If you wished that last spring’s Kick-Ass had more scenes with Hit-Girl — along with a pretty European wilderness backdrop and a score by the Chemical Brothers — then you’ll probably dig the trailer for Joe Wright’s Hanna. The film follows a young girl assassin (played by Saoirse Ronan, who worked with Wright on Atonement) who has been trained by ex-CIA agent father (Eric Bana) to kill one of his former coworkers (Cate Blanchett, channeling an evil version of Clarice Starling). While it’s kind of odd to see a director known more for his period pieces tackling what looks like an action flick, thanks to the stunning cinematography and Ronan’s previous work, we’re willing to bet that this one feels more arthouse in the end. Click through to check it out.

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An article in today’s New York Times explains that film studios usually reserve August for difficult movies that might not do so well if they were released, say, a week after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Which makes sense. But because box office sales are down this summer, some of these tricky August releases are shouldering more weight than anyone — the studios, producers, or directors — expected or hoped. After the jump we preview five of the month’s biggest releases and rank them according to buzz and box-office potential. There may still be some surprises, a la The Hangover, in store for us this summer. Read More »