Harry Potter and Princess Diaries.

Cassidy can't wait to see SpiderMan, but there's no way we're seeing it the first few weeks of the release, since no one else in the family gives a rip about it.

Ugh, these are all sequels, I notice. I hate that.

Personally, I'm looking forward to The Village and Troy. I'm not usually one for much-hyped movies and I usually avoid them......but Brad Pitt in a short skirt? Yeah, I'd watch that on a big screen, baby! Other than those.....I'm out of the loop, movie-wise.

I'm not a summer movie person, unless it's with my girls. I'm more of a Fall Movie fan. Those movies tend to be more interesting, well-written, and well, GOOD. It seems like once October hits, we'll see one or two a week for a few weeks.

[millionairegirl]

Definitely Harry Potter. Most likely The Village. Will see Princess Diaries2 and Stepford Wives if somebody else pays, but I don't think they're going to be worth my money. I can definitely wait until video for those.

No interest in Spiderman, Shrek (the ending of the first one still makes me mad), or Troy.

I have to admit the commercials for The Day After Tomorrow definitely piqued my curiousity. I'll wait for the reviews to see.

[lisap]

Since I don't have any one locally twisting my arm to see the Village, I'm sure to skip that. I think he's a great film maker, but I don't think my heart can take this one on the big screen. I'll click on the spoilers aplenty when the thread comes out--that will help.

I'm hoping King Arthur will be good--I plan on seeing it.
Also praying that Shrek II will be as funny, and that Princess Diaries will not suck.

Others to hope for:

Spider Man--Fun.

Troy--keep your Brad Pitt, give me my Orlando. I just hope his character is not too terrible--I don't know much about the plot.

Terminal--Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Hanks is playing some sort of European immigrant. Wacky.

The Bourne Supremacy--Matt Damon. I really enjoyed the first one.

Raising Helen--Could be good. Kate Hudson can be a doll in the right movie.
De-Lovely-Kevin Kline as Cole Porter. Love, love, love him.

New York Minute--Mary Kate and Ashley--oh Lord in heaven, please make this watchable.

Anchorman--Will Ferrell. 'Nuff said.

Two Brothers--Guy Pearce (Memento). This could be good--it's from the guy who did The Bear. Hoping the kids will be able to see it.

Enough to keep us busy this summer, for sure.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

So, who's going to give me and GD the $19 it costs to see each of the good ones? Ok, ok, we'll take $15 for a matinee.

We don't see movies in the theater very often. We say "I want to see that" but never do. It sucks.

Bring down movie ticket prices and I'd see Spider Man, Harry Potter, Shrek, Troy, Van Helsing, and many more. With current prices, we'll definitely see Harry Potter, probably Shrek, and maybe Troy....maybe.

[millionairegirl]

So, who's going to give me and GD the $19 it costs to see each of the good ones? Ok, ok, we'll take $15 for a matinee.

ITA. A friend and I went to see a matinee in Santa Monica last weekend, and it was $9.50 each, for a matinee! It's really not worth it, especially when the movie could totally suck. We choose our movies very carefully because we see so few. I think the cost of movies make the Disneyland AP look like an even better deal! But, I've found I REALLY enjoy the movie going experience when I do go now. I've stopped taking it for granted and really enjoy the air conditioning/popcorn/red carpet smell.

But I think we're going to start asking people for movie GC for Christmas and Bdays. I'd much rather have that than some smelly lotion I hate.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

The only for-certains on my list are "Azkaban" and "Shrek 2."

The perhaps, perhaps, perhaps list includes Spidey, the badly-CGIed monster flick with Wolverine's bad hair extensions, The Village (the footage on ABC looked great), and De-Lovely.

[XHarryB]

It's not only the aforementioned ticket price that keeps me from seeing a lot of movies, but also the general public as they tend to ruin the experience for me.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

It's not only the aforementioned ticket price that keeps me from seeing a lot of movies, but also the general public as they tend to ruin the experience for me.

Well, there are two sides to that coin. I've seen movies in sold out theaters and had a blast. Of course, there have been other times when people talked or left their cell phones on, but having a full theater that bursts into laughter or spontaneous applause...I love that.

[stan4d_steph]

I will definitely see the following in the theater:

• Spider-Man 2
• Harry Potter
• The Village
• The Terminal

I'm most looking forward to The Village, having seen the teaser footage that Night previewed during the showings of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable over the last 2 Mondays. Looks to be another edge-of-your-seat movie.
The Terminal trailer looks really good too, and it's hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks.

I may see Troy and Van Helsing in the theaters, but I will be avoiding Shrek 2. I didn't really enjoy Shrek (hated Murphy's donkey) so I most likely won't see this one until video or cable.

I will almost definitely go to see Anchorman in the theater. Will Ferrell is very funny and it's about cheesy TV anchors in San Diego in the '70s. Look out, it's Paul Moyer! I will also probably catch The Bourne Supremacy since the first one was a pretty good ride.

[XHarryB]

Well, there are two sides to that coin. I've seen movies in sold out theaters and had a blast. Of course, there have been other times when people talked or left their cell phones on, but having a full theater that bursts into laughter or spontaneous applause...I love that.

I can definitely understand the potential for that extra level of enjoyment. You find it most in full theaters for highly anticipated movies like LOTR or other such properties that have a following of people who are there to enjoy this particular experience.

I think the problem is actually worse in less full theaters. As you mentioned, cell phones & talking are the worst offenses, but for me it's other things like people who continually exit and enter the theater during the film. If you have to go to the bathroom once during a movie that's fine, quickly and quietly make your way out and back. Why do they always have to run down the stairs so that they make the most noise possible.... and then do it like 5 or 6 times before it's over. This is why I pick and choose what is worth seeing in theater and what would be better saved for my home theater. I will generally try to make an effort for major event movies that will be enhanced by viewing them on a theater screen. Whereas smaller stuff that is still gonna give you the same enjoyment on a small screen as it would on a big one I save for home. I especially try to avoid major teen films in theaters (besides the distractions I also don't want to run into a theater full of past and present students).

[CarlieB]

I'm so hanging out for Shrek 2. We'll also definitely be seeing Spiderman 2.

Van Helsing opens here today, and already Phil is making noises about seeing it...meh. Maybe.

The Terminal looks interesting. Based on a true story too (a guy who lived in the transit lounge in Paris for 8 years).

I'll probably see Harry Potter. Not hugely fussed, but the last one was okay (hated the spiders though ).

I shall avoid Troy. And Phil saw an ad for the Asimov one the other day and said it was so far from the original story that he wouldn't go near it, so fortunately I won't be going to that either

I'm totally excited because Ocean's 12 opens in the States the day I arrive in December, as does Blade: Trinity (ew! ) I can go and see George & Brad, and Phil can go and see his nasty gorey movie

[CarlieB]

but having a full theater that bursts into laughter or spontaneous applause...I love that.

I went to one of the earlier screenings of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring back in 2001. It was so cool. Right at the end, after a big heroic battle (think Aragorn vs Orc) the audience went wild! And at the start of the credits, when Peter Jackson's name rolled up there was huge applause. It was nice

[cstephens]

ITA. A friend and I went to see a matinee in Santa Monica last weekend, and it was $9.50 each, for a matinee!

But if you're seeing a movie in Santa Monica, that doesn't surprise me. There are many other good theatres around that don't charge $9.50 for a matinee.

[AnonyMOUSE]

I'll definitely see I, Robot. That looks like a very interesting and exciting one.

[innerSpaceman]

Why am I such a sucker for sequels to movies I loved, even though most of those sequels, um, suck?


Thank the Lord for Netflix, as I get to see 90% of the films I had at-least-half-heartedly wanted to see in theaters. Those I will fork out the time and money to actually see at the movies will the ones that really require a big screen viewing, due to the immense scale of visuals, and - duh - the sequels I am suckered into.

Among these ...
- Van Helsing, which is looking to be uber-bad, but visually good.

- Troy, which has big visuals galore, both of the spectacle sort and of the hottie men and women in the cast whom I will drool over, gender indiscriminately.

- Shrek 2. I loved the first one, and I don't think the occassional year-specific topical humor makes this fractured fairy tale any less timely than Robin Williams' schtick in Aladdin.

- Harry Potter 3. Not a sequel really, and I am hoping that Prisoner of Azkaban continues the trajectory of these films actually getting better as the series progresses.

- The Bourne Supremacy - I loved the first film and regretably never got to see it in a theater. By the law of averages, the sequel that I will see in a theater will likely be far less impressive. But I have high hopes.

- Spider-Man 2. Don't ask me why. I only vaguely liked the original. But I think, since I'll be seeing it regardless, this one will be visually interesting enough to warrant a theatrical screening.



Ok, the non-sequel, non-uber visual films I will be seeing at the movies:

Terminal - an interesting concept movie from Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. That's enough for me.

Village - Having loved every one of M. Night's films to date, I need know nothing about this one except the name of the director to get me into a theater seat at $10.50.

Arthur - looks stupid, but I can't really trust trailers, it's got -mmmm- Keira Knightly in the knightly tale, and - well, I MUST see every film version of the Arthur legend, on the big screen if I can help it.

The Day After Tomorrow - if I find myself in the mood for a mindless disaster pic, they are usually much "better" on the big screen.


There's plenty of smaller pics that will catch my eye during the summer season. Many of these, as well as a few from the list above, will undoutedly fly under my radar or -more likely- fall outside the boundaries of my hectic and fun summer schedule.


Thank the Lord for Netflix.

[cemeinke]

So, who's going to give me and GD the $19 it costs to see each of the good ones? Ok, ok, we'll take $15 for a matinee.

We don't see movies in the theater very often. We say "I want to see that" but never do. It sucks.

So who's going to give me and NA the 3 hours it takes to see each of the good ones...

Seriously, I walk around with a manbag full of Movie passes that I bought thinking it would get us into the theater more often - sure I have to wait three weeks after the release date, but we still suck at getting to the theater. I sense the possibility of a different sort of movie night in the future.

[sediment]

We usually wait until the Monday after the movie is released. So much more relaxing than fighting the crowds.

I expect HPATPOA to be better than the first two. Better director, better book. I heard it's coming in shorter than the others. Hmm. Less of Weasley Twins, I reckon. One trip to Hogsmeade instead of two. A lot less Quidditch -- the book features three plot-important matches. No Cho, according to the credits on imdb. That subplot hasn't been all that important in the books yet. Hmm, better lower my expectations a bit.