Summer Film season starts earlier and earlier each year. We’ve already had an almost unstoppable record-breaker (Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War), and it’s not even Memorial Day. So what do we have to look forward this year at our local movie theaters? Let’s jump right into the schedule jam-packed with sequels, prequels, remakes and cinematic adaptations of young adult novels.[Note: All opening dates are subject to change.]May 25Solo: A Star Wars StoryThe Disney/Marvel/Pixar/Lucasfilms conglomerate releases another Star Wars prequel. This one takes us back to the days of Han Solo’s callow youth, when the young smuggler (Alden Ehrenreich from Stoker and Blue Jasmine) first acquired the famed Millennium Falcon from suave gambler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).June 1Action PointJackass Johnny Knoxville is back performing a bunch of ridiculous, nut-cracking stunts in this scripted comedy about the owner of a low-rent, safety-free amusement park who pulls out all the stops when a giant corporate theme park opens nearby, threatening to kill his business.AdriftShaline Woodley (Divergent) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games) are a couple of free-spirited sailors who accidentally end up in one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. This romantic survival drama is based on a true story.June 8HereditaryFirst-time feature filmmaker and (this is true) former Weekly Alibi film writer Ari Aster won major accolades at the Sundance Film Festival with this mind-bending horror-thriller about a woman (Toni Collette) who inherits her mother’s house and uncovers some terrifying secrets about her ancestry.Hotel ArtemisIn riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles a mysterious figure known as The Nurse (Jodie Foster) runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals. Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum and Dave Bautista are among the cast of this high-octane, throwback ’80s action-thriller.Ocean’s 8Danny Ocean’s previously unknown sister (Sandra Bullock) gets out of jail with plans to pull the biggest heist of her career—recruiting a gang of ladies to steal $150 million worth of diamonds from the Met Gala. This gender-swapped version of Ocean’s Eleven isn’t quite a prequel or a sequel. We’ll call it a “sidequel.”Won’t You Be My Neighbor?This much-anticipated documentary traces the life, lessons and legacy of iconic children’s television host Fred Rogers. Rogers, who passed away in 2003, would have been 90 this year.June 15Incredibles 2Pixar returns to one of its most popular animated creations. Seems that, following the events of 2004’s The Incredibles, superheroes are no longer outlawed. But when Elasitgirl (Holly Hunter) is recruited by a big-time, Avengers-like super team, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) finds himself stuck at home doing Mr. Mom duty with the kids.TagOnce every year a group of highly competitive, middle-aged friends hit the ground running for a no-holds-barred game of tag that they’ve been engaging in since first grade. Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb, Hannibal Buress, John Hamm and Jeremy Renner star. Believe it or not, this one’s based on a true story.June 22Jurassic World: Fallen KingdomAs if there were any doubt that opening (and later reopening) a dinosaur-based theme park was the Worst Idea in the History of Ever: Now a volcano is erupting on the island of genetically revived murder lizards. Naturally, Owen and Claire (Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard) think they should mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs. … Aaaand we have a new candidate for “Worst Idea in the History of Ever.”June 29Sicario: Day of the SoldadoThis follow-up to 2015’s lean and mean borderland thriller Sicario follows federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and mysterious killer Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) to South America, where they engage in an all-out war with a drug cartel kingpin.Uncle DrewAfter losing all his savings in a street ball tournament, a young hustler (LilRel Howery from Get Out) runs across an elderly basketball legend on the streets of Harlem and convinces him to return to the court one more time. This sporting comedy (which began life as a series of viral web commercials for Pepsi Max) stars NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving in old age makeup.July 4The First PurgeThis fourth film in the popular Purge action-horror series takes us back in time to show how politicians came up with the idea of suspending all laws in America for one night each year.Under the Silver LakeFilmmaker David Robert Mitchell follows up his award-winning 2014 horror indie It Follows with this epic neo-noir fever dream about a disenchanted man (Andrew Garfield) who embarks on a quest to find a mysterious, missing woman across the City of Angels. July 6Ant-Man and the WaspThief-turned-tiny-superhero Paul Rudd returns, this time with a female partner (Evangeline Lilly) who can shrink and fly.July 13Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer VacationFed up with running the hotel for monsters, Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his family head out on a summer cruise in this animated threequel. Shock and AweJames Marsden (“Westworld”) and Woody Harrelson (let’s say “Cheers”) headline this historical drama about the journalists who uncovered George Bush’s planned invasion of Iraq in 2003, raising serious questions about Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction.”SkyscraperWrestlin’ thespian Dwayne Johnson continues to crank out the action flicks. Here, he’s a US war vet (with a prosthetic leg) who now assesses security for skyscrapers. While on assignment in Hong Kong, he discovers the world’s tallest building has been set on fire by evil terrorists … and he’s being blamed for it … and his family is trapped inside!July 20The Equalizer 2After the surprise success of star Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua’s violent reboot of the old CBS spy-turned-vigilant series, a sequel was sort of inevitable. Here it is.Mamma Mia! Here We Go AgainIn 2008’s Mama Mia! Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) got married and tried to figure out which one of several guys successfully impregnated her mom (Meryl Streep). Now this musical sequel (filled with even more ABBA tunes!) gets around to answering all your unanswered questions, like … Nope, don’t have any.July 27Mission: Impossible—FalloutDirector Christopher McQuarrie performs a double tap, directing his second Mission: Impossible movie in a row. Stuff blows up, the team is betrayed and Tom Cruise is forced to jump out of an airplane. … We’re assuming, anyway.Teen Titans Go! to the MoviesCartoon Network’s flippant superhero satire comes to the big screen, making fun of Hollywood as the Teens learn that all the big-time superheroes (Batman, Superman) are too busy starring in movies to fight crime.Aug. 3Christopher RobinMarc Forster (Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner) directs this whimsical comedy about a depressed, middle-aged, working class Christopher Robin who encounters his old childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh and rediscovers the simple joys of life.The Darkest MindsAfter a disease kills 98 percent of America’s children, the surviving 2 percent develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps from which they must, of course, escape. This X-Men-meets-The-Maze-Runner thriller is based on the young adult novel of the same name.SearchingWhen his teenage daughter goes missing with no clues, a worried father (John Cho, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) turns to the one place no one else is looking: his daughter’s laptop. This “hyper modern” thriller takes place entirely on various computer chat rooms, cell phones and other technological communication devices.Mile 22Mark Wahlberg is an elite American intelligence officer trying to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country. Markie Mark’s guns are out.The Spy Who Dumped MeMila Kunis (Bad Moms) and Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters) star in this action comedy about a couple of BFFs who get entangled in an international conspiracy after one of them discovers that her ex-boyfriend is a spy.The WifeA wife (Glenn Close) begins to question her life choices when she accompanies her husband (Jonathan Pryce) to Stockholm, where he’s picking up a Nobel Prize for Literature. This one’s based on the novel by Meg Wolitzer.Aug. 10BlacKkKlansmanWritten and directed by Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing), this historical drama relates the crazy true story of Ron Stollworth (John David Washington), an African American police officer who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan and even became the head of the local chapter. Topher Grace (from “That ’70s Show”) plays David Duke.Dog DaysFunny guy Ken Marino (from cult comedy troupe “The State”) directs this ensemble comedy about the lives of dog owners and their beloved pets in sunny Los Angeles. Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens and Eva Longoria are among the cast.The MegJason Statham (The Transporter) is a deep-sea rescue diver called upon to save the crew of a submersible trapped on the bottom of the Pacific—and menaced by a prehistoric, 75-foot shark. Jaws on steroids.Aug. 17AlphaDuring Earth’s last ice age, a young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road) on his first hunt with the tribe gets lost and must survive in the wilderness with the help of his pet wolf.Crazy Rich AsiansA native New Yorker (Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat”) accompanies her longtime boyfriend (newcomer Henry Golding) to a wedding in Singapore—only to discover he’s one of the nation’s richest and most sought-after bachelors. Based on the novel by Kevin Kwan.Down a Dark HallA gifted new student (AnnaSophia Robb) attends an ancient (possibly supernatural) boarding school with only four students and one very creepy headmistress (Uma Thurman). Based on the Gothic YA novel by Lois Duncan. The Happytime MurdersJim Henson’s son Brian directs this darkly comic tale set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Now two detectives—one human, one puppet—must puzzle out who murdered a former cast member of beloved puppet show “The Happytime Gang.”Aug. 24The BookshopIn a small English town, circa 1959, a middle-aged widow (Emily Mortimer) decides—against polite but ruthless local opposition—to open a bookshop in a historic old house. Based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.PapillonCharlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy”) and Rami Malek ( “Mr. Robot”) replace Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman in this remake of the 1973 film about convicts in a brutal labor camp in French Guiana.Slender ManIn this late summer horror cheapie, the internet myth of the monstrous Slender Man comes to life when four teens perform a ritual (never a good idea, kids) in an attempt to debunk the lore.Aug. 31The Little StrangerIn 1947 England a respectable doctor (Domhnall Gleeson) is summoned to a crumbling country estate to tend to the few remaining inhabitants. But the declining family is haunted by something much more ominous than their dying way of life. This historical horror ghost story (based on the Gothic novel by Sarah Waters) is the first film directed by Lenny Abrahamson since 2015’s award-winning Room.
Feature: Summer Film Guide
More Dinosaurs, Extra Superheroes, Another Star Wars Story And One Additional Purge
10 min read
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The Meg
