SIZZLING LINEUP
A sneak peak at summer films
Beyond a rebooted (again) webslinger, this summer is lighter than usual on superhero fare. But as usual there are lively animated movies, some crime stories and a few R-rated ladies-night-out parties. Also in the mix are some sequels, remakes, comedies and an epic escape yarn. Release dates are subject to change:
CARS 3 (JUNE 16)
The pitch: Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) gears up for a new challenge with encouragement from slickster sponsor Mr. Sterling (Canadian Nathan Fillion).
Hit or miss: More animated fun for fans of the anthropomorphic speedy riders.
MY COUSIN RACHEL (JUNE 16)
The pitch: A naive young Englishman (Sam Claflin) becomes infatuated with his manipulative cousin (Rachel Weisz), which may lead to the loss of his inherited estate.
Hit or miss: Who doesn’t love a good Daphne du Maurier cautionary tale?
BEATRIZ AT DINNER (JUNE 16)
The pitch: A U.S. billionaire cad (John Lithgow) faces off with a left-wing Mexican immigrant masseuse (Salma Hayek) at a fancy get-together.
Hit or miss: Long live Lithgow doing his impersonation of a disingenuous Donald Trump type.
ROUGH NIGHT (JUNE 16)
The pitch: Five friends, led by Scarlett Johansson, panic in this comedy when a male stripper ends up dead at their bachelorette party Hit or miss: Hoping for a Hangover minus Mike Tyson vision.
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (JUNE 23)
The pitch: More of the same — meaning another special effects clatter and clash of the robot titans once best known as toys.
Hit or miss: The fifth in the Michael Bay series confirms that nothing succeeds like another international success.
THE HERO (JUNE 23)
The pitch: Sam Elliott plays a version of himself in the study of an actor diagnosed with cancer trying to make amends before he goes. Hit or miss: For loyal Elliott fans.
BABY DRIVER (JUNE 28)
The pitch: Ansel Elgort plays a getaway driver coerced into a job destined to fail. With Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx.
Hit or miss: Shifty rock ’n’ roll crime entertainment that might be difficult to resist.
THE BEGUILED (JUNE 30)
The pitch: Based the old Clint Eastwood Civil War thriller, the redo has Colin Farrell playing Eastwood’s wounded Union soldier holed up at a Virginia girls’ school. That’s when things take a turn for the unexpected helped along by Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst.
Hit or miss: For her Beguiled efforts, Sofia Coppola picked up a best director award (the second female) at the recent Cannes Film Festival — so there.
THE HOUSE (JUNE 30)
The pitch: Desperate for money, a middle-class couple (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) throw together an illegal casino in the basement of their suburban home.
Hit or miss: Consider it a Saturday Night Live skit on steroids.
THE BIG SICK (JUNE 30)
The pitch: Silicon Valley co-star and comic Kumail Nanjiani plays himself in the romantic comedy. The plot is based on his wife’s real-life health scare and the cultural clashes that occur between their families.
Hit or miss: Diversity should rule the funny bone.
DESPICABLE ME 3 (JUNE 30)
The pitch: Gru (Steve Carell) discovers long-lost brother Dru (also voiced by Carell) as new villain Balthazar Bratt (South Park’s Trey Parker) tries to overshadow Minions everywhere.
Hit or miss: Surrender to the cute.
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (JULY 7)
The pitch: Tom Holland impressed with his Spider-Man introduction in Captain America: Civil War. Now he’s a standalone with able assistance from Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) Hit or miss: Spidey’s slinging for the fences.
A GHOST STORY (JULY 7)
The pitch: Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara play a couple getting by in a secluded home when spooky things start going bump in the night.
Most enjoy a good Hit “Boo!”or miss:
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (JULY 14)
The pitch: As special effects get better, the story veers as Caesar (Andy Serkis) is on a path of revenge. Hit or miss: The appeal continues.
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (JULY 21)
The pitch: Based on the French sci-fi comic series Valérian and Laureline, the film version stars Dane DeHaan as Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Laureline. They are operatives trying save the City of a Thousand Planets, and the universe, from a dark force.
Hit or miss: Director Luc Besson happily returns to sci-fi fantasy after the success of 1997’s The Fifth Element.
DUNKIRK (JULY 21)
The pitch: Christopher Nolan goes from the Dark Knight superhero genre to war re-enacting. He frames the massive Second World War beach evacuation of Allied forces (including Canadians, but minus Americans, whose country hadn’t yet entered the war) from France to England.
Hit or miss: Harrowing yet likely triumphant in the retelling.
GIRLS TRIP (JULY 21)
The pitch: Four longtime friends reunite in New Orleans for party 2.0. With Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Hit or miss: This is the essence of good times.
ATOMIC BLONDE (JULY 28)
The pitch: Charlize Theron gets her punk spy on in the action flick based on a graphic novel.
Hit or miss: Going undercover with Theron — it sounds intriguing.
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH IS POWER (JULY 28)
The pitch: Al Gore’s back after a decade of climate change denial. Hit or miss: The truth is out there.
THE DARK TOWER (AUG. 4)
The pitch: Stephen King ’s horror fantasy makes it to the big screen with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey surrounded by fancy scare tactics.
Hit or miss: How can it miss?
DETROIT (AUG. 4)
The pitch: Oscar-honoured Hurt Locker filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow reimagines the 1967 black day in July when the city exploded into a devastating and destructive riot.
Hit or miss: Either way, the past is worth remembering, not repeating.
THE GLASS CASTLE (AUG. 11)
The pitch: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts star in the study of a dysfunctional family. Hit or miss: A daring profile is worth the effort.
THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD (AUG. 18)
The pitch: Bodyguard Ryan Reynolds tries to protect hitman Samuel L. Jackson from villain Gary Oldman. And it’s a comedy.
Hit or miss: The scenery chewing should be irresistibly delicious.
LOGAN LUCKY (AUG. 18)
The pitch: Channing Tatum and Adam Driver plan a robbery during a NASCAR race in Steven Soderbergh’s back-from-retirement heist flick.
Hit or miss: A flick with a wide demographic should take the checkered flag.