Looking Back at Summer, Forward to Fall

Overall, the summer was simply okay. Many franchises are now stuck in neutral (Cars 2, The Hangover 2), or crashed (Green Lantern).


Here are the highlights I'm expecting to see in some way while playing catch up on previous 2011 releases at my local art theater or on DVD:


September 9 brings the first hyped-up feel good sports film, Warrior. Because nothing says the love of family then pounding your brother in a MMA cage.

September 16th has the next further star-building block for Ryan Gosling with Drive, along with the at least curious remake of Straw Dogs.

October 7th is the premiere of Rock'Em Sock'Em Rob...I mean Real Steel, as well as another Gosling sighting with the political thriller The Ides of March. Though I do feel that Clooney's film isn't going to be as exciting as his previous directing affairs.

October 14th has the second battle of 80's remakes with The Thing and Footloose while Pedro Almodovar's latest The Skin I Live In reaches art theaters. The producers for the first two films are probably crapping bricks with what happened in August.

October 21st...another Paranormal Activity,...zzz...Red State...zzz...Three Muske...zzz...oh wait! Martha Marcy May Marlene finally comes out. Yes, more John Hawkes action and the breakthrough performance of Elizabeth Olsen.

November 11th brings the crazy auteurs with Tarsem Singh's Immortals and Lars von Trier's Melancholia. Clint Eastwood makes another boring movie with J. Edgar and...oh god, Jack and Jill comes out. Sweet Christmas!

November 25th has a massive triple threat of the peculiar Martin Scorsese film Hugo, critically acclaimed foreign film The Artist, and the long-awaited Muppets movie called The Muppets.

December 16th is only noted for the purely Oscar bait for Meryl Streep with The Iron Lady and Noomi Rapace's American debut with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I might simply just skip both.

December 23th has the heavily hyped The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake and The Adventures of Tintin. Also, there's is the gloriously great/awful sci-fi b-movie The Darkest Hour.

December 30th has Steven Spielberg Round 2 with War Horse. Sadly, sans theatrical puppets.