2011 Summer Movie Preview

The 2011 Summer Movie Season will BLOW YOU AWAY!

The Summer of 2011 officially kicked off at midnight on Thursday, May 5th with the release of Thor in American theaters. As I'm sure you know by now, Summer Movie Previews/Discussion/Preds have become something of a tradition here at the Elite; here are the links if you'd like to take a look back:

• Summer 2010 Movie Preview
• Summer 2009 Movie Preview
• Summer 2008 Movie Preview
• Summer 2007 Movie Preview

And now it's time for that

2011 Summer Movie Preview!

NOTE: for these writeups, anything after a $ is in millions of dollars and is the American total unless I say otherwise

May 6th (Week #1)

Thor

Thor

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOddp-nlNvQ

What The Heck Is It?
The Norse God of Thunder gets a little too cocky and so Odin strips him of his powers and sends him down to Earth, where he becomes the latest Marvel superhero.

Why Will It Be Big?
Both Iron Man films cracked $300 and of course all 3 Spiderman movies did the same; Thor isn't quite as well known as those two, but this still figures to be one of the biggest superhero releases in recent memory. And you just don't bet against superheros these days (heck, even both Hulk movies almost cracked $150!).

Why Should I See It?
The film's getting rave reviews- it's at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and some are calling it the best Marvel movie yet! Plus can you go wrong with Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings as love interests, and Kenneth Branagh behind the camera?

May 13th (Week #2)

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrRd2QSsGc4

What The Heck Is It?
The female answer to the string of the man-child bromances we've been seeing ever since The 40 Year Old Virgin, this is the R-rated story of a (single and lonely) Maid of Honor trying to keep a dysfunctional wedding from falling apart. Featuring an all-female cast (and writing staff!).

Why Will It Be Big?
Well, it's "The Hangover" for women... but do women actually want their own Hangover? Unfortunately I see this being a tough sell. I think this could have been a sleeper hit with one of those mid-August releases that alot of comedies try for; seems it will be quickly overshadowed by all the huge releases coming after it in this spot.

Why Should I See It?
Starring (and written by) Kristen Wiig, who I always enjoyed on SNL, and features Maya Rudolph and all kinds of other top comedy actresses. I'll be checking it out, but I could certainly understand if you didn't!

May 20th (Week #3)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates 4

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1298650/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_9A-cUEJc

What The Heck Is It?
The trilogy's original storyline has been wrapped up, we've said goodbye to Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly... but that doesn't mean Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush can't go on another adventure! This time they're trying to find the Fountain of Youth.

Why Will It Be Big?
It's Pirates, bro... Both 2 and 3 easily passed $300 despite mixed reviews, and I think the 4 year wait since the last film will have increased anticipation for Stranger Tides. No one should be surprised if this ends up the #1 movie of the year!

Why Should I See It?
Sad to see Knightly go, but hard to complain when she's being replaced by the equally gorgeous Penelope Cruz. And early reports are that Ian McShane kills it as new villain Blackbeard. This is looking like it could really be a return to form (aka the 1st film) for the series)!

May 27th (Week #4)

The Hangover: Part Two

Hangover 2

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411697/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1eFEMNLtao

What The Heck Is It?
This time, Stu's getting married, so the gang travels to Bangkok (for some reason?) to attend the wedding. But somehow they get blacked out again on the night before the big ceremony!

Why Will It Be Big?
The Hangover wasn't just the #1 surprise hit of '09, it was the most successful comedy of all time (just under $300) at the box office, then had a killer run on DVD that could have expanded its audience even further. But despite all the love for the original, is America begging to see more of the same just two years later? (I'm thinking... yes.)

Why Should I See It?
Lightning could strike twice!

ALSO THIS WEEK

Kung Fu Panda 2

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302011/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIW5oo-8NYw

What The Heck Is It?
Jack Black's fat panda and his team of ninja face off against their biggest challenge yet.

Why Will It Be Big?
I was famously (and fairly) blasted for not even talking about Panda 1 back in '09, which ended up being a big mistake when it grossed over $200. So don't follow my lead and overlook this sequel! (Come to think of it, I also didn't say a word about The Hangover that same Summer. Wow, was I off my game!)

Why Should I See It?
It's not Pixar, true, but Panda 1 was still pretty decent. There are probably plenty of worse things your kids could drag you to this Summer.

June 3rd (Week #5)

X-Men: The First Class

X-Men: First Class

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrbHykKUfTM

What The Heck Is It?
A prequel to the original trilogy, this tells the story of how best friends Professor X and Magneto formed the original mutant team back in 1963. And tried to prevent World War III in the process!

Why Will It Be Big?
Last Summer's Wolverine prequel was a bit of a flop (not quite making it to $200), but First Class looks to be a solid improvement that could return the series to its more successful median (#3 hit nearly $250 back in 2006).

Why Should I See It?
I've had high hopes ever since watching the trailer (one of my favorites of the season). And what a killer cast (Kevin Bacon, James McAvoy from The Last King of Scotland, Jennifer Lawrence from Winter's Bone, January Jones from Man Men). Count me in for opening night!

June 10th (Week #6)

Super 8

Super 8

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650062/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCRQQCKS7go

What The Heck Is It?
It's 1979. A group of small town gradeshool-age friends are trying to film an adorable little movie when a train derails and strange things start happening in their town.

Why Will It Be Big?
Talk about a pedigree... written and directed by J.J. Abrams, produced by Steven Spielberg, and with a huge special effects budget, the early buzz surrounding this project has been "E.T. meets Lost". It's also cashing in on some of that "found footage" hype that's been so popular lately (like in Cloverfield, [Rec], Paranormal Activity). I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this broke out as one of the Summer's biggest blockbusters!

Why Should I See It?
All this crazy modern sci-fi action set against the late 70s vibe is a pretty cool hook IMO, and I've got enough faith in Abrams and Spielberg for this to be a "must see" in my book. (As a side note, I'd highly recommend everyone check out [Rec], even if you hated Cloverfield/Paranormal/Blair Witch.)

June 17th (Week #7)

Green Lantern

Green Lantern

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs2sZgO3OMk

What The Heck Is It?
Ryan Reynolds is a cocky air force pilot whose live changes after an alien gives him a green ring that turns him into the newest Marvel superhero. Now he's a Green Lantern (basically the "police officers" of the universe), but his first test is to save Earth from some kind of thing or another.

Why Will It Be Big?
Of this season's four superhero films, its Hal Jordan's movie that has the highest expectations... but will that result in the highest gross?

Why Should I See It?
Looks like this will be the funniest of Marvel's '11 trilogy, but I have to say I'm looking forward to the other two options a little bit more, myself. Plus, how unfair is it that Ryan Reynolds gets to be The Green Lantern and Deadpool? Some people have all the luck!

June 24th (Week #8)

Cars 2

Cars 2

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216475/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGHwlExcaqU

What The Heck Is It?
Having conquered the American NASCARish circuit, Lightning McQueen joins the international F1ish circuit featuring the world's fastest cars, but he's soon distracted by James Bondish conspiracy and intrigue!

Why Will It Be Big?
Don't be silly; it's Pixar, of course it will be big! And despite Cars 1 having a reputation as the company's weakest film, it was actually a huge hit at the box office (just under $250, and reached a bigger audience than Ratatouille, Wall*E, OR Up). As long as you don't go in expecting insane Toy Story 3 kind of numbers (over $400), I doubt Cars 2 will disappoint.

Why Should I See It?
Ehhh, this is certainly the least interested I've been in a Pixar film since A Bug's Life, and it's true that none of their movies was less in need of a sequel than Cars, but... well they haven't made a bad movie yet, so doubt they start now!

July 1st (Week #9)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers 3

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHRf01Gjosk

What The Heck Is It?
Megan Fox is gone, but Shia LaBeouf, Michael Bay, Optimus Prime and the rest of the gang are back to take on the Decepticons in one "final battle". And apparently they have to visit the dark side of the moon to win it, because some alien spacecraft landed there in the 1960s or something.

Why Will It Be Big?
Transformers 1 was such a surprise hit that it somehow propelled movie #2 to over $400 despite no one liking it! Normally negative attention for a sequel will doom the final film in a trilogy, but Transformers is such a juggernaut that I could still easily see it becoming the #1 movie of the Summer. Especially given this perfect 4th of July release date.

Why Should I See It?
Never in a million years would I have expected to have an interest level above zero for Transformers 3, but after seeing the teaser and now the trailer... it's in the positives! Retconning history so that the entire 1960s Space Race was to see who could reach the alien spacecraft that crashed on the moon is pretty amusing, and I've got to admit that the special effects from the trailer are sure to be jaw-dropping on the big screen. I'm not going to make this an opening night priority, but guess I'm leaning toward catching it at the theater at some point (can't believe I just said that!).

ALSO THIS WEEK

Larry Crowne

Larry Crowne

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583420/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS155D2HlwY

What The Heck Is It?
After Tom Hanks gets fired from his long-time job he decides to complete his education at a local community college. I hope he doesn't fall for Julia Roberts, his clinically depressed and hugely unmotivated professor!

Why Will It Be Big?
Well, this COULD be the over-40 alternative to all the teen/20-something/family movie options that we traditionally see during these Summer months. The problem is, there's a reason movies like this are usually saved for the Holiday season- it's because they never do break out. And as much as people love Hanks and Roberts, they sure haven't shown it lately (only $130 for Angels and Demons, $81 for Eat Pray Love). Here's hoping this gets them back on track.

Why Should I See It?
It's being called "Community" for old people. Everyone likes Community, right?

July 8th (Week #10)

Zookeeper

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1222817/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOI6dWssqbw

What The Heck Is It?
Zookeeper Kevin James runs into romantic trouble, so the... talking animals... at his zoo... decide to fix his relationship problems...

Why Will It Be Big?
*puts gun to head*

Why Should I See It?
*eases off the safety*

July 15th (Week #11)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two

Harry Potter 7 Part Two

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EC2tmFVNNE

What The Heck Is It?
The 8th and final Potter film, this one will wrap up Year Seven at Hogwarts that began with Part One back in November.

Why Will It Be Big?
HP has been the most consistent series in film history- #4, 5, 6, and 7 all finished within $10 of each other (all right around the $300 mark). And that despite 7 being only half a book, and not having any kind of resolution! Part Two on the other hand gets every advantage you can think of; full resolution, great positioning as the final "sure thing" of the season, the first in the series to feature 3D showings, and most importantly, a whole legion of fans who have supported these films for over a decade now (gosh) and will want to make sure they go out with a bang. This could be HUGE.

Why Should I See It?
If you still haven't made up your mind on Harry Potter by this point, I don't know what to tell you!

ALSO THIS WEEK

Winnie the Pooh

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1449283/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRT86ZggCEk

What The Heck Is It?
Return to the thousand acre woods with Winnie, Tiger, Piglet and friends in a brand new adventure!

Why Will It Be Big?
It won't, buuuuuuuut I wanted to mention it because...

Why Should I See It?
No celebrity voices! No 3D! No computer animation! No sassy wise-cracking pop-culture-referencing talking animals! Just a straight up G-rated traditionally animated take the kids nostalgia-fest. It's going to make 1% as much money as Garfield/Scooby Doo/Alvin and the Chipmunks/the Smurfs, but wow, talk about refreshing.

July 22nd (Week #12)

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JerVrbLldXw

What The Heck Is It?
It's the early 1940s and Chris Evans is a 90 lbs weakling that's too scrawny to fight in WW2, so he volunteers to become America's first experimental super soldier. A new Marvel super hero is born, and he has to put a stop to Hitler's reign of terror, starting with the Nazi minister of propaganda who they call The Red Skull.

Why Will It Be Big?
Marvel has spent the last three years gearing up for its blowout all-star event "The Avengers", which arrives next Summer. Half of that superhero team had already been established in their own films (Hulk, Iron Man/Nick Fury/Black Widow), so they set up films for the other half here in 2011 (Thor, Hawkeye, Captain America). If Thor finds enough of an audience (and I think they will), people will probably want to check out the final piece of the Avenger puzzle as well. I also like the positioning for this release- yes it gets overshadowed by Potter at the start, but if reviews are favorable Captain America could stay in theaters all the way through the end of August since there will be no other AAA release to kick it out.

Why Should I See It?
I love this cast list... Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Hugo Weaving seems like a perfect choice to play Red Skull. But I've got to go back to Marvel's unoriginality when casting their leads- how can Chris Evans be Captain America when he's ALREADY Johnny Storm? What's going to happen in The Avengers 2: The Avengers & The Fantastic Four versus Dr. Doom and Deadpool? Talk about not thinking ahead!

July 29th (Week #13)

Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409847/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7KZD5vGBY

What The Heck Is It?
It's the Wild West of the 1870s, and Daniel Craig wakes up with a headache and amnesia. All of a sudden he's under arrest for a crime he has no memory of. That's when the alien invasion begins!

Why Will It Be Big?
Good gracious. It would be nice to have faith in director Jon Favreau after Iron Man, but how do you even market a Western/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Thriller? Especially when mentioning that specific blend dredges up memories of 2010 Worst Movie of the Year contender Jonah Hex, not to mention Worst Movie of the Ever contender Wild Wild West. If it's good, this film could absolutely become a break out hit, but boy, picking it to do so would be the biggest risk of the season!

Why Should I See It?
Olivia Wilde! Sam Rockwell! Harrison Ford! And a flipping alien spaceship versus Wild West posse showdown. The weirdness level is so high that I'm easily more fascinated by this movie than anything else coming out this Summer; I might have to see it just to confirm that it actually exists.

ALSO THIS WEEK

Crazy, Stupid, Love

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1570728/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLhjm-0rJQ

What The Heck Is It?
Steve Carell's life falls apart after his wife asks for a divorce- his playboy friend tries to get him back on the dating scene, but really he just wants to get his family back together.

Why Will It Be Big?
Looks to be the season's most bankable romantic comedy.

Why Should I See It?
What a cast list- we're talking three of my favorite actors in the whole world (Carell, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore) plus a few more that I'm quite fond of as well (Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon). If only they were all appearing together in a movie we haven't already seen a few times (Dan in Real Life, 40 Year Old Virgin)...

August 5th (Week #14)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/ Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8D2NIGEJW8

What The Heck Is It?
Now I know what you're thinking: "How could there possibly be another Apes movie after the way Burton and Wahlberg murdered the franchise back in 2001?" The answer is that this is a far-distant prequel- it takes place in 2011 San Francisco, where doctors are genetically engineering a new drug that could potentially cure all forms of brain disease. But of course they have to test out this procedure on monkeys, and when the apes begin to develop human-like characteristics, well....

Why Will It Be Big?
Both the budget and box office expectations have been lowered considerably versus the Apes movie from 10 years back, and given the lower bar I'm thinking this movie could find some success. Couldn't imagine it being a blockbuster smash of the season, but it might still surprise some people.

Why Should I See It?
An Apes sequel would have been awful, but I really like where they decided to take this one instead... the trailer gives off kind of a 28 Days Later/I Am Legend Vibe that I can really dig. Not sure that I'll make a trip to the theater to see it, but I definitely plan to catch this on DVD at some point. (Also John Lithgow, James Franco, Brian Cox, Draco Malfoy, and the main ape is Andy Serkis, aka the guy who did Gollum and King Kong).

August 12th (Week #15)

30 Minutes or Less

30 Minutes Or Less

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1622547/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeliLudAOrw

What The Heck Is It?
Jesse Eisenberg is just your everyday normal nerd/pizza delivery driver... until two wackos mug him, strap a bomb to his chest, and threaten to explode it unless he robs a bank for them in under 30 minutes!

Why Will It Be Big?
The entire crew from 2009's surprise hit Zombieland returns for this next in the line of Superbadish off-kilter bromance R-rated comedies, and they're going with that mid-August release that worked wonders for The Hangover two years back. We could very well have another sleeper hit on our hands here!

Why Should I See It?
Jesse's best bro slash bank robbery accomplice is Aziz Ansari, aka Tom from Parks & Rec, and he's assaulted by Danny McBride aka Kenny Powers from Eastbound & Down, and also Nick Swardson who's supposed to be pretty funny. (If you would have watched any TV in the last couple years you'd be excited by that last sentence, trust me!)

August 19th (Week #16)

Conan the Barbarian

Conan

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816462/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPNKACzCCnc

What The Heck Is It?
Jason Momoa is no longer Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones but instead Conan! Not the talk show host, the Barbarian. And he has to, uhhh, avenge his family, but then fight some supernatural evil as well.

Why Will It Be Big?
Because it's an idea whose time has come.

Why Should I See It?
...by which I mean, this is one of the few remakes of 80s movies that actually makes sense. It's going to look so much better than Schwarzenegger's 1982 original thanks to today's special effects and much improved fight choreography, and its not like you can do much to botch the storyline. So it's good to see it coming to theaters, though I don't necessarily know if I'm going to be viewing it there myself!

August 26th (Week #17)

Our Idiot Brother

• Read About It: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637706/
• Watch The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB5ph483Adc

What The Heck Is It?
Paul Rudd is a pretty, preeeeeetty dumb manchild type who gets in trouble with the law. Without a place to stay, he sleeps on the couches at the homes of his three sisters until he can get his life straightened out.

Why Will It Be Big?
It will compete with 30 Minutes or Less as the late August sleeper comedy of the season... I guess my money is still on the former, but Brother should have a stronger female appeal that might give it the edge.

Why Should I See It?
Rudd's one of the funniest guys around. Also the three sisters are played by Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel, who's in a lesbian relationship with Rashida Jones. *picks Neo's jaw up off the floor*

Preds

Now's the part where you Guess the Top Five Movies of the Summer! Three things to keep in mind:

• we rank them by total domestic lifetime gross in the US (NOT international/worldwide)
• Fast Five is NOT eligible for a spot on your list, as it was released outside of the official Summer season
• make sure you order the picks from 1 to 5; how close you get to putting them in the right positions determines your score

A full prediction would look like this

Ngamer's Perfect Picks 2011

1. Harry Potter
2. Pirates 4
3. Transformers 3
4. Cars 2
5. Thor

Also, one more guess: I predict that 2011 will be the biggest Summer ever in terms of total gross at the box office, surpassing the record set back in 2007!