Summer Movie Releases - 8/7/09

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

They won’t even have to change the title for the porno version of this. Early bad buzz is slowly turning into “great summer escapist” nonsense. Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marlon Wayans star.



Cold Souls

Paul Giamatti has his soul extracted to help him deliver a stage performance but must travel to Russia when it’s sold without his permission. Someone (first-time writer-director Sophie Barthes) was obviously inspired after watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich back to back. Of course, if you’re going for a rip-off, might as well go from the best. Giamatti isn’t nearly as good or as strange as Malkovich, but there might be enough weirdness and cleverness here to make it work. In limited release.


Julie & Julia

After the pretty good Doubt, Meryl Streep (Julia Child) and Amy Adams star in 2 separate stories (like The Hours) about cooking. Nora Ephron tries to fuse 2 different true stories into a coherent film. Good luck! Streep’s said to be excellent, but when hasn’t she been?





A Perfect Getaway

A honeymooning couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) roughing it in Hawaii run across some frightened backpackers who tell them of some honeymooners who were just murdered. Who are the bad guys? Who can you trust? Who cares?




Shorts

Robert Rodriguez hasn’t made a watchable film in over 10 years, and his “kids” films have been unbearable. A rainbow ball falls from the sky and grants wishes to whoever is holding it. No doubt there’s a message (to be happy with what you have) beaten to death in the closing minutes.





Paper Heart


Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) travels cross country to find love in this pseudo-documentary. Michael Cera co-stars. Not if it was the last film on earth.