Spring Movie Preview: 10 Films for Spring Pt. 2

Ah, here we go. Five movies to really look forward to these next couple of months. If you didn’t see the first half of my top ten, click the link.

I think at least three of these movies will be very good. Not just good, very good. Can’t exactly say which ones although I could figure. Either way, I feel unusually good about this spring line-up as compared to springs past.

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5. Hot Tub Time Machine (Mar. 26)

The Word: If any comedy this year has a chance at capturing even half the success of The Hangover, it’s the new time-travel comedy Hot Tub Time Machine from the writers of Sex Drive and Accepted director Steve Pink. For starters, outside of John Cusack it assembles a known but low-key cast with Craig Robinson (supporting role in every comedy you’ve seen in the last two years), Rob Corddry (the guy with one line in dozens of comedies) and Sex Drive co-star Clark Duke. The four friends travel to a ski resort and out of boredom, use a hot tub that happens to be a time machine. A time machine that takes them back to 1986.

My Thoughts: I’ll be the first to admit I’m a sucker for time travel movies. The humorous situations are endless. That aside, I think this unlikely group of four guys could make the comedy work. Robinson is always funny and Corddry can pull of the foul. Cusack is the glue and Duke the wildcard. With Spring Break placement, this movie is sure to do well for the ailing MGM. I’ve posted the link to the Red Band trailer which is much funnier than the all-audiences Green Band one. (View Trailer)

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4. Clash of the Titans (Apr. 2)

The Word: Now, it’s greek mythology’s turn. After 300, nothing Greek or Roman or Mythology related was out of the question. In fact it was a natural progression to go here as many people like mythology and the new generation of CGI hadn’t gone there yet. Clash of the Titans was a fast-tracked project for Warner Bros that garnered a lot of attention, like “who is this Sam Worthington guy and why is everyone casting him as the star of their huge action movie?” After the success of Avatar, it looks pretty genius. Worthington plays the hero Perseus, slayer of Medusa. The remake comes at the hands of Transporter and The Incredible Hulk (the Edward Norton one) director Louis Leterrier.

My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this film, but I know for sure that the action will be top-notch and engrossing. I was a huge fan of Leterrier’s version of The Hulk in terms of pure action and caring about the characters. I trust he will make “Titans” an exciting film with help from Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as rival brothers Zeus and Hades. The one thing rubbing me the wrong way is the “unleash the kraken!” bit. I’m tired of seeing the kraken in like every movie and I feel that line was the same one used in “Pirates 2.” (View Trailer)

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3. Green Zone (Mar. 12)

The Word: Matt Damon re-teams with Bourne series director Paul Greengrass for a similar thriller about an army officer on a mission to find weapons of mass destruction. Naturally coming up empty, he searches for answers as to why and learns of some foul play. He then goes rogue and the US tries to track him down. The script is from Oscar-winner Brian Helgeland, whose most relevant of many impressive credits are L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Man on Fire.

My Thoughts: I have a feeling there are a lot of casual movie fans out there that took one look at Matt Damon in some kind of foreign espionage thriller and sad “they’re just trying to be like another Bourne movie.” Well, you could criticize Green Zone that way, but considering this film is also directed by Paul Greengrass, no one’s trying anything. They made this movie instead of another “Bourne.” And if they made another “Bourne” together, everyone would be pumped up for it. Same creative team people, so get excited about the action and thrilling tempo Green Zone will surely have because Greengrass is one of the best. (View Trailer)

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2. Alice in Wonderland (Mar. 5)

The Word: This spring’s most highly anticipated film by far is Disney’s 3D retelling of the classic Lewis Carroll books, Alice in Wonderland. As the first made-for-3D film since Avatar, it will be interesting to see just how much “Alice” can light up the box office. Not that it’ll matter because every major film is thinking “can we do 3D too?” at this point anyway, but the longevity of the medium is at stake. How long will it still be novel and mesmerizing? The creative team of Time Burton and Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) collaborate for the umpteenth time to bring a bit more quirkiness to Wonderland’s many already quirky creatures.

My Thoughts: Early reviews are getting mixed reactions on Rotten Tomatoes, with every critic responding differently to the busy visual wonderment Burton has cooked up. Some say it’s his best in years, some say his worst. Hard to make anything of that, but as long as it’s better than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I will be okay with going to see it. 3D would be a must considering it was made that way. (View Trailer)

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1. Kick-Ass (Apr. 16)

The Word: For superhero fans, the buzz for Mark Millar’s (Wanted) simultaneous film and graphic novel Kick-Ass goes back to Comic Con where early footage wowed audiences with a one-two punch of great action and hilarity. Lionsgate won the huge bidding war over the film and scheduled it for mid-April where it stand to do well after “Titans” fades. The story is of a kid (Aaron Johnson) who decides you don’t need powers to put on a suit and fight crime. He inspires a couple other heroes: Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) plays the bad guy. The film is directed by the underrated Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust).

My Thoughts: Everything about Kick-Ass does it for me from superheroes to Vaughn directing to Moretz, who I enjoyed as the little sister in (500) Days of Summer. She’s actually the only kid actress I’ve liked in a long time. Superhero humor/action is a combo that was only a matter of time and that will give Kick-Ass the freshness it needs. I’ve attached a much better trailer than the theatrical one. Foul language and brutal violence is just what this film needs rather than the theatrical trailer which sells it as a pre-teen movie. (View Trailer)

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Tomorrow I’ll give you the other handful of films that didn’t quite make it on my list but are worth keeping an eye on.