Well...the summer movie season is certainly in full swing as there are several weekends this month with THREE new releases. With that, I'll try to keep overviews brief, but let's take a look at what happened in May first, shall we?
Captain America: Civil War: Absolutely incredible in almost every way. One of the most entertaining films I've watched in a very long time and that airport scene is about as close to perfection as the movies can get. (RRS: 10/10 -- Instant Classic)
Money Monster: Decidedly less intense and thrilling than I was hoping to hear it would be, I skipped this one in favor of a film I didn't cover last month...
Sing Street: A fairly basic coming of age romance story that's infectious with its 80s-inspired music and overall attitude. Predictable, but highly enjoyable. RRS: 8.5/10
The Angry Birds Movie: Calling this one of the better videogame movies isn't saying much as it still received fairly dismal reviews with many questioning its existence. Ouch.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising: A comedy sequel with a message that was consistently hilarious and, dare I say it, better than the original. A rarity. RRS: 9/10
The Nice Guys: One of the most consistently funny films (not a single joke falls flat) that I've seen. A great script and chemistry between Gosling and Crowe are the crowning achievements here. RRS: 8.5/10
Alice Through the Looking Glass: It received some surprisingly dismal reviews that seem to indicate it's a hollow experience with impressive visuals, usually an oddity for Disney.
X-Men: Apocalypse: An enjoyable, but forgettable installment in the franchise, hindered by the fact that it doesn't bring much special to the table in a year where every comic book movie is trying to one up the other one. RRS: 7.5/10
Biggest Disappointment: X-Men: Apocalypse
Biggest Surprise: Neighbors 2
Worst Movie: Seems like it was Alice Through the Looking Glass
Best Movie: Captain America: Civil War
Let's check out that BUSY June! Remember that trailers are linked to movie titles!
Why It's Worth Seeing: I'm surprisingly kinda-excited for this one. The trailers so far have been fun and the addition of the often underrated Stephen Amell (from Arrow) adds a potentially cool new character.
What Could Go Wrong: I wasn't the biggest fan of the first one at all because it didn't flow well at all and wasn't all that exciting with all the insane amounts of CGI. This could always just be more of the same.
Why It's Worth Seeing: I can really only offer a single reason here: Andy Samberg
What Could Go Wrong: The trailers have been awful, IMO, and the premise just doesn't seem that funny at all to me. This could be horrendous, but then I remember how great Samberg is in other things (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and how stupidly-funny Hot Rod was...
Why It's Worth Seeing: Its the sequel to one of the best horror films in the last decade and the production values/scares seem just as good, if not better, from initial trailers
What Could Go Wrong: Have you actually ever seen a better horror movie sequel? 
Why It's Worth Seeing: This looks like a fun cast and that it could have some good setpieces.
What Could Go Wrong: I wasn't a fan of the original for three reasons: 1) magic does NOT translate to the big screen. It's clearly fake/CG and thus, the magic is gone. 2) Jesse Eisenberg 3) It had the most inexplicable and unnecessary twist I've probably ever seen. So yeah, I don't think this sequel to a dumb original is necessary, nor do I understand why people found the first appealing outside of the cast. /rant
Why It's Worth Seeing: It looks gorgeous and....
What Could Go Wrong: I would've added more to the "Why It's Worth Seeing" but early reviews are coming in and they awful, one even comparing it to Battlefield Earth. Ooooooo....ouch. Shame for videogame movies everywhere. Where's my R-rated, true to story, God of War movie?!?!
Why It's Worth Seeing: I think the trailers have been genuinely funny and hell, I love Dwayne Johnson. He's a great guy in real life and I enjoy supporting him and often find that I enjoy whatever he's in.
What Could Go Wrong: Nothing against Kevin Hart, because he's hilarious, but his comedies don't always hit the mark. Hopefully this pairing with Johnson finally strikes that comedy gold for him.
Why It's Worth Seeing: Well it's the highly anticipated sequel to one of Pixar's most beloved/successful/memorable films ever. And it focuses on its best character.
What Could Go Wrong: Honestly? I don't think much. That said, we're not too far removed from the "Pixar slump" so hopefully this is more like a Toy Story sequel than a Cars or Monsters Inc. one
Why It's Worth Seeing: We don't often get too many high-profile Civil War films (no, not Captain America) and McConaughey looks to be great, and well suited, for this role.
What Could Go Wrong: Something about it seems hollow to me. Is it a Civil War summer blockbuster? Are they going for any Oscar recognition? I think it will end up being another impressive performance from Mr. Alright, Alright, Alright, but forgettable otherwise.
Why It's Worth Seeing: It's the long gestating and anticipated sequel to the crowd-pleasing, Independence Day with much of the same cast returning.
What Could Go Wrong: I'm excited to see it, don't get me wrong, but not as much as I should be I feel like. The trailers have been serviceable, but in this day and age of cinema where destruction is so prevalent, I'm not sure that Resurgence has much new to offer. There was a time that audiences hadn't seen anything like it, but that's long past now.
Why It's Worth Seeing: The premise is intriguing and simple and it's 90 minutes of Blake Lively
What Could Go Wrong: Honestly, if it wasn't Blake Lively, I probably wouldn't have included this one. I think it could really go either way and be awful or surprisingly well-filmed and intense. But either way I'll have been staring at Blake Lively for an extended period of time so it's not a complete wash.
Must See (in order): Finding Dory, The Conjuring 2, Central Intelligence, Independence Day: Resurgence
On My Radar: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Now You See Me 2, Free State of Jones, The Shallows
Predicted Duds: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Warcraft
Whew! We made it through the June lowdown. See you next month for a nearly as busy July! As
always, I'd be really appreciative if you came and followed me through
Blogger at RATH'S REVIEWS and like me on Facebook HERE! I follow-for-follow 100%. Thanks again!!
Through the looking glass was a serious disappointment. I wanted to like it. I really did, but I just couldn't.
ReplyDelete