2007 July movies, July 2007 films

2007 Summer Movie Preview: July

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Ah, July -- the month when we seek out the dark, air-conditioned bowels of our neighborhood movie theater in an effort to flee the oppressive heat of summer. So what can you look forward to seeing between June and August? Anything that'll distract you from giggling, text-messaging kids, your legs sticking to your seat, and the 20% of your paycheck you just dropped on tickets and "refreshments"? Well, that depends on your cinematic appetite, but perhaps more than any other month this summer, July offers something for everybody -- you've got comedy, horror, action, and big-budget sequels...but why are we telling you this now? Read on!


License to Wed (Warner Bros., July 4)
Starring
: Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Eric Christian Olsen, Christine Taylor, Josh Flitter
Director: Ken Kwapis
Rating: NR

The Pitch: Ben (Krasinski) and Sadie (Moore) are newly engaged and looking forward to the wedding -- but before they can get to the altar, they'll have to pass their reverend's marriage-prep course. And since their reverend is being played by Robin Williams, that's sure to be easier said than done.
The Buzz: Moore has shown an amazing lack of sense when it comes to choosing her roles; it's getting to the point that we no longer care how cute she is. And Williams? We gave up on him long ago. John Krasinski of "The Office," however, is another story -- his presence could signify good things for the movie. Without a trailer, though, we're eyeing this one suspiciously.
Trailer Highlight: None available.
Bottom Line: Wait for the trailer. Actually, you should most likely just wait for the rental.
Official Site: N/A

Transformers (DreamWorks, July 4)
Starring
: Peter Cullen (voice), Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, Bernie Mac, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Amaury Nolasco, Kevin Dunn, Ronnie Sperling, Dane Cook
Director: Michael Bay
Rating: NR

The Pitch: Opposing teams (races? Brands? Whatever) of shape-changing robots, the Autobots and Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth in a live-action/CGI slugfest of epic proportions, Michael Bay style.
The Buzz: Like He-Man and G.I. Joe, the Transformers went away for awhile in the early '90s, but thanks to Cartoon Network and our bottomless national appetite for short-term nostalgia, they've enjoyed a resurgence during the last few years. In Bay, the film has essentially its perfect director. The cast isn't even secondary.
Trailer Highlight: Gotta be the brief, top-down shot of Optimus Prime going from big rig to humanoid interplanetary badass.
Bottom Line: Should attract every 15-to-34-year-old male in America on opening weekend, or at least enough of them to earn Bay a few more summer homes.
Official Site: http://www.transformersmovie.com/

1408 (Dimension, July 13)
Starring
: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Tony Shalhoub
Director: Mikael Håfström
Rating: R


The Pitch: A writer (Cusack) channels his grief over his daughter's death into a pursuit -- and then rejection -- of the supernatural. After hearing about a hotel room that supposedly kills people, he sets out to debunk the myth; things go downhill from there.
The Buzz: It's an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, which means it's equally likely to be great as it is to suck, but the great cast doesn't hurt, and the trailer -- although reliant on its share of clichéd bugaboos -- looks sufficiently creepy.
Trailer Highlight: "Daddy, everybody dies."
Bottom Line: If you're looking for reasons not to go, you won't find them here.
Official Site: http://www.1408-themovie.com/

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros., July 13)
Starring
: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Helena Bonham Carter, Imelda Staunton, Katie Leung
Director: David Yates
Rating: NR


The Pitch: Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is darkened by the return of Voldemort, as well as the Minister for Magic's appointment of an incompetent professor to teach Defense of the Dark Arts.
The Buzz: Director Yates hasn't done much before, but the "Potter" series has proven to be fairly bulletproof, at least in terms of commercial returns.
Trailer Highlight: Harry going all teen-angst aggro on Rickman.
Bottom Line: Never exactly a cheerful kids' tale, Harry Potter's saga takes a darker turn after the fourth installment; if your kids were disturbed by the last film, proceed with caution.
Official Site: http://www.harrypotter.com/

The Strangers (Rogue, July 13)
Starring
:
Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward
Director:
Bryan Bertino
Rating:
NR

The Pitch: Tyler and Speedman play a married couple who are terrified by masked strangers in what the synopsis refers to as a "remote suburban house." (Note to Rogue PR flacks: There's no such thing.)
The Buzz: We like Liv Tyler. We really do. But what has she done since "Chasing Beauty" or "Heavy" to indicate actual acting talent lurking beneath those lovely eyes? More importantly, when was the last time she picked a decent script?
Trailer Highlight: None available.
Bottom Line: A screamer that screams "direct to video."
Official Site: N/A

Hairspray (New Line, July 20)
Starring
: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Nicole Blonsky, Zac Efron, Allison Janney
Director: Adam Shankman
Rating: NR


The Pitch: An affectionately tacky musical about the teenagers who shake their stuff at a dance show in 1950s Baltimore.
The Buzz: New Line turned John Waters' 1988 film into a hit Broadway show a few years ago, so naturally, they're now making the show into a movie again. Luckily, the similarly-developed "The Producers" set the bar for this kind of thing so low that "Hairspray" is already an unqualified success by default. Also, those shots of Travolta in drag? Sort of amazing.
Trailer Highlight: None available.
Bottom Line: Remaking a cult classic is almost never a good idea, but what the hell -- it's gotta be better than "Battlefield Earth."
Official Site: N/A

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (Universal, July 20)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd, Nicholas Turturro, Richard Chamberlain, Ving Rhames
Director: Dennis Dugan
Rating: NR


The Pitch: A pair of firefighters (Sandler and James) enter into a sham gay marriage so one of them can...well, it's complicated, and not really important anyway. All that matters is that their "marriage" becomes big news, and in order to keep the illusion alive, Sandler and James are forced into "not that there's anything wrong with that" territory.
The Buzz: It's become difficult, if not impossible, to trust Sandler at this point; for every "Punch-Drunk Love," there's a "Click," and he's in danger of becoming a spiritual cinematic successor to Robin Williams. The setup's pretty good, though, and nothing with Buscemi involved is ever truly awful.
Trailer Highlight: God help us, the whole thing is full of laughs. Even Kevin James falling down a ladder is funny. Oh, and Jessica Biel? Never hotter.
Bottom Line: If the execution lives up to the premise, it could be one of the year's best comedies. If.
Official Site: http://www.chuckandlarry.com/

No Reservations (Warner Bros., July 27)
Starring
: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Lily Rabe
Director: Scott Hicks
Rating: PG


The Pitch: A chef (Zeta-Jones) is given custody of her niece (Breslin) after the child's mother dies; her new responsibilities -- along with the sudden introduction of a new sous chef (Eckhart) to her tightly run kitchen -- send her carefully managed life into chaos.
The Buzz: Zeta-Jones is undeniably beautiful. She's also undeniably bad at the whole rom-com thing. When was the last time you saw her generate any heat with a co-star? On the other hand, if the trailer's anything to go by, she's got chemistry with Eckhart, and Breslin, as always, is adorable.
Trailer Highlight: Bob Balaban, as Zeta-Jones' therapist.
Bottom Line: It looks decent, but we're not enthused. Call it a rental.
Official Site: N/A

The Simpsons Movie (20th Century Fox, July 27)
Starring
: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Albert Brooks
Director: David Silverman
Rating: NR


The Pitch: It's "The Simpsons." On the big screen.
The Buzz: Okay, so the bloom has been off the rose for awhile as far as the show's concerned, but its most recent seasons haven't been bad -- just not as good as what we grew accustomed to. Accordingly, while this might not be as funny -- or as lucrative -- as it might have been in the early-to-mid '90s, it's still guaranteed to be worth seeing.
Trailer Highlight: It's a tie between Flanders taking Bart to Springfield's version of Four Corners and Homer being attacked by a team of dogs.
Bottom Line: It's "The Simpsons." On the big screen.
Official Site: http://www.thesimpsons.com/

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