Here’s a look at some of the films I’m most anticipating this summer, some of the movies that have me asking, “WHY ME!” – and a few predictions about how it will all shake down.
“The Angry Birds Movie”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: As an actual human (insert joke here), of course I look forward to some movies more than others, but I keep an open mind every time I enter the screening room.
Having said that, “The Angry Birds Movie” falls squarely into the category of “WHY ME!”
“X-Men Apocalypse”
The X-Men series is one of the few superhero franchises to improve over the years. And the great Oscar Isaac IS Apocalypse. Color me in.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”
WHY ME!
“Swiss Army Man”
Paul Dano, who has played more oddballs than just about anyone of his generation, is marooned on a desert island, where a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) with a rope around its neck washes up. Turns out this dead man is plagued by flatulence, can talk and can even get aroused.
“Finding Dory”
It’s a “Finding Nemo” sequel. How can we go wrong!
“Clown”
By now it’s beyond cliché to make clowns the villains on TV shows and in movies, but I have to say this entry looks intriguingly horrific: When the hired clown is a no-show at a boy’s 6th birthday party, his father gets a clown outfit and entertains the kids. Ah, but this suit is cursed and could turn Daddy into a sadistic maniac who likes to kill children.
“The Shallows”
Blake Lively has the timeless beauty of a 1940s movie star and she can act when given the right vehicle, which hasn’t happened all that much. This one could be a nifty little sleeper. Lively is in the water HERE and the BEACH is over THERE – and the one thing keeping her from swimming to safety is that killer shark right THERE.
“Ghostbusters”
Here’s an idea: Why don’t we all settle down and wait to see the movie before going all social media crazy about the casting, the trailer, the perceived slights to minorities, etc., etc.?
“Lights Out”
David F. Sandberg’s feature-length adaptation of his cool, wickedly dark, award-winning 2013 short about a demon who surfaces only when the lights go out. And that demon just might have a connection to Mommy.
“Jason Bourne”
Yeah! Matt Damon returns to erase our memories of Jeremy Renner as the franchise star.
“Suicide Squad”
This is my most anticipated movie of the summer: a superhero version of “The Dirty Dozen,” about a team of Death Row arch-villains who are granted freedom in exchange for doing black-ops work for the government. Starring Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney – and Jared Leto, whose Joker looks so chilling I’m wondering if this will be the SECOND time an actor is nominated for playing the pasty-faced, cackling maniac. (Heath Ledger, of course, won best supporting actor posthumously for his portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”)
“Nine Lives”
Kevin Spacey as an evil billionaire trapped in the body of a cat he gave to his daughter. WHY ME.
“Sausage Party”
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg team up for a hard-R, animated film. What could possibly go subtle?
“Southside With You”
Nifty premise: The entire film covers one day in the summer of 1989, as one Michelle Robinson goes on a first date with one Barack Obama. Writer-director Richard Tanne’s “Southside With You,” filmed last summer in Chicago’s Loop and on the South and West sides, received strong reviews at Sundance. With the Indiana-born, London-based Parker Sawyers (who has had small roles in “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”) as the future POTUS and Tika Sumpter (“Gossip Girl,” Kevin Hart’s significant other in the “Ride Along” movies) as the future FLOTUS.
Hmmmmm, perhaps years from now we’ll get a sweet little movie about the party in 1998 when future POTUS Donald Trump was on a date but still tried to get future FLOTUS Melania’s number, or maybe an indie film about the day when future FLOTUS and POTUS Hillary met future POTUS and FMOTUS Bill on the campus at Yale.
