By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer
Every summer, audiences become inundated with copious amounts of blockbusters. In the first month of this summer alone, Robin Hood and Prince of Persia will be released, as well as sequels to Iron Man, Sex and the City and the fourth Shrek movie.
Yet hidden in between these mammoth films are sleeper hits, movies that come out of nowhere as a respite from the usual. In past years, these films have included Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine and last year’s District 9. So here are the top five potential sleeper hits of summer 2010.
5. Babies
Summer can be a surprisingly great time for documentaries. Fahrenheit 9/11, March of the Penguins and Super Size Me all did remarkably well in their genre, during a time when blockbusters reign.
This year, that surprise summer documentary could be Babies. The film chronicles a year in the life of four different babies across the world.
And if there’s one thing that’s cuter than marching penguins, it’s cross-cultural babies.
4. Get Low
Get Low, based on a true story, is about a man in the 1930s who decided to throw his own funeral while he was still alive. The film features Robert Duvall as the man throwing the party with Bill Murray as the funeral director assisting him.
Given the quality of summer movies, this one could be the lead contender in summer films to walk away with some Oscar buzz.
3. MacGruber
With all the incredible talent on Saturday Night Live, it is surprising that the films based on the show’s skits haven’t been successful at all, with the exceptions of only Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers.
But with the much-underused current cast member Will Forte’s film adaptation of MacGruber, a satirical take on resourceful ’80s secret agent MacGyver, we might see a turn around for the much-maligned history of SNL movies.
2. Splice
This summer could potentially be the season of surprising Adrien Brody hits. Before he stars in the reboot of the Predator franchise, he will star with Sarah Polley in Splice, a film about two scientists who attempt to splice together human and animal DNA and are forced to deal with the horrifying creature they have created.
The film gained notoriety at this year’s Sundance film festival for its ridiculous and crazy ending.
1. Cyrus
While not particularly famous directors, the Duplass brothers have become poster boys for the up-and-coming mumblecore genre.
Their seminal films The Puffy Chair and Baghead have led the way in this minimalist comedy style.
In independent circles, this genre has been one to watch, but this summer, larger audiences will get their first taste of it with Cyrus.
An incredible cast featuring Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei and John C. Reilly should help them gain some notoriety.
The film tells the story of Reilly and Tomei, who begin a relationship, only to find out that Tomei’s son, played by Hill, still lives at home.
Cyrus looks like a fantastic comedy-drama with the Duplass’ improvisational style that should make it a great film to check out when you are tired of seeing the same old, same old at the multiplexes.
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