225’s summer 2016 movie preview
There is nothing better on a hot summer day than sitting inside a dark movie theater with some Milk Duds or Sno-Caps at the ready. So we’ve rounded up some of the most anticipated movies of the summer for you to see. Trending this year are the reboots, the sequels that finally happened and another action-packed comic book movie introducing more of those heroes and villains you just barely remember. Here’s to movie magic!
June 17
Finding Dory
The gist: It was inevitable that even 13 years later, the Finding Nemo sequel would focus on forgetful blue tang Dory. Now, she’s on a quest to find her parents, with her adoptive clownfish family in tow.
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The stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Idris Elba, Diane Keaton
The good: Disney and Pixar set the bar for children’s animated films that tug at parents’ heartstrings, and this will probably continue that streak.
The bad: Nothing. There can be nothing bad about any of this.
Recommended if you like: Coming home storylines, contemplating the vastness of the ocean, the ingenuity of octopi
June 24
Independence Day: Resurgence
The gist: The aliens return after 20 years, but we’re guessing Randy Quaid’s kamikaze maneuver won’t do the trick a second time.
The stars: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox
The good: A grizzled, weary Pullman is back to deliver weighty speeches; Goldblum dons a spacesuit and drops one-liners
The bad: While the mass destruction in the first film was pretty fresh, the spectacle of skylines disintegrating here looks as numbingly over-the-top as Man of Steel
Recommended if you like: Fighter pilots walking slowly on a tarmac, sweeping montages of villagers in Third World countries all looking up at the sky at the same time, Sela Ward as president, America
July 1
The BFG
The gist: Roald Dahl’s classic tale comes to the big screen, with a young orphan and a friendly giant teaming up to protect England from a band of not-so-friendly giants.
The stars: Voice work from Mark Rylance, Bill Hader and Jemaine Clement, live-action work from Rebecca Hall and newcomer Ruby Barnhill
The good: Steven Spielberg brings his patented wide-eyed cinema magic, with plenty of breathtaking imagery.
The bad: That can sometimes get away from him, with glittering spectacle overshadowing character and story.
Recommended if you like: The wonder of childlike imagination, foggy nighttime London, finding out if close-ups of hyper-realistic computer-generated people are still off-putting
July 15
Ghostbusters
The gist: A reboot of the 30-year-old franchise that recasts its leads with some of the top women in comedy right now. There are also ghosts running amok again in New York City.
The stars: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones
The good: Paul Feig directed Bridesmaids and Spy; Wiig and McCarthy are a great combo; McKinnon and Jones are standouts on Saturday Night Live, though this will be their first test as leads in a movie
The bad: The glowing CG spooks remind us of Eddie Murphy’s The Haunted Mansion, which isn’t promising.
Recommended if you like: Chris Hemsworth as a beefed-up office assistant, “New Yorkers, am I right?”-type jokes, slime
Aug. 5
Suicide Squad
The gist: The latest installment in the DC Comics movie universe unleashes a team of supervillains who are promised leniency if they can save the world.
The stars: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis
The good: Everyone gets the chance to chew some scenery in the best way possible, with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn being the early frontrunner for scene-stealer.
The bad: Banking on fans loving a good villain—and through the filter of the gritty, overly serious superhero movies of late—this might offer more violence and shock than some audiences can handle.
Recommended if you like: Guns ablazing, tattoos, lots and lots of tattoos, Batman: The Animated Series
The rest:
JUNE 3: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, with Andy Samberg as a pop music star whose sophomore album flop derails his excessive lifestyle
JUNE 24: Free State of Jones, with Matthew McConaughey as a farmer-turned-rebellion leader against the Confederacy during the Civil War
JUNE 24: The Shallows, with Blake Lively squashing any efforts to clear the great white shark’s reputation as an insatiable, relentless man-eater
JULY 22: Star Trek Beyond, with Idris Elba as the bad guy and Simon Pegg co-writing—but no J.J. Abrams at the helm
JULY 29: Jason Bourne, with Matt Damon returning to kick some butt and Julia Stiles reprising her role as “woman on his arm while they attempt a hasty getaway through crowded streets”
AUG. 12: Sausage Party, with Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and friends aiming to bring the first R-rated, expletive-laden animated film, so y’all, seriously, don’t bring your kids
Summer movies at Manship
When you tire of all the loud blockbusters and even louder moviegoers, pop into the Manship Theatre for its summer film series as well as a slate of children’s movies perfect for those days when you run out of activities for the kids at home. Find more information about times, prices and extras at manshiptheatre.org.
JUNE 26: Bayou Maharajah, documentary featuring Dr. John, Harry Connick Jr. and Irma Thomas
JULY 7-8: The Lobster, starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz
JULY 10: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton’s classic stop-motion animated film
AUG. 5, 12 and 19: Star Wars Episodes IV, V and VI, with costumes and performances from Baton Rouge Music Studios before each screening
Children’s films
JUNE 1: The Rugrats Movie
JUNE 8: The Iron Giant
JUNE 15: We’re Back! A Dinosaur Story
JUNE 22: Charlotte’s Web (1973 version)
JUNE 29: Fantastic Mr. Fox
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