If you’re about my age or older, you might remember that song from the smash summer hit Meatballs! with Bill Murray. It was about the glories of sleepaway summer camps where boys wore gym shorts and tube socks and girls wore terry cloth rompers and tube tops. Those campy movies are all the rage during Summer. That's when studios release the blockbuster-type films they hope will lure vacationing teenaged boys into the theaters. But don’t worry! Summer 2010 actually holds some real promise in terms of films grown women might find appealing. Here are some of the ones I’m looking most forward to:
The coolest thing about this action flick about a CIA operative accused of being a Russian spy? The fact that the operative is a woman. It’s Angelina Jolie in a role that was originally intended as a vehicle for Tom Cruise. According to Entertainment Weekly magazine, Cruise dropped out because he thought the character was getting too close to Mission Impossible’s Ethan Hunt. (The fourth installment in that franchise has just been green lit, starring Cruise and directed by Brad Bird. Click link for details.) I’ve gradually been won over to be a fan of Jolie’s in spite of my affiliation with Team Aniston back in the day. Jolie is an undeniable talent and a credible humanitarian activist who is well-versed on the issues and knows how to put her money where her mouth is. I’m cautiously optimistic about Salt. The last time we saw Jolie in an action flick, it was in the borderline idiotic Wanted with James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Such a promising cast. Such an asinine premise. But hey, the 11 – 14 year old boys were all over it. Opens July 23
I’m not personally loving the looks of the trailer for this film. Amanda Seyfried’s baby blues have a tendency to look a little vacant. And the storyline looks a bit preposterous. In Verona, Italy people leave letters in a wall seeking advice from the Shakespearean Juliet? Really? The concept sounds like emotional pornography. Does it make sense? No. Does that matter? Not a bit. Letters to Juliet deserves a place on our Skirt! Summer movie list because I know a lot of us are die hard romantics. I bet some of you guys already went to see the movie during the sneak preview on Mother’s Day, dincha? Opens May 14
Need I say more? Grab a cosmo, girls. (BTW, SJP had 41 costume changes for this movie!) Opens May 27
First of three summer flicks with chicks at the helm!! This one's directed by Sanaa Hamri. With Queen Latifah in the lead role as a down-to-earth everywoman in love with an NBA star, this movie has the potential to be filled with challenges to racial and physical standards of beauty. Given that it’s billed as a romantic comedy, it may or may not deliver on that potential. But with Academy Award Nominee Queen Latifah (Chicago), Paula Patton from last year’s incredible Precious and uber-hot Common in the cast, it’ll probably be worth a trip to the multiplex either way. Opens May 14
Annette Bening is a physical therapist who regrets giving up her daughter for adoption when she was 14 years old. Naomi Watts is a lawyer who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy. Kerry Washington is a young wife dealing with infertility issues and trying to adopt a baby. There's supposed to be a pretty racy scene between Watts and Samuel L. Jackson. But don't let that stop you from going. Opened in New York and L.A. May 7. I'm still hoping for info on a wide release.
Regardless of how you feel about the brash comedienne, she certainly has been a pioneer for women in entertainment. A documentary chronicling a year of her life was a big hit at Sundance this year. It covers her London-based one woman show as well as her stint on Celebrity Apprentice. I should imagine it might be something like The September Issue documentary on Vogue’s Anna Wintour last year.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon Levitt, this movie is about dreams. That might sound a little dull until you realize the brilliant Christopher Nolan is at the helm. If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because of his cult classic film Memento. Or maybe it’s because he was able to make Batman relevant again. In any event, a movie directed by Nolan with that cast and without the constraints of the waking world is bound to be alright by me. Opens July 16
Matt Damon is a politician in love with a ballet dancer played by Emily Blunt. Blunt actually had to train for months in classical ballet for the part. The fictional Bureau wants to keep the couple apart and is willing to go to any lengths to make that happen. The movie is part political drama, part love story, part chase thriller. Opens July 30
Jesse Eigenberg plays a young Hasidic Jew who agrees to work as a drug mule. Based on a true story, this is no laughing matter. This might just be young Eigenberg's crossover into serious acting. Opens May 21
Female director, repasent! Woot! Woot! Lisa Cholodenko directs this dramedy about a lesbian couple (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose teenaged kids track down the anonymous sperm donor who fathered them both. All kinds of hilarity and family drama ensue. By the way, the sperm donor is played by one of my fave actors, the delicious Mark Ruffalo. Opens July 7
I know a lot of you guys have read and loved Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir. I still haven’t read it, but Julia Roberts did. She bought two copies and sent one to a girlfriend so they could read it together and discuss it on the phone in the evenings. Writer/director Ryan Murphy of Glee also fell in love with the book. The two share an agent. The rest is kinda like history. Murphy apparently shares my sentiment on summer time movie fare. He said, “This is for the ladies who sat through five action movies with their boyfriends and it’s their chance to say, ‘my turn.’” (Quote from Entertainment Weekly Magazine) Opens August 14
Yay! Another chick in the director’s chair! This time it’s a raunchy comedy starring Drew Barrymore and her on-again/off-again beau Justin Long. Director Nanette Burstein thinks it’s high time the heroine of a romantic comedy isn’t gunning for a ring or a baby and can keep up with the boys in the raunch department. Personally, this isn’t gonna be my bag, but I’m all for supporting female filmmakers, whatever their aesthetic may be. If you’re the kind of girl who prefers Superbad to The Notebook, this just might be your best movie ever. Opens August 27
OK, I really can’t go much past August 27 and still call it a summer movie. Hopefully a few of these have piqued your interest and you’ll be checking them out with me over the next several months. There will be lots of others, I’m sure. I’m hoping to get loads more indie fare up on the blog in addition to these. Let’s watch movies!