These drops are explained by word of mouth – in these two cases, it has not been positive. But the next month holds the possibilities of blockbusters that are not only big and loud, but also exciting and breathtaking. There are also some smaller movies that the studios hope will become word of mouth hits, and the filmmakers hope will become survive for years to come.
On June 16th, “Nacho Libre” comes to theatres, complete with Jack Black and wrestling tights. Black stars as a Mexican cook who becomes a wrestler to raise money for the orphanage he works at. Black’s outsize personality seems like a good fit for the wrestling ring, and the trailer images of him in costume confirm that. “Nacho Libre” feels like a low budget comic book movie, and will hopefully tap the more surreal aspects of wrestling.
The two most heavily anticipated movies of the summer are “Superman Returns” (June 28th) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” (July 7th). “Superman Returns” is a reboot of a franchise that has lied dormant for nearly 20 years, while the first “Pirates” movie was only 3 summers ago. But both come with certain elements that inspire enthusiasm. “Superman Returns” was directed by Bryan Singer, who helmed the first two “X-Men” films, as well as “Usual Suspects”. “Pirates” has Johhny Depp returning as Captain Jack Sparrow, a role that put a cap on years of funny, inventive performances.
Both films also have unique twists for summer blockbuster. “Superman Returns” is using a performance by the deceased Marlon Brando to connect the sequel to the first “Superman.” His “Superman” performance as Clark Kent’s father is so full of grandeur and cheesy nobility, it will be interesting to see if Singer taps into the same tone.
Meanwhile, “Pirates” is the first half of two sequels shot back to back. In the past, this has worked artistically, but not always financially. The second two “Back to the Future” films were also shot back to back, and while the first sequel spirals back and forth in time, introducing another paradox in almost every scene, the third in the series is a fairly standard western comedy. The “Martix” sequels were also shot back to back, and lacked the feeling of a journey down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of the first film. Both second movies of the two trilogies opened to huge grosses, but tailed off quickly, leaving disappointing returns for the third films.
Finally, on July 7th, “A Scanner Darkly” opens in limited release. It will hopefully be Richard Linklater’s return to challenging films, after the disappointment of “Bad News Bears.” “A Scanner Darkly” is adapted from the Philip K Dick novel, and was filmed using actors, but drawn over by animators. Linklater first used this process for “Waking Life,” and it should work well with the story’s themes of split personalities.
Along with these movies, there are the standard list of sequels and low brow comedies. Hopefully these four movies will satisfy, and along with some other surprises, provide for an exciting month of summer movies.
• Alex Mechlin writes on the first of every month, exclusively in Lumino Magazine. E-mail Alex at alex.mechlin@luminomagazine.com.
