The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
When should you use superhero powers?
Season is packed again, with big theatrical releases — and streamers that intrigue
Generations of superheroes see a changing world differently in Netflix adaptation of “Jupiter’s Legacy.”
How things have changed. ¶ In 2018 and ‘19, the April releases of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” respectively, kicked off the summer movie seasons before the weather was even thinking of heating up in some places. ¶ We all know what happened in 2020: The novel coronavirus pandemic caused theaters to close and studios to push back myriad releases, many of them likely blockbusters. ¶ And while things are looking up, we’re not back to normal. For years, the first big movie of the summer landed the first weekend in May, but that’s not the case in 2021. (Apologies to director Guy Ritchie’s action-heavy “Wrath of Man,” but it’s simply not a “Star Wars” or a Marvel movie.) ¶ Nonetheless, this year’s slate looks much closer to what we’d been used to than what we ended up getting in 2020.
That said, it’s certainly conceivable COVID-19 hasn’t caused its last delay, so consider the dates for all these releases subject to change.
You’ll also notice the inclusion of a bunch of streaming offerings. The last year-plus made staying in for a movie more of an event than ever, and that doesn’t look to change soon — not with the packed slate Netflix recently announced for the summer.
Here’s a little about a lot of movies coming to a theater — and/or living room — near you:
“SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW” | MAY 14 | THEATERS >> Chris Rock, still fairly fresh off his starring turn in the most recent season of FX’s “Fargo,” portrays a cop trying to solve a multiple-murder case in the ninth film in enduring “Saw” horror franchise.
“THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD” | MAY 14 | THEATERS AND HBO MAX >> The latest drama from talented filmmaker Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”) involves a survival expert (Angelina Jolie) trying to protect a boy (Finn Little) from father-and-son assassins (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult). The cast also boasts Jay Bernthal and Tyler Perry.
“THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW” | MAY 14 | NETFLIX >> There is some serious talent (Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Jennifer Jason Leigh) in front of and behind (“Pride & Prejudice” director Joe Wright and August: Osage County” playwright Tracy Letts) the camera in the latest big release from streaming giant
Netflix. (It originally was set for theaters in fall 2019, but time needed for extra post-production work bled into pandemic-related delays.) An adaptation of a 2018 novel, the psychological thriller looks to play like “Rear Window” with some twists, based on the trailer.
“ARMY OF THE DEAD” | MAY 21 | NETFLIX >> With high-profile HBO Max release “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” behind him, Snyder lands on Netflix with a zombie-filled heist romp starring Dave Bautista of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. These aren’t the slow “walkers” of a certain TV show — “they’re smarter, they’re faster, they’re organized,” a character says in the trailer — so expect some fast-paced action from the director of “300” (and the 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead”).
“BLUE MIRACLE” | MAY 27 | NETFLIX >> Jimmy Gonzales and Dennis Quaid star in this drama based on the true story of Casa Hogar, the Mexican boys home “that entered the world’s biggest fishing tournament to save their orphanage,” as the movie’s synopsis states.
“CRUELLA” | MAY 28 | THEATERS AND DISNEY+ WITH PREMIER ACCESS >> Emma Stone plays a younger version of Glenn Close’s villainous Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians” and “102 Dalmatians.” We should get a sense of why this aspiring fashion designer will become someone who’s morally OK with dognapping in this prequel directed by Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya”).
“PLAN B” | MAY 28 | HULU >> A pair of teens (Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles) go hunting for a Plan B pill in America’s heartland in this comedy.
“A QUIET PLACE PART II” | MAY 28 | THEATERS >> Here’s hoping that — more than a year after its planned release — the sequel to writer-director John Krasinski’s follow up to his sound-dependent horror-sci-fi hit lands with a bang. He is back to direct wife Emily Blunt, who will be joined in “Part II” by newcomers Cillian Murphy
and Djimon Hounsou, while Millicent Simmonds and Noa Jupe return to play her character’s children.
“THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT” | JUNE 4 | THEATERS >> The Conjuring Universe expands even further after the release in 2019 of “The Curse of La Llorona.” This third flagship entry — following “The Conjuring” (2013) and “The Conjuring 2” (2016) — features franchise stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators. “La Llorona” director Michael Chaves is at the helm here.
“SPIRIT UNTAMED” | JUNE 4 | THEATERS >> This animated offering about a wild mustang named Spirit follows the 2002 movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” and the more recent Netflix series “Spirit Riding Free.”
“IN THE HEIGHTS” | JUNE 11 | THEATERS AND HBO MAX >> The musical Lin-Manuel Miranda built before constructing “Hamilton” finally should see the release of its big-screen adaptation with a cast led by Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace. Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) directs.
“THE MISFITS” | JUNE 11 | THEATERS >> Pierce Brosnan heads an ensemble cast in this heist flick from director Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2”).
“HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD” | JUNE 16 | THEATERS >> The sequel to the 2017 action-comedy hit “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” brings back the appealing trio of Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek. Director Patrick Hughes also returns, and, based on preview footage, this romp is taking itself even less seriously than did the fourletter-word-filled original.
“FATHERHOOD” | JUNE 18 | NETFLIX >> Given that this is a drama starring the typically hilarious Kevin Hart, we’re looking forward to the release of a trailer for what is another noteworthy Netflix offering. Based on Matthew Logelin’s 2011 book, “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love,” the film is directed and co-written by Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”) and also features performances by Alfre
Woodard, Lil Rel Howery and Paul Reiser.
“LUCA” | JUNE 18 | DISNEY+ >> Like Disney affiliate Pixar Animation Studios’ previous effort, the Academy Award-winning “Soul,” this latest film will debut for all Disney+ subscribers. “Luca” is directed by Enrico Casarosa — a story contributor on Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” — and sees Jacob Tremblay (“Room”) voicing Luca Paguro. Luca is a young sea monster who, along with monster pal Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), pretends to be a human boy to see what’s happening on dry land.
“PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY” | JUNE 18 | THEATERS >> Human stars Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson, along with James Corden as the voice of the titular character, return for this sequel to the pleasant 2018 hit.
“F9” | JUNE 25 | THEATERS >> Finally, we can raise another Corona to the “Fast and Furious” family — Dom (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and the rest of the gang. We especially want to toast the return of Justin Lin, who directed the best installments in the greatest of guilty-pleasure franchises, 2011’s “Fast Five” sitting at the top of this physics-defying, fuel-injected, wonderfully ridiculous mountain. Lin has a lot of work to do after F. Gary Gray’s crushingly disappointing “The Fate of the Furious” in 2017. The series already over stuffed cast will see the return of the thought-dead Han Lue and the addition of John Cena as Dom’s assassin younger brother, Jakob.
“THE ICE ROAD” | JUNE 25 | NETFLIX >> The next action thriller starring Liam Neeson will be a streamer. Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (2004’s “The Punisher”), “The Ice Road” gets its drama from efforts to rescue folks from a collapsed diamond mine.
“AMERICA: THE MOTION PICTURE” | JUNE 30 | NETFLIX >> At this point, we have little more to go on than the official Netflix description: “A chainsaw-wielding George Washington teams with beer-loving bro Sam Adams to take down the Brits in a tongue-in-cheek riff on the American Revolution.” Sounds like the next best thing to “Hamilton” — count us in.
“BLACK WIDOW” | JULY 2 | THEATERS AND DISNEY+ WITH PREMIER ACCESS >> Another much-delayed event film, this latest entry in Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe is set after the events of 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” As always, skilled heroine Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, is portrayed by Scarlett Johansson. Florence Pugh (“Little Women”) plays her sister-like character, Yelena Belova, while “Stranger Things” star David Harbour is likely to keep things lively as Russian super-soldier Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian.
“THE FOREVER PURGE” | JULY 2 | THEATERS >> By now, you know the deal with this dark, guilty-pleasure franchise: One day a year, almost everything — murder included — is legal. In this installment, a couple fleeing a Mexican drug cartel becomes stuck on a ranch in Texas.
“THE TOMORROW WAR” | JULY 2 | PRIME VIDEO >> Rest up for a fun July 4 by staying in with this military-sci-fi tale, originally set for theaters but acquired by Amazon for its streaming service. Soldiers from the past fight aliens in the future in the live-action debut from director Chris McKay (“Robot Chicken”). The cast is led by Chris Pratt and features Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and J.K. Simmons.
“SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY” | JULY 16 | THEATERS AND HBO MAX >> LeBron James, meet Bugs Bunny. In the sequel
to 1996 live-action-animation hybrid “Space Jam,” which featured Michael Jordan, former Cleveland Cavalier star James, cartoon icon Bugs and other Looney Tunes faves take on the Goon Squad in a game of hoops with high stakes.
“HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: TRANSFORMANIA” | JULY 23 | THEATERS >> This will be the fourth and supposedly final installment in the animated franchise. Brian Hull replaces Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula.
“SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS” | JULY 23 | THEATERS >> One of the best-known Joes gets a spinoff, with “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding taking over the title role from Ray Park. The origin story will feature Andrew Koji (Cinemax’s “Warrior”) as ninja Storm Shadow and Samara Weaving as another longtime Joe fave, Scarlett.
“THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER” | JULY 23 | NETFLIX >> A woman (Felicity Jones) gets swept up in a romance from the past between characters portrayed by Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner in this adaptation of a work by romance novelist Jojo Moyes.
“JUNGLE CRUISE” | JULY 30 | THEATERS >> This early 20th-century-set adventure set largely on a riverboat — and inspired by the theme-park attraction of the same name — stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Director Jaume Collet-Serra has horror films and Liam Neeson thrillers on his resume, so he’s an interesting choice for this potential blockbuster from the House of Mouse.
“THE SUICIDE SQUAD” | AUG. 6 | THEATERS AND HBO MAX >> Given what director James Gunn has done with the two “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, this should
be a blast. (And an R-rated blast, at that.) Probably more sequel than soft reboot, Gunn’s follow-up to the much-panned 2016 DC Extended Universe entry “Suicide Squad” again has Margot Robbie out front as Harley Quinn, one of the villains asked to do some good by the government. Other baddies trying to play nice and work within a team construct include Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena) and Thinker (Peter Capaldi). Viola Davis returns as Amanda Waller.
“CODA” | AUG. 13 | APPLE TV+ >> A hit at the Sundance Film Festival in January, this drama concerns a hearing teenage girl whose parents are deaf. (Coda stands for child of deaf adults.) Sian Heder (“Tallulah”) directs.
“DON’T BREATHE 2” | AUG. 13 | THEATERS >> Stephen Lang reprises the role of the turfdefending blind man in this
sequel to tense 2016 horrorthriller “Don’t Breathe.”
“FREE GUY” | AUG. 13 | THEATERS >> Originally set for release last year, this funlooking romp has Ryan Reynolds as a video-game character who becomes aware of his virtual situation and “Killing Eve” star Jodie Comer as one of the game’s developers.
“THE KISSING BOOTH 3” | AUG. 13 | NETFLIX >> Elle (Joey King) and Flynn (Joel Courtney) are back for more kissing … in a booth … we guess? (We’re going to be honest about not knowing what actually goes on in this teen-rom-com franchise that started with 2018 “The Kissing Booth” and continued the next year with “The Kissing Booth 2.”)
“RESPECT” | AUG. 13 | THEATERS >>
The talented Jennifer Hudson portrays late, great singer Aretha Franklin
in this biopic. The drama’s cast also features Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron and others, but all the pressure no doubt will fall on Hudson to do justice to the Queen of Soul. It’s coming a little early on the calendar, but this could be an Academy Awards contender.
“THE NIGHT HOUSE” | AUG. 20 | THEATERS >> If you’re thinking a movie with this title would be about spooky things that happen in a house at night … you’d appear to be correct. In the film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, Rebecca Hall stars as a woman who has recently lost her husband and is in store for some seriously scary times.
“PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE” | AUG. 20 | THEATERS >> If you have young children hooked on the series and toys, you may as well pencil this animated adventure into your calendar now.
“CANDYMAN” | AUG. 27 | THEATERS >> Considering the talented people involved — it’s written by Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” “Us”), directed by Nia DaCosta (recently announced “Captain Marvel” sequel “The Marvels”) and stars Yahya AbdulMateen II (HBO’s “Watchmen”), this sequel to the 1992 film of the same name should be far more interesting than your average supernatural slasher.
“THE BEATLES: GET BACK” | AUG. 27 | THEATERS >> We’re as guilty as anyone in not giving documentaries the attention they deserve. However, this Disney release from Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings”) is bound to garner mainstream attention. It’s built on the back of footage made for an inside look at the recording of the band’s final album, 1970’s “Let It Be.” Given the film’s pandemicrelated delays, Jackson has had extra time to help it come together.
“HE’S ALL THAT” | AUG. 27 | NETFLIX >> Remember 1999 teen hit “She’s All That.” Well, this sounds like that but with the gender roles reversed. “The contemporary story follows an influencer (Addison Rae) who accepts a challenge to turn the school’s biggest loser (Tanner Buchanan) into prom king.” In a nice touch, “She’s All That” star Rachel Leigh Cook is said to be playing the mother of Rae’s character.