At the Movies

By Roger Cline, Big Spring Herald Managing Editor

Last month I resolved to get out to the movie theater a bit more this year. Here’s the 10 movies I’m most eagerly anticipating from the first half of 2023. These are in chronological order, rather than in any sort of ranked order, although I will say that June appears to be a busy movie month for me.

Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania: February 17

Production company: Marvel Studios, distributed by Walt Disney

Director: Peyton Reed

Writer: Jeff Loveness

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, Jonathan Majors.

IMDB Blurb: Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

My thoughts: Loved the first two installments in the Ant-man lineup. As we’ve seen dipping our toes into a different Pool, there’s a certain type of comedy super-hero movie that is simply magic. It’s a fine line...the premise and story need to be played straight and serious, with even possibly tragic notes. We’re not mocking the concept of super-heroes here...our starting point is “super-heroes are cool, and can also be funny,” not “super-heroes are a big joke to be made fun of.”

One interesting note from the movie’s Wikipedia page, under the cast listing for Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang: Scott Lang’s (Rudd) daughter who acquires a suit similar to her father’s. She is scientifically inclined, and gains an interest in (Hank) Pym’s (Douglas) old notes and learning more about the science and technology from the Quantum Realm. This is the role that was engagingly played in the previous two films by child actor Abby Ryder Fortson, and as a teenager in Endgame by Emma Fuhrmann. Majors will portray a major Marvel villain. I’m not going to mention the name here, but if you’re interested you can look it up on Wikipedia.

65: March 10 Production company:

Columbia Pictures, distributed by Sony Pictures

Releasing

Directors & Writers:

Scott Beck and Bryan

Woods

Starring: Adam Driver,

Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe

Coleman, Nika King

IMDB Blurb: An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he’s not alone.

My thoughts: I’m always up for a good sci-fi movie, and this one sounds pretty decent. According to the Wikipedia entry on this film, there’s more to the “mysterious planet” than first meets the eye, and there may be some dinosaurs involved. Interesting note: Wilderness scenes in this movie were filmed in Louisinana. Don’t know much else to say about it.

Living Magazine

Shazam! Fury of the Gods:

March 17

Production companies: New

Line Cinema and DC Studios, distributed by Warner Bros.

Pictures

Director: David F. Sandberg

Writers: Henry Gayden and

Chris Morgan

Starring: Zachary Levi,

Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, a bunch of other Shazam family members, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou

IMDB Blurb: The film continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.

My thoughts: So I’m almost over my saltiness at DC having lost the Captain Marvel battle and the character I grew up knowing as Captain Marvel now goes by the name of the wizard that made him into a super-hero. Perhaps the addition of movie royalty like Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu can help ease some of the sting. I have to say I’m not expecting greatness out of this movie, but the first one was a lot of fun, and while I’ll probably always think of Zachary Levi as Chuck, he manages to get across the idea of Captain Mar...er, Shazam! as a kid in an adult body.

John Wick Chapter 4: March 24 Production companies: Summit Entertainment and Thunder Road Pictures, distributed by Lionsgate Director: Chad Stahelski Writers: Shay Hatten and Michael Finch Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Ian Mcshane, Hiroyuki Sanada, Lance Reddick, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown

IMDB Blurb: John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

My thoughts: I go to the John Wick movies primarily for the action, and beyond that, the cool idea of this infighting society of assassins with all those bizarre protocols. I’m looking for more of that stuff in Chapter 4. I want to see what arcane formulation John (Reeves) comes up with to try once again to drag his carcass free of the unyielding quicksand that is his professional life. How many more canines must meet untimely ends to spark his deadly rages? Yeah. While I like these films, they’re really kind of a back burner guilty pleasure for me. I don’t feel like I’ve missed out if I have to wait and catch it later on Netflix or Amazon Prime or whereever.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves:

March 31 Production company: Entertainment One, distributed by Paramount Pictures Directors: Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley Writers: Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio, story by Chris Mckay and Michael Gilio Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Jason Wong

IMDB Blurb: A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. My thoughts: Dungeons & Dragons and I go way back. I’ve never been that surprised by the lack of a really good D&D movie so far...there’s a lot of distance between what would be a good D&D movie to D&D players, and what would be a good D&D movie to the rest of the world. The attempts I’ve seen so far kind of fall in between, and they usually fall short on both sides of the equation. That being said, what I’ve seen so far of this thing – in trailers, etc. – seems like it’s focusing on the right things: making a good movie with actual D&D based (rather than simply generic fantasy based) elements. Some of the Good Stuff: The main characters are playing actual D&D classes – Chris Pine is playing bard, for instance, and Michelle Rodriguez is a barbarian. Hugh Grant as a rogue may be the highlight of this film. There are also real in-game monsters beyond the obvious, you know, dragons. There’s a Gelatinous Cube. A Displacer Beast. An Owlbear. And there are even some of the well-known in-game locations, such as the Underdark, Icewind Dale, and Waterdeep. These are good starting points, but of course it will really still come down to all the normal things that determine whether a movie is any good – little things like acting, directing, writing, etc. Hopefully optimistic. We’ll see in March.

Evil Dead Rise: April 21

Production company: New Line Cinema, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Director & Writer: Lee Cronin Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher IMDB Blurb: A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

My thoughts: Um. I don’t think this is going to be what I think of when I think of an Evil Dead movie – cabin in the woods, Bruce Campbell and his boomstick, etc. Well, there’s still a cabin – but it’s an A-frame rather than a run-down shack, and no Ash Williams in sight. I don’t know if this will be a worthy successor to the familiar horror-camp of the original Evil Dead series, but I’m willing to give it a shot.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3: May 5 Production company: Marvel Studios, distributed by Walt Disney

Director & Writer: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone

IMDB Blurb: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

My thoughts: Back to what I was saying earlier on the Ant-man and the Wasp entry, Guardians of the Galaxy has been a franchise that has gotten a lot of things right when it comes to mixing super-heroes and comedy. While I liked the first one a bit more than the second one, I enjoyed them both. This film is also the culmination of a soap opera in the MCU in which director James Gunn was fired because of controversial Tweets he made in his past. Outpourings of support from fans, as well as the cast, including Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Cooper, Diesel, Klementieff, Michael Rooker (Yondu), and Gillan, as well ase Sean Gunn, James’ brother, who plays Kraglin in the films, apparently convinced the studio to rethink the firing, and Gunn was re-hired in 2019 to make Guardians 3 after completing commitments with DC’S The Suicide Squad. Good times.

Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse: June 2

Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Marvel Entertainment, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Pow- ers and Justin K. Thompson Writers: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham

Starring (voices of): Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Schwartzman, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, Jorma Taccone

IMDB Blurb: Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-people to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

My thoughts: So this Spider-verse installment has a couple of the Spider-folk we’re familiar with – Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Peter B. Parker, but there’s also a bunch that are new to the franchise, including Spider-man 2099, Spider-woman, and Spider-punk. Apparently we’re getting the Vulture (Taccone – who voiced Green Goblin in Into the Spider-verse) as a villain, though higher on the list is Schwartzmann with somebody called the Spot.

The Flash: June 16

Production company: Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Director: Andy Muschietti Writers: Screenplay by Christina Hodson, story by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Joby Harold. Starring: Ezra Miller, Ron Livingston, Michael Keaton, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Andje Traue, Sasha Calle, and Ben Affleck. IMDB Blurb: The plot is unknown. Feature film based on the comic book superhero, The Flash.

My thoughts: Yep, that’s real helpful, IMDB. Glancing at Wikipedia, we find “Barry Allen / The Flash travels back in time to prevent his mother’s murder, which brings unintended consequences to his timeline.” That’s a pretty well-known sequence from the comics known as “Flashpoint,” and it’s a decent story. The big tipping point for this movie, I think, is whether it can overcome all the extraneous hoo-hah going on around its star, Ezra Miller. If you hadn’t heard, Miller was arrested a couple of times in 2022 and the studio was reportedlly considering canceling the film, despite having already sunk $200 million into it. Miller issued a public apology for his actions and sought professional help for mental health issues. That’s one reason I’m a little nervous about this movie...i personally think Grant Gustin – the star of the WB’S Flash series – is a much better fit for the character than is Miller, and it seems like it would’ve been a no-brainer to simply hire him for the job. Another nervous-making point is Sasha Calle’s Supergirl costume and hair. She simply looks nothing like Supergirl. I’ll see it, but I’m very nervous about it.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny:

June 30

Production company:

Lucasfilm Ltd., distributed by Walt Disney

Director: James

Mangold

Writers: Jez Butterworth, John Henry

Butterworth, James

Mangold

Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-davies, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Toby Jones

IMDB Blurb: The plot is unknown at this time. My thoughts: Turning to Wikipedia as IMDB is again unhelpful: “In 1969, American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones lives against the backdrop of the Space Race. Jones is uneasy over the fact that the U.S. government has recruited former Nazis to help beat the Soviet Union in the competition to make it to space. His goddaughter, Helena, accompanies him on his journey. Meanwhile, Jürgen Voller, a NASA member and ex-nazi involved with the moon-landing program, wishes to make the world into a better place as he sees fit.” Something tells me this is going to be a very different Indiana Jones flick from what we’ve had previously. Of course, the elephant in this room is going to be the absence of good old Mutt Williams. Remember Mutt? He’s that young whippersnapper Shia Lebeouf originated in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now we’ve got Phoebe Waller-bridge as Indiana Jones’ goddaughter Helena. And Mads Mikkelsen and Antonio Banderas? That sounds like a step in the right direction. It’s got to be better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, right? Fingers crossed.