Those Hazy Flicks of Summer

By Valerie López

The doldrums of this sour economy had many pinching pennies, but it's not keeping audiences away.

Like the days of the Great Depression, people still find solace at the movies. Even with home video and illegal downloads eroding box office numbers, theaters still offer an affordable distraction. Add trends such as digital 3D, which keeps bringing a steady flow of movie goers coming, even with slightly higher ticket prices.

This summer should be very good for business but there's not that much excitement about any of them. This season's most notable offerings include big action flicks, literary adaptations and animation galore. Unlike previous summers there are fewer sequels but lots of remakes.

Ahead is a selection of what's coming to Boricua screens this summer. All these titles have local release dates.

“The Taking of Pelham 123” (June 11): This is take three of the 1973 thriller by Morton Freedgood. Made into a 1974 movie starring Walter Mathau and Robert Shaw (“Jaws”), it was remade for television in 1998 with Edward James Olmos. This one pairs John Travolta and Denzel Washington in a tale of hijackers who take a New York subway train, and threaten to kill one passenger every hour unless they get $1 million. How can this 36-year-old premise translate in a post-9/11 world?

Not to mention, a $1 million ransom is peanuts these days. Even with Washington and Travolta, helmed by action guru Tony Scott, it feels like a train wreck.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 25): Two summers ago, “Transformers” made over $300 million at the box office, so the sequel was a given. The plot? Who cares! More fighting between the Transformers and the Decpticons with pretty people caught in the middle. Don't expect a good story, just stunning CGI effects and the beautiful mugs of Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel. What else do you want? It's a Michael Bay movie. Enough said.

“My Sister's Keeper” (June 25): Based on the best seller by Jodi Picoult, this weepie casts Cameron Díaz, Alec Baldwin, and Abagail Bresslin in the tale of a girl who seeks legal emancipation after learning she was conceived as a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister. Soccer moms: leave the husband and the kids at “Transformers 2” and go next door to watch this one. That is, if you watch Lifetime Movie Network, which is where you'll probably see this in about two years.

“Public Enemies” (July 2): Michael Mann might redeem himself with this gangster tale that is, so far, one of the most buzzworthy flicks this season. Christian Bale plays FBI agent Melvin Purvis, who targets the most notorious gangsters in Prohibition era Chicago , particularly John Dillinger (Johnny Depp). Channing Tatum (“Step Up”), Billy Crudup and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard round up the cast.

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (July 2): This tired animated franchise is treading in the steps of the worn-out “Shrek” movies. Dreamworks is still trying to catch up with Pixar and they won't do it with this. Might be a good choice to cool down the kids and keep them still for a couple of hours. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”) return for “Ice Age's” third outing.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (July 23): The beloved boy wizard treads into increasingly darker territory. This time Harry finds a mysterious book belonging to the “Half-Blood Prince.” The search for the prince leads him to learn more about evil Lord Voldermont's past. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are back, along with director David Yates and original scribe Steve Kloves, who penned most of the Harry Potter scripts.

“G-Force” (July 30): Chihuahuas are so passé. It's the year of the guinea pig, at least as far as Disney is concerned. “G-Force” centers on a group of guinea pigs that try to save the world from an evil billionaire. From what I hear, the film does not offer much beyond some cute and cuddly critters scurrying around while spitting clichés with the voices of Nicolas Cage, Will Arnett and Penélope Cruz. In other words, más de lo mismo.

“Funny People” (July 30): Before you say “not another Judd Apatow frat humor movie,” do give this film a bit more credit. Adam Sandler stars as a terminally-ill comedian who takes a young performer (Seth Rogen) on tour as his opening act. Although it may look like a budding bromance, the buzz is this story goes beyond “I Love You Man” territory, blending a little bit more realism into the relationships. That's a good thing. These movies were getting old.

With big blockbusters such as “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” J.J. Abrams' rebooting of “Star Trek,” “Terminator: Salvation” and “Da Vinci Code” prequel “Angels & Demons,” opening in May, it appears most studios cashed their blue chips early. But audiences will still come. Just wait for those checks from President Obama's reintegro to come in and let's go to the movies. I'll be pinching pennies ‘till then.

—Valerie López