SUMMER MOVIES - Toy Story, Inception, etc

Hollywood is worried because box office takings are down so far this summer and some movies they expected to bring home the bacon, have failed to set the world alight (Prince of Persia, Robin Hood, and Sex and the City 2, which got some of the worst reviews in recent history). And then, this weekend, along comes two 80s remakes with a surprising result - The Karate Kid beating The A-Team at the US Box office.

Given that I've spent the start of the summer relocating to a new city, I've only been to the cinema once in recent months - to see Kick Ass (***) which was an enjoyable alt-superhero film. But over the next month or so there are a few movies which I'm really excited about seeing, and others which are sure to reverse the box office trend of the summer so far.

Toy Story 3

Toy Story is the benchmark against which all modern animations are measured. It was so good when it hit our screens 15 years ago, that many people didn't want them to make a sequel. But then along came Toy Story 2 - arguably the best follow-up since The Godfather Part II. So of course a third movie was inevitable. But it's been a full 11 years since the second installment, which means they must have put care and attention into it. The film has 15 new characters joining the original 12 toys including Lots O'Huggin' Bear and Mr Pricklepants, as Andy, owner of the toys donates them to a day care centre when he moves to college. It has to be brilliant, right?

Inception

The film I'm most excited about bar none! Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors in the business, making two of my favourite films of the past decade in The Prestige and Memento, and proving he could handle a big money blockbuster with The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Now there is a cloak of secrecy around the plot for his latest film - which seems from trailers to be kind of Matrix-like, where the lead character, played by Leonardo Di Caprio is able to control things with his mind. It's generating a big buzz - DiCaprio says he's enjoying the secrecy. All he would say is, "it reminded me of Memento - but on steroids". Need I say more. Cannot wait!!!

The Expendables

Now, big action flicks are not normally my thing. But this looks like it could be worth catching. All of the budget was clearly spent on the cast, so the plot and effects may turn out to be paper-thin. But who can resist a movie starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnie Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li and Jason Statham. It's like every bad action movie rolled into one. So bad it has to be good, right?

Grown Ups

This could be utter rubbish or very funny. The trailers make it look like good old-fashioned family comedy, with a group of school friends reuniting after 30 years apart for a weekend. If the Expendables is a who's who of action, then this movie's cast is a comedy who's who: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Kevin James and Salma Hayek.