June Movies: Toy Story 3, Knight & Day, Eclipse & The A-Team..

[Mark Vader]

After a disappointing May, movie studios are praying for the slate of June movies to bring back the box office clout in the Summer Season. Movie distributors received a rude awakening, as the busiest movie weekend of the year(Memorial Day) had it's lowest turnout in 9 years! With movies like "Prince of Persia" & "Sex & the City 2" delivering numbers that would look much better in the months of March or April, the month of June is now expected to revive the box office. A pair of "threequels" and one of Hollywood's biggest name actors are included in the bigger headliners, as there is a great diversity of action, comedy and family fun as well.

 

In 1995, Disney gave a budget to a small animation studio named Pixar, so that they could make the first all computer animated full-length motion picture. The result was "Toy Story" and the face of animated movies changed. Disney & Pixar continue their partnership by revisiting their old friends with "Toy Story 3". This time around Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college. While the most recent Disney/Pixar films have been hits, this film has potential to be even bigger since there is a built-in crowd who will love to see these characters again. Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, R. Lee Ermey, Blake Clark, Estelle Harris, Michael Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg, Ned Beatty, Timothy Dalton, Bonnie Hunt & Gilbert Gottfried.

 

It's been nearly two years, but Tom Cruise returns to the big screen along with Cameron Diaz in the action-comedy "Knight and Day". The story is centered on a fugitive couple on a globe-spanning adventure where, amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, nothing and no one are what they seem. Cruise leaves the recent heavy dramas he's starred in and returns to a movie that fits his old 80's style, which is something his fans have long been waiting to see. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Grace.

 

Summit Entertainment continues to milk it's big cash cow with the third story of the Twilight Saga, "Eclipse". Bella Swan oscillates between vampire Edward Cullen, who wants Bella's hand in marriage, and werewolf Jacob Black, who has just declared his love for her. Meanwhile, the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves unite to stop an army of powerful vampires from seeking their revenge on Bella. It was just six months ago that "New Moon" was released in theatres and Summit wants to take advantage while the series is still fresh. This type of move has been done before with popular franchises "Back to the Future" & "The Matrix", and the end result while positive was not exactly gigantic. You'd figure that spacing out a franchise for at least a year would whet the appetite of fans and result in bigger numbers. There's no doubt that fans of the series will be out in droves immediately, but future weeks could result in major dropoffs. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Billy Burke & Bryce Dallas Howard.

 

Looking for old fashioned action? Look no further than "The A-Team". Based on the popular 1980's TV show, a group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson, Jessica Biel & Patrick Wilson.

 

The depths of comic book films goes even deeper as 20th Century Fox releases "Jonah Hex". The U.S. military gives bounty hunter Jonah Hex an offer he cannot refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he's to take down a terrorist who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell on Earth. Starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich & Megan Fox.

 

There is plenty of comedy this month.....

 

In "Grown Ups", After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend. Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello & Steve Buscemi.

 

In "Killers", A vacationing woman meets her ideal man, leading to a swift marriage. Back at home, however, their idyllic life is upset when they discover their neighbors could be assassins who have been contracted to kill the couple. Starring Ashton Kutcher & Katherine Heigl.

 

In, "Get Him to the Greek", A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.'s Greek Theater. Starring Jonah Hill, Russell Brand & Elisabeth Moss.

 

In the creature feature "Splice", Two scientists fuse DNA samples to create a new organism: a human-chimera they name Dren. As the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into winged creature, her initial bond with her creators turns deadly. Starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley and Delphine Chaneac.

 

Looking to find some paying families before "Toy Story 3" is released, are a pair of other family friendly flicks.....

 

In "Marmaduke", The Winslow family moves to a new neighborhood with their large yet lovable Great Dane, who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way. Starring Owen Wilson, Lee Pace & Judy Greer.

 

In "The Karate Kid", Work pressures cause a single mother (Henson) to move to China with her young son (Smith); in his new home, the boy embraces karate, taught to him by a master of the self-defense form (Chan). Starring Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith & Taraji P. Henson.

 

Calendar with Trailers.

 

6/4

"Killers": http://www.killersfilm.com/

 

"Get Him to the Greek": http://www.killersfilm.com/

 

"Marmaduke": http://www.themarmadukemovie.com/

 

"Splice": http://www.splicethefilm.com/

 

6/11

"The A-Team": http://www.ateam-movie.com/#/splashscreen

 

"The Karate Kid": http://www.karatekid-themovie.com/

 

6/18

"Toy Story 3": http://disney.go.com/toystory/

 

"Jonah Hex": http://jonah-hex.warnerbros.com/

 

6/23

"Knight and Day": http://www.knightanddaymovie.com/

 

6/25

"Grown Ups": http://www.grownups-movie.com/

 

6/30

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse": http://www.eclipsethemovie.com/

 

That's all for now. Independent Films will be posted later. Enjoy!

[Just Jack]

These past couple of months I haven't seen any "must see" movies. There are some I would go see if I'm in the mood to go to the theater, but nothing that I've eagerly anticipated.

[shrader]

This is such a strange summer season so far. I don't feel like there's anywhere near as much hype around most of these movies as there was in previous years. That had to have played a big role in the money being low in May. This month looks like more of the same. Beyond Toy Story and the A-Team, it doesn't look like there's all that much that people will "just have to see". Then again, the Twilight movie will clean up and that's just plain disappointing.

 

Speaking of Toy Story, who voices the slinky dog now?

[billsfan89]

Honestly Iron Man 2 was the only movie that really delivered as far as summer blockbusters go (It helped that Scarlet Johanson was smoken hot in it) the rest of the movies in May really failed to deliver I didn't even see anyother movies in May because I knew they weren't worth my time.

 

As far as June goes Get Him to the Greek is one I definitely want to see (Loved forgetting Shara Marshall and it got a good score on Rotten Tomatoes) but aside from that the only movie I would be interested in seeing is Toy Story 3 if it gets good reviews.

 

Other then Toy Story 3 and Get Him to the Greek June looks very weak. Grown Ups looks like a DVD rental if it gets anywhere decent reviews, pass on the Karate Kid (Hey Hollywood instead of rehashing 80's crap that wasn't that good in the 80's you come up with an original idea) and the A-Team (See Karate Kid explanation), Twilight is really gay, and the rest are very much a pass as well (Even if Megan Fox has a really hot accent in that Jonah Hex movie). \

 

So yeah May had 1 good movie and June looks to have possibly 2. Box office wise Toy Story 3 and Twilight are likely to deliver big the rest look like flops (Get Him to the Greek should make a profit because it didn't cost that much).

[Mark Vader]

This is such a strange summer season so far. I don't feel like there's anywhere near as much hype around most of these movies as there was in previous years. That had to have played a big role in the money being low in May. This month looks like more of the same. Beyond Toy Story and the A-Team, it doesn't look like there's all that much that people will "just have to see". Then again, the Twilight movie will clean up and that's just plain disappointing.

 

Speaking of Toy Story, who voices the slinky dog now?

Blake Clark is the voice of Slinky.

 

What is most unusual about this summer season is that it is not dominated by sequels. Which I think is a good thing. Having said that, the public was not that excited about Prince of Persia or Robin Hood.

 

The June movies have their work cut out for them. Toy Story 3 will be a hit, and so will Eclipse, but do'nt discard Knight & Day, it very well could find the right audience.

 

One bright spot is that the month of July is loaded. Inception is generating buzz and lots of curiosity, and director Christopher Nolan has been hitting home runs with his movies. The Last Airbender has many people excited. Salt looks like a good spy-thriller. Also keep an eye on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I think will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Blake Clark is the voice of Slinky.

 

What is most unusual about this summer season is that it is not dominated by sequels. Which I think is a good thing. Having said that, the public was not that excited about Prince of Persia or Robin Hood.

 

The June movies have their work cut out for them. Toy Story 3 will be a hit, and so will Eclipse, but do'nt discard Knight & Day, it very well could find the right audience.

 

One bright spot is that the month of July is loaded. Inception is generating buzz and lots of curiosity, and director Christopher Nolan has been hitting home runs with his movies. The Last Airbender has many people excited. Salt looks like a good spy-thriller. Also keep an eye on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I think will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

 

Looking forward to Inception.

[stuckincincy]

Blake Clark is the voice of Slinky.

 

What is most unusual about this summer season is that it is not dominated by sequels. Which I think is a good thing. Having said that, the public was not that excited about Prince of Persia or Robin Hood.

 

The June movies have their work cut out for them. Toy Story 3 will be a hit, and so will Eclipse, but do'nt discard Knight & Day, it very well could find the right audience.

 

One bright spot is that the month of July is loaded. Inception is generating buzz and lots of curiosity, and director Christopher Nolan has been hitting home runs with his movies. The Last Airbender has many people excited. Salt looks like a good spy-thriller. Also keep an eye on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I think will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

 

FWIW, Mark - I've not been happy with the indie offerings that have drifted thru Cincy in the past several months. Seems dark, depressing, and R-rated is currently in vogue...

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Looking forward to Inception.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty much at the point where I'll watch any Leonardo Dicaprio vehicle. Best mainstream actor out there IMO. I'll never forget watching The Departed and thinking "Holy sh*t, he's blowing Nicholson and Damon out of the water". Not to mention This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Revolutionary Road, Blood Diamond, Gangs of New York, etc.

 

Ironically, I think his performance in Titanic was his worst (sorry Avatar fans, Cameron just doesn't get the best out of his actors), but that's what officially pushed him into the limelight.

[HopsGuy]

Brad Anderson, the guy that did the Marmaduke comic, came into my dad's bar in Fredonia a few times. Dad said he was a nice guy and drew a few comics for the grandkids.

 

/It would have been cooler if it was Bill Watterson

[shrader]

Blake Clark is the voice of Slinky.

 

What is most unusual about this summer season is that it is not dominated by sequels. Which I think is a good thing. Having said that, the public was not that excited about Prince of Persia or Robin Hood.

 

The June movies have their work cut out for them. Toy Story 3 will be a hit, and so will Eclipse, but do'nt discard Knight & Day, it very well could find the right audience.

 

One bright spot is that the month of July is loaded. Inception is generating buzz and lots of curiosity, and director Christopher Nolan has been hitting home runs with his movies. The Last Airbender has many people excited. Salt looks like a good spy-thriller. Also keep an eye on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I think will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

 

It's funny that you say it hasn't been dominated by sequels, yet all the big sellers so far have been. Then you mention two more sequels coming this month. I guess it dies out after that, but it seems like there have been plenty so far.

[Mark Vader]

Saw Splice this weekend. Pretty good creature flick. Very twisted with bizarre special effects and make-up.

[Astrojanitor]

FWIW, Mark - I've not been happy with the indie offerings that have drifted thru Cincy in the past several months. Seems dark, depressing, and R-rated is currently in vogue...

 

MicMacs is opening this month. MicMacs will be many many thing, but dark and depressing is not one of them. Fromt he director of Amelie, City of Lost Children and.....Alien:Resurrection.

[CosmicBills]

Blake Clark is the voice of Slinky.

 

What is most unusual about this summer season is that it is not dominated by sequels. Which I think is a good thing. Having said that, the public was not that excited about Prince of Persia or Robin Hood.

 

The June movies have their work cut out for them. Toy Story 3 will be a hit, and so will Eclipse, but do'nt discard Knight & Day, it very well could find the right audience.

 

One bright spot is that the month of July is loaded. Inception is generating buzz and lots of curiosity, and director Christopher Nolan has been hitting home runs with his movies. The Last Airbender has many people excited. Salt looks like a good spy-thriller. Also keep an eye on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I think will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Spot on.

 

Knight and Day and Inception will be the big winners of the summer -- excluding Pixar's magic of course. Toy Story 3 will be huge, but KaD and Inception will be monster hits as well.

 

What we are seeing this summer season is the last residual effects of the WGA strike. Couple that with the economic fallout, studios had less material to pull from, rushed some projects (ie SALT) into production, and of course there's a giant hole where Harry Potter was supposed to be ...

 

But the future looks bright. A lot of really promising projects coming down the pipe that have me excited. Though I guess it's too early to tell how they're going to turn out.

[Mark Vader]

Spot on.

 

Knight and Day and Inception will be the big winners of the summer -- excluding Pixar's magic of course. Toy Story 3 will be huge, but KaD and Inception will be monster hits as well.

 

What we are seeing this summer season is the last residual effects of the WGA strike. Couple that with the economic fallout, studios had less material to pull from, rushed some projects (ie SALT) into production, and of course there's a giant hole where Harry Potter was supposed to be ...

 

But the future looks bright. A lot of really promising projects coming down the pipe that have me excited. Though I guess it's too early to tell how they're going to turn out.

Speaking of Knight & Day, because early buzz is positive 20th Century Fox has now bumped up it's release date to Wednesday, June 23. It will have a whole week of the box office to itself before Eclipse comes out.

[LeviF]

Saw Splice this weekend. Pretty good creature flick. Very twisted with bizarre special effects and make-up.

Saw Splice on Wednesday. I thought it was pretty good as well, although some parts had my mouth agape in astonishment. I'm sure you know which parts I'm talking about.

[Mark Vader]

Saw Splice on Wednesday. I thought it was pretty good as well, although some parts had my mouth agape in astonishment. I'm sure you know which parts I'm talking about.

Oh yeah. That's why I used the phrase "Very twisted" in my review. This movie is going to do wonders for Delphine Chaneac, whose drawn a lot of attention for her character.

 

Switching subjects; I just learned that The Karate Kid has a running time of 2 hours 20 minutes! Yikes, that sure is ambitious. The kids in the audience are really going to be tested. You could get away with a running time like that if this was a Harry Potter movie. Makes you wonder how long the director's cut is.

[McBeane]

I thought this was hilarious. On Facebook, one of the pages you can "like" goes like this:

 

"Watch out kids, I've been waiting 11 years to see Toy Story 3."

 

I'm 21 but I cannot wait to go see Toy Story 3. Classic movies and this one should be just as good.

[Just Jack]

Switching subjects; I just learned that The Karate Kid has a running time of 2 hours 20 minutes! Yikes, that sure is ambitious. The kids in the audience are really going to be tested. You could get away with a running time like that if this was a Harry Potter movie. Makes you wonder how long the director's cut is.

I read a review today where they gave away the ending!

[Mark Vader]

I thought this was hilarious. On Facebook, one of the pages you can "like" goes like this:

 

"Watch out kids, I've been waiting 11 years to see Toy Story 3."

 

I'm 21 but I cannot wait to go see Toy Story 3. Classic movies and this one should be just as good.

Toy Story 3 opens today!!!

 

I'll be seeing it in a couple of hours; check out Rotten Tomatoes, TS3 has gotten a score of 100!

 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_3/

 

 

On a side note, I saw Shrek Forever After & Prince of Persia last night. This last Shrek was far better than Shrek the 3rd, Rumplestiltskin was a good villain, I also liked the ending credits as it does feel that they are putting an end to this series.

 

Prince of Persia was nothing special, which is a big blow to other potential big name video game-to-movie franchises. Apparently Peter Jackson & Neil Blomkamp are going forward with Halo, as they want to make it a more serious type of movie. The biggest obstacle will be how much of a budget a studio will be willing to place on such a film.

[shrader]

On a side note, I saw Shrek Forever After & Prince of Persia last night. This last Shrek was far better than Shrek the 3rd, Rumplestiltskin was a good villain, I also liked the ending credits as it does feel that they are putting an end to this series.

 

I never actually saw the 3rd Shrek, so I don't know what happened at the end of that one, but I kind of missed having Donkey sing a song before the end credits.