A look as what's left of the summer movie schedule

Sir Critic makes his picks for the season

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‘Julie & Julia’

The pitch: Meryl Streep plays legendary cook Julia Child. Amy Adams plays a woman trying to cook all 524 recipes in her book.
The buzz: I’ll watch anything with Amy Adams, and Streep’s no slouch herself. They’ve got me hooked, even though writer-director Nora Ephron is sometimes good (“Sleepless in Seattle”), sometimes not (“Bewitched”).
The prospect: A

AUGUST 14

‘Bandslam’

The pitch: A couple form a band and enter their group in a battle of the bands. Vanessa Hudgens co-stars.
The buzz: Todd Graff has mined similar material before in “Camp,” but it’s too early to tell how this will fare.
The prospect: C

‘District 9’

The pitch: A sci-fi/action story set in South Africa, where extraterrestrials are refugees.
The buzz: Looks like a stab at low-budget sci-fi, and Peter Jackson is a producer, so this has potential. The trailers are very intriguing.
The prospect: B

‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard’

The pitch: Used-car liquidator Jeremy Piven is hired by a car dealership to turn their Fourth of July sale into a hit.
The buzz: Fourth of July sale? Isn’t that a bit late? At any rate, I’ve no read on this one yet.
The prospect: C

‘The Perfect Getaway’

The pitch: Two couples, who include Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich and Timothy Olyphant, are on a tropical vacation and discover someone is murdering the tourists. One is tempted to add, “of course.”
The buzz: The premise sounds dull, but the director is David Twohy, who can be either lean and mean (“Pitch Black”) or bloated and dull (“The Chronicles of Riddick.”)
The prospect: C

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’

The pitch: The best-seller comes to the screen with Eric Bana playing a librarian with a gene that causes him to time travel. Rachel McAdams is the love interest.
The buzz: I’m in if McAdams is.
The prospect: B

AUGUST 21

‘Inglourious Basterds’

The pitch: Quentin Tarantino makes his World War II flick, with the help of Brad Pitt.
The buzz: This could be great and I hope it is, but note my use of the word “flick.” That was deliberate. Tarantino’s recent career trajectory tells me he’s less interested in being a great director then in being the ultimate B-moviemaker. That has its rewards, but after two “Kill Bills” and the overindulgent “Death Proof,” the method has become a bit stale.
The prospect: B

‘Post Grad’

The pitch: Alexis Bledel plays a recent college graduate who can’t find a job, so she moves back in with her family.
The buzz: I always believed Bledel had the potential to break into bigger stardom. With Michael Keaton and Carol Burnett in the film, the comic possibilities are certainly there.
The prospect: B

‘Shorts’

The pitch: A wish-granting rock causes a stir and major trouble when adults get hold of it.
The buzz: The director is Robert Rodriguez, but is this “The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl” or “Spy Kids?”
The prospect: C

AUGUST 28

‘The Boat That Rocked’

The pitch: “Love Actually” writer-director Richard Curtis returns with a 1960s comedy about a pirate radio station run by a band of rogue DJs.
The buzz: Early reviews have been less than kind, but I can’t help but be interested in a film by this director, with actors as funny as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost around.
The prospect: B

‘The Final Destination’

The pitch: Last time it was a roller coaster. This time it’s a race track. In 3-D.
The buzz: You know, I thought this series was kind of imaginative the first time around, but as so many horror franchises do, it wore out its welcome. Will this series ever actually be final? What’s next, an aquarium?
The prospect: D

‘H2 (Halloween 2)’

The pitch: The guy in the William Shatner mask is back. Personally, I prefer Shatner.
The buzz: I gave Rob Zombie a chance the first time around, only to find him totally strip the chills form Michael Meyers until he became just another gross, misunderstood killer. Bor-ing. I’m not getting suckered again. Even the abbreviated title is stupid.
The prospect: F

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Eric,
Great job on the blog. I usually agree with you on everything but not about "G Force." The trailer was cute and my 7-year-old son laughed out loud. It looks much better than the dumb chihuahuas movie.
I think we'll see that one and Ice Age because there aren't too many films to take young kids to with all these darn PG-13 ratings. Seems like there are more of them this summer. Sigh.

margo
2:51 PM, 6/25/2009

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