Friday, March 29, 2024

Monthly Preview: Man of Steel leads June releases

Man of Steel, Man of Steel, Man of Steel. Yes, it’s almost time for what we consider to be one of the most-anticipated films of not only the summer but the year as the June film schedule is upon us.

But while Man of Steel may dominate the month, there’s also a new Pixar film, a new zombie film, the reunion of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and Joss Whedon’s follow-up to The Avengers to name a few. So here it is: A list of some of the top films that are being released this month.

JUNE 7

The Internship

Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, John Goodman, Rose Byrne
Synopsis: Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.
Our Take: Comedies are usually hit or miss, but the last time Vaughn and Wilson were together it was for 2005’s Wedding Crashers and that was definitely hit. If the duo can produce that same kind of magic (which based on the trailers appears they might have), The Internship could provide the most laughs of the year.

The Purge

Director: James DeMonaco
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, Max Burkholder
Synopsis: A family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalized.
Our Take: First and foremost: The premise for The Purge is intriguing and something that hasn’t really been done in film before. It does appear, however, that that cool premise slowly shifts into a home invasion film ala The Strangers (the invaders wear creepy face masks). But even with that said, this is definitely one we’ll be checking out.

Much Ado About Nothing

Director: Joss Whedon
Stars: Amy Acker, Jillian Morgese, Alexis Denisof, Fran Kranz
Synopsis: A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Our Take: So this is how Whedon follows up The Avengers: By pulling a complete 180 and doing Shakespeare. And like his previous film, this looks really good. We love the dialogue, which keeps Shakespeare’s words intact, and the black and white. Expect to hear a lot about Much Ado About Nothing come awards season.

June 14

Man of Steel

Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe
Synopsis: A young journalist is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.
Our Take: Man of Steel is the film of the summer – and possibly the year. The marketing (particularly the trailer above, which is the single greatest trailer ever put together) has been superb and upped our excitement level from low to incredibly high. Snyder and Christopher Nolan appear to have made something special.

This is the End

Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Stars: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Paul Rudd
Synopsis: While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.
Our Take: An apocalyptic tale involving celebrities playing themselves sounds awesome on paper. Whether This is the End will actually live up to that premise and be good is another story. But based on the trailers (particularly the red-band one), the laughs will definitely be there.

The Bling Ring

Director: Sofia Coppola
Stars: Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Taissa Farmiga, Israel Broussard
Synopsis: Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities’ whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
Our Take: Coppola and Watson are reason enough to watch The Bling Ring. But add in a unique and bizarre story that actually happened and you have the makings of a great film.

June 21

Monsters University

Director: Dan Scanlon
Stars: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Nathan Fillion
Synopsis: A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University – when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.
Our Take: Monsters University has had some of the most unique trailers that we’ve really enjoyed and it’s been a while since we last saw Mike and Sully so this should be a fun animated summer film.

World War Z

Director: Marc Forster
Stars: Brad Pitt, James Badge Dale, David Morse, Mireille Enos
Synopsis: United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.
Our Take: While very different from the book of the same name, Pitt could make this film exciting. However, the CGI looks bad and it doesn’t look very appealing overall.

June 28

The Heat

Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Tony Hale, Marlon Wayans
Synopsis: Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner – or a friend for that matter.
Our Take: While the idea of a female buddy cop movie is exciting, this film is very much on the fence. If Bullock and McCarthy have great chemistry, look for this film to be pretty funny but it’s easy to be skeptical at the same time.

White House Down

Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Richard Jenkins, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Synopsis: While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.
Our Take: This film looks much, much better than Olympus Has Fallen. The cast looks great and the script should have a lot more humor with the same, cheesy action that will put this one above in the Olympus Has Fallen/White House Down comparison you’ll get this summer.

Redemption

Director: Steven Knight
Stars: Jason Statham, Lee Asquith-Coe, Vicky McClure, Ian Pirie
Synopsis: Homeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London’s criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man’s identity – transforming into an avenging angel in the process.
Our Take: First of all, Statham with hair looks kind of weird. Secondly, we get him back at kicking butt again. But this looks a little different than his usual films and it looks like he may have even had to do some acting here. It could be a surprise for a Statham film.

Nate Parsons
Nate Parsons
Nate pretends to be a movie connoisseur but in reality he really knows nothing about movies other than the fact that he loves them. His favorites include The Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart and Schindler's List. Follow him on Twitter @nater_parsons

Similar Articles

Comments

SPONSOR

spot_img

SUBSCRIBE

spot_img

FOLLOW US

1,902FansLike
1,069FollowersFollow
19,997FollowersFollow
4,640SubscribersSubscribe
Advertisment

MOST POPULAR