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Salt is not as dry as we had anticipated

Salt – Opens July 23rd

David Mumpower: Angelina Jolie looks more like Stana Katic in the poster on the front page.

Michael Lynderey: This movie reminds me of The Manchurian Candidate, The Interpreter, and all those other middle-of-the-road thrillers that took in something like $70 million. Looks okay, I guess. Will depend on the reviews. Now, I know Angelina Jolie gives it star power in theory, but two things are key here:

A. Most of her really big hits co-starred another name actor, or Lara Croft
B. All of her $100 million movies were released in June, except for Shark Tale (but c'mon)

So, technically speaking, Salt has an incorrect release date. And maybe if Denzel Washington had played the Liev Schreiber part...

By the way, isn't it interesting that after July 16th, the summer just dies? Look at the movies coming out after Inception. A few of them will probably make $100 million, just barely, but none of them are even vaguely tentpolish. Some strange scheduling decisions went on here, and if I had a potential blockbuster on my hands with nowhere to put it, I'd be looking at some of those late July/early August slots, especially considering those late summer '09 surprises.





David Mumpower: One of the aspects of a group version of Trailer Hitch that I have been looking forward to is that there will be the occasional project where nobody lines up at all on their opinion and expectation of the project. Salt is the first title to qualify. I am not with you guys at all on this one. What I had heard about the project prior to the trailer in no way, shape or form lines up with what this clip hints at the story evolving to be. Michael mentions The Interpreter meets The Manchurian Candidate, which is what I had expected the feature to be based upon its production notes.

As I'm watching the clip, the first 90 seconds goes roughly as I had anticipated. Then, she jacks a guy on a motorcycle and then all bets are off. Suddenly, Mrs. Smith has come out to play and I'm grasping the notion that this is The Bourne Identity with a sex change more than a stodgy political drama. At least, that's what the ad would indicate. It's entirely possible that they're highlighting the action elements to boost the bottom line box office, but when I see Angelina Jolie climbing a wall in order to deliver a more solid punch, I'm thinking Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil rather than another Beyond Borders role. In fact, the most direct parallel is giving The Fox from Wanted her own movie. This seems like a lot of parts to pull off at once, so I'm still skeptical about the overall movie. I am night and day more interested in this film than I was before seeing the trailer, however, which means the people who cut the spot deserve a raise and a commendation.

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