Movie Studio Draft - Summer Releases

Time for season two and summer blockbuster time. Is it time to get out some tentpoles and rake in the dough or buck tradition and eschew special effects in favor of smarter alternative programming? Your studio, so you decide.

Also, for the poll, I took what would I thought would be the highest profile film from each studio, Proyas gets two this round. If you vote for other, please list which movie your choice would be. You know....just so we know.

have at it.

Big Top Buddy
Comedy, US, Rated PG-13
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Directed By: Spike Jonze
Written By: Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville
Starring: Adam Sandler as Buddy McGee, The Everyman if everyman was crazy hero who joins the circus to win the love of Emma. Suffers from bipolar disorder and bouts of dementia.
Jim Carrey as Bruno Bububushki, The star of Colonel Corny's World Famous Circus. Rubber man, Sword Swallower and Acrobat, Also in love with Emma.
Gweneth Paltrow as Emma Fasberger, The beautiful star trapeze artist and the object of Buddy and Bruno's affection.
Co-Starring: Cameron Diaz as Ivana Kutchercokov, Beared Lady and Fortune teller who helps Bruno plot against Buddy because she wants Bruno for herself.
Andre Benjamin as Sherman Anderson, Buddy's Best Friend, Only one with any common sense and a stable mind.
James Marsters as Jimbo Collingsworth III, alcoholic and surly Ringmaster and manager of the Circus.
Steve Carell as Zimo the Clown, manic-depressive, suicidal clown.
Patrice O'Neal as Abobo the Strong Man, Strong Man with a weight problem and a bad back.
Johnny Knoxville as Simon Yerbitzwe, Lion Tamer with tourettes
Jason Schwartzman as Wacky Waldo, a clown with a Harvard education who serves as the circus psychologist.
Parker Posey as The Amazing Jenny, Knife Thrower and Magician, Circus Tramp and drug addict
John Turturro as Colonel Corny, Legend, Circus Owner, Certifiable Lunatic.
Summary - Buddy McGee (Adm Sandler) has problems. One is that he's got a few mental health issues. The pills have been helping his dementia.....mostly, but it seems that nothing can make a dent in his bipolar disorder which lately has been swinging Buddy more aggressively than normal. After getting fired from his latest job after an emotional outburst, Buddy decides to spend his new vacation time by going to see Colonel Corny's World Famous Circus which has just pulled into town. It is there that Buddy first sets his eyes on the beautiful star trapeze artist, Emma Fasberger (Gwyneth Paltrow). Suddenly, everything becomes clear for Buddy. No more mood swings. No more bouts of rage. No more depression. His life is clear and so is his mission - win the love of Emma Fasberger. To do that, Buddy joins the circus. Buddy soon finds that he's not the only crazy person in Colonel Corny's circus and neither is he the only one trying to win Emma's love. Colonel Corny's biggest star, Bruno Bububushki (Jim Carrey) is also trying to win Emma's love and he doesn't like having competition. Soon, Buddy and Bruno are wrapped in a warped struggle to win Emma's love and will go to any lengths of competition to prove they are the best man under the big top, leading to jaw dropping stunts of cartoonish proportion. Of course....... there is the distinct possibility that all of this only exists in Buddy's head. Today's top two movie funny men go head to head in this wild farce that draws inspiration from classic Bugs Bunny cartoons. What is real and what is fiction? As long as it's funny, who really cares?

Join the Circus this Fourth of July weekend!
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100 Bullets
Crime Drama, US, Rated R
Running Time: 182 Minutes
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Paul Newman as Agent Graves, mysterious man who seems to know everything and makes offers of revenge that seem too good to be true.
Michelle Rodriguez as Dizzy, recently paroled felon who just wants to start a new life but is given an offer she can't refuse or ignore
Derek Luke as Loop, a young man trying to avoid the life his father led, but soon falls on the same path thanks to Graves
Co-Starring: Jeff Bridges as Mr Shepard, the man who sees all, knows all and is attached to nothing. His motives and allies are not known.
Billy Crudup as Cole, a struggling ice cream man who is a lot more than he seems or even knows himself.
James Gandolfini as Lono, a sadistic monster of a man with no morals or conscience
Danny Glover as Curtis, Loop's absentee father who tries and fails to shield his son from the clutches of Graves
Ed Burns as Morgan, a crooked cop who's shaking down Dizzy's neighborhood and her brother for part of the gang's territory and power
Brendan Gleeson as Swirski, Morgan's even more crooked partner
Al Pacino as Nino, low rent crime boss who controls the slums and Curtis' life
Chiaki Kuriyama as Tommi Yi, Nino's bodyguard
Summary - What would you do if a you were given the opportunity to right every wrong you've been dealt without any consequence? With a seemingly simple gift - an untraceable gun and a hundred rounds of ammunition - The mysterious Agent Graves (Paul Newman) offers the powerless and wronged a chance at vengeance. For Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova (Michelle Rodriguez) it's the chance to pay back two crooked cops (Ed Burns, Brendan Gleeson) who killed her family and set her up to take the fall. For Louis "Loop" Hughes (Derek Luke) it's the chance to pay back the father ( Danny Glover) who ruined his life, yet never met. Dizzy and Loop are torn not just by their own conscience, but by the emerging players to a game they find themselves deeper and deeper involved in. But beyond the decision of whether or not to pull the trigger, a deeper question is beginning to emerge: just who is making this possible - and why? Is it the mysterious Mr Shepard (Jeff Bridges) who may be Graves' dearest friend or deadliest enemy. Is it the seemingly psychotic Lono (James Gandolfini) who seems to be everywhere that requires someone to be silenced? Is it the confused Cole Burns (Billy Crudup) who finds that his life as a struggling Ice Cream Man may be nothing but a living dream and cover for something much darker that even he doesn't know about? Or does the mystery go to highest halls of power and those that secretly control them. 100 bullets, One Million Questions.

This May, Get Away With Murder
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Death Race 2035
Science Fiction/Black Comedy, US, Rated R
Running Time: 98 minutes
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring: Ralph Fiennes as Frankenstein, Top Driver and biggest star on the circuit who's suffered more injuries and near death experiences than humanly possible. Represents the President.
Sarah Polley as Annie Smith, Frankenstein's new navigator who's really an undercover operative for the American Resistance Party, sent to kill or capture Frankenstein.
George Clooney as Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, Mob boss from Chicago, top star, Frankenstein's chief rival, very stressed out
Co-Starring: Cameron Diaz as Calamity Jane, Hot shot driver who represents Texas and Presidential Candidate Jenna Bush
Franka Potente as Matilda the Hun, Angry German ex-patriot who represents Milwaukee. Sociopath and revolutionary.
Colin Ferrell as Nero the Hero, Vain Los Angeles representative who's more concerned with wealth, fame and groupies than winning the race.
Steve Carrell as Junior Bruce, Hyper, Cheesy, Always happy, over the top race host and commentator who only reports the news that he's told to report
Hope Davis as Grace Pander, phony Entertainment Tonight correspondent who co-hosts the race with Junior, dear friend to everyone, lives up to her last name
Angela Bettis as Myrna, Machine Gun Joe's whiny, bubblehead navigator and girlfriend
Forrest Whitaker as Mr. President, smarmy and crooked World President who will gladly cheat and/or murder to stay elected
Olympia Dukakis as Thomasina Paine, Leader of the Resistance Movement that aims to return the USA to it's glorious, if misguided past
Johnny Knoxville as Harold, Matilda's nebbishy navigator
Owen Wilson as Tex, Calmity Jane's charismatic and camera loving navigator
Chiaki Kuriyama as Kari Hari, San Francisco representing driver who's determined to win or commit suicide, whichever comes first
Omar Epps as Ice Trey, Crystal sipping, bling having, hot head driver representing Detroit and Presidential Candidate, Eminem
Summary: There are many theories on what caused the World Crash of 2014. Some say it was the over zealous policing of foreign countries by the US. Some blame it on the massive Earthquake (which may or may not have been caused by an American made geothermic nuke) that destroyed most of Japan. Some point the finger at the merging of OPEC and Microsoft, which effectively brought world control to Bill Gates for a short time. Some even blame the French who may or may not have crippled the once great economy of the US, but definitely destroyed the telephone system. One thing is clear though. It's obvious who brought the world back to it's feet. That would be Mr President (Forrest Whitaker), who now selflessly takes care of us all as the Emperor......er, President of the World. Poverty and hunger are a thing of the past......except in Africa...and no one wants to go there anyway since all the native animals are extinct. Population control is done through exciting sporting events and game shows. Crime is almost nonexistent, since it's hard to really say what's a crime now days. Most importantly, every citizen of the world is happy. Pills and TV keep them that way. Of course, no one is happier than when the annual presidential election rolls around. Because elections are now determined by the biggest and most popular sporting event in the history of mankind - The Transcontinental Road Race. The object is simple - race cross country from LA to New York, racking up points along the way by killing pedestrians by hit and run or by killing your opponent. Get to New York first or survive with the most points. Each year, the top qualifiers from local circuits are chosen for the big race, given the honor to decide who will be the President. Win the race, you're a national hero and your candidate is elected President. As a new extra exciting twist just added this season, if you lose and your candidate is shamed.......by public execution. Or course, most losers don't actually survive the race in order to be shamed by their candidate's execution. With former winners like Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (George Clooney) and Calamity Jane (Cameron Diaz) on hand, plus the sport's greatest living legend, Frankenstein (Ralph Fiennes), this year's race threatens to be the most exciting ever and all the world is watching. Of course...there are certain subversive elements out there who would see this as the perfect time to stage their revolution for all the world to see. But, Mr President has rid the world of Terrorists and Free thinkers.....hasn't he?

This August......Drive Offensively.
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Thanks. I know Clooney probably isn't ideal for the role, but he's good at over the top roles and for some reason, I can picture him doing a mean Stallone impersonation. I don't know why. Probably just me.