THE BLOCKBUSTERS ARE COMING AND THEY LOOK GLORIOUS!

It’s that time of year!  The season where all the Oscar contenders are released, discussed & analyzed.  It’s a phenomenal season for film fans.   While I attempt to catch up on my enormous ‘must watch’ list, I’m still thinking about next summer.  It’s never too early to get excited for the next wave of summer blockbusters.

I chose these 10 films for two reasons.  First, they are scheduled to be released between May 1, 2013 & August 31, 2013.  Second, they look awesome.  Simple enough.  Let’s get to it!

Which summer movies are you looking forward to in 2013?

Note: I’ll be updating this page as the official trailers are released.

Let the hype begin!

Honorable Mention: Oblivion (Opens April 2013)

10. KICK ASS 2

Kick Ass was a ton of fun having gone in with no knowledge of the comic.  It was packed with over-the-top violence and the sequel is sure to deliver more of the same.  AND They’ve added comedy heavyweight Jim Carrey to the mix.

9. THE LONE RANGER

I’m a big fan of new franchises and Gore Verbinski has launched several.  (I wish he was still bringing Bioshock to the big screen.) There’s no doubt The Lone Ranger will be visually stunning and full of amazing action.  It’s just a shame they forgot to REALLY include the titular character in the first trailer.  I get the thought process behind the marketing.  Johnny Depp is a global star after all and it certainly looks like he has created another memorable character.  But Armie Hammer is an after thought here.  It’s a minor complaint as I’m sure he has plenty to do in the film.  But seriously, Depp does look awesome as Tonto.

[Update] We got a second Lone Ranger trailer that features The Lone Ranger!  Much better.

8. ELYSIUM

District 9 was absolutely incredible.  I can’t wait to see what Neill Blomkamp has in store for us next August.  Not much is known about the film outside of the people who saw and raved about the comic-con footage so here is a synopsis:

“In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Matt Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.”

7. FAST & FURIOUS 6

The original Fast & Furious came along right around the time I got my driver’s license.  Now, I never pimped my rusted 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier but I did love the movie.  Then 2 Fast came along and ruined everything.  I completely skipped Tokyo Drift but something funny happened.  The 4th installment came along…  And I liked it?  It wasn’t anywhere near the level of the first but at least the whole gang was back.

Fast 5 changed the game and took the franchise in a completely different direction.  They added The Rock and suddenly, the Fast & Furious series became a heist franchise.  I thought Fast 5 was great especially with the revelation in the end credits.  Why not?  I like the characters.  I like the new direction.  Bring on Part 6.

6. AFTER EARTH

A while back, I wrote an article detailing two important streaks on the line when After Earth is released.  Will Smith’s hits vs M. Night Shyamalan’s flops.  One of them will end.  I’m sure many people will bet that Will Smith will be starring in the latest Shyamalan dud…  Or maybe he won’t.

Signs is my favorite movie period.  I always get perplexed looks when I admit that but it’s true.  That movie came along at the right time and stuck with me.  I’ve been waiting a long time for another classic to come from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan.  (The Last Airbender was certainly not it.)

But I really love the concept behind After Earth:

“In After Earth, one thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (played by Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.”

Which streak will end?

5. THE WOLVERINE

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was awful.  In my opinion, it was the worst movie of 2009.  So why is Wolverine so high on this list?  They are essentially ignoring the first solo movie completely.  Nice.  I love the character and the idea of a bad ass Wolverine adventure is still exciting.  Especially one without plot holes and Deadpool.  Can you even call him Deadpool?

4. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

I highly enjoy J.J Abrams movies. (Not to mention the excellent TV series he’s created.) Mission Impossible 3 is still my favorite of the four,  Super 8 was actually my favorite movie of 2011 and I adored Star Trek.  Honestly, I was never a Star Trek fan until the new film came along.  It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just never got around to watching it as a kid.  At that time, it was Next Generation so I really had no exposure to Captain Kirk & Spock at all.

Star Trek was a blast to watch even with all those lens flares.  I can’t wait to see what J.J does with the franchise now that the characters & rules are established.  Of course it is a J.J Abrams production so we know nothing about the project yet.

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer #1

3. IRON MAN 3

The Avengers took the Superhero genre to astonishingly new heights.  Marvel pulled it off…  Now what?  Phase Two!

XTRA | Top 10 Moments: The Avengers

The Marvel Cinematic Universe rolls on with a much darker Iron Man.  This trailer may go down as my favorite of 2012 unless another comes along to dethrone it.  It’ll be tough to beat.  Right off the bat, Tony Stark mentions the devastation left in Loki’s wake after his army was defeated.  Now Tony is haunted.  It’s the perfect time for one of Iron Man’s deadliest foes to appear on the big screen.  The Mandarin.  Right off the bat, you can see that Tony Stark is going to get beaten down in this film.  I can’t wait to see how he picks himself up.

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Iron Man 3 Trailer 1

2. MAN OF STEEL

I didn’t like Superman Returns at all.  Where was the action?  Why was it so long?  Much like Wolverine, I’m glad Zack Snyder is rebooting the Man of Steel from scratch with a more realistic approach.  It helps to have Christopher Nolan on board.  Will Superman fill the void left now that Nolan’s remarkable Batman trilogy is over?

In a word: Yes.

I think Man of Steel will be the Superman movie fans have been dreaming of for decades.  The first trailer is proof:

[Update: Second Trailer has arrived]

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Man of Steel Trailer #2

1. PACIFIC RIM

Guillermo Del Toro + Giant Robots + Equally Giant Monsters = My most anticipated movie of the 2013 summer movie season.  By far!  I’m so excited I can’t stand it.  Del Toro is truly blessed with an incredibly visual and COOL imagination.  I think Pacific Rim is poised to become of the coolest movies of all time and I don’t say that lightly.  Giant robots are going to fight giant monsters!  ……….  And Guillermo Del Toro is responsible for the mayhem!

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Pacific Rim Trailer #1

July 12!  July 12! July 12! July 12!

“When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end.  To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge.  But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.  On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past.  Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.”

Click here for more Movie Countdowns

TONS OF GREAT NEW TRAILERS FOR HUGE 2013 MOVIES

Big summer movie trailers don’t come along very often.  When they do, they are dissected, analyzed and blogged about endlessly.  But you don’t often see 7 big movie trailers released in the span of a week!  5 out of my top 10 2013 Summer movies released new trailers.  For After Earth, Star Trek Into Darkness & Pacific Rim, it was our first glimpse at the films.  Not to be out done, The Lone Ranger & Man of Steel released awesome new trailers.  We also got our first look at Tom Cruise’s Oblivion plus a new G.I Joe Retaliation trailer.  (Those two films didn’t make my summer list because they are being released before May 2013.)

Here they are in case you missed them:

G.I JOE RETALIATION

AFTER EARTH

XTRA | Will Smith’s hits vs M. Night Shyamalan’s flops

THE LONE RANGER

OBLIVION

MAN OF STEEL

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Man of Steel Trailer #2

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer #1

PACIFIC RIM

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Pacific Rim Trailer #1

Great week!

ONE STREAK WILL SURVIVE.  ONE WILL END.

M. Night Shyamalan burst onto the scene with The 6th Sense.  He followed it up with Unbreakable and my personal favorite Signs.  But since then, much has been written about his decline.  Films like The Village (which I still enjoyed), Lady In The Water, The Happening & The Last Airbender failed to meet expectations. (The Last Airbender was especially terrible)

There are two schools of thought here.  Are our expectations of the once golden filmmaker too high? Or has he truly lost the edge he once had?

Will Smith on the other hand, is a model of box office consistency.  Nearly all of his action films have been successful at the box office.  He’s as close as you get to a sure thing during the summer blockbuster season.

AFTER EARTH

M. Night Shyamalan was once my untouchable favorite director.  I’ve written about my love of Signs many times on this blog.  It’s a favorite of mine because of the impact it had on my desire to write movies.  However, I’m guilty of purchasing tickets to his newest films full of hope before ultimately leaving the theater disappointed.

Note: Christopher Nolan has since won the title of favorite director.

Will Smith has been one of my favorite actors for a long time.  I’m no stranger to afternoon marathons starring Will Smith.  When I was younger, they were a constant a source of inspiration for stories I wrote. Creative afternoons like that are inspiring.

With that history in mind, you can imagine how excited I am to have these two collaborating on a science fiction project.  Forget the past successes and failures for a moment.  It’s an interesting pairing I never thought I’d see.

After Earth is about a young boy (Played by Will’s son Jaden) and his father crash landing on Earth long after it was abandoned by humans.

The trailers have arrived.  The stage is set.  So which streak will end?

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S STREAK OF CRITICAL MISSES

vs

WILL SMITH’S MIDAS TOUCH

WILL M. NIGHT RETURN TO FORM?

His box office numbers usually start out reasonably strong but fizzle quickly once word of mouth spreads.  Take a look at the decline in his numbers on Rotten Tomatoes:

• The Sixth Sense 85%
• Unbreakable 68%
• Signs 74%
• The Village 43%
• Lady in the Water 24%
• The Happening 18%
• The Last Airbender 6%

Ouch.

WILL SMITH’S MIDAS TOUCH

Mr. Smith’s films have always done well at the box office regardless of his scores on RT.  In fact his last 3 films have been certified rotten on the site with an average score of 41%.  Yet combined (Seven Pounds, Hancock, I Am Legend) the films have grossed more than $550 million domestically.

Will Smith has starred in 16 movies since 1995 and there are staggering numbers to back up his claim as king of the box office. (Source: Box Office Mojo)

• 12 have grossed more than $100 million dollars.
• 4 grossed north of $200 million. (Independence Day was his highest at $306)
• The average box office gross of the 16 films is $134 million.
• At one point he starred in 8 straight films that grossed more than $100 million dollars. (2002-2008)

So yeah, you could say he has an audience.  Release a Will Smith movie between June and August and it’s a safe bet the film will make hundreds of millions of dollars.

WHICH STREAK WILL END?

Will After Earth be Will Smith’s first BIG critical AND box office bomb?  Or will the film be M. Night Shyamalan’s first official hit in nearly 10 years?  The film was written by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) so critics won’t be able to blame M. Night for a bad script like they have in the past.

Personally, I think the film sounds amazing on paper.  Night is an extremely visual and gifted director and given the landscape he has been given to work with, After Earth will be a beautiful movie.  It’s also got an intriguing premise, a huge box office star and the hopes of science fiction fans everywhere behind it.

Recently, M. Night Shyamalan made a smart career decision by finally joining Twitter and hopefully engaging his fans.  I’ve been following him since day one and I’m hoping he updates us on the film regularly.  Bottom line? It’s time to see headlines like “Now That’s More Like It Night!”.  Of course some people will point at Will Smith’s appeal if it’s a success. 

I think this collaboration is the best of both worlds set in the future of ours.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?