Summer Movies Worth Leaving Town For

Every summer Hollywood bombards viewers with sequels, remakes, and CGI-fueled action. But let’s be honest, most of the movies stink. And when you live in a city like Moorpark, without its own movie theater, driving all the way out of town to pay around $10 of your hard-earned money for a lousy film just adds insult to injury.

Here is a list of movies that have the potential to stand out from the crowd and actually earn your movie-going dollar. Most of these films will play in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, some of them you might have to seek out.

Click the titles to see a trailer of each film.

Thor, May 6

Someone gave Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Sleuth)  $150 million and told him to make a movie about Norse Mythology? Sweet. The buzz has been soft on this Marvel production, but the early reviews have been strong. Branagh is an honest to G-d auteur with a unique and sophisticated sense of tone and pacing and more importantly, all 11 of his previous films have been about characters before spectacle. This is the kind of film that could blow open the doors for a whole new type of comic book movie, just what that bloated, redundant genre needs.

The Beaver, May 6 (Limited, playing in LA)

Say what you will of Mel Gibson’s troubled personal life, the man is an extremely gifted actor and a tremendous artistic force. Here, he plays a man who attaches a beaver puppet to his hand as a form of radical therapy, much to the chagrin of his family. And while the premise might seem more befitting of a Will Ferrell vehicle, word is that the script is actually quite heartfelt and dark. Jodie Foster co-stars and returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 1995’s Home for the Holidays.

Bridesmaids, May 13

Every summer there is one sleeper comedy that comes out of nowhere and plays for months. With a cast filled with very funny women including Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne, this Judd Apatow produced film likely earned its R-rating and looks to be the least annoying movie centered around a wedding since The Hangover.

The Tree of Life, May 27 (Limited, playing in L.A.)

It’s always a big deal when Terrance Malick (Badlands, The Thin Red Line) decides to make a movie. Not only does he tend to take near decade-long breaks between each film, he often shoots for months on end and then tinkers with the footage in editing for years. The end result, however, is always worth the wait. His latest opus, The Tree of Life, details the complicated personal lives of a father and son, played by Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, over the course of both men’s lives. Also, it apparently has dinosaurs? This is a film sure to be filled with spectacle that reflects the soul instead of mind numbing explosions.

Super 8, June 10

I have no idea what Super 8 is, and that’s part of what excites me. This film isn’t a remake. It isn’t a sequel. It isn’t based on a theme park ride or a board game or a novel or a comic book. It’s an original. The early trailers promise a monster movie, but the early word is that it also touches on Stand by Me territory. And while writer/director J. J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) is notorious for creating marketing campaigns that are better than the movies they advertise, something in my gut tells me that this one will be a winner.

Transformers 3 July 1

Okay. So, Michael Bay hasn’t really made a “good” film in a very long time and Shia LaBeouf isn’t exactly the best leading man in Hollywood and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is maybe the single worst movie of the last decade, if not longer. But damnit, just look at that trailer! It just looks so cool. I might even spring for the 3D surcharge.

Horrible Bosses July 8 (No trailer available)

The other major comedy contender of the summer, (The Hangover Part II looks like a real dog), Horrible Bosses, tells the story of three men who plan to murder their higher ups at work. Who can’t relate to that premise? With a massive cast include Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Collin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston this long-in-development laugher stands a chance to make gallows humor play big. Let’s just hope for an R-rating.

Winnie the Pooh July 15

While it might seem like lithe kid’s stuff, the Winnie the Pooh books are actually filled with deeply moving sentiments that hold valuable life lessons for all ages. Though there have been a slew of movies in recent years about the 100 Acre Wood, none of them have actually focused on Pooh himself. If done right, this could be a movie like Up, something  that makes you cry while your little one laughs. And who doesn’t miss seeing traditional animation on the big screen?

Crazy, Stupid, Love July 29

A midlife crisis comedy starring Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore. I don’t know too much about this film to be honest. What I do know is that screenwriter Dan Fogelman has been selling screenplays for seven-figures left and right for the last year or so without reducing things to typical high-concept tropes. He recently signed a deal to direct his first feature while also getting a whopping $3-million dollars for the script, which is simply unheard of for a writer making the transition to a director. There must be something here and I look forward to finding out what it is.

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark Aug. 12

Here is another film I’ve been avoiding information on. Produced and co-written by Guillermo del Toro, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark features one of the scariest trailers I have ever seen. Honestly, the two-and-a-half minutes of footage I saw from this film were more unsettling than any American horror film of the last several years. And Guy Pierce hasn’t headlined a loser since 2002’s The Time Machine remake.