We are Summer Movies, come to lure you away from your computer… come dance down the theater aisle, dig your fingers into your popcorn and bask in the glow of the big screen. August is still loaded with an action flick or two (Fantastic Four, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Hitman: Agent 47), a strong bouquet of indies (Mistress America, The Diary of a Teenage Girl and Cop Car) and few random selections I’m particularly excited about Straight Outta Compton, Ricki and The Flash (I’m all about Rick Springfield, OK and Meryl Streep). So whether you choose to checkout that indie movie you’ve heard so much about, or the latest big studio release, don’t forget to click on the movie title below to view the trailer. We want to make sure you know what you are getting into before you head to the theater.
August 7
Fantastic Four
Stars: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jaime Bell, Toby Kebbell
Directed By: Josh Trank
Synopsis: Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
Our Two Cents: Was anyone really asking for this reboot?
The Gift
Stars: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton
Directed By: Joel Edgerton
Synopsis: A young married couple’s lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband’s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.
Our Two Cents: It appears Edgerton’s first feature has a lot to offer, I’m excited to see this thriller.
Ricki and the Flash
Stars: Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield, Keven Kline
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Synopsis: A musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.
Our Two Cents: Of course Meryl would be Jessie’s Girl! I’m in, I know it looks a bit hokey but I’m still in.
Cop Car (Limited)
Stars: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford
Directed By: Jon Watts
Synopsis: A small town sheriff sets out to find the two kids who have taken his car on a joy ride.
Our Two Cents: Feels Coen Brother-ish, and that could be a good thing.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Limited)
Stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig
Directed By: Marielle Heller
Synopsis: A teen artist living in 1970’s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.
Our Two Cents: Phoebe Gloeckner’s autobiographical novel about a sexually precocious 1970s adolescence, has been called Catcher in the Rye for girls. I won’t miss this Sundance darling.
The Runner (Limited)
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Connie Nielsen, Sarah Paulson
Directed By: Austin Stark
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill, an idealistic but flawed politician is forced to confront his dysfunctional life after his career is destroyed in a sex scandal.
Our Two Cents: Could this be a part of the Nick Cage comeback train?
Shaun the Sheep Movie (Limited)
Stars: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili
Directed By: Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
Synopsis: When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.
Our Two Cents: Shaun the Sheep Movie seems to deliver some fun old school slap stick comedy.
August 14
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Stars: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
Synopsis: In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
Our Two Cents: I am excited for the return of Illya Kuryakin.
Straight Outta Compton
Stars: O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell
Directed By: F. Gray Gray
Synopsis: The group NWA emerges from the streets of Compton, California in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes pop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
Our Two Cents: This N.W.A. docu-drama looks compelling and I can’t wait to hear the soundtrack.
Underdogs
Stars: Bella Thorne, Nicholas Hoult, Mathew Morrison
Directed By: Juan Jose Campanella
Synopsis: An animated comedy with a little bit of magic and a whole lot of heart. Jake is a shy, but talented, foosball player. His passion for the game is rivaled only by his love for free-spirited Laura. With her encouragement, he beats the town bully, Ace, in a foosball game. But everything changes when Ace becomes the world’s best soccer player and returns years later to turn their village into a new sports stadium.
Our Two Cents: If you are feeling a bit of World Cup withdrawal this could work for you.
Mistress America (Limited)
Stars: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke
Directed By: Noah Baumbach
Synopsis: A lonely college freshman’s life is turned upside down by her impetuous, adventurous soon-to-be stepsister.
Our Two Cents: I always enjoy Baumbach and Gerwig’s examinations of life.
People, Places, Things (Limited)
Stars: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams
Directed By: James C. Strouse
Synopsis: Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing parenting his young twin daughters and a classroom full of students while exploring and navigating the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him.
Our Two Cents: A warm dramedy.
Return to Sender (Limited)
Stars: Rosamund Pike, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick Nolte
Directed By: Fouad Mikati
Synopsis: A nurse living in small town goes on a blind date with a man who is not the person he says he is.
Our Two Cents: Gone Girl Part II?
August 19
Masterminds
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Ken Marino, Zach Galifianakis
Directed By: Jared Hess
Synopsis: A night guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history.
Our Two Cents: Director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre) can get me to watch On Demand.
August 21
American Ultra
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Topher Grace
Directed By: Max Landis
Synopsis: A stoner – who is in fact a government agent – is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he’s too well-trained and too high for them to handle.
Our Two Cents: I’m all in to spy comedies!
Hitman: Agent 47
Stars: Rupert Friend, Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds
Directed By: Aleksander Bach
Synopsis: An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry.
Our Two Cents: Elite assassin who was genetically engineered from conception, I could get into that.
Sinister 2
Stars: James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Daniel Sloan
Directed By: Ciaran Foy
Synopsis: A young mother and her twin sons move into a rural house that’s marked for death.
Our Two Cents: Hopefully will follow in the steps of its 2012 predecessor.
Grandma (Limited)
Stars: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden
Directed By: Paul Weitz
Synopsis: Self-described misanthrope Elle Reid has her protective bubble burst when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, shows up needing help. The two of them go on a day-long journey that causes Elle to come to terms with her past and Sage to confront her future.
Our Two Cents: So many people are looking for ward to Lily Tomlin’s return to the big screen, I hope they are not disappointed.
She’s Funny That Way (Limited)
Stars: Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston
Directed By: Peter Bogdanovich
Synopsis: A screwball comedy featuring the interconnected personal lives of the cast and crew of a Broadway production.
Our Two Cents: Looks like a throwback screwball rom-com.
August 28
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend (IMAX Only)
Stars: Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum Jr.
Directed By: Woo-Ping Yuen
Synopsis: A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
Our Two Cents: We are all hoping for another martial arts phenomenon.
Regression
Stars: Ethan Hawk, Emma Watson, Aaron Ashmore
Directed By: Alejandro Amenábar
Synopsis: A father is accused of a crime he has no memory of committing.
Our Two Cents: Director Alejandro Amenábar (Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos), Permanent Midnight and Vanilla Sky) has my curiosity peaked.
We Are Your Friends
Stars: Zac Efron, Jon Bernthal, Emily Ratajkowski
Directed By: Max Joseph
Synopsis: An aspiring DJ looks to make it in the electronic music scene.
Our Two Cents: Tripy twenty-something coming of age drama.
War Room (Limited)
Stars: Priscilla Evans Shirer, T.C. Stallings, Karen Abercrombie
Directed By: Alex Kendrick
Synopsis: Tony and Elizabeth Jordan have it all—great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream house. But appearances can be deceiving. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan’s world is actually crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage.
Our Two Cents: Looks like a powerful drama just in time to guide us into the fall season.
Z for Zachariah (Limited)
Stars: Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Directed By: Craig Zobel
Synopsis: In the wake of a disaster that wipes out most of civilization, two men and a young woman find themselves in an emotionally charged love triangle as the last known survivors.
Our Two Cents: Hmm…really pretty people in a sci-fi morality tale?
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