Bruno
This has got to be the most anticipated comedy of the year if not the summer, no? Sacha Baron Cohen, I think, is headed for some Borat-like returns at the box office.
The Ugly Truth
This romantic comedy is a big test for Katherine Heigl. If she can make this movie fly at the box office, she gets one step closer to making the leap.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Six movies in and I'm sensing the slightest whiff of Potter fatigue. It won't matter as long as the movie delivers, though. It has a lot to live up to, considering many people think this is Rowling's best book.
Public Enemies
This is among my five most anticipated films of the summer, but that comes with a disclaimer: I love me some Michael Mann. You're talking about a guy who loved Ali. I even dug Miami Vice. And while we're on the subject, I honestly don't get the bad rap that movie gets. It's about 20 times smarter, more sophisticated, and visually appealing than most crime flicks out there. See? An unabashed fan of Mann. We don't get many great tommy-gun gangster flicks these days. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale's involvement has me pumped.
Funny People
It's amazing, but word is, the entire movie is not in the recently released trailer (which I clocked as being around three hours long). I think this looks pretty good, though. Judd Apatow is on a nice little roll. This one appears a little James L. Brooksish and that's not exactly a bad thing. Adam Sandler gets to play funny and serious with Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, and Jason Schwartzman all riding shotgun. This will either be the best thing Apatow has done or his most disappointing.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
These movies are just A-OK in my book. Honestly, I will probably catch it on DVD, but you kiddies have fun!
G-Force
I suspect this to be another Disney moneymaker, but I like my espionage animals in the form of cats and dogs, thank you very much.
Orphan
Okay, this looks legitimately creepy. Some people are afraid of heights. Others are afraid of the dark. Me? I'm afraid of both. And little evil children like the girl in this movie. Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga adopt a sweet little girl who ends up making their lives a living hell. The trailer reminded me a lot of Joshua (a solid, under-seen, and twisted little movie, by the way) where Sam Rockwell and -- you guessed it -- Vera Farmiga are terrorized by their own evil son. What is up with that? When Farmiga read the script, didn't she think it sounded the least bit familiar? If I write a movie about a little cretin who terrorizes his parents, will she do the movie? Someone get her agent on the horn so I can find out.
500 Days of Summer (starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, pictured right)
Now here is a rom-com I can get on board with. I think the key to this genre is this: try. Word has been high on this movie since it debuted at Sundance. Looking forward to this one.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
Hayden Panettiere seems to be doing her damndest to get far, far away from Heroes (that show is dead to me). It's been a while since Chris Columbus has delivered a nice, heartwarming comedy (he used to specialize in these bad boys) but maybe this is a return to form.
Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.
