Which brings me to my reason for writing today. There are a couple of movies coming out in the next two weeks, and one in September, that I am really looking forward to seeing. The first is 500 Days of Summer, in theaters this Friday, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the always adorable Zooey Deschanel. I have been anticipating this release for a long time and definitely plan on seeing it soon.

I have to make sure I get that movie in before next Friday since that is when Funny People opens, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan, as well as many, many other comedians. Normally, I would say that a comedy about comedians wouldn’t work well but this looks like it will. It seems like it has quite a bit of heart and I can’t wait to laugh my ass off at this one too.

And lastly, in September I will be catching Matt Damon in The Informant!. (The ! is in the film title, I am not that excited to see it!) I don’t think I have seen Damon in a comedy since Stuck On You, which was no treat to watch. But, combine him with Steven Soderbergh and what appears to be a smart script and I am on board.

Oh wait, I am not done yet! There is one last movie I need to write about, but this time it is one I have already seen and highly recommend. In the Loop is a film done by BBC Films and is a sharp-witted, quick-paced hilarious take on politics and international relations. I know that doesn’t sound too funny but trust me, it is. It won’t be out on DVD until the end of August, but if you have other sources then you should be able to grab it now (I think you know what I mean).

I don’t really have any news to pass on, but I have been busy with bdubracing.com and so I haven’t posted in a couple of days. With Cindy’s friend, Stacey, arriving tomorrow afternoon for a visit I have a feeling that I may not post anything until after the weekend, and I didn’t want to have everyone missing me for that long.

So, if I don’t have any news to share then how am I going to fill this post? Well, I thought that I would share some movies that I am looking forward to that are coming out soon. Now, I am not a big blockbuster lover and so you may not heard of some of these, but I think I am honest when I say that I have good taste in movies and I think these will be good ones. There are a lot of movies I am anticipating, but here are a few that I took the time to bookmark to share with you…

First is The Brothers Bloom from the director of Brick, which I just recently discovered, but Bloom appears to be a completely different film. The trailer reminds me of Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic) a bit and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Rachel Weisz is in it – not sure if I have seen a bad movie by her. Oh, and I recognize a lot of the landmarks from our Prague trip, which is kind of cool.

Keeping with the comedic tone, the next one on the viewing schedule is Extract by Mike Judge, the writer and director of Office Space (a classic) and Idiocracy (a dud). Unlike Idiocracy, where he tried to create a science-fiction-like alternate world, Judge is going back to what made Office Space so good – finding comedy with normal people in a familiar environment. Plus, how can you go wrong with Jason Bateman, one of the current kings of sarcasm and dry humor? Keep your eyes peeled for the return of Ben Affleck as well!

And last, but certainly not least, is Moon by Duncan Jones, an independent movie, which is quite surprising. All I have to say is “Wow!” and “this is an independent film?” When I first saw the trailer I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey (another classic) meets Solaris, and then I read other people’s comments and they had the same thought. Of all these movies, I think Moon is the one I am looking forward to the most.

First on the list is the documentary Man on Wire. This is a bit of cheating really, as I saw this two weeks back but I haven’t got around to sharing it – and I really want to. There has been quite a bit of buzz about Man on Wire and it was on the same “The 19 Best Movies That You Didn’t See in 2008? list I mentioned in a previous post. So, I had to check it out, and you should too! What a great movie! It is probably one of the best told stories I have seen in a while and it captivated me from the very beginning, especially the cooky and endearing narrator (and subject) of the film. Add this to your must-watch list soon, you won’t regret it. I hope it doesn’t give too much away, but here is the trailer for the movie…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now, to this week’s viewings. I have been trying to catch up on some Oscar-ish movies as they are coming up on Sunday and I have had a couple of the much talked about movies queuing up. The first on the list was The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke. It was a pretty good movie and Rourke is terrific in it – which would explain his nomination for best actor. I get the feeling Pitt is going to win for Benjamin Button, but Rourke really should I think. For most people I wouldn’t say to seek out this movie, but if you want to watch someone get lost in a role and bring it to the screen then give The Wrestler a shot.

Next on the list was Frost/Nixon directed by Ron Howard – an excellent movie, as Ron Howard always seems to be able to do. His movies may not be groundbreaking but they are always entertaining, and it is easy to see why Frost/Nixon is up for best picture. The film gives the sense of a real battle between Frost and Nixon rather than an interview – a concept long gone in our 24 hour news world I suppose.

Still to watch this week I hope – Doubt, The Reader and Vicky Christina Barcelona. I have been wanting to see Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina for quite some time now but have been waiting to watch it with the little lady. Well, she watched it this week while she was on the road and so I think I will sit down with it this afternoon.

Not immediately, as it isn’t coming out until the summer, but when it does I will be seeing Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. It looks like “Kill Bill meets WWII” and I can’t wait! I am a fan of his older stuff (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill) but skipped his recent Grindhouse as it just didn’t interest me. This trailer has me on the bandwagon again though…

Click here to view the embedded video.

On a more comedic spin, I haven’t heard anything about the movie Bart Got a Room but, judging by this trailer, I think it will be comedy gold. It may actually end up being a flop, but I am going to give it a chance – even if it is to just see William H. Macy with that hair some more!

Click here to view the embedded video.

And I am done! I have some movie watching to do! Oh, but on the TV front – Survivor and The Amazing Race are back, woohoo! For those of you that enjoy anything military (you know who you are!) see if you can catch HBO’s Generation Kill. It is a new show about a recon marine unit in Iraq and it is really good and not dumbed down at all. The show is by the creator of The Wire, which was probably the best drama ever on TV, and Generation Kill appears to be another hit. After seeing the first two episodes it has been added to the repeat recording list on the PVR.

And I am out….

First, let me get to what inspired today’s ramblings – the movie “The Promotion”. A while back I had seen a trailer for the movie and was left unimpressed and with no desire to see it. Then I discovered an article on firstshowing.net titled “The 19 Best Movies That You Didn’t See in 2008″. Going over the list, I had seen and enjoyed six of them already – Charlie Bartlett, Choke, Hamlet 2, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Son of Rambow and The Wackness – and so it was evident that the author and I have similar taste in movies. To my surprise, The Promotion was on the list, having written it off already myself. I was intrigued and had to see why it made the list… and, oh boy, I was glad I did!

The Promotion isn’t the greatest film or comedy ever made, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. I usually do not like movies starring Seann William Scott due to the fact that he is usually obnoxious and over-the-top. Not the case here though. He is very likable and understated, just like the movie. There is no setup and punchline jokes, just great dry humor that makes you smile the entire time – especially the subtle accent of the Quebecker. I have been trying to figure out a couple of movies that I could relate the style to, and so far the only thing I can come up with is Office Space. Yup, I think it is good enough to be on the same level as Office Space – high praise indeed.

Having truly enjoyed this find, I decided I needed to revisit the list and check out some of the other movies. I have now added The Escapist and Let the Right One In to my future viewing list. Let the Right One In appears to be a hidden gem and is getting rave reviews all over the place – some saying it should be up for best picture and not just in the foreign category (it is a subtitled Swedish film). I am eager to check it out, but will need to be in a “reading subtitles” mood. I think I am going to add Man on Wire to the list as well, as a good documentary is needed once in a while. I also stumbled across the movie “Brick” in my research for great films and it is on the future viewing list. I will let you know how that turns out.

And now to the lighter side of the dark side. I have heard a few mentions of the movie Fanboys but never saw a trailer for it, until today! The trailer made me laugh, and I get the feeling that it isn’t one of those trailers that shows only the funniest parts and leaves nothing for the movie. I don’t think you are going to need to be a “fanboy” to enjoy this movie, but I do think you will need a little Star Wars knowledge to truly enjoy it. Anyways, my rambling should cease now as it is lunchtime, and so just enjoy the trailer…

Click here to view the embedded video.