Film Feature: Summer 2011’s 10 Most Anticipated Movie Moments

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Seeing if “The Hangover, Part II” Will Be “The Wolfpack Strikes Back” or “Hangover 2: Die Harder” (May 26)

The Hangover, Part II
The Hangover, Part II
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

A sequel to “The Hangover” was a total no-brainer. Aside from the fact that the original is still the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis just had such unbelievable chemistry that it would’ve been a waste to not get the band back together for one more tour. But the second they announced “The Hangover, Part II,” the first question we had was “What’s the premise going to be? They’re not just going to do the same thing all over again, right?”

Fine, getting the Wolfpack together again will be fun, but are they really going to forget ANOTHER bachelor party night, particularly after the events of the first film? We were convinced that the movie was going to have to come up with some sort of clever plot device – resetting the sequel in Bangkok sounded promising – but then the first trailer came out and, to be frank, it looks a lot, A LOT like the first “Hangover.”

No one expects director Todd Phillips to reinvent the wheel or anything, but we didn’t expect the movie to look like such a “Die Hard 2.” You know, John McClane shows up the very next Christmas Eve, looks at the camera, and says “I can’t believe this is happening AGAIN!” (Cue wacky sound effect.) We want the Wolfpack to take us on a new adventure, not just revamp their past hits. That never works. To us, this is the BIG challenge facing “The Hangover, Part II.” The first trailer was funny, we’ll totally admit, but if they can’t sell us on why Part II is more than just a rehash of Part I, then maybe what happened in Vegas should’ve stayed in Vegas.

Kyle Chandler’s Lead Performance in “Super 8” (June 10)

Super 8
Super 8
Photo credit: Paramount

We love J.J. Abrams, but we’re strangely wary of “Super 8.” Granted, the first trailer looked WONDERFUL, but it’s the homage aspect that has us worried. Everyone and their mother has taken one look at “Super 8” and said “Ah, this is obviously an homage to late 1970s Steven Spielberg films.” And those films are amazing, they’re pillars of modern filmmaking. However, way, way too many filmmakers have been caught in the insidious traps of homage filmmaking lately, valuing their cinematic tributes way more than good old-fashioned storytelling.

“Mission: Impossible 3” and “Star Trek” were good enough that Abrams deserves the benefit of the doubt, but the main reason that we’re excited for “Super 8” is the chance to finally see the amazing Kyle Chandler in a leading role onscreen. Are there people out there who are still unaware that “Friday Night Lights” will forever be remembered as one of the most underappreciated series in television history? Are there people who will never recognize Chandler’s Coach Taylor as one of the most three-dimensional, restrained, multi-layered, virtuosic performances to ever grace the small screen? If so, pity those people.

With “Friday Night Lights,” Chandler created one of the most believable male characters – charismatically paternal, yet fallible – in recent memory, and the idea of unleashing his chiseled talent and square-jaw on a major summer movie sounds like a fantastic idea. (His small role as the vain Bruce Baxter was one of the best parts of Peter Jackson’s “King Kong.”) Fine, the “stars” of “Super 8” will probably be the cast of precocious kids, but we’re really, really hoping that Abrams stepped up to the plate and gave something meaty to Chandler for his first major movie leading role. Heck, if we had to pick a new Chief Brody for the 21st Century, we’d pick Coach Taylor in a Dillon, Texas minute.

Finding Out If There Really Is a Connection Between “Green Lantern” and “Howard the Duck” (June 17)

Green Lantern
Green Lantern
Photo credit: Warner Bros./Green Lantern Comics

We hate bringing this up, especially since you have to give director Martin Campbell credit for even attempting to bring a superhero as cosmic as Green Lantern to the big screen. BUT, that being said, has anyone else noticed how much the first images of Green Lantern’s swollen headed villain, Dr. Hector Hammond (played by Peter Sarsgaard), look like Jeffrey Jones’ Dr. Walter Jenning from the epic George Lucas flop “Howard the Duck”? That’s got to be an accident, right?

Sarsgaard and Jones’ characters even sound alike – scientists who become possessed by evil alien life forms (Parallax and the Dark Overlord, respectively) which warp and disfigure their physical bodies. The characters appear similar, the circumstances sound similar, the designs of the Dark Overlord and Parallax (at least the early designs that have been leaked) do, unfortunately, look kind of similar… it’s got to be a coincidence… doesn’t it? Is Martin Campbell secretly a huge Howard fan? Because we’re rooting for Ryan Reynolds to really win us over this summer, but, man, it would help if we didn’t think of Lea Thompson turning down duck sex every time we watch the trailer.

Jennifer Aniston’s Potty-Mouth in “Horrible Bosses” (July 8)

Horrible Bosses
Horrible Bosses
Photo credit: EW

It feels strange that Jennifer Aniston is one of the things we’re most looking forward to this summer – particularly after trainwrecks like “The Bounty Hunter” and “Just Go With It” – but we’re really, really liking what we’re hearing about her new comedy “Horrible Bosses”. And even though the movie was directed by Seth Gordon, who gave us the awesome documentary “The King of Kong,” and the cast includes people as funny as Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day, we’re totally going to the movie to see Aniston.

Why, you may ask? Because Aniston’s role is supposed to be unbelievably raunchy and vulgar and, frankly, we can’t wait to see Jennifer work blue. In fact, we’ve read an early draft of the “Horrible Bosses” script and, if half of what’s in the script makes it into the final movie, people will be raving about Aniston’s character the same way they raved about Tom Cruise’s Les Grossman in “Tropic Thunder.”

Aniston’s Julia is one of the “horrible bosses” of the title, and this girl is WRONG. She’s a dentist who spends her day sexually harassing her put-upon underling Dale (Charlie Day) to a degree that you will barely believe. And even though fighting off a sexually-aggressive Aniston sounds like a fun way to spend a work-day, Aniston’s Julia is so unhinged, morally bankrupt, and perverse that, despite her hotness, you will understand immediately why men are afraid of her.

While going against type doesn’t always work, we actually love the idea of Aniston putting aside her good-girl image and getting down and comfortable with some honest-to-god filth. There’s a scene in the script where Julia tries to force Dale to have sex with her ON TOP of Dale’s fiancée, who’s unconscious in a nearby dental chair, that, if Aniston pulls it off, we’ll totally forgive her for “Along Came Polly” and “Rumor Has It.” It has the potential to be THAT good.

Waleed Al-Telbany's picture

Not funny!

You know, to whomever wrote this article, I tried my best to smile at the line where it says that Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal are kickboxers from the 80’s!
Well, first of all, Seagal is not a kickboxer. As for the number 1 action superstar of the world, Jean-Claude Van Damme, he is still the same hero as he used to be in the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. I guess when a man takes a real kickboxing fight at the age of 50 as JCVD will do…it makes him a walking & an immortal legend for life.

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