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Holy summer movies, Batman!
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Noah Taylor, James Fox, Missi Pyle, Christopher Lee, Jordan Fry, Annasophia Robb, Julia Winter, Philip Wiegratz
Director: Tim Burton
Story: The poverty-stricken Charlie (Highmore) and his grandfather (Kelly) win a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s (Depp) chocolate factory. There they encounter not only the delicious sweets but also the other winners, who include the TV-loving Mike TeVee (Fry), the bratty Veruca Salt (Winter), gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde (Robb) and chocolate-craving Augustus Gloop (Wiegratz). Wonka’s factory has plenty of surprises including the tiny Oompa-Loompas in his employ. Bonham Carter co-stars as Charlie’s mom.
Buzz: Burton (“Planet of the Apes”) insists that this film is not a remake of the Gene Wilder classic (a must-rent film) — it’s supposed to be more faithful to Roald Dahl’s book. Depp looks a bit like Michael Jackson in his Willy Wonka makeup — which might be a bit disturbing for parents. Watching TV and chewing gum don’t seem all that nasty as far as bad habits go — maybe they could have updated them with constant text-messaging and the need to skateboard through large crowds. As someone who loved the original “Wonka” and hated what Burton did to “Apes,” I’m reluctant to embrace this film.
Web site: http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com/
“Happy Endings”
Starring: Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, Bobby Cannavale, Sarah Clarke, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Ritter, David Sutcliffe and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Don Roos
Story: Kudrow stars as Mamie, a woman being blackmailed by a man (Cannavale) who claims to know the wherabouts of a baby she conceived with her gay stepbrother (Coogan). He insists that Kudrow participate in his documentary, but her boyfriend (Bradford), who’s a massage therapist, convinces Cannavale to make his film about massage and “happy endings.” And that’s just the beginning. This film has 10 storylines, including one that has Tom Arnold getting Maggie Gyllenhaal pregnant — um, excuse me while I shudder.
Buzz: At the Sundance Film Festival, director Roos said, “We've had a very busy year threatening the sanctity of marriage,” which should give you some idea of where he’s coming from. He also directed the very smart film, “The Opposite of Sex,” in which Kudrow gave one of her most complex performances to date. It’s nice to see these two re-team, but with 10 storylines, let’s hope Roos hasn’t bitten off too much story for one movie.
Web site: NA
“Hustle & Flow”
Starring: Terrence Dashon Howard, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, Taryn Manning, Anthony Anderson, Isaac Hayes, Taraji P. Henson, Elise Neal, Paula Jai Parker
Director: Craig Brewer
Story: DJay (Howard) is a pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. Club owner Hayes tells DJay about a local music mogul (Ludacris) who could make his dreams come true. DJay begins making music, even involving one of his very pregnant hookers (Parker). Manning plays his favorite hooker, while DJ Qualls is onboard as a keyboard player who helps out on the songs.
Buzz: This film was the talk of Sundance. It got extremely good critical buzz from most corners, although New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis came out with an article calling the film, “garbage.” Paramount forked over a record $9 million for the right to distribute the film. It took home the coveted audience award at Sundance. Let’s face it, for indie film lovers, this is a must-see.
Web site: NA
“The Wedding Crashers”
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken, Will Ferrell, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour
Director: David Dobkin
Story: Vaughn and Wilson play divorce coordinators and best friends who love crashing weddings in order to woo women. They use a secret set of wedding “rules” in order to use the romance in the air to their own advantage. When Wilson falls for McAdams, they suddenly find themselves at odds.
Buzz: This looks to be the funniest comedy of the summer. Vaughn, basically using his “Swingers” persona and Wilson (playing himself, as usual) are a great combination and it’s easy to believe that many women would fall for their act (personally, I’d have to go with Wilson). This is another product of the so-called Frat Pack (which also includes Ferrell and Ben Stiller). Dobkin is probably best known for directing “Shanghai Knights.”
Web site: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/
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“The Bad News Bears”
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Timmy Deters, Seth Adkins 
Director: Richard Linklater
Story: This remake of the 1976 film that starred Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal tells the story of a group of misfit kids who make up the Bears little league team, and the misfit coach (Thornton) who tries to lead them to victory. He enlists the help of estranged daughter Amanda (Kraft) who just happens to be a great pitcher. Can the team pull it together?
Buzz: This may be one of those rare remakes that actually works. Thornton re-teams with “Bad Santa” screenwriters Glenn Ficarra and John Requa for this film, which means it should have plenty of bite. Linklater proved with “School of Rock” that just because you put kids in a movie, doesn’t mean it has to be cloying. Thornton seems perfectly cast as the washed up, drunken coach Buttermaker.
Web site: http://www.badnewsbearsmovie.com/index.php
“The Devil’s Rejects”
Starring: William Forsythe, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Sheri Moon, Irwin Keyes, Robert Allen Mukes, Ken Foree, Michael Berryman, Tyler Mane, Danny Trejo, Natasha Lyonne, Rosario Dawson
Director: Rob Zombie
Story: Set a few weeks after the first film, “House of 1000 Corpses,” this film focuses on a conflict between the evil Firefly family members of the first film and a murderous new gang they meet on the road. Needless to say, mayhem ensues. Expect a lot of blood and gore here.
Buzz: The movie seems strictly for those Zombie-cultists who were into the first one. The original film was inspired by “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Zombie is the former lead singer of White Zombie.
Web site: http://www.thedevilsrejects.com/
“The Island”
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steve Buscemi, Sean Bean, Shawnee Smith, Noa Tishby
Director: Michael Bay
Story: This futuristic action thriller tells the story of Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) who discovers that he and the other inhabitants of a special contained environment are human clones that are being used for spare parts for their human counterparts. Not wanting to be “harvested,” Lincoln decides to make his escape with Jordon Two-Delta (Johansson). Hounsou plays the head of the security team that tries to hunt down McGregor. Buscemi plays a human working at the institute who befriends McGregor.
Buzz: Director Michael Bay (“Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) is not exactly known for his subtlety. Chances of stuff blowing up in this movie: 100 percent. Johansson trades in her indie cred for a chance at the big action movie life. Two words for Scarlett: Ben Affleck. Buscemi always brings a little class to the action (as he did in “Armageddon” and “Con Air”).
Web site: http://www.theisland-themovie.com/
“Last Days”
Starring: Michael Pitt, Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, Scott Green, Nicole Vicius, Ricky Jay, Ryan Orion, Harmony Korine, Kim Gordon, Adam Friberg, Andy Friberg, Thadeus A. Thomas
Director: Gus Van Sant
Story: Inspired by the final days of Kurt Cobain, this film tells the story of the last days in the life of Blake, a troubled Seattle rocker (Pitt), who feels the mounting pressures that come with his fame. Blake avoids everyone in his life, even the people who share his house. He wanders in the woods, and visits with a man representing the yellow pages, but spends most of his final hours by himself.
Buzz: Pitt (“Dreamers,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) is one of those actors who seems to put his soul into each role — so there should be a good performance from him here. Van Sant (“Elephant,” “My Own Private Idaho”) has a history of telling compelling stories about troubled teens — I just hope he doesn’t veer too far away from conventional storytelling as he did in “Gerry,” which was fairly dismal. Still, this one will at least go on the “must check out a matinee” list.
Web site: NA
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