So the summer is winding down and you’re counting the days until your first college drunken hookup. Here are three movies to check out to help bide the time and know what everyone else in the dorms is going to be quoting this fall.
“”Talladega Nights”” – in theaters Aug. 4 – Will Ferrell stars as NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, a good ol’ boy that lives by the motto, “”If you ain’t first, you’re last.”” He married the first woman to flash him. His kids are named Walker and Texas Ranger. He dominates races with his buddy Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly). However, not everything is easy riding for this red-state superstar. Formula One’s top driver, a man-kissing, chain-smoking Frenchman named Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), is making the move to the left-turn-only circuit and challenging Bobby for racing’s top spot.
The lowdown: Everyone knows Ferrell brings it on a consistent basis but without costars like Vince Vaughn or Steve Carell (Ali G. is still unproven on the big screen), “”Talladega Nights”” might not have the overall promise of his other ventures.
“”Accepted”” – in theaters Aug. 11 – What would happen if you weren’t accepted to the UA? Go to ASU? That might have been the move for some, but you know how to read and are probably aware that a degree from Tempe Normal is worth about as much as a Viva burrito, which coincidentally is about the best post-grad work someone from said institution can get. In “”Accepted,”” Justin Long plays Bartelby Gaines, a high school grad that couldn’t get into college, a fear of many recent prep-schoolers. Instead of taking the fast food or Sun Devil route, Gaines decides to make his own college. With the help of some technically savvy pals, he turns an abandoned psychiatric institute into the South Hampton Institute of Technology. Just as in college-themed flicks “”Animal House”” and “”Old School,”” a crooked dean, this time from rival Hampton College, wants to get in the way of these college kids’ fun.
The lowdown: With a star that is best known for being a computer (the “”Mac”” in Apple’s catchy ads) “”Accepted”” doesn’t have the instant box office credibility as other summer movies, but brings a new premise to a proven genre.
“”Snakes on a Plane”” – in theaters Aug. 18 – What happens when you take a ridiculous plot, add some animals, Samuel L. Jackson and put them at 30,000 feet? New Line Cinema is hoping this makes an appealing film; if Jackson is doing his trademark yelling and cursing for two hours, that could very well be the case. In “”Snakes,”” Jackson plays a federal agent who is escorting a witness on a commercial flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. While most passengers on trans-Pacific flights are bothered by the crying babies and that terrible Jennifer Lopez movie being shown, these poor souls have to deal with Jackson’s constant dropping of the f-bomb and tons of snakes released by a gang leader that does not want to see Jackson or his companion make it to the City of Angels.
The lowdown: Samuel L. Jackson always comes with an over-the-top performance. When that is combined with this over-the-top storyline, “”Snakes”” looks to be at the very least a good escape from reality.
