V for Vendetta, S for Shitty Sequels

Just got back from seeing V for Vendetta. I really liked it, though the jury is still out on what exactly it means, which is saying something since most Hollywood-made movies these days want nothing more than to shove a totally obvious plot device down your throats.

Case in point: the retarded trailers I was subjected to before the film. I've now gotten into the habit of arriving to movies five minutes late, so as not to have to sit through commercials, as I have already expressed my disdain for them. But these trailers for, among others, X3, Poseidon, and Take the Lead, the only non-sequel/remake in the bunch, but still just as contrived. If I see another film about a renegade teacher who takes a ragtag group of kids under his/her wing and BOOM! They become brilliant dancers/athletes/musicians...well, I'm not gonna see any of those movies anymore, so it's a moot point.

The worst offender, however, was the god-awful trailer (and inevitably god-awful movie) for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Don't bother asking me why on earth someone would want to make a third Fast and the Furious movie, but looking at director Justin Lin's previous credits (which include the recent release Annapolis, which received an 11% from Rotten Tomatoes), it's not like he could do any worse.

With that being said, here are five upcoming films that actually look like they're worth the admission cost:

Thank You for Smoking: After being released in select cities today, this comedy starring Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, William H. Macy, Rob Lowe, J.K. Simmons and Robert Duvall will hopefully be receiving a wide release, especially once crap like Failure to Launch and The Shaggy Dog go away.

Inside Man: The new film from Spike Lee shies away from his usual topics and turns, instead, towards a bank robbery involving Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, and Jodie Foster. I'm trying to avoid any TV ads for the film, as I've heard they give away too much of the plot in them (damn marketing execs!)

Lonesome Jim: Steve Buscemi takes up the director's chair in this quirky comedy starring Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler.

Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!: This concert film starring the Beastie Boys was filmed mostly by fans who were handed camcorders before the show and asked to film during its entirety.

American Dreamz: Everything in American pop culture and politics is hit with biting satire in this film from the director of About a Boy and featuring an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, and Willem Dafoe.

Also, the movie I am most looking forward to this summer is none other than Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, which will hopefully be seeing a release on June 9. It is one of my favorite radio shows (actually, it's my only favorite radio show) and Altman is one of my favorite directors. Let's hope this partnership bears fruit.