From now until July, Hollywood is working hard to reel our bottoms into movie theatres. They’re going full out, from adapting classic lit to remaking a super-hero film with a darker edge.
Movie makers need to see continued momentum at the box office. In 2012, movie ticket sales rose 6 percent to $10.8 billion in U.S. and Canada, driven higher primarily by moviegoers who attend once a month or more, as this report states.
This spring, as Hollywood often does, old stories are being recreated for a younger generation. See below for a slew of new films catching my eye as the upcoming movie season vies for our screen time:
The Great Gatsby
Release date: May 10
Leo DiCaprio gets the much-coveted role as Jay Gatsby in a retelling of the F. Scott Fitzgerald book you likely read in first-year university. The plot is simple enough – A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor – and most of us know the ending, but look for impressive acting from Leo and Carey Mulligan as Daisy. It’ll be interesting to see if this all-star cast wins love from the Oscar voters come late 2013.
The Kings of Summer
Release date: May 31
Three teens meet in the woods to build their own home and live off the land. Starring relative unknowns, the indie flick has Stand By Me echoes and the trailer doesn’t tell us too much…other than the kids know how to have some fun. Some family drama peppers the film, but this seems to be truly a film about kids finding themselves. I have a good feeling about this movie, but then again – Stand By Me is in my top five, so I got a soft spot for coming-of-age stories.
The Internship
Release date: June 7
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn team up once again for a wacky comedy with a twist: Two salesmen win an internship at Google, and they compete with much younger digital-savvy interns for a shot at full-time employment. As the first Google-approved film, this could be historic for us geeks, but also full of inside jokes about digital media and Net life, something we haven’t seen done with too much grace these days. Sure, Wilson and Vaughn could devolve into potty humour for 90 minutes, but I see this as an opportunity for a smart comedy film to focus on today’s Net obsessions. Also promising is the film’s director Shawn Levy, who helmed other funny flicks A Night at the Museum and Date Night.
Man of Steel
Release date: June 14
We all know Superman’s story but how will Zack Snyder retell this legendary superhero epic? By the trailer footage, it will be darker and edgier than the Christopher Reeves versions. And Henry Cavill could bring a resonating presence to Clark Kent, riding off his Tudors experience. I’ve long been tired of superhero remakes, but The Dark Knight trilogy has kept me hooked on each release, so let’s see if Man of Steel can do for Superman what Christopher Nolan did for Batman.
World War Z
Release date: June 21
Zombies and Brad Pitt. Will this be a winning combination for blockbuster success? If you read the book, you know World War Z is frustratingly difficult to adapt to the big screen, thanks to the unrelated storylines. But judging by the trailer, the battle against the zombie horde will be epic, as Earth’s human population plunges under the undead threat. Expect intense action and look for Mireille Enos as Pitt’s wife – she was excellent in The Killing, so she could outshine other actors who also play sidekick supporting roles.
