FILM PREVIEW: MIDNIGHT MOVIES

Kick Off The Summer Blockbuster Season With 'The Avengers', 'Dark Shadows' & More

By: Rachel Heine

April 26, 2012

We last brought you our guidelines for the ultimate midnight movie premiere experience, for rabid fans, movie geeks, and first-timers. May kicks off the summer blockbuster season with wisecracking aliens, another satirical farce from Sacha Baron Cohen, and of course, piles and piles of superheroes. Here are the action, sci-fi, comedy, and horror flicks due out this month that are sure to get you geared up for the season.

(Marvel Studios) The Avengers - May 4, 2012

Is there anything left to say?! There hasn’t been this much buzz for a superhero movie since The Dark Knight. (Don’t worry, Christopher Nolan. You’ve got July pretty much all to yourself.) We can’t wait to see how the rag-tag team of Marvel heroes work (and play) together, and especially how Mark Ruffalo steps into the green, mad shoes of the Hulk. Read the Buzzine Preview of The Avengers, and check out the trailers here and here.

For Fans Of: Joss Whedon, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, superhero movies

Why We're Excited: Come on, it's The Avengers! (Also Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk.)

(Universal Pictures) Battleship - May 19, 2012

Ok. Let’s just admit that some midnight movies are just for fun. We know they’re silly -- whether they’re bump-in-the-night supernatural thrillers, slapstick comedies, or, you know, based off a Milton Bradley strategy board game. We all played Battleship, and we all know the rules. The simple rules are clearly not so simple that Hollywood can’t turn the premise into a mega aquatic war zone battle between humanity’s naval ships and a District 9-looking space ship. This one definitely falls under the ‘pre-game’ category, and stars ‘just-hit-his-*ss-kicking-prime’ Liam Neeson, John Carter’s Taylor Kitsch, True Blood’s Alexander Scarsgard, and feisty songstress Rihanna. Check out the trailer here.

For Fans Of:  Action Flicks, Taylor Kitsch, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, Battle: Los Angeles

Why We're Excited: Rihanna's acting debut, aliens vs. boats, someone actually made a movie based on Battleship

(Warner Bros Pictures) Dark Shadows - May 11, 2012

Tim Burton has been hard at work since he completed Alice in Wonderland in 2009, adapting the Gothic late 60s soap opera Dark Shadows into a feature film -- starring many of his usual muses. Johnny Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a 200-year old vampire who emerges from the grave to discover his mansion overrun by his odd descendants. Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Helena Bonham Carter, and Eva Green also star – each of them seemingly a perfect fit for Burton’s macabre style. Fans of Burton or the original Dark Shadows are sure to dress up for this creepy-crawly premiere. Check out the trailer here.

For Fans Of: Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Danny Elfman, Dark Shadows TV Series

Why We're Excited:  Tim Burton, 70s comedy, Halloween costume ideas

(Paramount Pictures) The Dictator - May 11, 2012

Oh, Sacha. The man behind Da Ali G Show, Borat! and Bruno is back, and badder than ever. Anyone who watched the Academy Awards in February caught wind of Sacha Baron Cohen’s tricks on the red carpet. The devious Cohen came dressed in full Dictator garb, greeted reporters with a big grin, and announced, “Hello! Death to the West!” As Admiral General Aladeen, Cohen clutched a decorated urn by his side – the ashes of his doubles-tennis partner, Kim Jong-il, whose death which was to be sprinkled over the red carpet and Halle Berry’s chest -- a sure sign that this is another one to see after drinks with friends. Check out the trailer here.

For Fans Of: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Bruno

Why We're Excited: more political and social satire from the ever-brilliant Sasha Baron Cohen, offensive dictator digs, his entire outfit

(Columbia Pictures) Men in Black III - May 25, 2012

Set for a release almost ten years to the day of the original Men in Black’s release, the third installment sees Agent J (Will Smith), now an MIB veteran, on, you guessed it, another mission to save the universe. This time, he travels back to 1969 to stop a time-jumping alien named Boris from killing off his mentor, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Though the lackluster Men In Black II might not inspire a sequel, the image of Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones is too much to pass up. Check out the Buzzine Preview of Men In Black III, and check out the trailers here and here.

For Fans Of: Men in Black, Will Smith, sci-fi comedy

Why We're Excited: Josh Brolin as Tommy Lee Jones, pop stars as aliens, Will Smith is back!