The Summer Movie Season
Okay, I'm already psyched for this year's crop of films, and it isn't even Victoria Day weekend yet. Here's a brief rundown (in random order) of my picks for the next few months...
1) The Dark Knight
I thought Batman Begins was brilliant, even though I couldn't quite suspend my disbelief for the scenes they filmed in my neighbourhood. The first month I moved to Bloomsbury in 2004, the big movie trucks were filming inside Senate House. Ever since then, I've had a totally unrealistic affinity for this franchise. It's like, by having my Institute of Historical Research card in my pocket, I, too, am a part of Gotham City. That, and it had Gary and Liam in the cast. Me liked.
As for the new flick, I already can tell that I'm going to love/loathe Harvey Dent and then freak when he becomes Two-Face. I hope he goes dark with it, rather than Black Forest Hammy like Tommy Lee Jones. I didn't mind Batman Forever, but this series and the old one can't compare. Also, I'm enraptured with Empire's hypothesis that the Joker kills Rachel at the party by dropping her off the roof. She's not in any other scenes in the trailer... I smell a plot-twist.
2) Sex and the City: The Movie
I know not everyone shares my love for this series. However, I can't separate it from my undergrad years, when I first found it and then became a fan of both Charlotte's apartment and Jimmy Choo shoes. I also feel I've lived through a few of the episodes myself -- only I'm not telling which ones. Also, I'm a fan of Carrie and Big being together. Seriously, I've been through a lot with them: the other women, the fart, the break up, the reunion, the twenty-something stick-figure, Aidan, the affair, the pond scum, Aidan again, Moon River, moving to Napa, the book, Berger, the heart blockage, the fight, the Russian and being The One on the Pont Neuf in Paris. I am exhausted from living up to their expectations of each other, but I still want more. Up until a few days ago, when Michael Patrick King killed the rumour, I was worried that Big would be the one to bite the big one. Now I'm putting money on either Charlotte or Samantha dying. And I think Steve did cheat on Miranda, but she forgives him on the Brooklyn Bridge. Cheesy? Nope -- it's classic.
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy can sleep with Cate Blanchett's Russian all he wants, so long as he still ends up with Marion at the end of the movie. Seriously. They must be together.
4) Valkyrie
I know, I know. The GMD is in it (and how I wish I had come up with that nickname before Lainie on CTV did. Le sigh). But have you seen the rest of the cast? And movies that have Kenneth Branagh as a Nazi (Swing Kids, Conspiracy) have been pretty damn good in my world. So, I'm willing to give this a try, but Tom, trust me, this is the last time. I still haven't forgiven you yet for Far and Away. In fact, I never will.
5) Good
Speaking of the Third Reich, this movie cannot come out soon enough. I need to see it, like peanut butter needs to be slathered on dark chocolate. If it's as good as the slowly-rumbling hype would have it, Viggo and Jason Isaacs might do very very well with this. I just wish I knew the release date.
6) Prince Caspian
There are two reasons that make me cheer for this adaptation. The first is that the little girl (well, I guess she's grown now) playing Lucy was the cutest thing ever in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. And we all know that, normally, I am not a child person, unless I know them personally and have had a hand in corrupting them. The second reason is that I want this series to last to the point where they make The Silver Chair and Mary Hart on Entertainment Tonight is forced to refer to Marshwiggles on camera. It would make me smile. Puddleglum is a personal idol of mine.
7) BBC - Matthew Shardlake Mysteries
This is going to be a miniseries on the Beeb, based on my beloved Tudor mystery novels by C. J. Sansom. At first, it seemed that Auntie was going to cast Kenneth Branagh as the hunchback lawyer-detective, which would have been great, but now he's doing some Scandanavian miniseries instead. When I read Dissolution, Dark Fire, and Sovereign, I pictured David Thewlis as Shardlake. So, Beeb, hire him and make the damn series already!
1) The Dark Knight
I thought Batman Begins was brilliant, even though I couldn't quite suspend my disbelief for the scenes they filmed in my neighbourhood. The first month I moved to Bloomsbury in 2004, the big movie trucks were filming inside Senate House. Ever since then, I've had a totally unrealistic affinity for this franchise. It's like, by having my Institute of Historical Research card in my pocket, I, too, am a part of Gotham City. That, and it had Gary and Liam in the cast. Me liked.
As for the new flick, I already can tell that I'm going to love/loathe Harvey Dent and then freak when he becomes Two-Face. I hope he goes dark with it, rather than Black Forest Hammy like Tommy Lee Jones. I didn't mind Batman Forever, but this series and the old one can't compare. Also, I'm enraptured with Empire's hypothesis that the Joker kills Rachel at the party by dropping her off the roof. She's not in any other scenes in the trailer... I smell a plot-twist.
2) Sex and the City: The Movie
I know not everyone shares my love for this series. However, I can't separate it from my undergrad years, when I first found it and then became a fan of both Charlotte's apartment and Jimmy Choo shoes. I also feel I've lived through a few of the episodes myself -- only I'm not telling which ones. Also, I'm a fan of Carrie and Big being together. Seriously, I've been through a lot with them: the other women, the fart, the break up, the reunion, the twenty-something stick-figure, Aidan, the affair, the pond scum, Aidan again, Moon River, moving to Napa, the book, Berger, the heart blockage, the fight, the Russian and being The One on the Pont Neuf in Paris. I am exhausted from living up to their expectations of each other, but I still want more. Up until a few days ago, when Michael Patrick King killed the rumour, I was worried that Big would be the one to bite the big one. Now I'm putting money on either Charlotte or Samantha dying. And I think Steve did cheat on Miranda, but she forgives him on the Brooklyn Bridge. Cheesy? Nope -- it's classic.
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy can sleep with Cate Blanchett's Russian all he wants, so long as he still ends up with Marion at the end of the movie. Seriously. They must be together.
4) Valkyrie
I know, I know. The GMD is in it (and how I wish I had come up with that nickname before Lainie on CTV did. Le sigh). But have you seen the rest of the cast? And movies that have Kenneth Branagh as a Nazi (Swing Kids, Conspiracy) have been pretty damn good in my world. So, I'm willing to give this a try, but Tom, trust me, this is the last time. I still haven't forgiven you yet for Far and Away. In fact, I never will.
5) Good
Speaking of the Third Reich, this movie cannot come out soon enough. I need to see it, like peanut butter needs to be slathered on dark chocolate. If it's as good as the slowly-rumbling hype would have it, Viggo and Jason Isaacs might do very very well with this. I just wish I knew the release date.
6) Prince Caspian
There are two reasons that make me cheer for this adaptation. The first is that the little girl (well, I guess she's grown now) playing Lucy was the cutest thing ever in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. And we all know that, normally, I am not a child person, unless I know them personally and have had a hand in corrupting them. The second reason is that I want this series to last to the point where they make The Silver Chair and Mary Hart on Entertainment Tonight is forced to refer to Marshwiggles on camera. It would make me smile. Puddleglum is a personal idol of mine.
7) BBC - Matthew Shardlake Mysteries
This is going to be a miniseries on the Beeb, based on my beloved Tudor mystery novels by C. J. Sansom. At first, it seemed that Auntie was going to cast Kenneth Branagh as the hunchback lawyer-detective, which would have been great, but now he's doing some Scandanavian miniseries instead. When I read Dissolution, Dark Fire, and Sovereign, I pictured David Thewlis as Shardlake. So, Beeb, hire him and make the damn series already!