SPRINGING INTO ACTION
Spring is a nice tease for summer movies. Coming soon are a few biopics and sequels and a second sci-fi prequel. Also, a superheroine appears to save the day, while a wobbly freebooter is back on shaky seas. Some period pieces emerge. And fire-fight flick
THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (APRIL 14)
The pitch: Vin Diesel faces off with Dwayne Johnson in yet another excuse for fast movers, big explosions and brazen battles. Also vying for screen time is the Furious all-star cast along with newcomer Charlize Theron.
Hit or miss: The eighth in the series has momentum after the seventh became the sixth-highest-grossing movie of all time.
MAUDIE (APRIL 14)
The pitch: In the biopic, Sally Hawkins portrays Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis who marries the man (Ethan Hawke) that employed her as his housekeeper.
Hit or miss: It’s all about Canadian content with a talented Brit (Hawkins) and a focused Yank (Hawke).
THEIR FINEST (APRIL 14)
The pitch: It’s a Second World War romantic comedy focusing on filmmakers shooting a Dunkirk propaganda movie. With Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, and Jack Huston.
Hit or miss: For the mirthful Masterpiece Theatre types.
THE LOST CITY OF Z (APRIL 21)
The pitch: The adventure picture recounts the exploits of real-life British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who vanished in 1925 while searching for the mythical Amazonian city. Twi- light’s Robert Pattinson co-stars.
Hit or miss: For bungle-in-the-jungle lovers.
UNFORGETTABLE (APRIL 21)
The pitch: Katherine Heigl is a divorced mother who settles for revenge against her ex-husband and his new family unit.
Hit or miss: Against-type Heigl does her best deranged mommy dearest.
BORN IN CHINA (APRIL 21)
The pitch: This Disneynature movie, a Chinese co-production, follows the exploits of snow leopards, golden snub-nosed monkeys and pandas with narration by actor John Krasinski.
Hit or miss: Anthropomorphic yet irresistible.
FREE FIRE (APRIL 21)
The pitch:
Oh, nostalgia: An international arms deal goes sideways between the IRA and a Rhodesian crook at a Boston warehouse. Cue the violence and the droll Ben Wheatley-directed action helped along by Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Cillian Murphy.
Hit or miss: It’s for film festival folks.
THE CIRCLE (APRIL 28)
The pitch: Tom Hanks plays the conniving head of a digital corporation who might be exposed by one of the tech employees (Emma Watson) in the social media cautionary thriller.
Hit or miss: Watson’s Hermoine zealots are all in.
THE PROMISE (APRIL 28)
The pitch: Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac compete for the affection of the same woman (Quebec’s Charlotte Le Bon) in the grounded drama set in 1914 Turkey.
Hit or miss: For aficionados of period-piece romances.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (MAY 5)
The pitch: Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill and company try to repeat the energy of the first glib space opera even as Quill searches for his birth parents.
Hit or miss: The second time around is never as good but Vol. 2 should be better than most.
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (MAY 12)
The pitch: Guy Ritchie takes his blueprint for updating Sherlock Holmes and applies it to the familiar legend with Charlie Hunnam portraying the regal warrior who has something to prove.
Hit or miss: It’s a success story featuring former knaves from the medieval ’hood.
BON COP BAD COP 2 (MAY 12)
The pitch: Patrick Huard and Colm Feore return as investigators. This time the bilingual duo take aim at a car-theft ring which just might expose a terrorist plot.
Hit or miss: It’s another chapter for all the right reasons.
SNATCHED (MAY 12)
The pitch: Old school Goldie Hawn meets new school Amy Schumer in the mother-daughter comedy. Hit or miss: How could blond-on-blond not entertain?
ALIEN: COVENANT (MAY 19)
The pitch: Ridley Scott’s second Alien prequel after Prometheus features android Dave (Michael Fassbender) and his journey into a dangerous other world. Hit or miss: Scott’s sci-fi aim is usually true.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (MAY 26)
The pitch: Just when we thought Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack had swashed his last buckle along comes a ghostly pirate hunter (Javier Bardem) to keep the franchise on course. Hit or miss: Followers are already preparing to set sail on a broad reach.
BAYWATCH (MAY 26)
The pitch: Forget ‘Babewatch.’ The comedy-caper remake of the cornball series is more like Dudewatch as lifeguards Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson get beachy with it. Hit or miss: An Efron-Johnson collaboration is made in demographic heaven.
WONDER WOMAN (JUNE 2)
The pitch: The origins story has the Amazon princess (Gal Gadot) transforming into Wonder Woman after an American Second World War pilot (Chris Pine) crash lands into her world. Hit or miss: The DC justice fighter has the lasso of youth.
THE MUMMY (JUNE 9)
The pitch: An ancient ruler reawakens from her crypt which gives new headliner Tom Cruise lots of reasons to run in the reboot of the classic thriller sub-genre. And yes that is Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll. Hit or miss: More than 17 Mummy flicks, including spinoffs have come before. Fans like their Mummys.