Summer Movie Blockbusters

Empty out your pockets at a theater on one of these hot summer movie blockbusters

June 20, 2008

By Michelle da Silva
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

If you've been to a theater recently, you may have already seen four middle-aged women in Manolos, been to a place called Narnia and rode alongside an adventurous archeologist, but summer's just beginning and there's more summer blockbusters to come! If you're looking to beat the summertime heat in June and July, the best way to cool off is to step inside a dark, air-conditioned theater and take in a movie. We run down some of the most anticipated summer movies coming to a silver screen near you.

The Love Guru
(Premieres on June 20)

Mike Myers isn't for everyone. Some people find him enormously annoying while others can't stop cracking up at the thought of one of his many impersonations. Doesn't matter. The man rakes in hundreds of millions per picture, and he's out with a new one.

The Love Guru is about an American child who was raised by gurus in an ashram in India and returns to the U.S. in his adulthood to pursue a career in self-help and spirituality. Myers plays this man, Maurice Pitka, and is put to the test when he must reconcile a marriage gone awry in order to break a 40-year-old curse on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sound far-fetched? It is, but so are most, if not all, of Myers' wacky comedies.

Before you rush out and throw down $12.50 on this Myers flick, be aware that initial reviews of The Love Guru have compared it to Gigli, calling the movie "astonishingly rancid" and "unspeakably awful." Also, the movie scored a low rating of 14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. So consider yourself warned!

Wanted
(Premieres on June 27)

There will be plenty o' Angelina in Wanted. (AP Images)

High-speed chases? Check. Loads of action? Check. Angelina Jolie lookin' damn fine? Check, check, check! Wanted is loosely based on Mark Millar's comic books of the same name and follows an everyday man, Wesley Gibson (played by Scottish dreamboat James McAvoy), as he is recruited into a fraternity of assassins to avenge the murder of his father, who also happened to be an assassin. Luckily, the group of assassins is headed by a calm, cool and collected Morgan Freeman and his heavily tattooed second-in-command, Fox (Jolie).

Those who like fast-paced action packed (Angelina-filled) movies like Gone in 60 Seconds and Mr. and Mrs. Smith will no doubt enjoy the high adrenaline of Wanted. This is probably a good date movie. The geeky-turned-cool action hero-ness of McAvoy will without a doubt appeal to the ladies, while the stunts and Jolie toting a gun will definitely please guys.

Wall-E
(Premieres on June 27)

Cry your eyes out at Wall-E. (Courtesy of Disney/Pixar)

A summer wouldn't be summer without a taste of Disney. Wall-E is the latest Disney/Pixar venture and features a quaint little story of a robot, which is bound to end in a way that'll make you cry happy tears (hello, Finding Nemo?).

Bring a box of Kleenex and the youngest tots you know, and sit yourself between Michael Jackson and R. Kelly for a magical Disney time!

Hancock
(Premieres on July 2)

With so many celebrities going to rehab these days, it was only a matter a time before someone made a movie superhero take a stab at rehab too. That hero is John Hancock (Will Smith), a local L.A. hero who doesn't understand the responsibility of his powers until a stint in rehab and jail wake him up and transform him into a superhero ready to "do good."

Funnyman Jason Bateman also stars in this movie as a corporate P.R. consultant whose life is saved by Hancock and who, in turn, wants to help Hancock out. And don't worry, this movie isn’t just one big sausage fest. The glamorous Charlize Theron plays Bateman's skeptical but hot wife.

Word is that if Hancock debuts at No. 1, this would be Smith's eighth No. 1 box office hit, making him the reigning hit-maker in Hollywood.

The Dark Knight
(Premieres on July 18)

Batman is back! Crime has skyrocketed in Gotham City and it's all because of a new villain on hand, the Joker.

The Joker was one of Ledger's last roles. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Christian Bale returns to don the black and Michael Cain is back as his butler, Alfred. The late Heath Ledger portrays a very creepy and sadistic Joker, and Aaron Eckhart rounds out the cast as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

Not too much about this episode in the Batman saga is revealed in trailers, which is a good thing, except that the movie promises to be slick, action-packed and unlike the third installment of last summer's Spiderman, well-acted.

Mamma Mia!
(Premieres on July 18)

Riding on the coattails of other successful Broadway-to-big-screen hits, Dreamgirls and last summer's musical blockbuster Hairspray, Mamma Mia! brings the hits of ABBA to the stage.

With an all-star cast, Mamma Mia! tells the story of Sophie (Mean Girls' Amanda Seyfried), who is about to be married in Greece. However, there's a bit of a problem: Her mother (Meryl Streep) was a bit of a whore and Sophie's father could be one of three men. So Sophie invites all of them to her wedding and, naturally, mayhem ensues.

Mamma Mia! will no doubt be a crowd pleaser. With a chance to see Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth dance and sing to ABBA songs, the movie's bound to be a bit hilarious to say the least.

Step Brothers
(Premieres on July 25)

Get ready to laugh your pants off at Step Brothers. (Courtesy of Sony Pictures)

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are back in one of the summer's big comedies as two grown men, still living at home, become stepbrothers. At first, they hate each other, pulling pranks on each other while having to share a room. But then they realize that they actually have a lot in common (namely, immaturity) and team up to become the ultimate stepbrother duo!

Ferrell rarely ever disappoints in a comedic role; same goes with Reilly, so be prepared for nonstop laughs with this one.

X-Files: I Want to Believe
(Premieres on July 25)

Mulder? Scully? The X-Files is back, and this time in theaters. And since Sex and the City recently translated so well from the boob tube to the big screen, there's a good chance that the X-Files will also sit well with die-hard fans of the Emmy Award winning series.

The movie is based on the same premise as the show and follows FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they try to solve a thriller/horror mystery involving an old man and his visions.

That's pretty much all that's been revealed about the movie, and producers are trying to keep the plot under wraps until the movie opens. However, it does look to be a pretty intense psychological thriller, and longtime fans of the show shouldn't be disappointed.

TOP PHOTO: Despite bad reviews, The Love Guru will still probably be one of the summer's big blockbusters. (Courtesy of Paramount Pictures)