At the movies

As promised, here is a list of the Summer 2008 movies I’m most looking forward to seeing.

Realize that I’ll probably actually get to see very few of these, and those I do see will likely be on DVD, VOD or regular old TV. Heck, I still haven’t seen all of the movies from last year that I wanted to see!

Anyway, here we go…

“Iron Man” (May 2) – I’ve written a lot about this movie already here on the blog. As I’ve said before, in my comic book collecting days I was never a big Iron Man fan per se. But I was a huge Marvel Comics fan, and Iron Man is a major player in the Marvel Universe. It looks like they’ve done a great job with this movie and I’m very anxious to see it.

“Speed Racer” (May 9) – I wasn’t a huge fan of the cartoon, but I do remember watching it a few times as a youngster and I appreciate it for it’s pop culture status and the role it played in introducing Japanese anime to the United States. Plus, it looks cool and the kids are dying to see it. I’m pleased to see Hollywood actually releasing a live action PG movie that it looks like kids and adults can both enjoy. As a parent, I’m still peeved that “Transformers” was PG-13.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22) – ‘Nuff said. This one is the big enchilada. My must-see movie event of the year (or should that be decade?).

“The Incredible Hulk” (June 13) – Up until recently, there hasn’t been nearly as much written about this movie compared to “Iron Man” and I don’t think I’ve even mentioned it here yet. There was a trailer released a few weeks ago and I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Parts of it seemed good, but the CGI looked a little goofy. But there is a lot about this movie that I find intriguing – mainly the notion of it essentially being a “do-over” after 2003’s disappointing “Hulk” movie. And as mentioned, I’m a Marvel fan so it’s my duty to want to see any Marvel movie.

“Get Smart” (June 20) – I loved the old TV show. The new movie has a great cast (Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, The Rock). Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.

“Wall-E” (June 27) – I’ve never seen a Pixar movie I didn’t like. They’re always fun for the whole family.

“The Dark Knight” (July 18) – I didn’t see “Batman Begins” until long after it was released on DVD, but I thought it was fantastic. I’m a Tim Burton fan, but this was better than his take on Batman. It’s become one of those movies I have to stop and watch whenever I stumble upon it while flipping channels. I can’t wait to see the next installment.

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (July 25) – I’m not sure if they can pull it off, but I hope this movie is great if only so it can erase the bad taste the last episode (make that the last several episodes) left in my mouth.

Looking a little further down the road, here are some movies from later in 2008 that are also on my want to see list…

“Quantum of Solace” (Nov. 7) – See what I wrote above for “The Dark Knight” and substitute “James Bond” for “Batman.” I actually enojyed the Pierce Brosnan movies for the most part, but there is no disputing “Casino Royale” was the best Bond flick in ages.


“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Nov. 21) – We just got around to watching “Order of the Phoenix” last week, which was decent, although not my favorite Harry Potter movie. “Half-Blood Prince” was one of the most important books in the series, but arguably had the least action. Still, I’m really anxious to see how it translates to the screen.

Back to the 'Toy' store

Disney’s “Toy Story 3” is marching forward, with Pixar now onboard.

The news came out almost a year ago that Disney was going to make “TS 3” without Pixar. The upcoming film “Cars” was supposed to be the last movie in the initial deal between the two studios and it seemed they would be parting company.

Meanwhile, Disney, which owned the rights to the “TS” characters was going to make their own sequel. As a Pixar fan, I was really hoping it would suck.

But since then Disney went out and bought Pixar—so now they’ll be making “TS 3” after all.

I’m still not excited about this movie. I’d rather see new original material coming from Pixar, who has always been the leader in the CG animation field. And I can’t help but wonder if their heart is really in this movie, or if it’s being forced on them by Disney.