As promised, here is the second lot of the film previews for July/August time. They’re not all particularly great films, but thats probably more of a testament to the fact that the better ones have come and gone more recently more than anything else. Such as Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation, both of which I managed to see yesterday, totally spur of the moment style! Both of the films were great, and I’ll probably post my thoughts on them soon, but I’m also caught up in sorting out other stuff right now as well – internship possibilities, music stuff, more writing opportunities, etc. But, in the meantime, you can wrap your dirty great eyelids round these!
ICE AGE – DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) (Dir. Carlos Saldanha & Mike Thurmeier)
If you (or your kids, whichever) thought that the first of these films was a great original comedy animated movie, and that the humour in the second one wasn’t perhaps wearing thin or was lacking in plot at all, then you’ll likely have the right attention span to enjoy this third instalment. This sees the cast reunited once more, this time with the addition of Simon Pegg playing the part of Buck, a one-eyed dinosaur hunting weasel. Make of that what you will, but the rest of will probably only be going to see it for that cute little squirrel. Released July 1st.
LAND OF THE LOST (12A) (Dir. Brad Silberling)
I think it’s pretty fair to say that a lot of what Will Ferrell does is pretty great comedy. Anchorman and Talladega Nights were both incredibly funny and quotable, and even his more “kid-friendly” films like Elf have moments that get the adults laughing too. And Land Of The Lost looks like it might be in a very similar league! Recreating the original 1974 TV series (a-la Lost In Space style. But hopefully, better.), Will Ferrell plays Park Ranger Rick Marshall who, on his latest expedition, gets sucked through a space-time vortex with his research assistant (Anna Friel) into an alternate world full of dinosaurs and other amazing creatures. In hopes of surviving long enough to get back, they befriend a local primate Chaka so they can survive the tribes of the Lizard-like Sleestak. All of this, mixed with the classic comedy of Will Ferrell sounds like a winning combination, so anyone that likes dinosaurs and side-splitting humour will feel right at home watching this! Released July 31st.
G.I. JOE – THE RISE OF COBRA (12A) (Dir. Stephen Sommers)
The man that brought us The Mummy and Van Helsing takes himself away from the world of monsters and legends to revamp the animated show/toy line on the big screen (apparently because it “was the nearest chance he would get to making a James Bond film”). From the look of the trailers for this film, it’s got plenty of action, plenty of Sci-Fi and plenty of CGI, which means that the kids and the kids-at-heart will be firmly planted on the edges of their seats. Casting Ray Park (who also played Darth Maul) as the awesomely silent-yet-deadly Snake Eyes can’t be bad either! Released 7th August.
THE COVE (12A) (Dir. Louie Psihoyos)
Filmed using state-of-the-art equipment, The Cove follows a group of activists led by world-renowned dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry as they attempt to infiltrate a cove near Taijii in Japan in the hopes to expose a serious instance of animal abuse and a threat to human health all at once. Although this documentary does not have a set release date, it is due out at the end of July, and the trailer looks both amazing and shocking at the same time.
As Published in Listed Magazine Issue 20 and on www.listedmagazine.com
My Different Take 