With spring turning quickly into summer movie time,all of the big budget films are getting ready to take their turn on the cinematic catwalk at your local multiplex.
Most of the genre focused features coming out are pretty much male centric but there are some aimed at the feminine audience as well(for better and for worse). So,let's browse through the lot assigned to the ladies and see if any of them are a real bargain for your movie going buck.
Getting a ton of advance press and good will is this upcoming weekend's major league laugh fest Bridesmaids,starring SNL alumnae Kristen Wiig(who co-wrote the screenplay) and Maya Rudolph as two life long friends whose relationship dynamic changes when one of them is going to be married and the other becomes her maid of honor.
The film was produced by Judd Apatow and has some of his other collaborators involved here,which is why the movie comes across as a Girls Can Be Gross and Funny,Too! type of deal. While it may be funny,not to mention seeing Gilmore Girls/Mike & Molly comedienne Melissa McCarthy get a nice share of screen time,I have no earthly desire to check this out. Bridesmaids may be way better than something like Sex and The City 2 yet the same off putting vibe is hitting me hard:
Another top candidate in the Raunchy Girls category for June,Bad Teacher has Cameron Diaz as the unmotivated educational professional of the title who wants to switch careers and become a gold digger. Her big plan is to entice goofy but comes from money substitute teacher Scott(Justin Timberlake)by raising enough cash to get breast implants to make her body resemble the last hot girl who dumped him.
In the meantime,she ignores the romantic overtures of nice guy gym teacher Russell(Jason Segel)and increases her rivalry with arch enemy Amy by competing for the bonus awarded to the teacher whose class achieves the highest grade point average.
Never mind the ludicrous plot for the moment and consider this question;hasn't Cameron Diaz worn out this type of film more than Violet Beauregard's famed piece of chewing gum? Yes,she can be hilarious in the right film but something tells me that not only is she going through the motions,Diaz doesn't care if we see her sweat or not as long as we pony up our dough on opening weekend. Well,this lesson plan is getting a pass from me,to the back of the line:
Things are looking a bit brighter in the Ladies of Literary Adaptation section,starting with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Based on the acclaimed novel by Lisa See,the story begins with the friendship of two young girls in 19th century China(Bingbing Li and Gianna Jun) who create a secret language in order to share their joys and sorrows in private over the years.
This bond extends even further,as a pair of their descendants connect in modern day Shanghai and try to support each other emotionally as their ancestors did. A limited theatrical release in July is planned for this film,which I hope doesn't keep it away from the wide audience that it deserves:
Author David Nicholls was granted the chance to adapt his novel One Day for the big screen,which will be out in late summer. Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess play Emma and Dexter,who first met on their graduation day from college.
For the next twenty years,they reunite once a year on that same day to share their experiences and slowly fall in love. While I didn't read the book in question(or Snow Flower and the Secret Fan either),something tells me that the comparisons to the film are going to get rough,especially since Anne Hathaway is playing a Brit again.
If the film does falter for those of you who loved the source material,try to bear in mind that the original writer did work on the script and that interest in the movie should encourage newcomers to read the book. That should give you some solace at least:
If you're more in the mood for a Gun Slinging Gal flick,your wait will be long as Columbiana won't be in theaters until early September. Zoe Saldana plays the determined hit woman out to avenge the murder of her parents by mobsters in Bogota.
Her vendetta is conducted during from the wet work done for her uncle and without any assistance from her artist boyfriend(Michael Vartan) who has no idea about the dark world that she treads in.
However,keeping all of those worlds from colliding ultimately becomes a sacrifice to be made in the name of blood justice. Saldana has grown into quite the girl power icon and this slice of action movie pie sounds like it packs one hell of a punch:
The pickings do seem slim for a good female focused film this season,yet things could be scarier on this horizon. At least we don't have any revamped remakes lurking in the wings or a supposedly giddy over bonding gal pal movies ready to pounce on the unsuspecting souls desperate to sit through anything to avoid the sweltering temperatures outside. Or have I spoken too soon...:
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