Summer is a time of good weather and vacations. People have time off and many go to the movie theatre to relax and get out of the heat. It is an important time for the film studios. Tons of films are released. They tend to be of the light and popcorn selling variety. Comedies and action flicks are the most popular summer releases. That does not mean that they are “bad” films per se; it just means that they require a little bit less of an investment mentally. There are some exceptions.
No matter what kind of film you are a fan of there is something for all tastes this summer. Here is a list of the ten most promising looking summer 2011 films in no particular order:
1) Horrible Bosses: Release date: July 8. Starring: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell. Premise: Three friends conspire to kill their tyrannical bosses. R-rated high jinx ensue.
2) The Help: Release date: August 12. Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard. Premise: The adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller about some brave African-American maids who dared to voice their experiences to a young white writer in the early 60s in Mississippi. Directed by Tate Taylor. Great ensemble cast.
3) Crazy, Stupid, Love: Release date: July 29. Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell and Julianne Moore. Premise: A man whose marriage fails horribly due to infidelity and pushes him into the world of dating. He attempts to become adept at dating again under the guidance of a younger man. Co-directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Funny and touching.
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2: Release date: July 15. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Premise: Harry’s climatic duel with Voldemort. A certain central character will meet a very bloody and brutal end.
5) Larry Crowne: Release date: July 1. Starring: Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer and Tom Hanks. Premise: Middle-aged Larry Crowne goes back to school in this romantic comedy and while there he falls for a professor. Directed and co-written by Tom Hanks.
6) Bad Teacher: Release date: June 24. Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal and Justin Timberlake. Premise: A raunchy comedy about a substitute teacher who drinks and curses. She is working in order to get breast implants. This is not Stand and Deliver or Dead Poets Society.
7) One Day: Release date: August 19. Starring: Anne Hathaway, Patricia Clarkson and Jim Sturgess. Premise: A romance based on a best-selling novel that follows the adventures of Emma and Dexter on the same day every year.
8) 30 Minutes or Less: Release date: August 12. Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Anzari and Danny McBride. Premise: A comedy about a pizza deliveryman who gets strapped to a bomb and is forced to rob a bank.
9) Fright Night: Release date: August 19. Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin and Toni Collette. Premise: An evil vampire lives next door to a teenager and his mother. Remake of the 1980s horror film.
10) Cowboys & Aliens: Release date: July 29. Starring: Olivia Wilde, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Premise: A spaceship lands in Arizona in 1873 with the goal of taking over Earth starting with the Wild West. A group of cowboys are the Earth’s only defence. Directed by Jon Favreau.