Summer-heat films
Slew of movies to debut in months ahead a buffet of good, bad, ugly.
Lawrence Alloway, one of a couple of men accused of coining the term “Pop Art” in the 1950s, argued that a critic’s job should be solely journalistic. We ought to content ourselves with “mapping the field”: describing works being made and leaving the choice of winners and losers to future art historians.
That’s an interesting theory to which I do not wholeheartedly subscribe. I tend to think that all of us who are invested in the culture ought to form and voice opinions as to what good art is and isn’t. We should call out the cynical and lazy at every turn. We have to champion stuff that ought to matter because corporate-sponsored pablum has such an advantage that even those artists who do find favor with sensitive and educated audiences are likely to be swamped in the commercial arena. I believe there are people who want to hear informed and educated opinions even if they feel themselves completely qualified to judge a work on its own merits.
Yet Alloway’s ideas come in handy at a time like this. For I find myself once again charged with writing about a slew of forthcoming movies that I have not seen (many of which I probably will not see) and therefore of which I can offer no honest opinion. As Star Wars’ Admiral Ackbar might say, “It’s a trap!”
I can do nothing more than map the field, which the Allowayans among you would contend is all I ought to do anyway. So we begin. Here are some movies you could see over the next few weeks, with a few details gathered from press materials and hearsay leavened by whatever wit I can gather. I’ll try not to be too judgy.
(We do not guarantee that a given movie will open at a theater near you on a given date, or that the air
conditioning will work.)
Future World — James Franco directs himself in a post-apocalyptic film that looks a tad derivative of Mad Max. Franco is consistently interesting, even when his work is arguably dull or unparsable. This looks plenty parsable; cast includes Suki Waterhouse, Snoop Dogg, Lucy Liu, and Milla Jovovich.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties — Writer Neil Gaiman and director John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) don’t immediately present as a perfect match; the buzz on this ’70s set sci-fi comedy has been lukewarm since its premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It does have a bit of an Earth Girls Are Easy vibe. Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman star.
Solo: A Star Wars Story — If you’re a certain sort of moviegoer, you likely know more about this than I do. Even if you’re not that sort of moviegoer, you’ve likely heard conflicting reports about this standalone entry in the Star Wars canon, which follows young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) on his smuggling, nerf herding early adventures. Director Ron Howard came in to try to rescue the project. With Howard’s record, it cannot be all that bad and might surprise us.
Summer 1993 (2017) — Naturalistic Spanish family drama about a 6-year-old sent to live with her uncle’s family in the countryside after her mother’s death.
And no, I didn’t make that up just to see if you were still reading.
Action Point — Johnny Knoxville did his own stunts in this comedy about “a daredevil” who “designs and operates his own theme park with his friends.” Director Tim Kirkby did all eight episodes of the first season of the TV series Brockmire, so there’s hope.
Adrift — Icelander Baltasar Kormakur made his bones directing smart, tragicomic human stories before establishing himself as a reliable Hollywood action director. He’s no hack, even though this is another “true story of survival” about a couple (Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin) caught in a hurricane.
American Animals — The buzz is very strong on this heist movie, directed by firsttimer Bart Layton. The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy says it is “among the most accomplished and fully realized big-screen debuts of recent times.” It stars the redoubtable Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale).
A Kid Like Jake — A Brooklyn couple faces the possibility their pre-school son may not be going through a gender-nonconforming phase after all. Once again, the presence of Ann Dowd serves as a dependable signifier of this film’s quality. It also stars Priyanka Chopra, Claire Danes and Shaunette Renee Wilson.
The Doctor From India — Documentary about Dr. Vasant Lad, who introduced the wellness system of Ayurveda from India to the West in the late 1970s. Will it really come here? Yes, but probably not on this date.
Upgrade — All any of us may need to know is that this is a horror movie written and directed by Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell. At South by Southwest, it got a good audience reaction and some critics admit it plays with the genre’s tropes in an entertaining way.
Hearts Beat Loud — Allegedly heartwarming, minor (in a good way) film about a father (Nick Offerman) and daughter (Kiersey Clemons) who form a songwriting and performing team in the summer before she leaves for college. Directed by Brett Haley and co-starring Ted Danson and Toni Collette.
Hotel Artemis — This sounds like a lost cult classic from the late ’80s-early ’90s: Jodie Foster plays a nurse who runs a secret hospital for criminals; Jeff Goldblum is one of her patients. It’s the directorial debut of Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? — Morgan Neville’s documentary about the life and legacy of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood host Fred Rogers has a lot of goodwill pent up. Reviews have only been gently appreciative.
Ocean’s 8 — One of this year’s big ones. It stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Dakota Fanning and Helena Bonham Carter. They do an impossible heist. Everyone cashes in. Gary Ross — pointedly not Steven Soderbergh — directs.
Incredibles 2 — It took 14 years for the sequel, which picks up where the first film left off with super couple Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) and Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) reversing roles as she takes a high-profile spokesman’s job and leaves him home to deal with the kids. It’s Brad Bird-directed Pixar so expect heartful excellence.
Loving Pablo — Nearly three-hour bio-pic stars Penelope Cruz as a TV journalist who gets dangerously close to the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar (Javier Bardem). Early reviews have not been kind.
SuperFly — Re-make of the 1972 Blaxploitation classic is helmed by Director X (who was formerly known as Little X).
Tag — Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher and others roam the country playing a game of tag in this apparently high concept comedy.
Damsel — David and Nathan Zellner follow their marvelous Kumiko The Treasure Hunter with a feminist western comedy that stars Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and a miniature pony named Butterscotch.
First Reformed — Writer-director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, American Gigolo) is a hero to some, and this feels like it could be a good one. Ethan Hawke stars as a pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York who’s asked by a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) to counsel her tormented husband, a radical environmentalist.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — The second film in the new Jurassic Park trilogy features dinosaurs that will eat you and Jeff Goldblum.
Hover — In the near future, human beings rely on drones to bring them food. But, wait, there’s an evil entity behind those drones? Great Bezos ghost!
The Hustle — A remake of the 1988 comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson in roles originated by Steve Martin and Michael Caine. (Scoundrels was itself a remake of 1964’s Bedtime Story, which starred Marlon Brando and David Niven.)
Sicario: Day of the Soldado — A sequel to 2015’s Sicario and reportedly the second in a proposed trilogy, it returns stars Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro and writer Taylor Sheridan. Italian TV director Stefano Sollima steps in for Denis Villeneuve. Hopes are not high, but who knows?
Uncle Drew — Pepsi commercial turned web series featuring oft-injured Boston Celtic guard Kyrie Irving and other roundballers (Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson and Lisa Leslie) in old person makeup becomes a feature film. Ain’t that America?
The First Purge — How can we already be four films into The Purge franchise? This is the origin story about the pilot program — the very first time the United States made all crime legal for 12 hours.
Ant-Man and the Wasp — Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have the title roles in the next Marvel superhero film. With Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Sorry to Bother You — Writer-director Boots Riley’s Sundance favorite has Lakeith Stanfield (Short Term 12) starring as a black telemarketer who finds success by adopting a “white sounding” voice. The buzz is solid.
Whitney — Documentary about the life and death of Whitney Houston.
Eighth Grade — A comedy about a girl (Elsie Fisher) trying to survive her last week of junior high. Early reviews have been good.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation — Cartoon Dracula and his family go on a cruise and Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon and Mel Brooks (!) get paid.
Skyscraper — Dwayne Johnson, the world’s biggest movie star, plays a former FBI agent who assesses security for skyscrapers. While on assignment in Hong Kong he’s framed for a fire in the world’s tallest (and allegedly safest) building. Now he’s a wanted man trying to clear his name — and save his family.
The Equalizer 2 — The good news is Denzel Washington is back. The bad news is that it’s in a sequel to The Equalizer.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again — ABBA’s music is infectious and stupid — which is not always bad, in context. But basing a film on lyrics that read as though they were written by Google Translate is not a good idea even if you have access to Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Meryl Streep.
Mile 22 —Peter Berg directs Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich in a story of an American intelligence officer charged with smuggling a police officer with sensitive information out of a foreign country. With Ronda Rousey.
Blindspotting — Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this dramatic comedy about class and race set in gentrifying Oakland. Signs point to a flawed but promising debut for director Carlos Lopez Estrada.
Mission: Impossible — Fallout — Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team race against time again in No. 6. Christopher McQuarrie directs.
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies — Extremely meta-animated comedy that gives away the plot in its title. (Or does it?) With the voices of Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell and Will Arnett.
Christopher Robin — Hot on the heels of last year’s Goodbye, Christopher Robin — which was about A.A. Milne and his real-life son, the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh’s human friend — comes this story about a middle-aged man named Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) who begins to hallucinate Pooh and the other Hundred Acre Wood characters as his life deteriorates. Somehow they help him rediscover the joy of life.
The Darkest Minds — Topical sci-fi thriller where the adult world fears everyone under 18 because a lot of them have superpowers and are plenty mad at how screwed up the world is.
The Spy Who Dumped Me — Mila Kunis is entangled in an international conspiracy when she discovers the jerk who dumped her is a spy targeted for assassination. With Kate McKinnon and Justin Theroux.
A.X.L. — A teenage boy finds — and bonds with — a military-enhanced robot dog. But the military wants its dog back. A throwback to cheesy, but entertaining ’80s films like Short Circuit? Seems obviously targeted at the Stranger Things crowd.
BlacKkKlansman — Spike Lee’s latest provocation is a fictionalized take on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a black police detective who, in 1979, went undercover as president of a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, Colo. It stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, and Harry Belafonte.
A Prayer Before Dawn — True story of Billy Moore, a British boxer imprisoned in Thailand, who won his freedom by competing in Muay Thai (boxing) tournaments. Well reviewed.
Crazy Rich Asians — Kevin Kwan’s novel comes to the screen: Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an American-born Chinese economics professor, travels with her highly eligible boyfriend (Henry Golding) to his hometown of Singapore to attend his best friend’s wedding and finds herself having to compete for his attention.
Down a Dark Hall — Uma Thurman is headmistress of a boarding school that has only four students — all troubled teens. When a fifth student (Anna Sophia Robb) arrives, it becomes apparent there are supernatural forces at play.
The Happytime Murders — Jim Henson’s son Brian directs this R-rated murder mystery played out in a world where humans co-exist with Muppety-looking puppets. Melissa McCarthy stars.
Juliet, Naked — Romantic comedy about Annie (Rose Byrne) who, while dating the feckless Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), embarks on a long-distance affair with Duncan’s favorite musician, a Jackson Browne-ish singer-songwriter named Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). Some people I trust like it a lot.
White Boy Rick — Matthew McConaughey stars as Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s. Based on a true story; with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Replicas — We’ve heard some good things about this Keanu Reeves sci-fi movie about a genius who clones the family he lost in a traffic wreck.
Slender Man — In which a deadly internet meme gets its own horror movie. Look for this to be the first of way, way too many Slender Man films.
Kin — In this sci-fi thriller, written and directed by brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker, an ex-con (Jack Reynor) and his adopted younger brother are forced to go on the run by a vengeful crime lord (James Franco), the government and a cadre of otherworldly soldiers. With Dennis Quaid, Carrie Coon and Zoe Kravitz.
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