JULY RELEASES WORTH SEEING

July 2nd
The Girl Who Played With Fire
This is the second film from "the Millennium Trilogy," based on the novels of the same name. These films have already come out in their native Sweden, and have become massive hits, financially and critically. In the first novel/film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a decade old cover-up was finally resolved. In Fire, the story continues with protagonists Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) tracking down the real culprits behind a series of murders that Salander is framed for. I've read the first two novels, and seen the first film. The adaptations are long, but extremely loyal to their original material. For those that shy away from foreign films, this is indeed in Swedish with English subtitles.



July 9th
Predators
This sequel of sorts to Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990) is produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimrod Antal. Adrien Brody (The Pianist, The Brothers Bloom), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix Trilogy), Alice Braga (Red Belt, I Am Legend), Topher Grace (Traffic, Spider-Man 3) and Danny Trejo (about every film since 1985) star as various killers who are kidnapped from Earth and transported to the Predator home world, where they try to defy the odds and remain alive against insurmountable alien hordes. The first Predator was outstanding, the second was okay as well. It was only after Alien vs. Predator (2004), and AVP: Requiem (2007) when the series really shit the bed. The one saving grace is that all the films have never shied away from an 'R' rating from the MPAA, so expect plenty o' gore.



Winnebago Man
This documentary follows the search for Jack Rebney, nicknamed "The Angriest Man in the World." A few decades ago Rebney was a spokesman for a winnebago company, and through a series of profanity laced outtakes on VHS, he slowly developed a following. When the internet, and later youtube took off, his celebrity grew, except Rebney knew nothing of it, as he had exiled himself away from civilization. Director Ben Steinbauer investigates the origin of the tapes, and hopefully the reason for Rebney's celebrated rage.



The Kids Are Alright
This comedy centers around a lesbian couple Nic (Annette Bening), and Jules (Julianne Moore) with two kids conceived by artificial insemination. The children played by Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terrabithia) have hopes of meeting their biological father, which brings Paul (Mark Ruffalo) into their lives. Ruffalo is one of the best character actors working at the moment, and with Bening and Moore involved, the delivery should be spot-on. From the trailer, it seems that a burgeoning relationship between Paul and Jules takes place, which will lead, I imagine, to hilarity and then sadness, then back to hilarity. Still, this idea is a modern interpretation of the romantic comedy



July 16th
Kisses
This Irish release focusses on two children, Kylie (Kellie O'Neill), and Dylan (Shane Curry) who run away from their destructive homes during Christmas and spend one night of magic and terror on the inner-city streets of Dublin, says IMDB. I saw this beautiful trailer in front of Winter's Bone last week and was entranced from the beginning.



Inception
The big one for the summer, and easily the most anticipated release of the last, and future few months. Christopher Nolan's latest is about the art of extracting information and/or secrets from people's dreams. In the film, Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) must cause an "inception" which involves the planting of an idea, instead of the removal of one. Nolan's filmography, although small, is nonetheless incredibly impressive: Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight. Lately, Nolan has compiled a large, international cast, and Inception is no different. Along with DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt (500 Days of Summer), Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai), Ellen Page (Juno), Tom Hardy (Bronson), Dileep Rao (Avatar) and Michael Caine (the last three Nolan pictures) all star in what will surely be the biggest blockbuster of the year. I'm sure by now you've all seen the many television spots showcasing the spectacular visuals, but what sets Nolan apart is his talent as a storyteller. The truth is, Nolan could film a room full of babies crying and I would happily watch it.



July 30th
I Love You Phillip Morris
Long struggling to find a distributor due to its explicit gay sexual content, Phillip sadly had to be re-edited before showing itself on screens. It premiered at Sundance in 2009, and has been shown in various countries to high praise. It tells the story of Steven (Jim Carrey), a seemingly happily married police officer who gets into an accident and afterwards begins to live life as his true self: a gay man. He eventually finds himself in jail, where he almost instantly falls in love with a fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). The film is actually based on true events, chronicling the life of real life con man Steven Jay Russell. I've long been an advocate of Carrey's work, more specifically his dramatic turns. While getting his start exhibiting the crudest material imaginable; first on television's In Living Color, and later on the Ace Ventura films, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber et al. He gave underrated performances in The Man on the Moon, and The Truman Show; Phillip seems to be a combination of the two.