May 1st
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (ACTION-ADVENTURE/FANTASY)Directed by Joss Whedon; Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments.
Opening the summer season for 2015 in spectacular fashion is the sequel to the #3 highest-grossing movie of all time, domestically and internationally, and with all due respect to STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, is probably the most anticipated movie of the year, and likely to wind up being the biggest hit. This is money in the bank like you rarely see. Three years after the first film, during which the characters have progressed in their own individual installments, the Avengers team, including Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), are brought back into action in the wake of world security agency S.H.I.E.L.D.'s destruction. In an attempt to create an artificially intelligent peacekeeping program called Ultron, Iron Man inadvertently unleashes a threat of global implications. You could say that I'm "unreasonably" excited for this one. Feel free to check out my series on the "Marvel Cinematic Universe", revisiting the films leading up to AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.
May 8th
HOT PURSUIT (ACTION-COMEDY)Directed by Anne Fletcher; Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, Robert Kazinsky, Sean Penn, Richard T. Jones, David Oyelowo, Evaluna Montaner, Michael Mosely, Matthew Del Negro, John Carroll Lynch
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, violence, language and some drug material.
In the only movie willing to go up against AVENGERS in what will undoubtedly be a blockbuster second weekend, Reese Witherspoon, following a stretch of independent dramas, returns to comedy as an incompetent cop tasked with protecting a widow, played by Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, whose criminal husband's recent death has made her a target of criminals and corrupt cops. Director Anne Fletcher's credits include THE GUILT TRIP and THE PROPOSAL, which were very formulaic but modestly likable fluff, and her latest looks like it's in a similar vein.
May 15th
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (ACTION/SCI-FI-FANTASY)Directed by George Miller; Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Nathan Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Courtney Eaton, Josh Helman, Jennifer Hagan, Sean Hape (iOTA), John Howard
Rated R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and disturbing images.
Mad Max, the Road Warrior of post-apocalyptic wasteland where what's left of society revolves around what's left of oil for running their machines, returns to the big screen for the first time in 30 years, and plenty has changed since then. Mel Gibson went off the bender, and as much as I'd love to see him make good again, he's bit old to play Max anymore anyway, but I imagine that Tom Hardy (best known to mainstream audiences as Bane from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES) ought to up to the task. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is apparently a feature length car chase on steroids, as Max, a loner and man of few words, agrees to escort Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and her band of women across the desert on a road populated by murderous bandits. On the one hand, it is a big budget reboot of a classic but long-defunct 1980s film property, which is usually a bad thing, but Mad Max creator George Miller has returned to direct a script he co-wrote, and more importantly, the official U.S. trailer for this movie is a masterpiece of madness by itself, and I can hardly wait to see the rest. Another note of interest, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, at a reported $150 million budget, is an atypically big R-rated movie these days, and looks like another step in the direction of bringing the R-rated blockbuster back (R-rated comedies notwithstanding). This is one of my personally most anticipated movies of Summer 2015.
May 15th
PITCH PERFECT 2 (COMEDY/MUSICAL)Directed by Elizabeth Banks; Starring: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Anna Camp, Ben Platt, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Chrissie Fit, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins
Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language.
The original PITCH PERFECT was a little bit of lightning-in-a-bottle, marketed in the vein of Glee, back in the show's heyday, but in actuality a surprisingly sharp and weird comedy that became a sleeper hit thanks to word-of-mouth. Its story was unremarkable, but its comedy, energy and performances made it stand out. The trouble with comedy sequels is that comedy is so fragile and elusive that the ones that stand out enough to earn a sequel are usually lightning-in-a-bottle cases, and it's practically impossible to catch it twice. That said, this follow-up in which the Bardem Bellas compete in an international a cappella tournament, has had some funny previews and the prospect of actress/producer Elizabeth Banks also taking the directorial reins is an exciting one. Rebel Wilson's breakout character of Fat Amy could be a make it or break it factor, since a little Fat Amy goes a long way. I'm interested, but apprehensive.
May 22nd
POLTERGEIST (HORROR-THRILLER)Directed by Gil Kenan; Starring: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Nicholas Braun, Susan Heyward, Jane Adams
Rated PG-13 for intense frightening sequences, brief suggestive material, and some language.
A remake of the Steven Spielberg-produced 1982 horror blockbuster POLTERGEIST isn't necessarily out of order. It was a good movie, but with plenty of room for improvement and further exploration, certainly not "untouchable", if anything really is. Produced by Sam Raimi with a script written by David Lindsay-Abaire (writer of RISE OF THE GUARDIANS and co-writer of OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL), this remake is directed by Gil Kenan, director of the very good 2006 animated kiddie thriller MONSTER HOUSE and the okay 2008 fantasy film CITY OF EMBER. This line-up suggests that this production team is on the right track, because the point of POLTERGEIST isn't merely that it's a fright-fest, but that it also contains a sense of wonderment for the unknown. On the other hand, the marketing doesn't look as unique as one would hope for this kind of film. The story is contemporized, but familiar, of suburbanite family who house appears haunted, and the hauntings are gradually escalating to the point that their youngest daughter has been apparently abducted by the spirits. Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt are a good pair to play the parents of the Bowen family, but I'm concerned by the casting of Jared Harris in the role that Zelda Rubenstein was so pitch perfect in in the original. This remake will probably be a bit of mixed bag either way, but whether the mix leans more in favor of good or bad is anyone's call.
May 22nd
TOMORROWLAND (ADVENTURE/SCI-FI)Directed by Brad Bird; Starring: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Thomas Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Kathryn Hahn, Tim McGraw, Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer
Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and peril, thematic elements, and language.
Disney has kept most of the details on TOMORROWLAND under wraps, but so far as we know, it's about an inventive but troubled teen (Britt Robertson) and a disillusioned former boy genius (George Clooney) who discover a way to transport themselves to another world, the enigmatic "Tomorrowland", where the world's most brilliant minds have thrived and created a futuristic utopia. Admittedly, I'm a tad concerned that some of this could lean in the direction of an Ayn Randian-inspired John Galt-type utopia story, but this movie has a trump card which, no matter what this movie may look like, makes it one of the most must-see movies of the summer: Brad Bird. Brad Bird, the director of modern masterpieces like THE IRON GIANT, THE INCREDIBLES, RATATOUILLE and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (the world may not have realized it yet, but M:I-4 is one of the great action movies); basically, this is a filmmaker with a 100% batting average thus far, and there no good reason to not be drooling in anticipation of what he's going to do next. In regards to it's connection with the Disneyland themed "land" of the same name, I'm not positive whether it's actually a "Tomorrowland" movie in the same sense that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL is a "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. TOMORROWLAND began production as 1952, a year which has no direct correlation to the Disneyland Tomorrowland, which was opened with the rest of Disneyland Park in 1955. On the other hand, the outer structure of the popular Tomorrowland ride Space Mountain is unmistakably visible on the theatrical poster of the film, and some filming took place at the Walt Disney World Tomorrowland at the "Carousel of Progress" and at the Disneyland Fantasyland attraction, "It's a Small World". Your guess is probably as good as mine, but what I do know is that this movie is a must-see.
May 29th
ALOHA (ROMANTIC-COMEDY/DRAMA)Directed by Cameron Crowe; Starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Sugar Lyn Beard, Edi Gathegi, Jaeden Lieberher, Daniel Rose Russell, Bill Murray, Jay Baruchel, Alec Baldwin
Rated PG-13 for some language including suggestive comments.
Cameron Crowe's latest stars Bradley Cooper as a defense contractor in Hawaii overseeing a military satellite launch when he reconnects with an old flame (Rachel McAdams) and falls for a young Air Force pilot (Emma Stone). Crowe's work has been mostly middling since ALMOST FAMOUS came out 15 years ago, and while this could be a serviceable feel good romance, I'd be surprised if it's much else.
May 29th
SAN ANDREAS (ACTION/DISASTER-THRILLER)Directed by Brad Peyton; Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino, Colton Haynes, Morgan Griffin, Art Parkinson, Archie Panjabi, Todd Williams, Ioan Gruffudd, Will Yun Lee, Kylie Minogue, Paul Giamatti
RatedPG-13 for intense disaster action and mayhem throughout, and brief strong language.
It's been a little while since we've gotten a big, fat Hollywood disaster thriller, aka "destruction porn". It's probably about time for another one, I guess. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars (usually a good sign) as an LAFD rescue-chopper pilot (divorced, because "duh") who is trying to locate his estranged daughter (who would want to make a movie like this about a functioning family unit?) in the wake of a mega-earthquake along the San Andreas Fault that has turned California into a crevice-riddled wasteland, and the aftershocks keep on coming. Directed by Brad Peyton who previously has directed Johnson in the not-as-bad-as-you'd-think JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (no comment on his feature directorial debut, CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE), SAN ANDREAS probably was never meant to be taken too seriously, although the marketing campaign has given me momentary pause, and if it plays its cards right, it could be a pretty decent popcorn movie.
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