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| AMG's Summer Movie Guide By: Nicola Pioppi With so many great movies coming out this summer, how do you choose which ones to see? Here are Athena’s top picks: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian [May] [PG] This is the second installment of what we can only hope will be a completed film series based on C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. I would highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie, but the basic plot this time around is that the Pevensie children return to a changed Narnia, where, a thousand years since their last visit, an evil force in the form of King Miraz threatens the land. They join forces with Prince Caspian and the heroic mouse Reepicheep in a battle of good and evil, hoping to restore the exiled Prince Caspian to his rightful place on the throne. Aslan returns as well to awaken the magical creatures who seem to have disappeared from the land. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [May] [PG-13] Harrison Ford Reprises his role as Indiana Jones, this time with a new sidekick, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. In this installment, Jones learns from Mutt that his old archeology pal Harold Oxley has been captured by the Soviets, and is being held captive in Peru, where Oxley uncovered a mysterious crystal skull. The soviets believe this skull can unlock ancient extraterrestrial technology previously known to the Maya. Dangerous adventures ensue. Just as I would always recommend reading the book before seeing the movie, I recommend watching the original Indiana Jones trilogy. You won’t miss much if you don’t, but I think you’ ll appreciate this fourth film more if you do. The director Steven Spielberg went to great lengths to ensure that the film style remains true to the previous three movies, recording the movie on film, rather than digitally, and avoiding CGI effects, all to provide the audience with an old- school action film feel. One friend described his experience nicely: “It left me “Jones”ing for more!” If you like this film, you may also enjoy:
Kung Fu Panda [PG] Po is huge fan of Kung Fu, an unfortunate passion as his family wants him to work in their noodle shop. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, which grants him the chance of a lifetime, studying Kung Fu under the legendary Master Shifu, alongside a group known as the Furious Five: Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. The villainous snow leopard Tai Lung is planning an attack, and it is up to Po to save the day. If you like this film, you may also enjoy:
Wall-E [June] [PG] This summer’s Disney-Pixar feature film takes place thousands of years into the future; mankind has left planet Earth, but someone forgot to turn off the last robot! Wall-E (whose name is an acronym for “Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class”) has spent the past hundred or so years doing the job he was built for: cleaning up trash. Until he meets EVE, that is. EVE is a search robot, sent by the humans, who are longing to return for their home planet. EVE thinks that Wall-E has made a discovery that will make the planet habitable again, and she rushes across the universe to tell the humans. Wall-E pursues her, with his misfit robot friends and a pet cockroach in tow, and adventures are had by all. Speed Racer [May] [PG] [Also showing in IMAX Theaters] This imaginatively and colorfully CGI-ed film is based on the classic cartoon series of the same name, mostly known for its charming, if sparse, animation style (think many, many minutes of heads with barely- moving lips). Speed Racer’s brother Rex Racer died tragically in The Crucible, the cross-country car race. Royalton, the owner of Royalton Industries, makes the talented Speed a very generous offer of sponsorship, but he refuses, remaining loyal to his Mom and “Pop’s” family-run racing business. The spurned Royalton wants to make sure that Speed does not win this race, but Speed, with the help of his parents, his girlfriend Trixie, and his one-time enemy Racer X, enters the race anyway. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl [July] [PG] This full-length film is based on the newest American Girl, Kit, and her family’s struggles during the Great Depression. They live in a boarding house in Cincinatti, Ohio, where Kit, who has a passion for writing, hopes to one day see her name in the by-line of the newspaper. Maybe, with the help of her friends Sterling and Ruthie, she can. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 [August] [PG-13] Bridget, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby are parting ways again this summer in the sequel to last summer’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, based on the popular series by Anne Brashares. The movie takes place three years after the first film; this time, the story begins in the fall, as the ladies are leaving for separate colleges. Although they are apart and making new friends, they manage to keep in touch with the old. An especially great movie for graduating seniors! |
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