Super Summer Box Office Hits

Whether it's a sling from your web, a toss of your batterang, or a punch with your Hulk hands, summer is the perfect time to explore your inner superhero.  The past decade has seen the sunny months defined by massive blockbuster hits, such as Iron Man and X-Men, and this year is set to be no different.  With a handful of super-budget super-movies to be released in the coming months, there are two that could either be the next splash in the long line of superhero hits, or they could drop with a resounding thud into the nameless movie abyss where nothing is remembered except for how bad it was.

Green Lantern

Hitting the cinema in mid-June, The Green Lantern could easily be one of the summer's best movies. According to film reviews and critics, it could also very easily flop and be this year's version of Aquaman (you do remember when Aquaman came out, don't you?).  A take on the classic DC comic of the same name, The Green Lantern is going to portray the beginnings of the Lantern on the planet Earth. Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds, gets chosen by the power ring of the Green Lantern community after its former owner crashes in the middle of the desert.

Jordan, no stranger to flying as a test pilot, immediately becomes part of the universal peace keeping corps known as the Green Lanterns.  Never fond of humans, the rest of the Green Lanterns have fears of his initiation into the brotherhood; but Jordan's humanness allows him to combine empathy with determination in order to prove the other members wrong and overcome the evils of Parallax, the biggest threat to the universe.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

With its ominous movie trailer that combines historical moon landing footage with a behind the scenes twist, the premise of this Transformers filmis based around the 1960s space race being about discovering a mysterious crash landing on the moon.  The moon crash turns out to be an ark launched from the home planet of the Autobots years earlier in a failed attempt to save the Autobot race from the Decepticons.  The technology is still buried on the moon when Sam Witwicky, played by Shia Leboeuf, and the normal cast of robot transformers set out to save the world, yet again, from the evil Decepticons.  A signal is sent into space and the hibernating transformers emerge from their moon caves to participate in the fight for the universe.  This time the fight is all along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States as both Washington D.C. and New York City get attacked by the space robots.

Unlike the Green Lantern, the Transformers seriesis at a place where it is almost too big to fail, even if it ends up being a lousy flick.  The movie franchise is sure to rake in a huge amount of money and have massive box office numbers when it debuts on 1 July this year.  Will it be big enough, however, to justify a fourth instalment of the morphing superheroes?

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Bridesmaids: 2011's Biggest Flop

Bridesmaids has been heralded as the female version of The Hangover. However, judging by the film trailers it looks to be nothing more than a knockoff in search of horribly cheap laughs with an eerily familiar plot.  Hopefully the film itself will consist of material much more original than that shown to viewers so far, otherwise viewers will find themselves with a long couple of hours of suck. One of the biggest surprises about this potential flop, however, is not that it mirrors The Hangover so closely, but the motivations of the director who agreed to take it on.

 

It has to be asked why Paul Feig, who also directed hilarious blockbuster hits Superbad and The 40-Year-Old Virgin decided this film was a good idea when he read the script. Surly he must have realised that it was nothing more than an oestrogen-enhanced and poorly-timed version of The Hangover, which, by the way, is set to follow up with The Hangover Part II within two weeks of the Bridesmaids debut.  Could Feig not have held out for a better comedy that was destined to come his way?  It would not be a surprise to see his reputation crumble when film critics and audiences alike agree that Bridesmaids is just not worth the time or money.

 

No Bridesmaids character looks more poorly written or downright awful than Megan, played by Gilmore Girls actress Melissa McCarthy, who is touted as the wildcard on the movie's official website.  Megan seems to have more farts and belches than speaking lines, and her intense libido is to be put on full in-your-face display throughout the entire flick.  She seems to have been written by a group of caffeine-ridden 13-year-old boys rather than a professional.  Of course she is needed to juxtapose the ultra-pretentious and ultra-boring character of Helen, played by Rose Byrne.  Helen is the stereotypical snob that seems to be dropped in every female-driven cast and fails to break from the traditional mould in the slightest. Never mind that this stereotype has been criticised again and again as an insulting, pandering and inaccurate conception of prudish, uptight womanhood.

 

Where else should a film like this take place but Vegas? And why not? It worked for The Hangover. As you can see, there is a theme emerging here. After some behind-the-scenes planning the girls decide that Sin City is the only place they can get their bachelorette party on. After some awkward scenes in the air they ground at their destination and the fun begins. Maybe.

 

This is almost a sure flop as film news outlets will be in a right fit about The Hangover Part II.  It may be worth your time to check out, but probably not. You can always catch it on satellite down the line where at least you could occupy your time with something else around the house while it played in the background.

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Jim Carrey Stars in Mr. Popper's Penguins

Funnyman Jim Carrey stars in the latest film from 20th Century Fox, Mr. Popper's Penguins, playing Tom Popper, a New York City real estate mogul who has neglected and alienated his family.  Penguins, of course, are the only creatures on Earth that can heal the brokenness of the Popper family as they come into Tom's custody after his father dies in Antarctica, leaving Tom a mysterious crate full of quirky birds who are filled to the brim with mischievous personality.

 

The film trailer is full of hilarity as Carrey transitions from resenting the birds to eventual acceptance and then love after he introduces them to his family.  He chills his apartment to the point of freezing, teaches the crew of birds how to dance, and breaks them out of animal hell – the New York Zoo – after the antagonist captures them and takes them into captivity. 

 

Based on the 1938 children's novel of the same title written by Richard and Florence Atwater, the film takes on a whole new feel as the setting is moved from small town of Stillwater, Oklahoma to the Big Apple.  The penguins have such names as Loudy, Lovely, Bitey and Nimrod, with dopey personalities to compliment the cute little titles.

 

According to film news outlets, Ben Stiller was originally cast to play Tom Popper but he dropped out and Carrey was chosen to replace him over the likes of Owen Wilson and Jack Black.  A director change was also made with Mark Waters stepping in after Noah Baumbach backed out of production.  The majority of the film was shot on a refrigerated stage using live Gentoo penguins. 

 

Of course there are parallels with Carrey's breakout hits, the Ace Ventura series, as they included plots thick with cute and fun animals.  Liar, Liar also comes to mind as Carrey is estranged from his wife and son before being reunited with them in a series of strange circumstances. This is Carrey's first full length film since the remake of A Christmas Carol was released back in 2009, which won him a Kids' Choice Award for Favourite Voice from an Animated Movie. 

 

Mr.Popper's Penguins was originally set to be released in early August but was pulled up to 17 June after the final production took less time than originally planned for, despite all of the earlier casting setbacks.

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