The summer movie season is upon us. The season of special effects, rapid-cut car chases, and adorably animated animals. Whereas some women become football widows come fall, my wife kindly accepts the fact that many Fridays during the summer we will find ourselves hunkered down in an air-conditioned theater with our popcorn and Junior Mints waiting to see the latest "biggest movie of all-time".
This year, there aren't too many movies that look exceptional, but the ones that do have my little fanboy heart all a flutter. Six months ago, this summer merely meant that we FINALLY get a follow-up to J.J. Abrams "Star Trek." However, that changed for me about two weeks ago with this.....
I sincerely think that I have never seen a more masterful use of music, dialogue, and visual in a trailer before. "Man of Steel" has officially gone from "Oh, interesting. Another 'Superman' movie" to "Holy cow, I need to see that NOW!". I'm relieved to see that Zack Snyder, who is best known for much darker films, has kept the optimism inherent in the comic books. Also, Hans Zimmer's score sounds like a worthy successor to John Williams' iconic music from the 1978 Richard Donner film. "Man of Steel" opens nationwide on Friday, June 14th.
Now, back to "Star Trek". In 2009, J.J. Abrams did something pretty extraordinary. He made "Star Trek" relevant to non-Trekkers. He made a film that felt instinctively, inherently faithful to Roddenberry, but also original and gorgeously cinematic. You didn't leave thinking you'd seen a good "Star Trek" movie. You left thinking you'd seen one of the best sci-fi films of the last 30 years.
That's a pretty huge act to follow, but it certainly looks like he did a great job with "Star Trek Into Darkness". He's shown the same deft skill at casting as he demonstrated when re-casting the iconic "Star Trek" characters in 2009 by bringing Benedict Cumberbatch as the mysterious baddie John Harrison and it looks to have the same visual energy that made the first movie so visceral. This still remains atop my summer must-see list. "Star Trek Into Darkness" opens nationwide on Friday, May 17th.
Then, of course, there's next week's epic landing of "Iron Man 3", a film that seems to be not merely a third installment in the story of Tony Stark, but an in-spirit sequel to last summer's behemoth "The Avengers". Early word from international audiences (where it was released last week) is extremely positive with many saying it's the best of the "Iron Man" films and particular praise for its direction and screenplay from Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black. Also, Ben Kingsley is being singled out for his performance as The Mandarin, an international terrorist with his sights set on America's most flawed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. In addition, the most recent commercials look to give Gwyneth Paltrow a little more to do than banter and almost get killed by bad guys. "Iron Man 3" opens this Friday, May 3rd. (Note: The below trailer is from the U.K., hence the different release date)
For me, it wouldn't be summer without a new Pixar movie to devour. It's been three years since I had a wholly satisfying experience with Pixar (with "Toy Story 3"), but I still have extraordinary faith in the studio. Even with the occasional "Cars 2", they have the best track record around, and while I do get annoyed by the new propensity towards the sequelification (yes, I just invented that word) of every Pixar film (except for "The Incredibles", the one that is actually set up for a sequel), this summer's "Monsters University" looks for be old-school Pixar fun. With each new bit of footage I see, it looks to maintain the play-time zippy fun of the original. Plus, they've added some pretty terrific voices to the Monster world, including those of Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, John Krasinski, Aubrey Plaza, and Alfred Molina. In addition, I just think a Pixarian take on a college movie could be a great amount of fun. "Monsters University" opens nationwide on Friday, June 21st.
Here's a calendar of the noteworthy movies headed to your neighborhood theater this summer:
May 3rd:
"Iron Man 3" - (see above)
May 10th:
"The Great Gatsby" - This updated take on the famous story looks to have the same colorful, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink take on drama that Baz Luhrmann demonstrated in his last film, 2001's "Moulin Rouge", with a terrific cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire.
May 17th:
"Star Trek Into Darkness" - (see above)
May 24th:
"Epic" -Blue Sky studio's attempt to hit it big with something not starring a nut-obsessed prehistoric squirrel/rat, "Epic" looks visually stunning, but narratively extremely derivative. Still, some of those creature designs look like they could be worth the price of admission on their own.
"Fast & Furious 6" - Who would have thought they would make six of these? Not me, but something funny happened two years ago. "Fast Five" was actually a pretty good movie, with one of the most electrifying action sequences of the past decade. While I can't say I'm looking forward to a sixth outing, I'm still hopeful for something that may entertain beyond camp value.
"The Hangover Part III" - A follow-up to one of the most financially successful, but critically reviled comedy sequels of all-time. Please don't see this, or they might be tempted to make another.
May 31st:
"After Earth" - ...or "Will M. Night Shaymalan Ever Make Another Good Movie". Hiring Will Smith is always a smart move. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
"Now You See Me" - A heist movie with a stage magic twist. The commercials definitely give a "potential sleeper hit" vibe.
June 12th:
"This Is the End" - Yet another apocalyptic-themed comedy (when did that become a thing?!?), this brings the Apatow gang together playing themselves as pampered Hollywood stars trying to survive the end of times. I'm a huge fan of the series "Freaks & Geeks" which introduced many of these actors to the world, so I just get disappointed when I see yet another film for them to indulge their distinctive brand of toilet humor when they're capable of the most poignant type of comedy. Sigh.
June 14th:
"Man of Steel" - (see above)
June 21st:
"Monsters University" - (see above)
"World War Z" - Brad Pitt vs. horrible CGI......oh wait, I mean zombies.
June 28th:
"White House Down" - The director of "Independence Day" destroys the White House yet again, but this time it's Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx versus terrorists. Well, at least Roland Emmerich (who also directed "Godzilla", "The Day After Tomorrow", and "2012") knows how to make stuff blow up real good.
July 3rd:
"Despicable Me 2" - The follow-up to one of the most effortlessly witty and charming animated films in recent memory. Should be a fun time.
"The Lone Ranger" - "Pirate of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp re-team for this update on the radio serial hero. Hopefully they can create something special once again.
July 12th:
"Grown-Ups 2" - Was anybody demanding a sequel to this movie? I didn't think so.
"Pacific Rim" - Guillermo Del Toro gets to play with mammoth monsters and robots. Heck, even if it was just him in his backyard with some toys I might pay money to see it.
July 19th:
"R.I.P.D." - Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, this is, in essence, "Men In Black" with demons instead of aliens. If Reynolds and Bridges can nail the buddy cop chemistry, it could be fun.
"Red 2" - More "The older the spy the better"-type fun. The first one was a happy surprise. Who wouldn't want to see this cast (Bruce Willis, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Malkovich) in an action comedy?
"Turbo" - It's a Ryan Reynolds weekend as he provides the voice of a snail with dreams of being a racer in this summer animation entry from DreamWorks. The trailers look cute. Not particularly special, but a perfectly pleasant way for a family to beat the heat.
July 26th:
"The Wolverine" - The second attempt at a stand-alone film for the iconic "X-Men" character, here's hoping that director James Mangold ("Walk the Line", "3:10 From Yuma") can deliver a better movie than the first one, which failed in spite of the efforts of one of the most innately likable actors in the world working his hardest in his signature role.
August 2nd:
"300: Rise of An Empire" and "The Smurfs 2" - I'm lumping these two together because my reaction to both of them is the same. Unnecessary retreads of movies that didn't warrant sequels.
August 7th:
"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" - Another sequel that seems somewhat unwarranted, however, if they're more faithful to the source material than the first movie, this could genuinely be something special. Also, adding Nathan Fillion to your cast is always a good idea.
August 9th:
"Elysium" - Neill Blomkamp showed himself capable of smart and creative sci-fi with the anti-prejudice actioner "District 9". "Elysium" looks to continue with his trend of using sci-fi to comment on current societal issues, specifically the struggles among the classes. Starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, you just know it'll at least have some terrific acting.
"Planes" - The last time a direct-to-video follow-up to a Pixar film was deemed worthy for a theatrical release we got "Toy Story 2", one of the best animated films of all-time. While I doubt this Disney take on the Pixar "Cars" universe will be anywhere close to that league, Disney isn't known for taking chances, so they must think they have a hit on their hands.
Finally, here are my predictions on the summer box-office champs. We'll only know if I'm right on Labor Day.
1. Man of Steel
2. Iron Man 3
3. Star Trek Into Darkness
4. Monsters University
5. Despicable Me 2
6. The Hangover III
7. Fast and Furious 6
8. The Lone Ranger
9. The Wolverine
10. Pacific Rim
Happy summering! Now I need to finish writing a play and get ready for a terrific PSC concert!
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