f licks you just can’t miss...
More film critic Matthew Bond picks the movies to set the summer sizzling
1. Transformers: The Last Knight (out June 22)
The apparently endless battle between Autobots, Decepticons and humans takes a mythical turn. The explosionloving Michael Bay again directs, Mark Wahlberg stars and Anthony Hopkins adds his customary helping of laid-back class.
2. Despicable Me 3 (out June 30)
For those wondering who is now more popular – the original arch-villain Gru or his mischievous, spin-off-loving minions – it’s about to get a lot more complicated as Gru discovers he has a long-lost twin brother, Dru, who is everything Gru is not – charming, handsome and successful.
3. Spider-Man Homecoming
(out July 7) Following the deal struck by Sony and Disney in 2015, and a brief cameo in Captain America, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is now fully integrated in the Avengers universe. Tony Stark has made him a new suit, and Robert Downey Jr will be gracing this new stand-alone film.
4. War For The Planet Of The Apes (out July 11)
With the apes suffering massive losses at the hands of the human forces marshalled by the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), Caesar – the chimp leader (Andy Serkis) – decides it’s time to hit back: hard. ‘No mercy, no peace.’
5. Dunkirk
(out July 21) Probably the most eagerly awaited film of the summer, as Christopher Nolan turns his film-making skills – and mastery of visual effects – to World War II’s miraculous seaborne evacuation. Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy lead an ensemble cast. 6. 6 Days (out August 4) In April 1980, armed gunmen took over the Iranian Embassy in London, holding everyone inside hostage for the next six days before the building was stormed – live on television – by the SAS. It will be interesting to see how this extraordinary but oftreprised story survives the move to the big screen. Jamie Bell and Mark Strong take leading roles. 7. Emoji Movie (out August 4) What Inside Out did for the human brain, this hopes to do for smartphones. Set inside a messaging app, it’s the story of Gene, who was meant to be a ‘meh’ emoji but ended up with too many emotions. With a voice cast led by Patrick Stewart, Sofia Vergara and James Corden, it’s a ‘smiley
face’ for now.
8. The Dark Tower
(out August 18) This Stephen King adaptation sees the master of horror moving into the world of dark fantasy. Idris Elba stars as ‘the gun-slinger’, whose quest to reach the Dark Tower in an alternative Wild West is constantly thwarted by ‘the man in black’ (Matthew McConaughey).
9. Logan Lucky
(out August 25) Ocean’s Eleven director Steven Soderbergh is back with a comic caper that sees two down-on-their-luck brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) planning a heist in the middle of a Nascar race. But the real star is Daniel Craig, sporting a peroxide crop and a good ol’ southern accent. Yes, sirree.
10. Rough Night
(out August 25) Sounding like an over-excited hybrid of Bridesmaids and The Hangover, a group of friends reunite for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami, only to accidentally kill a male stripper. Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Kravitz and Kate McKinnon star.