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| Dunkirk. photo courtesy of indiewire.com |
We’re right in the middle of summer
movie season, which means there are blockbusters aplenty. Here are some of my
picks for (the rest of) June and July. #gethyped
BABY DRIVER
(June 28th)
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| photo courtesy of collider.com |
Baby Driver is the latest creation from the
mind of writer/director Edgar Wright. Edgar has a reputation for inventive, off-the-wall
stories (as in Shaun of the Dead, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The
World’s End, and Marvel’s Ant-Man),
so this one’s already a good bet. Combine Edgar’s style with a talented cast—including
Kevin Spacy, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Bernthal—and it’s a must-see.
The film follows Baby (Ansel Elgort),
who drives getaway cars for criminals, including sinister crime kingpin Doc
(Kevin Spacey). After an accident left Baby with perpetual ringing in his ears,
he uses music to drown out the distraction and focus on the job at hand. From
the trailers, it looks like we’re going to get a lot of high-octane car stunts,
groovy tunes, and heist-y fun. Yes, please.
Watch the trailer here.
DESPICABLE ME 3
(June 30th)
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| photo courtesy of buzzfeed.com |
Ever since 2010, the not-so-villainous
exploits of Gru (Steve Carrell) and his minions have endeared Despicable Me to family audiences the
world over. This time, Gru comes face to face with his long-lost brother Dru
(also Steve Carrell) whose influence may drag Gru back into his old, devious
ways. Despicable Me 3 probably won’t
be a cinematic masterpiece, but it should have enough humor and heart to make
it worth a trip to the theater, especially if you have little ones in tow.
Watch the trailer here.
A GHOST STORY
(July 7th)
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| photo courtesy of bleedingcool.com |
Coming from A24 films (Moonlight) and featuring Casey Affleck
and Rooney Mara, A Ghost Story
promises to be both very interesting and very different. A24 (usually) has a
reputation for delivering intriguing stories that put characters at the
forefront, so expectations for A Ghost
Story are high. Despite its spooky title, it isn’t a horror movie; this one’s
more of a cerebral, “feels”-type experience centering around a lonely ghost who
just wants to feel close to the family he’s left behind. It’s shaping up to be
a thoughtful, complex exploration of what it means to lose someone.
Watch the trailer here.
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
(July 7th)
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| photo courtesy of polygon.com |
Spider-Man: Homecoming is the third
iteration of Spider-Man on the big screen in the last 20 years, but it marks
the first time our friendly neighborhood superhero gets to play with the other
heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his own film. So although Homecoming once again sees Peter Parker
(Tom Holland) trying to balance school and a love life with the responsibility
of being a hero, this time it’s Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and not Uncle Ben
who takes the lead as Peter’s mentor and father figure. With Academy-award
nominee Michael Keaton as the villainous Vulture, the film hopes to put a fresh
spin on the wall-crawler’s familiar antics.
Watch the trailer here. (I'd definitely recommend watching this one and not the others. The rest pretty much spoil every major plot
beat #thanksSony)
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
(July 14th)
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| photo courtesy of foxmovies.com |
If you can get past the inherent
silliness of the series’ sci-fi premise, you’ll probably like the newest Planet of the Apes movies. The prequel
trilogy, starting with Dawn of the Planet
of the Apes in 2011, has been surprisingly good—and that’s coming from an
admitted skeptic. It’s hard to make a film franchise that began in 1968 with
Charlton Heston feel fresh and relevant, but that’s exactly what these most
recent additions have done, thanks in large part to top-of-the-line CGI motion
capture technology. War for the Planet of
the Apes pits ape-leader Caesar (Andy Serkis) against Woody Harrelson’s “the
Colonel” in a climactic battle for survival. If early critical reception is to
be believed, this installment will be a worthy conclusion to the trilogy.
Watch the trailer here.
DUNKIRK
(July 21st)
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| photo courtesy of screenrant.com |
From writer/director Christopher Nolan
comes Dunkirk, an adaptation of the
real-life evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, France, where they had
been surrounded by German forces. The story is fascinating enough on its own,
but Nolan’s take—which depicts the events from land, air, and sea—will undoubtedly
be exciting to watch. The film stars such notables as Harry Styles (of One Direction),
Kenneth Branagh, Academy-award winner Mark Rylance, and Nolan standbys Cillian
Murphy and Tom Hardy. Frequent collaborator Hanz Zimmer returns as composer.
All of Nolan’s films in recent memory
have been blockbuster hits, famous for their intricate narratives, mind-bending
spectacle, and character-centric approach. Dunkirk marks his first departure
into history (and, therefore, a step away from sci-fi and the supernatural), so
it will be interesting to see how Nolan, a skillful storyteller, tackles the
subject. He’s become one of the most famous directors over the last decade, and
Dunkirk should give us an idea of
whether or not he’s here to stay.
Watch the trailer here.
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
(July 21st)
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| photo courtesy of thesun.co.uk |
Valerian and the City of a Thousand
Planets adapts a popular French comic book series for the big screen. Directed
by Luc Besson (Léon: The Professional,
The Fifth Element, Taken, Lucy), Valerian follows
agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) on a mission to
stop a sinister, destructive evil. I was initially skeptical about this movie,
but with each additional trailer it looks better and better. If nothing else,
it boasts some eye-popping visuals and impressive CGI work that deserves some
attention. It’s not a guaranteed winner by any stretch of the imagination, but
I think Valerian just might have the
potential to make a splash come July 21st.
Watch the trailer here.
ATOMIC BLONDE
(July 28th)
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| photo courtesy of comingsoon.net |
Atomic Blonde makes a lethal assassin out of
Charlize Theron. While it might not be a critical darling, it’s sure to deliver
some edge-of-your-seat action madness. From what the trailers have shown, it
seems like Atomic Blonde is trying to
capitalize on the John Wick formula: brutal, well-choreographed action mixed
with super-spy sleekness and a pinch of humor. One sequence in particular appears
to model itself after Netflix’s Daredevil,
also famous for its well-executed fight scenes. Atomic Blonde won’t be one for the whole family—expect some hefty violence
and sexual content—but with certified badass Theron in the lead role, it should
excite action-thriller enthusiasts.
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