Posts Tagged ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’

One of the greatest times of the year for top notch movies is the summer! Movie execs even change the dates their movies debut in order to take part in this sweltering time of year. Here are six films we can’t wait to see during the Summer 2009 movie season…

June

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Summer is an infamous time of year for sequels and 2009 is no exception.  The trailer alone for “Transformers 2” promises amazing action, explosive destruction, CG-palooza and there’s even a plot thrown in there too. Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) discovers the back story of the giant robots that are causing demolition worldwide – Egypt, Paris and the US. The cherry on this sundae – IMAX footage, which is sure to enhance the already exciting special effects. June 24th.

Away We Go – “Go’s” trailer caught my eye when I saw “Adventureland.” The odd couple of John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph (two hugely funny actors not frequently seen on the large screen) had me scribbling down the release date in the dark theater so I wouldn’t forget. “Go” is a “road trip” film for adults as Krasinski and Rudolph travel to see family and friends to find a place that feels like home before they become parents for the first time. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, and Catherine O’Hara are just a couple of the odd ball friends and family members visited by the pregnant couple. June 5th.

July

Public Enemies – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale – that’s all you need to be sold on this summer semi bio-pic. Directed by the successful Michael Mann (“Collateral,” “Ali,” “The Insider,” “Heat,” and “The Last of the Mohicans”) this film is already being talked about as the only summer film that will be remembered at Oscar time.  “Enemies” is a depression era crime drama about infamous bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) and the clean cut FBI agent determined to bring him in, Melvin Purvis (Bale).  Two stories from behind the scenes recount that Bale was in character 24/7 and that Depp was actually giddy at the opportunity to handle Dillinger’s actual brief case. This is going to be a real box office melter. July 1st.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – “Prince” should have been on the Fall ’08 list, but the higher ups who made the movie moved it to summer ’09 for financial reasons. The 2nd to last book in the JK Rowling series has a darker story that revolves around the origins of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Through multiple memory type flashback sequences the audience and Harry will learn a lot more about Voldemort’s history. There’s also the prospect of love for some of our favorite Hogwarts’ students (but I won’t tell you who in case you haven’t read the book). July 15th.

August

The Boat That Rocked – Haven’t heard of this movie yet? That’s ok – you’ll be dying to see it because of the cast alone: Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”), Emma Thompson (“Stranger Than Fiction’), Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace”), Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”), Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), January Jones (“Mad Men”), Rhys Darby (“Yes Man”), Jack Davenport (the “Pirates” movies), Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”), Rhys Ifans (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Kirsty Mather (“Mamma Mia”), and Tom Wisdom (“300”). What a line up! And it’s directed by Richard Curtis who did “Love Actually.” August 28th.

Inglourious Basterds – Yes, the movie title is spelled correctly. Leave it director Quentin Tarantino to find the craziest spelling for his latest film starring Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, B.J. Novak, Samuel L. Jackson and Cloris Leachman. “Inglourious” is two stories in one – the first is about a Jewish girl whose family is killed by Nazis, she leaves and ends up working at a movie theatre, and infatuated with a German war hero and plotting revenge for her family’s deaths. The second story – a group of Jewish-American soldiers who are working behind enemy lines plot their own scheme against the Nazis. How do the two stories relate? The movie theater is the key (how ironic). August 21st.

Here are 10 movies that aren’t even out yet, but are already creating that infamous buzz.

1. Watchmen – The next in line of comic books adapted to film series, Watchmen was “all the rage” at Comic Con.  Set in 1985, but in an alternative USA, this graphic novel series is supposed to take apart what is normally thought of when it comes to superheroes.  Set to release March 6, 2009.

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – I recently wrapped up reading the 6th book in J.K. Rowling’s series and it was terrific.  A lot of the energy surrounding this episode of H.P. is that it takes a darker look into the enemy’s youth as well as saying some goodbyes.  Set to release November 21, 2008.

3. W – An unconventional look at life through our 43rd President’s eyes. To be released while the real George W. Bush is still in office, it’s the “will it make fun of the President or support him” question that has people talking. Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss and James Cromwell.   This is gonna be one hot topic of a film. Set to release October 29, 2008.

4. Angels & Demons – The book before “The Da Vinci Code”, Dan Brown’s Vatican City novel is hitting theaters soon.  No one is forgetting the controversies of “The Da Vinci Code” and this edition possess more challenges because it actually takes place in Vatican City as well as on the grounds itself.  Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Ewan McGregor team up to bring us another mystery. Set to Release May 15, 2009.

5. Twilight – If you haven’t heard of the novels by Stephanie Meyer yet then you officially live under a rock. The teenage vampire saga is receiving a lot of attention from not only the MTV crowd, but the VH1-ers as well. The series, made up of 4 books, has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 40 weeks.  Set to release December 12, 2008.

6. Eagle Eye – Shia LaBeouf is a guy suddenly thrown into a deadly version of a scavenger hunt by some mysterious woman on the phone watching every move he and Michelle Monaghan make.  And I have a sneaking feeling there will be a twist no one is expecting.  Set to release September 26, 2008.

7. Terminator Salvation – As if Christian Bale doesn’t have enough on his plate, people are already talking about his next movie where he plays the boy the Terminator was sent to save.  Set to release May 22, 2009.

8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Adding on to the X-Men series, but in a different way, is the story of Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman.  Set to release May 1, 2009.

9. Tropic Thunder – Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. are the reasons why audiences will fall out of their seats for this movie. Also starring Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney, Nick Nolte and Bill Hader.  Set to release August 15, 2008.

10. Australia – People are talking about the chemistry and steamy love scenes between two native Australians, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (looks like he’s going to have a busy year!) in a war film about their homeland.  Set to release November 14, 2008.