The August Movie Season?

August is typically the dumping ground for movies that the studios know can’t compete with the blockbuster fare of early summer. There’s usually a movie or two that manage to pick up some good numbers (think The Sixth Sense or Superbad), but movie fare in August is usually pretty thin. So looking ahead at the next few weeks, I’m surprised to see so many movies that I actually want to see, ranging from typical Hollywood fare to obscure foreign films. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (released 8/7): Well, I’ve already established this movie as a charter member of the Upcoming Movies I Want To See Even Though I Know They’ll Suck list, but I still want to see it. I mean, is it possible that it would be worse than Transformers 2? All I’m hoping for are some nice explosions and maybe some rememberances of the epic toy battles of my youth.
  • District 9 (releases 8/14): A SF action film with an interesting premise and reasonable talent, I’m not really sure what to make of this, though early reviews are surprisingly good. So I guess I have middling expectations for this one, but at least it seems interesting.
  • Ponyo (releases 8/14): The first new Miyazaki since 2004’s diappointing Howl’s Moving Castle (which had a great first half, but fell apart in the final act) is still a must see for anyone interested in Anime and Miyazaki is certainly capable of greatness. I have to admit that the trailer doesn’t do much for me, but I still want to see this, just on principle.
  • The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (releases 8/14): Yeah, it looks like a trashy comedy with no heart, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for dumb comedies, especially ones that take place in a Used Cars lot.
  • Inglourious Basterds (releases 8/21): I’ve been skeptical of, oh, every Tarantino movie since Pulp Fiction, and they always end up looking dumb but being awesome. No matter what you think of the guy, you have to admit that he always tries interesting stuff.
  • Halloween II (releases 8/28): The sequel to Rob Zombie’s rather lame remake of John Carpenter’s classic original (which earned the infamous rating of “Fuck You out of 10” back in the day). Personally, I thought the film was a perfectly serviceable slasher film marred by the insistance that it was in some way related to Halloween (i.e. remove the iconic music and change some names and you’ve got a fine movie). However, the initial stuff I’ve seen looks so batty that the sequel might actually work. It’ll either be a train wreck or… I can’t think of a way to finish that sentence. Sorry. I still want to see it though.
  • Thirst (releases 8/28): Korean director Park Chan Wook’s vengeance trillogy is brilliant stuff, so I’m quite interested to see his take on vampires. The film isn’t getting much of a release here in the states, but it is apparently being released in Philadelphia on August 28 (it’s already been released in a couple of other markets).
  • Mystery Team (releases 8/28): Another dumb, raunchy comedy, sure, but it at least looks like and original dumn comedy. What happens when Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives grow up? They don’t seem quite as effective as they once were. This trailer is hysterically funny. Not sure if it will be playing in Philly when it first comes out, but I’m looking forward to this one.

Not sure how well these movies will do at the box office, but I’m actually pretty excited to see all of them, which is a little odd because August is normally pretty vapid…

Update: Apparently Mystery Team isn’t opening wide until October…

3 thoughts on “The August Movie Season?”

  1. Good thing you made this post. I don’t keep up with new releases to theater. I think I’d be willing to sit through some of those. District 9, Thirst, and maybe Mystery Team.

  2. Just came from District 9, which I quite enjoyed and can recommend.

    I can’t wait for Inglourious Basterds but I think you hit it on the money saying all Tarantino’s movies since Pulp Fiction have looked dumb but been awesome. I want to see Thirst and Mystery Team as well.

  3. Spence, Austin is a great movie town. In fact, I believe Thirst is already playing there and it’s the first city that Mystery Team will go to…

    Dave, I saw District 9 and mostly agree. It’s a pretty intense film. Not sure I liked the main character enough to say that I loved it, but it was pretty darn good.

    I also saw The Goods this weekend… and yeah, it sucked. It’s probably worth a rental or more likely a half-watch when it shows up on cable:p

    I’m trying hard not to expect too much out of Inglorious Basterds, because it does look like a lot of fun. Of course, it didn’t get great reviews at Cannes, which helps, but then, they’re French…

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