2012 Alternative Summer Movies

If this summer's loud, explosive superhero blockbusters aren't your cup of tea, here's a roundup of alternatives that'll serve as an entertaining counter to regular summer fare.

Release Date: 6/25/12
Genre: Comedy, Drama
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Based on a true story, this French film tells the story of two men – one a wealthy, physically disabled nobleman, and the other his ex-con caretaker – who form a powerful bond of friendship that transcends socio-economic differences.

Release Date: 6/1/12
Genre: Comedy
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When their school announces that anyone who tests positive for a drug test will get expelled, two high school boys hatch a half-baked plan to get their entire school stoned in order to avoid expulsion. They steal the stash from drug dealer Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody) and use it for their school's brownie sale, but it's not long before Psycho Ed comes after them.

Release Date: 6/8/12
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When a magazine writer and a few interns take on a mocking assignment to investigate a newspaper ad for a time-traveling companion, they're led to a seemingly kooky guy (Mark Duplass). As one of the interns (Aubrey Plaza) befriends him and earns his trust, she realizes they might not get the story they came for.

Release Date: 6/8/12
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After she and her husband split, an uptight Manhattan lawyer (Catherine Keener) drives her two children (Elizabeth Olsen, Nat Wolff) to Woodstock, NY, to meet their free-spirited grandmother (Jane Fonda) for the first time. With not very much in common, they struggle find hope for new beginnings as an unconventional family.

Release Date: 6/15/12
Genre: Comedy, Drama
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You'd think it's common sense to steer clear of starting a romantic relationship with your ex's sibling, but an emotionally unstable man (Mark Duplass) and his ex's sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) can't resist after a night of heavy drinking. Cue the endless awkwardness when his ex (Emily Blunt) shows up.

Release Date: 6/22/12
Genre: Comedy
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Woody Allen's follow up to Midnight in Paris takes place in the Eternal City, where stories involving residents, visitors, Americans, and Italians unfold. Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, and Ellen Page co-star.

Release Date: 6/29/12
Genre: Drama
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When her father falls ill, a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy goes on a search for her long-lost mother. As she witnesses nature spin out of control, prehistoric beasts called aurochs emerge. Breathtaking images of nature flourish amidst Hushpuppy's impoverished world in this acclaimed Sundance and Cannes film festival favorite.

Release Date: 6/29/12
Genre: Comedy, Drama
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Michelle Williams plays a woman who struggles with conflicting emotions for her husband (Seth Rogen) of five years and her seemingly perfect neighbor (Luke Kirby). Unable to ignore the man across the street, she agonizes over her decisions and must confront her feelings of marital discontent.

Release Date: 6/29/12
Genre: Documentary
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Hit the road with country rock musician Neil Young as he drives from his small hometown in Ontario to Toronto's Massey Hall. He recounts his formative years and the crew documents his solo show while touring North American in 2011 in support of his album Le Noise.

Release Date: 7/6/12
Genre: Comedy
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The Duplass brothers give sibling rivalry the Olympic treatment when two grown men let their homemade competition get the best of them. During a family reunion, the brothers secretly try to beat the hell out of each other in 25 events, ripping their familial ties apart.

Release Date: 7/13/12
Genre: Drama
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Freida Pinto stars as the eldest daughter from a poor family, who falls in love with a wealthy son of a property developer. When they move to Mumbai, the rapidly changing society through industrialization and pressures of family traditions threaten their love.

Release Date: 7/13/12
Genre: Thriller
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Director Rodrigo Cortés, who brought us Buried, delivers another intriguing thriller with a twist, this time investigating a famous blind psychic (Robert De Niro) and paranormal activity. An investigator (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant (Cillian Murphy) study metaphysical phenomena with the aim of proving them as fraud, but what they find shakes up their scientific views.

Release Date: 7/27/12
Genre: Thriller
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Trailer park horror receives the NC-17 rating in this brutal mash-up wherein Chris (Emile Hirsch) hires Joe Cooper, a cop moonlighting as a contract killer (Matthew McConaughey), to murder his mom for life insurance money in order to pay off drug debt. When Chris can't pay Cooper up front, Cooper eyes his sister Dottie (Juno Temple) as collateral.

Release Date: 8/3/12
Genre: Comedy, Drama
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What happens when you fall out of love with your high school sweetheart after marrying young? Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) humorously attempt to stay best friends while getting a divorce and pursuing other people, although healing a broken heart isn't as easy as it seems.

Release Date: 8/31/12
Genre: Crime, Drama
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Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy bust out the cowboy hats and boots as their bootlegging gang tries to make a profit during the Depression era. Some high and mighty city folk show up to make their lives difficult. Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, and Mia Wasikowska co-star.