Upcoming Moving Picture Shows (Now With Sound!)

[Kris Johnson]

Okay, so here's a list of upcoming movies that I'd like to see. Why? Because I like movies and I like lists, so the following is the cinema-and-unordered-list equivalent of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for me.

• Moon. Sam Rockwell as the lone (human) operator of a lunar facility that is somehow providing much-needed fuel/energy (Energon?) for the Earth. He's at the end of a multi-year stretch in the facility when he stumbles across something very interesting: himself.
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Yeah, it's everything Moon isn't: all big-budget flash with no character development and a plot that's probably full of holes you could drive a giant robot disguised as a truck through 'em. But that's what movie theaters are for these days: lots of pretty special effects and loud, loud noises to distract you from the fact that—apart from yourself—the auditorium is entirely populated with annoying, obnoxious people who can't follow simple instructions like "turn of your cell phone".
• G.I. Joe. See Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, above. Stephen Sommers hasn't directed anything I've liked since Deep Rising, but I'm going to see this movie in the theater anyway. Why? Because two badass ninjas fighting each other in broad daylight and jumping through a freaking bus needs to be big, big, big, and my TV is anything but.
• District 9. It's kind of like Alien Nation, but the extraterrestrials aren't quite so conveniently humanoid and the humans are nowhere near as tolerant.
• Harry Potter and The Next Movie in The Series. I've seen all of the previous installments in the theater, I may as well see this one, too. Here's an interesting tidbit: I only own two of the Harry Potter movies on DVD and I've only ever rewatched the original. What is it about this series that makes the movies fun to see once but doesn't compel me to watch them again?
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Okay, this one is already in theaters and, truth be told, I'm not feeling an overwhelming desire to see it. But I will, just to keep my geek cred.
• Alien Trespass. Also already in theaters (currently playing at the Cedar-Lee, I believe) but I'll probably wait for this homage to 1950s sci-fi films to come out on DVD.

That's my list as of 06 May 2009.

What's in your wallet on your list?

[Natalie Metzger]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine I saw this past weekend and I thought it was pretty good. I would see it again. Of course, I never read the original story, so all claims made are in the spirit of blissful ignorance.

In my summer lineup are the following:
Star Trek - Yes, I'm morbidly curious about this one.
Up - It looks at least mildly amusing. I'm game.
HPHBP - Gotta see them all!
9 - Looks quite excellent.
Terminator Salvation - Robots go crunch. Okay, so there's probably (hopefully) more plot than that, but I mean, really, what more do you need? (although I do draw the line at Transformers )
Angels and Demons - Yep. We all need a little more Tom Hanks in our lives.
District 9 - I'm really not sure about this one yet, but I can see myself ending up watching it at some point. I'll give anything with aliens a shot. That's just how I roll.

There's a few more that I'm mildly interested in, but they fall under the "rental" list.

[Kris Johnson]

Up - It looks at least mildly amusing. I'm game.

[...]

9 - Looks quite excellent.

[...]

Angels and Demons - Yep. We all need a little more Tom Hanks in our lives.

Ah, yes, I forgot about Up. Pixar hasn't let me down thus far.

I'd heard of 9, probably through the Tor.com or io9 news feeds, but hadn't seen the trailer until just now. Verry interesting.

Bookwise, Angels & Demons is superior to The Da Vinci Code, but I'll wait for DVD to see if the same holds true for the movie.

[blob]

I will say this.  The new Trek has me about ready to try attending a movie theater again.

That is a big freaking deal.

[Kris Johnson]

Okay, I think I can safely add Surrogates to my list.

It's based on a graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, and watching the trailer made me want to go out and pick up the source.

Here's the gist: in the future (hooray!) we all interact through lifelike robot surrogates while our real bodies are safely locked away at home. Nobody goes out anymore. Crime is almost non-existent. But Bruce Willis is there, so you know that can't last. Now the destruction of a surrogate has resulted in someone actually dying, which is unprecedented. Could it be...murder? You know it! And you know Bee-Dubya is on the case (Got a problem? Yo, he'll solve it.) and lookin' to kick some robotic backside.

P.S. Searching for "surrogates" on Amazon yields some rather interesting and not at all family-friendly results.