2009 Summer Movies

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24):
This sci-fi action flick is the sequel to the 2007 Transformers movie. In it, Sam Witwicky, portrayed by Shia LaBeouf discovers the history of the Transformer machines on Earth after receiving strange visions about them. The Transformers, as depicted by the movie, are somehow related to the beginning of civilization on Earth. They are said to have existed in the times of Ancient Egypt, where a lot of the movie actually takes place. It also deals with the government trying to conceal appearances of the Transformers. The movie also stars Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson.
Public Enemies (July 1):
This
action thriller, set at the time of the Great Depression is centralized around the true story of the robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who is the ‘Most Wanted’ according to agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). Dillinger was seen as so charming that the American people did not have any sympathy for the banks he robbed because they were part of the reason the country was in Depression. Hoover, played by Billy Crudup, thinks that he can manipulate Dillinger to promote his Bureau of Investigation into what became the FBI. He portrayed Dillinger as “America’s first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis to catch him.”
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (July 1):
This
Ice Age movie is the third in the series and takes place after ‘Ice Age: The Meltdown.’ Manny, the woolly mammoth (Ray Romano) and all the other characters return to find dinosaurs that survived extinction. There are many conflicts within this movie, including romance for the saber-tooth squirrel Scrat (Chris Wedge), who is still searching for his own acorn. Also, Manny and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are expecting a baby, creating a new atmosphere. Along with all of that drama, Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) wants a family of his own, so tries to steal dinosaur eggs, putting him in a situation where he must be saved from the dinosaurs.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15):
‘Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ has already built up many high expectations. For those of you who haven’t read the books, this movie is the 6th installment in the series of 7 about a young wizard battling evil, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). It follows the young wizard throughout his sixth year at Hogwarts, in which there is a new teacher, Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Many mysterious parts of evil Lord Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) past are revealed. Along with the various threats around the corner for Harry, there is also lots of drama and romance for him at school, as for his friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). This action-packed film “is sure to leave the audience stunned and, inevitably, prove that you shouldn’t trust everybody who you think is good and also prove that not everyone can manage to survive.”
Julie and Julia (August 7):
This
drama depicts the life of renowned chef, Julia Child (Meryl Streep). It is the first major film to be based off a blog, written by Julie Powell (Amy Adams). Powell embarks on an endeavor to cook each of the 524 recipes in Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and records her conquest by way of her blog. Simultaneously, this movie covers the life of Child and her husband (Stanley Stucci) during the 1940s and 1950s when Child’s husband is accused of having “communist ties.”
The Time Traveler’s Wife (August 14):
This movie is a combination of science fiction and romance and is based off of the novel of the same name. In it, Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) has a genetic disorder that causes him to reluctantly time travel. DeTamble and his wife, Clare Abshire, played by Rachel McAdams, suffer marital problems because of the capricious quality of his time traveling. The whole movie, as well as the novel, is centralized around their love and the complexities of it.
Bandslam (August 14):
‘Bandslam’ is a musical romance/comedy that is focused on different teenagers who all have one thing in common: music. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is not what you would call the most popular kid at school. But shockingly, the popular Charlotte Banks (Alyson Michalka), a talented singer-songwriter, starts hanging out with him. Charlotte asks Will to manage her rock band because of his knowledge of music. Soon enough, the goal of the band is to win a, not surprisingly, battle-of-the-bands. Eventually, things with the band start going great and Will has a potential romance with Sam (Vanessa Hudgens). Tragedy strikes when Charlotte suffers a family disaster and quits the band. The band must then decide whether they should give up or “face the music.”
Spread (August 14):
This
sex comedy set in Los Angeles, is about the life of Nikki, played by Ashton Kutcher who has used sex to climb his way up in life. He goes through wild parties and sleeps with scores of women with everything going extremely well for him in life. He is thrown off guard, however, when he meets a beautiful waitress, Heather (Margarita Levieva) who is doing the same things he is to get money. They find themselves having to choose between love and money. ‘Spread’ focuses on the “karmic price that Nikki must ultimately pay” for living the ‘Hollywood’ lifestyle.
Inglourious Basterds (August 21):
‘Inglourious
Basterds,’ directed by highly-acclaimed Quentin Tarantino, is set during World War II, in Nazi-occupied France. The Basterds, in this film, are a group of Jewish-American soldiers that spread fear by brutally murdering Nazis. Led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), the Basterds join Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), a German actress who becomes a spy for them. At the same time, Shosanna Dreyfus, a French-Jewish girl played by Melanie Laurent, flees to Paris from the Nazis. There, she creates a new identity and eventually, converges with the Basterds to execute revenge.
simran vazirani ‘11
Some interesting