BIG MOVIES TO LOOK TO FORWARD THIS SUMMER!
Article by Adam Mast
Summer is upon us and while this is the perfect time of year for outdoorsy type activities, this is also the time of year when Hollywood in known to drop the biggest of spectacles at your local multiplex. Summer 2017 will see the release of Ridley Scott‘s return to the ALIEN franchise, a dramatic Tupac bio-pic called ALL EYEZ ON ME, a hotly anticipated SPIDER-MAN reboot, Kathryn Bigelow‘s much-anticipated return to thought-provoking cinema (DETROIT), the family-oriented stylings of DESPICABLE ME 3, Luc Besson‘s colorful sci-fi epic VALERIAN, and a long-in-development adaptation of Stephen King‘s beloved fantasy series, THE DARK TOWER. While the previously mentioned titles are all well worth getting excited about, there are 5 films in particular that this avid movie fan plans on being first in line for;
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
Opening on May 5th
Leave it to the great James Gunn to take a second tier Marvel comic book property and turn it into cinematic gold. Of course with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Gunn got a big-time assist from an extremely likable cast. In VOL. 2, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Michael Rooker are back in a grand space adventure that will, no doubt, deal with themes of family and good vs. evil. Also returning are Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and adorable Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) who promises to be a scene-stealer of the highest order. Aside from returning favorites, watch for appearances from Sylvester Stallone and a fittingly cast Kurt Russell as Star-Lord’s long lost father. That’s right! As cool as GUARDIANS is already, VOL. 2 will offer up a TANGO AND CASH reunion! Beyond that, we can expect relentless quirky humor, a truly badass soundtrack, and the same spot on cast chemistry that made the first film so damn appealing.
WONDER WOMAN
Opening on June 2nd
Certainly, this particular film is the wild card on this list, especially when taking into consideration that it’s going to be sandwiched between GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 and SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. Further still, if you take the wonderfully colorful THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE out of the equation, the majority of DC’s latest cinematic offerings have been less than stellar (see BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE and SUICIDE SQUAD) Having said that, I for one am hoping that star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins get DC back on track with their adaptation of WONDER WOMAN. True, some of the action beats displayed in the trailers rely too heavily on that fast-to-slow technique that’s so rampant in the works of Zack Snyder but Gadot was an undeniable bright spot in the dour and dull DAWN OF JUSTICE, and her rapport with Chris Pine looks to be picture perfect. Add to this an innocence and idealistic tone akin to SUPERMAN and you have what has the potential to emerge as DC’s strongest live action superhero flick since 2008’s THE DARK KNIGHT.
BABY DRIVER
Opening June 28th
Not all of this summer’s hottest cinematic prospects are sequels, comic book adaptations or remakes. And few of the season’s releases are as hotly anticipated as Edgar Wright‘s car chase-infused, music-based romance, BABY DRIVER. Following his unfortunate departure from Marvel’s ANT-MAN, the energetic fanboy storyteller behind the exceptional zom-rom-com SHAUN OF THE DEAD immediately got to work on this high-octane tale of a skilled getaway driver (played by Ansel Elgort) who uses music to help drown out the accident-causing ringing in his ears. BABY DRIVER promises to feature some of the most dazzling car chases ever committed to film and the entire movie will be punctuated by the best soundtrack this side of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2. What’s more BABY DRIVER features an all-star cast headed by the likes of Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Lily James, Flea, and Jon Bernthal. This one is going to be a sleeper hit!
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Opening on July 14th
Of the 5 films on this list, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is probably the movie I’m most excited to see. 20th Century Fox has done completely right be this series. With WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, DAWN director Matt Reeves returns. This time, Caesar (played by Andy Serkis) must do battle with a human (played by Woody Harrelson) hellbent on bringing about the extermination of he and his primate brotherhood. With a mixture of stunning special effects and detailed character work, headed by the likes of a brilliant Serkis, WAR looks to up the stakes both in terms of spectacle and emotional complexity. Often, re-boots and prequels feel wholly unnecessary but Fox’s “Apes” series serves as both a great homage and an exciting continuation of an iconic franchise that still has plenty of life left in it.
DUNKIRK
Opening on July 21st
While under attack by the German army during a fierce World War II battle, allied forces from Belgium, Canada, France, and the British Empire would stage a harrowing evacuation in an attempt to save lives. Legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan meticulously details this intense, real-life survival story by way of an all immersive cinematic experience that will, no doubt, be best viewed on the biggest screen possible. At CinemaCon back in March, Nolan gave us an extended peek at DUNKIRK and to say that the footage was breathtaking would be a gross understatement. Translation; If you have an Imax screen in your neighborhood, that’s where you’ll want to watch this movie! Nolan’s latest epic features a stellar ensemble including Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Mark Rylance.
If it’s smaller, independent-minded movies you’re into, there will be no shortage of those either! The most noteworthy titles of the pack; The wonderful romantic comedy THE BIG SICK starring Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, the underdog-rapper-makes-good charmer, PATTI CAKE$ and David Lowery‘s hypnotic A GHOST STORY starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. This trio of independent films garnered plenty of buzz at Sundance earlier this year and all three should prove to be a nice change of pace in a summer movie season populated by large-scale spectacles.
