Hot, ain’t it? In this 90+ degree weather, I think we all could use a cool-down. Perhaps some nice rain showers to sing and dance stand outside for.
… Oh, hey, what a perfect and completely-accidental-I-swear! segue for a reminder of our MCT Live for Singin’ in the Rain this Friday! Funny how life unexpectedly supplies the assist sometimes, huh?
Did you get your Harry Potter fix under control last weekend? Have you said your tearful goodbyes? Good, ’cause the mourning period’s over and it’s time to jump back into business with another summer season edition of GOT ME/LOST ME. Here’s what’s coming up.
~~~~~
Captain America: The First Avenger
starring Chris Evans, Haley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, and Hugo Weaving. Directed by Joe Johnston. Rated PG-13.
Even if this essential building block to the big ol’ Avengers film turns out to be as much of a dud as the grenade our hero Steve Rogers (Evans) jumps on to prove his loyalty in the trailer, there’s no denying that some cool stuff for we comic book geeks lies within. I see the filmmakers have taken the same page of cinematography and costume design notes as Inglourious Basterds with the World War II battlefield sets (and paired it all in the trailer with a little mood music by Tool – nice! More please!). Hopefully there also won’t be too many glitches with the superimposition of Evans’ head through the body switch (BTW, I had no idea Captain America had similar power origins to the Incredible Hulk – how could I have missed that?…). And unless Marvel Studios think we’re all a bunch of blithering morons (which, let’s be honest, there’s a good chance of), Evans’ casting here seems a solid indication that the Fantastic Four – for which Evans played the Human Torch on two separate occasions – will have no part in The Avengers‘ action. So sad – I just watched Sanctum last night, and now I want to make fun of Ioan “Mr. Fantastic” Gruffudd’s acting every chance I get (and who doesn’t want to take delight in mocking a clearly-rubber-clad Michael Chiklis as the Thing?).
GOT ME
~~~~~
starring Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Will Gluck. Rated R.
It dawned on me some weeks ago – it’s No Strings Attached. This is the same general plot as No Strings Attached, the Ivan Reitman (that pained me to type) rom-com from earlier this year about a couple who are not a couple and report to each other for sexual needs (okay, okay – they’re f***-buddies). You’d think when making Black Swan together, Attached‘s Natalie Portman and Benefits‘ Kunis would have discovered through conversation between takes that they’re involved with carbon copies of the same movie (OR maybe they did and Portman’s agent used his super-agent mutant powers to make her film open first and much earlier). I’ll admit that after watching the red band trailer I am reminded that Kunis possesses a much keener sense of comedy than Portman (and for that matter Portman’s Attached love interest – and Kunis’ “That ’70s Show” love interest – Ashton Kutcher), and Harrelson’s homosexual sidekick to Timberlake – if it’s not too offensive – could be a welcome alternative to the dummies that followed Kutcher (and I’m including Kevin Kline in that bunch). Overall, these slight potential improvements alone won’t rescue my interest from waning. It’s not that Attached filled my quota for the year or anything; it’s that they both are meandering premises to begin with.
LOST ME
~~~~~
starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, and DJ Flava. Directed by Mike Cahill. Rated PG-13.
I have a list of reasons for wanting to see this. The first two reasons are a little silly. First, the lead role (played by Marling) is named Rhoda – a unique and underused moniker that was also given to my mother. Next, one of my favorite supporting actors Mapother has a prominent role in it. Mapother is Tom Cruise’s cousin but more importantly has an impressive resumé that includes all six seasons of “Lost” and the Best Picture-nominated In the Bedroom (and in a fantastic twist of fate, my mother has also seen Mapother perform on stage at the Actors Theater of Louisville). The final and best reason I’d like to try this film out is its admirable decision with its plot. The sudden appearance of a duplicate Earth with duplicate Earthlings is an idea ripe for sci-fi action, but this Sundance entry instead appears to go the more realistic direction of existential wonder and competition with one’s own self. This film really appeals to me – on both a cinephiliac and personal level.
GOT ME
~~~~~
starring Cindy Baer, Mojca Brecelj, Caryn Waechter, and Hiroaki Aikawa. Directed by Kevin Macdonald and Joseph Michael. Not rated.
My first impression was this was an interesting idea of a documentary from Ridley Scott’s production company: Give everyday Joes and Janes a film camera to monitor a day – specifically July 24th, 2010 – in their life as a sort of time capsule. The premise brought echoes of the Beastie Boys’ music doc Awesome; I F****n’ Shot That! which did the same thing with a select few fans at one of their concerts. Awesome was a fun experiment that fully captured the carefree spirit of seeing a live band you greatly admire and differentiates from Life in a Day primarily due to the location(s) of those with the cameras. After some thought, I basically don’t see the latter as anything more than a flashy, glorified YouTube collection.
LOST ME
~~~~~
starring Jenna Fischer, Chris O’Donnell, Kim Coates, and Lesley Anne Warren. Directed by Michael J. Weithorn. Rated R.
I haven’t heard a thing about this little comedy (with a rather humorous trailer) starring the female lead of the U.S. version of “The Office“, Jenna Fischer. That could be a very bad sign, but it may actually mean several other comedies (Horrible Bosses, Bad Teacher, Bridesmaids, etc.) aren’t leaving enough room for this one to spread its wings. Although Fischer’s had a hit primetime sitcom on her hands for years now, with her deadpan style I still feel she’s remarkably underrated as a comedienne actress. She’s had a plethora of stellar TV episodes and has lately worked with big names in comedy like Judd Apatow (more than once) and the Farrelly brothers – the trouble is with sealing a following fan-base. I for one am ready to jump aboard. Let’s see what you got, Jenna.
GOT ME
~~~~~
Return next Monday or Tuesday (I always shoot for Monday) for the GM/LM for July 29th, 2011 which will include Cowboys & Aliens with Harrison Ford and The Smurfs with Neil Patrick Harris. If you regularly visit Twitter, feel free to follow @MEIER_in_a_CT (the MCT Live account) and @gttmovies for even more of the profound movie afterthought smorgasbord.