Summer movie season this year is quieting down after June, but there are still several big releases to look forward to in both the mainstream and indie worlds. Here’s the best of the bunch.
July 3
The Lone Ranger: Johnny Depp once again dons a weird outfit and a silly voice in this feature about a Native American warrior fighting corruption with a former law man played by Armie Hammer. Director Gore Verbinski, who is known for the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, is a capable action director. Go for the action, but maybe not for a great story.
July 5
The Way, Way Back: Steve Carell stars as a jerk father in this film about a teen who works at a water park to escape his dysfunctional parents. It looks like a fun indie in the vein of “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Juno.”
July 12
Pacific Rim: Not a remake or an adaptation, this one gets points for being an original sci-fi story about mankind building huge robots to fight giant monsters that appear from a portal in the ocean. Hopefully, a great script will back up this epic monster movie premise. Viewers after an early test screening said it was great on Twitter, so definitely head to the theater for this.
Fruitvale Station: Based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a man who was shot to death by a California police officer in 2009, “Fruitvale Station” won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, making it a possible Oscar contender. Early reviews have been very positive, saying its social commentary blends nicely with powerful drama.
July 19
Only God Forgives: The latest release from director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling, who made “Drive” together, looks like a violent and psychologically warped crime thriller. Gosling owns a Bangkok boxing club and works for his mob-boss mother, who makes him hunt down the man who murdered his brother. “Drive” was a stylish and interesting film about people submitting to violence, and “Only God Forgives” looks like it will explore that further.
The Conjuring: A mix of bio-pic and horror movie, “The Conjuring” is based on real-life paranormal investigators who investigate a haunted farmhouse in Rhode Island. It’s directed by James Wan who also made “Saw” and “Insidious.” Good test screenings pushed the film’s release to summer, so horror fans may have a rare scary flick to enjoy.
July 26
The Wolverine: Marvel films have been on a high lately, but the last Wolverine movie got pretty bad reviews, making this one a toss-up. The film is based on a mini-series comic where Wolverine goes to Japan to fight in a mob war and loses his self-healing ability, so the story has potential. Here’s hoping X-Men fans aren’t disappointed.
Blue Jasmine: Woody Allen’s latest films have been either sweet and charming, like “Midnight in Paris,” or a bit dull, like “To Rome with Love,” so it’s uncertain how this one will fare. Still, an all-star cast featuring Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett and Louis C.K. ensures the talent will be there, so hopefully the story will be as well. Blanchett stars as a housewife that undergoes a personal crisis. If anything, your parents will like it.
August 9
Elysium: The director of “District 9” returns with a high-concept science fiction movie about a future in which the wealthy live on a space station, while the poor live below on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Matt Damon stars as a poor man whose life depends on getting to the space station and subverting the established order. It’s a film with a lot of promise that may deliver a great mix of action thrills and social commentary.
We’re the Millers: There’s not many comedies coming out this summer, but maybe “We’re the Millers” will offer some laughs for fans of Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis or of “Dodgeball,” the director’s previous film. Sudeikis plays a pot dealer who rents an RV and a fake family, including Aniston playing a stripper, to move a shipment of weed from Mexico. The supporting cast is filled with great comedy actors like Ed Helms as well.
August 23
The World’s End: “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim” director Edgar Wright teams up with Simon Pegg for a comedy about friends reuniting for a pub crawl amidst an apocalyptic alien invasion. The cast has great comedic chops and Wright is a director known for making sci-fi and zombie movies that have funny and well-written characters.
