Playing along with Filmspotting’s latest podcast, here’s a list of my top 5 most anticipated summer movies. Like the Filmspotting hosts, I’m going to avoid the big name blockbusters and try to find some smaller films that I’m interested in… Movies like Inception, Toy Story 3, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Last Airbender are all well and good, but we’ve all heard about them… What are the surprise hits, the genre pics, and the just plain weird movies we can look forward to?
Part of the reason I wanted to write this post is that I stumbled upon news of IFC Films’ VOD program and their plans to brand a genre label, IFC Midnight. It turns out that their lineup for the summer is pretty interesting, and unlike a lot of small, independent films, you can view these in the comfort of your own home (assuming you have access to their VOD service through Comcast and the like) right around the time they come out in theaters (theaters which usually aren’t near you, etc…). Not all the films below are going to be available this way, but some is better than none! Anyway, without further ado (and in no particular order):
- The Human Centipede: The less said about the plot, the better (I think – though the title pretty much gets at it, I think – a madman connecting a bunch of humans so that they literally become the titular human centipede). This has been garnering a lot of buzz on the horror film fest circuit (i.e. Fantastic Fest, etc…) and has EW wondering if it’s “the most disgusting horror movie of all time”… From what I’ve heard, it sounds like a blast. Apparently, this is in limited release right now, and it’s already available on VOD as well…
- Doghouse: At first glance, this didn’t interest me much. It seems like a bromance zombie battle-of-the-sexes movie, which sounds kinda lame (for reference, I’m not a huge fan of zombie movies and I think bromances are beginning to become a bit tired). However, it’s made by British director Jake West, who also made Kaedrin favorite Evil Aliens (which, to be sure, isn’t exactly fine cinema – but it’s fantastically fun, it calls to mind the classic Sam Raimi/Peter Jackson splatstick horror films, and features a few… unique… sequences unlike anything I’d ever seen). If Doghouse is half as much fun, it’d be worth seeing. Available on VOD in June.
- Vengeance: Director Johnny To is another Kaedrin favorite, and I’ve found his movies are always worth checking out. Here, he’s making his English language directing debut, though the story takes place in France and features many of the To regulars. The subject matter of vengeance puts it up against some stiff competition in Chan-wook Park’s brilliant, layered Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance), but I’m betting that To will come up with something great here… This one comes out in theaters and VOD in August.
- Best Worst Movie: This is a documentary about the making of Troll 2 and the subsequent response. Troll 2 is a frequent contender for the honor of being the worst movie of all time (judging from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, etc…) I love these types of documentaries, but this one is a bit disappointing in that it doesn’t appear to be available anywhere (it’s not on VOD, nor does there seem to be any screenings near me).
- Splice: Probably the “biggest” release of the movies on this list, this one is about two scientists who splice together human and animal DNA to create… a monster? Not sure, but it’s got a solid cast and some good film festival buzz. It also appears to be getting a semi-wide release, which should make it easy to find in theaters.
And just for the heck of it, 5 movies I want to see even though I know they’ll suck (a yearly tradition here at Kaedrin):
- Piranha 3-D: The Pirhana series of movies has a shockingly good pedigree when it comes to the filmmakers involved. The first Piranha was directed by Joe Dante (who would go on to direct Gremlins, among other things) and written by John Sayles (a legend in the inde movie community). Piranha Part Two: The Spawning was directed by none other than James Cameron (he of Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar fame). Now, Alexandre Aja is already an established director, but hey, he’s following a pretty good lineage here… I don’t expect this movie to be any good, but hopefully Aja will settle down and knock something out of the park next…
- Predators: What can I say, I have a soft spot for this series of movies, and now that they’re done ruining AvP, I guess they’ve set their sights on the Predators themselves (divide and conquer?), but hey, there’s some potential for good fun here, so I’ll probably go and see it…Still, nothing I’ve seen about this movie is even remotely comforting. I expect disaster.
- The Expendables: Starring every action star ever to appear in an action movie, I really don’t know what to expect from this. Will it be riotous fun in the vein of the traditional 80s action movie? Or will it be a a boring snoozefest in the vein of the traditional 80s action movie? Only time will tell, I guess.
- The A-Team: Yeah, I don’t really need to explain this one. Hollywood continues to mine my childhood…
- The Last Exorcism: I have to admit being a bit interested in this one due to the involvement of Eli Roth and controversial director Daniel Stamm. Unfortunately, I have to admit, it’s being made by Eli Roth and controversial director Daniel Stamm. Which is to say, this movie could suck, hardcore. Or it could be maniacal genius. I guess we’ll find out…
And that about covers it for the summer. Or not. You never know. For instance, last year’s August shocked me in how many good movies were coming out (well, not all of them were good, but still)…