When it comes to movies, August is a strange mix of late summer and early fall- perfectly exemplified by this crop of movies I've chosen, which include actioners left over from the summer months, and the first bunch of forgettable-but-still-good fall films.
Friday, August 3rdTotal Recall
A remake of the popular 1990 flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger, this version scraps the Mars subplot and sticks to futuristic, action-packed fights and chases. Colin Farrell plays a man unhappy with his life who goes to a virtual-reality place to get some excitement, and ends up discovering that all of his memories are false. His wife is not really his wife, but an assassin assigned to kill him if he ever steps out of line. Kate Beckinsale co-stars (in a role originated by Sharon Stone), as does Jessica Biel as his ally.
Friday, August 10th
The Bourne Legacy
Just call it Bourne Without Bourne. For the fourth entry in the blockbuster franchise, we meet a new Treadstone agent named Aaron Cross, who is suddenly targeted for assassination by the people he works for. Moving away from the Jason Bourne storyline (and the star power of Matt Damon) is a tricky move, but the film looks just as intense and exciting as the original trilogy. This is clearly the studio wanting to make more money off of a popular brand name, while trying to make the continuing storyline look graceful, or at least not awkward. My attitude is the same as it was with The Amazing Spider-Man: I'm against the idea, but if you're gonna do it, at least do it well.
Jeremy Renner will finally become a full-fledged star with the leading role in this film (and his second big hit of the summer, after The Avengers). Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton co-star, alongside returning cast members Joan Allen and Albert Finney.
I feel I also have to mention The Campaign, a hilarious-looking comedy with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival candidates in a local campaign for Congress. Obviously Bourne is the more headline-grabbing movie, but if you're in the mood for comedy instead of action, this is your best bet.
Friday, August 17thThe Expendables 2
Following the success of the 2010 hit, Sylvester Stallone returns with an ensemble of burly (and mostly older) men to continue shooting things, punching things, and making things blow up. I wasn't a big fan of the original (too dumb), but the formula works, so it was exactly the kind of movie that demanded a sequel. Returning cast members include Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture; new cast members include Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain, Chuck Norris (!), and Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games). Bruce Willis and (drumroll please!) Arnold Schwarzenegger expand on their cameos from the first film to get in on the action here.
Friday, August 24th
Premium Rush
The world's first bicycle thriller...at least, so far as I'm aware. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (so good in The Dark Knight Rises) plays a bike messenger in Manhattan who gets stopped by a disgruntled customer wanting his package back, then has to run for his life after refusing to give the package up. That's pretty much the whole plot right there- if you want to know more, just see the movie!
Friday, August 31st
Lawless
Originally toted as an Oscar-bait film, this is being released a little too early to gain any real attention, and so is probably not stellar. (I'm betting that most people reading this have not heard of this film.)
It follows three bootlegging brothers in the South during the Great Depression as they face off against the corrupt police force. In an interesting bit of casting, Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf play two of the brothers. (The third is played by character actor Jason Clarke.) Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce play the bad guys, while Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska play the love interests.
That's it for this month, so I'll see you later this fall.
