Summer Movie Picks: July

Must See: Public Enemies (July 1)

The Deal: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeney Todd) plays the infamous American gangster, John Dillinger. The Feds, led by Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight), set out to capture Dillinger and his cohorts, including Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham, Snatch) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum, Step Up).

Why: Dillinger was America's first Public Enemy Number One, which should make for a great film. Depp and Bale rarely disappoint in their roles, and the supporting cast is quite strong as well. From the trailer, the film looks to be very exciting and chock full of suspense. The early reviews are mostly positive (somehow it is already ranked #193 on IMDb's top 250). This doesn't necessarily fit the normal summer blockbuster mold, but that's what I'm liking about it. Blockbuster's tend to lack great scripts and focus on big action, whereas this so far looks to have plenty of both.

Sleepers

Bruno (July 10): Sacha Baron Cohen's last effort, Borat, was a shocking success. Cohen does a phenominal job falling into his characters, and this film, like Borat, will focus on real life reactions to his insane antics. I thought Borat was overhyped, but it was fairly funny, and Bruno looks to be just as good if not better. The film has been hyped for many months now, and it's a certain lock to perform well in the box office.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15): Whether this gets good or bad reviews, it will make a killing in the box office (I've already ordered my midnight showing tickets). Harry Potter is as much of a sure thing as Hollywood can get. The sixth book installment is easily one of the darkest of the series, and director David Yates seems intent on keeping that mood in the film. Though the IMAX release is delayed two weeks, it boasts around 12 minutes of "exclusive" footage. Potter fanatics will most certainly be catching both cuts of the film.

Funny People (July 31): Though many comedies have boasted the Apatow name, this is the first since Knocked Up to be directed by him. It's full of plenty of familiar faces (Sandler, Rogen, Hill, Bana, Mann) from his and other popular comedies. This film looks a have a more serious edge to it, as it focuses on a terminal illness, but the laughs will still be there. It could prove to the most endearing of his films.