10 movies to watch this summer

[KiwiCoromandel]

Summer is coming which usually means heading to the beach or spending countless hours standing around the barbie. But with the amount of great movies coming out film buffs might be spending a lot of the summer days indoors.

The push for Oscar nominations begins around this time and this year is no exception with an abundance of must-see films.

In no particular order here are ten films you should keep an eye out for in the movie guides this summer:

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THE DEPARTED - Out October 12.....

Going by the cast and the director, The Departed should have Oscar buzz all over it. Martin Scorsese's latest film sees two men (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) play undercover moles in the Boston State Police department and the Irish mafia.

Based on the huge Hong Kong hit Infernal Affairs it has a massive cast and promises plenty of action and suspense.

Jack Nicholson plays the head of the mafia and it looks like he's back to his best after taking recent poor roles in Something's Gotta Give and Anger Management.

With so many big names it should deliver the goods but Scorsese did fall short in Gangs of New York so a massive hit is no guarantee.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

ALLTHE KINGS MEN - November 16....

Remake of the 1949 film, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Robert Penn Warren. The original film won an Oscar for best picture and the latest version has a stacked cast.

With names like Sean Penn (Oscar winner), Jude Law (Oscar nominee), Anthony Hopkins (Oscar winner), Kate Winslet (Oscar nominee), Patricia Clarkson (Oscar nominee), James Gandolfini (Emmy winner) and up and comer Mark Ruffalo, there certainly is no lack of on-screen talent.

But the plot sounds a bit dull. It's a political drama based on the life of populist politician Willie Stark and follows his rise and corruption as he runs for governor of Louisiana.

Doesn't sound too exciting but neither did Capote and critics loved it.

Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson, James Gandolfini and Mark Ruffalo.

Directed by Steven Zaillian (Writer of Schindler's List, Gangs of New York, The Interpreter)

THE BLACK DAHLIA - November....

After making instant classics Carrie and Scarface director Brian De Palma seemed untouchable but since then he has been the object of ridicule and one of the most hated directors in Hollywood after a series of flops including Snake Eyes, Mission to Mars and Femme Fatale.

His chance for redemption is The Black Dahlia, a murder mystery based on a famous unsolved Hollywood murder in 1947.

Josh Hartnett plays a detective that follows the murder case of Elizabeth Short, a struggling actress that became famous and dubbed the The Black Dahlia due to her brutal murder.

He follows a conspiracy throughout the police department that the murder may have been a covered up and faces the usual pitfalls and obstacles when digging too deep.

Like The Departed and All the Kings Men, it has a solid cast with Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhart but early reviews have been mixed.

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart

Directed by Brian De Palma.

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS - October 26....

The war movie drought is over. Flags of Our Fathers is based on the four Marines and a sailor who feature in the famous flag raising photo at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

The film has a relatively unknown cast but has one of films biggest names directing it in Clint Eastwood and was penned by Crash director Paul Haggis.

Looking down the cast list most of the main characters are played by young actors such as Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Jamie Bell and Paul Walker but Eastward has also thrown in a few war film veterans with Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) and Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers).

Not since Band of Brothers in 2001 has a decent war story been told and that was only released on the TV screen. Hopefully Flags of Our Fathers is worth the wait.

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Ken Watanabe, Jamie Bell, Paul Walker.

Directed by Clint Eastwood.

BABEL - TBA....

Brad Pitt takes a break from shooting bad guys alongside girlfriend Angelina Jolie and robbing casinos alongside boyfriend George Clooney to act in an indie type film for once.

Babel revolves around the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents when a Moroccan boy accidently shoots an American tourist while testing a rifle in the desert.

It's a intertwined story, much like Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, involving an American couple (Pitt and Cate Blanchett), a rebellious deaf Japanese teen, a Mexican nanny and two American children. Most of the characters never meet but despite that, they have an affect on each other's lives.

Won the directing prize at the Cannes Film Festival for filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams).

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries)

STRANGER THAN FICTION - TBA....

Two words that make me interested straight away in a film are Will Ferrell.

But unlike Talladega Nights, Anchorman or Old School this is the serious Will Ferrell, as in the one that acted in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda.

But still it's Will Ferrell, and he stars in Stranger Than Fiction which sounds very much like a wacky Charlie Kaufman script.

Ferrell plays an IRS auditor, who unbecomingly to him, is the main character in a novel written by Emma Thompson's character.

When Ferrell starts to hear Thompson narrating his every move and talking about is imminent death, he tries to track her down before she writes his death.

Sounds strange but watch the preview, it looks great.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah.

Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball).

CHILDREN OF MEN - October 19....

"It's 2027 and humans can no longer procreate". Sounds pretty spooky but that is the premise for science fiction film Children of Men.

Clive Owen plays a former activist that agrees to help out his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) in transporting the world's only pregnant woman to a sanctuary where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

It's set in a depressing Great Britain, which has no citizens over the age of 18 and is ruled by a police state.

Sounds a bit out there and you don't know what to expect from a director whose two main films are a Harry Potter movie and the controversial And Your Mother Too.

Science fiction can be a tough genre to crack as last year's The Island proved. But Children of Men has a stronger cast and received good reviews at the Venice Film Festival.

Starring:

Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, And Your Mother Too)

HOLLYWOODLAND - TBA....

The Black Dahlia isn't the only Hollywood murder mystery this summer, Hollywoodland is based on the death of actor George Reeves.

Ben Affleck plays Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TV's Adventures of Superman, who was found dead in his Hollywood home in 1959.

A single gunshot wound to the head suggested suicide and a private detective played by Adrien Brody tries to find out the truth behind Reeve's death.

He digs dirt where he shouldn't be digging as he finds that the MGM CEO may have something to do with the death.

Directorial debut for Allen Coulter, known for his work on The Sopranos and Sex and the City. Hopefully for his sake it's more Tony Soparano than Carrie Bradshaw.

Starring: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins.

Directored by Allen Coulter

THE FOUNTAIN - October 12....

Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain follows a man (Hugh Jackman) who finds eternal life and uses it to try and save the woman he loves.

Sounds like a sappy love story but going by the preview it looks very unique and has impressive graphics - as it moves from the 16th century, to the 21st century then to the 26th century.

Originally Brad Pitt was signed on as the lead role but he pulled out which delayed production.

Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, famous for making cult classic drug film Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain has been described as an intelligent watch, which may explain the boos at the end of the first press showing.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and New Zealand's own Cliff Curtis

Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream)

BORAT: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - TBA....

There is a hint of irony that the film with one of the cheapest budgets on the list has had the most publicity.

Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G) plays Borat, a Kazakhstani TV reporter who he made famous on the Ali G Show.

Borat visits the United States to do a report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson.

The film has caused plenty of controversy with the Kazakhstan government calling for it to be banned throughout the world.

If you are a fan of Ali G this will be a must-see but if you are new to the workings of Borat your laughs may be less louder then others.

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Pamela Anderson.

Directed by Larry Charles.

source:STUFF/Cameron McMillan

images:STUFF/supplied