Fall Movies Are Coming! Beetlejuice 2, Transformers, Clooney and Pitt, Wild (Animated) Robot, and Much More

Posted on September 1, 2024 at 10:00 am

Happy fall! Some of what we’re looking forward to in September, October, and November, with sequels, a prequel, some based on books, some on true stories, and some are the prestige productions we will be seeing at the Oscars. The teams from two beloved classics are reuniting. In 1988, Tim Burton gave us “Beetlejuice,” and now Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara join him for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” with Jenna Ortega playing the daughter of Ryder’s character, Lydia. And Robin Wright and Tom Hanks, who starred in Robert Zemeckis’ Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” co-star again in a different story with Zemeckis directing. The trailer gives us a glimpse of some of the movie magic we’ll be seeing in a multi-generational family story called “Home,” showing their characters in their 20s.

We’re also getting a sequel to the DC Comics story of the Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and a prequel with the origin story of the Transformers, and a look at a different kind of origin story, the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975.

Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel about an abusive reform school, Nickel Boys, comes to the screen with Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jimmie Fails from “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” And two family action comedies for Christmas!

Plus two of the most anticipated films of the year, releasing for Thanksgiving — part one of “Wicked” and “Gladiator 2.” Here’s a glimpse at what’s ahead.

September

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, and Tim Burton are back in another story of the ghost with the most. “Wednesday’s” Jenna Ortega joins the cast as the daughter of Ryder’s character.

His Three Daughters Elizabeth Olson, Natasha Lyonne, and Carrie Coon are three sisters who are very different but have to find a way to work together to care for their dying father.

I’ll Be Right There Wanda (Edie Falco) takes care of everyone. Who takes care of her?

My Old Ass Would your young self want to meet your older self? Would she listen? What would your older self want to tell your younger self? Aubrey Plaza gets a chance to find out when her younger self conjures her up.

Wolfs In “Pulp Fiction” there is a character called Wolfe, played by Harvey Keitel, who gets called in to fix dire and messy situations that seem un-fixable. In “Wolfs,” “Oceans 11” stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt play rival versions of that character who are forced to work together.

The 4:30 Movie Kevin Smith’s semi-autobiographical story is a nostalgic comedy about a group of teenagers in the 1980s.

Subservience An android housekeeper/nanny develops some dangerous ideas.

Omni Loop Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri star in a time loop story.

Also of note in September: The Neo-noir “Killer Heat,” the origin story/prequel “Transformers One,” an acerbic Ian McKellen as “The Critic,” “Continue” with writer-director-star Nadine Crocker based on her own life and mental health challenges, “Hounds of War” stars Frank Grillo in the story of mercenaries on a suicide mission, and festival favorite “A Different Man” with Sebastian Stan as a man with a disfiguring disease who has an operation to become handsome

October

Joker: Folie à Deux Lady Gaga joins Joaquin Phoenix in this sequel to the latest version of Batman’s most famous villain.

Saturday Night We’ve been staying up late to watch “Saturday Night Live” for half a century now, and characters, catch phrases, and stars from the show, still produced by Lorne Michaels and still live, are enmeshed in our culture. Jason Reitman wrote and produced the story of the very first episode.

We Live in Time Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield star in a romance from A24 that seems to have a mystical element.

Goodrich Michael Keaton plays the title character, who has to ask his estranged adult daughter (Mila Kunis) to help him take care of the children he had with his second wife.

Piece by Piece Music polymath Pharrell Williams tells his story — with LEGOs.

Also of note in October: “House of Spoils” a spooky story about a chef, “Nickel Boys” based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Tom Hardy returns in “Venom: The Last Dance,” “Brothers,” with Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage as twins on the run, “Things Will Be Different, a sci-fi thriller, and Saoirse Ronin in “The Outrun,” based on Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir

November

Conclave A powerhouse cast brings us inside one of the most secret places on earth — the selection of a new pope.

Here Robert Zemeckis reunites with his “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in this multi-generational family saga.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever A remake of the beloved film based on the book about a riotous production features Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, and Lauren Graham.

Red One Santa is missing! And there’s only one person who can rescue him, Dwayne Johnson, of course, with some help from Chris Evans.

Spellbound A princess has to save the day when her parents are enchanted.

Wicked What were Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West like as teenagers? Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo play the young witches in a movie based on the beloved Broadway musical, inspired by The Wizard of Oz. (Part 1 of 2)

Gladiator II Back to the arena! This time with Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington.

Summer Movies 2024! Inside Out 2, Furiosa, Stars, Comic Books, Sequels and Surprising Indies

Posted on May 17, 2024 at 5:15 pm

Big stars, big budgets, big crashes and explosions, and big sequels! Summer movies 2024 are going to make audiences very happy. And, as always, what I look forward to most is the ones we don’t even know about yet, the ones that will surprise us, the stars we don’t know about yet.

Here are some I am especially looking forward to (note: release dates may shift):

Sequels, Prequels, and Remakes!

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)

As its title makes clear, this is part of George Miller’s post-apocalyptic “Mad Max” series that began with 1979’s “Mad Max.” In 2015, “Mad Max: Fury Road” starred Charlize Theron as Furiosa, who rescued a group of captive women from a warlord. This chapter gives us Anya Taylor-Joy as the young Furiosa, so we can see how she became such a warrior.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (June 7)

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back for another action-comedy about the popular buddy cops. Expect quips combined with chases and shoot-outs.

A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)

Writer/director John Kraskinski has scared us twice with his films about a post-apocalyptic time when blind creatures with extremely sensitive hearing are killing humans. In between covering your eyes and stifling your screams, did you ever wonder how this who thing began? Here’s your answer.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3)

Get ready for Chapter 4 in the saga of the irrepressible cop from Detroit who shakes things up in LA. Eddie Murphy has owned that role since the 1984 original, and we’re looking forward to seeing him reunited with his friends played by Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. We’re also looking forward to the always-great Taylour Paige as Foley’s daughter. And as the bad guy: Kevin Bacon!

Twisters (July 19)

If you remember anything about the 1996 film about storm chasers, it’s probably the flying cow. This updated version is expected to factor in climate change as one aspect being studied by the scientists. The cast includes fast-rising star Glen Powell along with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, and we expect they will try to get an updated “Dorothy” mechanism inside the twister to provide new data.

Alien: Romulus (August 16)

Both a prequel and a sequel — this one is set between the 1979 original and the first sequel. “Priscilla’s” Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced star.

Family Fun

IF (May 17)

IF stands for Imaginary Friend. What happens to these creatures when the children who imagine them outgrow them? Writer/director John Krasinski’s second film this summer looks like a family charmer with the starriest cast of the year, including Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Meloni, Richard Jenkins, Bobby Moynihan, and everyone’s favorite utility infielder for voice talent, Awkwafina.

Inside Out 2 (June 14)

The first “Inside Out” was one of those most insightful films about growing up and about emotions of any film, for any age. It helped us understand the necessity of embracing sadness, while so many movies seem to suggest that we should strive only to feel happiness. Well, buckle up, because central character Riley is getting older and will have to find a way to integrate some more uncomfortable emotions, including anxiety.

Despicable Me 4 (July 3)

It’s been a long time since Gru was despicable, but, hey, Nick Charles wasn’t really a thin man. Gru is now happily married with a new baby in addition to the three girls he adopted in the first film. But did the new baby inherit his despicability? And what about a new villain, voiced by Will Ferrell?

More family movies this summer: “My Spy 2” with Dave Bautista, “Johnny Puff: Secret Mission” with Johnny Depp as a puffin superhero, and “The Garfield Movie” with Chris Pratt as the lasagna-loving feline.

For Grown-Ups

Hit Man (May 24)

Rocketing-to-stardom Glen Powell (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Anyone But You”) continues his ascent in this romance from Richard Linklater (“Boyhood,” “Everybody Wants Some!!, also with Powell).

Summer Camp (May 31)

I’m not much of a fan of these “let’s get a bunch of Oscar-winners from the 70s to play some adorable old people” movies. But I’m still hoping this one, about a summer camp reunion, starring Kathy Bates, Diane Keaton, Alfre Woodard, and Eugene Levy, will be as much fun as s’mores around a campfire.

Thelma (June 26)

The delightful June Squibb plays the title character, an older woman who has been scammed and is determined to get revenge.

The Space Cadet (July 4)

Emma Roberts plays a young woman who “embellishes” her resume to get into the astronaut program. Co-stars including the always great Gabrielle Union and the adorable Poppy Liu.

Space Cadets with Emma Roberts — Copyright 2024 Amazon Prime

Murder Company (July 5)

In the midst of the D-Day invasion, a group of US soldiers are given orders to smuggle a member of the French resistance behind enemy lines to assassinate a high-value Nazi target.

Fly Me to the Moon (July 12)

A romance set in the early days of the space race stars Scarlett Johansson as a marketing specialist hired by NASA to get the American people more excited about rockets. Channing Tatum plays the man in charge of the mission.

Sing Sing (July 12)

Colman Domingo stars in the fact-based story of a group of men in prison who put on a show. Many of the other members of the cast are men who have been in those programs, along with Paul Raci, who won an Oscar for “Coda.”

Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26)

The title says it all. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool’s two movies have essentially been dis tracks for trashing fellow Marvel superhero Wolverine. And probably only Reynolds could persuade Hugh Jackman to suit up with the adamantine claws again. Expect this one to be outrageous, meta, and a lot of fun.

It Ends With Us (August 9)

Colleen Hoover’s monumental best-seller comes to the screen with Blake Lively as a young florist who falls for a handsome doctor.

Trap (August 9)

There are guaranteed twists in the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, featuring his daughter Saleka as a hugely successful pop star. Josh Hartnett plays a dad thrilled to be bringing his daughter to hear her favorite performer. But…well watch the trailer.

The Union (August 16)

Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry star as a one-time couple who find themselves on the same side when she asks him to help her with a spy mission.

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Happy 2024! Movies We’re Looking Forward To

Posted on December 31, 2023 at 8:00 am

Happy new year! I’m sending all best wishes for health and happiness for everyone who visits me here. You are all most welcome and most appreciated.

As usual, we have a lot to look forward to from Hollywood, as it comes roaring back from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. We can expect the usual book adaptations and sequels — we know about them now because they get announced earlier. But as always, there will be some surprises and a year from now, there will be films and writers, directors, and performers so much a part of our culture we cannot believe we did not know them already in 2023. Here’s some of what we know about what to expect.

SEQUELS AND REMAKES

Just as we had last week with “The Color Purple,” we have a movie musical based on a Broadway show based on a beloved movie. This time, it’s Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls,” updated for a new generation. I’m pretty sure, though, that fetch still is not going to happen.

Two of the biggest action movies of 2023 were titled as “Part 1.” So we expect the new “Fast and Furious” and “Mission Impossible” films to be just as thrilling as their first chapters. We also expect that these “final” chapters might not be the last we will see of these characters

“Dune 2” continues the saga of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Oscar winner Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.

“KUng Fu Panda 4” The animated series continues with Jack Black as the big-hearted panda martial artist.

“Ballerina” is a character from the “John Wick” universe, meaning she’s an assassin, played by Ana de Armas.

“Bad Boys 4” brings back Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Shouldn’t they be bad men by now?

“Despicable Me 4” — still despicable?

“Deadpool 3” and yes, Wolverine is in it, along with “The Crown’s” Emma Corbin.

“The Karate Kid” brings back at least some of the original cast, with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan returning.

“Beetlejuice 2” brings back director Tim Burton and our favorite ghost/demon, still played by Michael Keaton, with a now-grown Winona Ryder. Catherine O’Hara is back, too. Which Harry Belafonte song will she dance to this time?

“Twisters” is somehow connected to the Helen Hunt/Bill Paxton movie with the flying cow, but will have all new characters played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos.

“Inside Out 2” takes our beloved Riley one step further into the increasingly complicated world of college life. So, the entry of a new character in her emotions line-up, Anxiety, played by Maya Hawke.

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is a prequel, taking place almost centuries before the events of “The Two Towers.” So expect new characters and cast, except for Miranda Otto as Eowyn.

“Mufasa: The Lion King” is another origin story, the background on Mufasa and his brother. What makes this one intriguing is that the person behind it is director Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is the I forget what number in the series. But if people keep going, they’ll keep making them.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” brings the new and original Ghostbusters together to save the world.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” gives us the origin story of the character played by Charlize Theron in “Fury Road.” George Miller returns as director and Chris Hemsworth co-stars.

“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” — the title says it all.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” — the title says it all.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” four decades after the original, has Eddie Murphy and his pals played by John Ashton and Judge Reinhold, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge (pronounced Saaaaarge), along with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and “Zola’s” Taylour Paige.

“The Fall Guy” may not sound promising, an update of an all-but-forgotten 80s television series with Lee Majors as a stunt man/bounty hunter. But if I tell you it stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham, and is directed by John Wick’s David Leitch, you are likely to be as excited as I am.

It’s not a explicitly a sequel or a remake, but Matthew Vaughn’s “Argyle” looks very much in the same spirit as his “Kingsmen” films, meaning edgy but wildly entertaining action.

COMIC BOOKS AND SUPERHEROS

“Madam Web” stars Dakota Johnson as Spider-Man’s buddy.

“Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” has a high bar to reach given the brilliance of the first two, but I am confident they will continue to astonish and impress.

And even some originals:

“Which Brings You to Me” is an unusual romance. The usual part is when two people (played by Nat Wolff and Lucy Hale) with messy lives meet at a wedding and have an impulsive sexual encounter. What makes it different is what happens when they start to tell each other about their past relationships.

“IF” stands for Imaginary Friend. Writer/director John Krasinski has created a story about a man (Ryan Reynolds) who can see people’s imaginary friends.

“Ordinary Angels” has double-Oscar winner Hillary Swank in a fact-based story of an unlikely hero, a hairdresser with a chaotic life who decides to help a family she’s never met. This seems similar to her under-appreciated, also fact-based role in “Conviction,” which has me hopeful.

“Hit Man” stars up-and-coming Glen Powell as professor who pretends to be a hit man, from versatile and always-interesting Richard Linklater. Note: Powell’s first major role was in one of Linklater’s best, “Everybody Wants Some!!!”

“A Different Man” asks questions about identity and purpose, with Sebastian Stan as an actor who drastically changes his appearance only to then lose out on the role that would have been perfect for him before the change.

“Girls State” is a documentary follow-up to the acclaimed “Boys State,” about the program for teenagers interested in politics.

What’s Next: Movies for Fall 2023

Posted on September 1, 2023 at 10:00 am

Happy fall! The season of superheroes and car chases is over, and it’s time for some of the movies we will probably see at awards time. A few films, including “Dune 2,” have been delayed due to the continuing SAG-AFTRA/WAG strike. But there is still plenty to look forward to. Here are some of the films I’m most excited about.

September

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”

The Portokalos family is back and this time they’re going to Greece to connect with their roots. Nia Vardelos wrote and directed what looks like another heartwarming comedy.

“Dumb Money”

There was this company called GameStop. They were in shopping malls and they sold video games. A bunch of ultra- rich Wall Street guys shorted the stock, meaning that if the company went bankrupt, they would make more billions of dollars. Normally, that would work. But “a bunch of millennial misfits” (according to the excellent documentary, “Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga“), with new access to both technology (an options trading app) and time (the pandemic), decided it was Opposite Day, and they would invest not because of what market indicators were pointing to, but just to mess with the billionaires. This film has a powerhouse cast, including Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, America Ferrera, Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan, Nick Offerman, and Vincent D’Onofrio.

“A Haunting in Venice”

Sir Kenneth Branagh is back as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as a medium who Jamie Dornan and his “Belfast” co-star Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, Camille Cottin, and Tina Fey as Adrienne Oliver, the mystery novelist character Agatha Christie based on herself.

“A Million Miles Away”

The story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández inspired this film about a family of proud migrant farm workers on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station.

“She Came to Me”

Peter Dinklage stars as an opera composer struggling to create his next piece. His wife, played by Anne Hathaway, is a therapist who loves to clean. He meets a tugboat captain played by Marisa Tomei, and that gives him an idea for the opera…and a possible stalker. Plus, a new song from Bruce Springsteen!

“My Animal”

This is a supernatural romance with Bobbi Salvör Menuez (“Euphoria”) as a secluded young woman living with an inherited curse Amandla Stenberg (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) as the rebellious love interest who will discover how dangerous the relationship will be.

“Flora and Son”

I’m a huge fan of filmmaker John Carney (“Once,” “Begin Again,” “Sing Street”), whose movies always have a deep love for music and musicians. I am really looking forward to this one, with Eve Hewson as a young mother of a sulky teenager who find a way to connect through music. “Sing Street’s” Jack Reynor plays the boy’s father, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is her online guitar tutor. Hewson knows something about the world of musicians; her father is Bono.

“The Pigeon Tunnel”

Spy-turned spy novelist John le Carré (real name David John Moore Cornwall) is interviewed by legendary documentarian Errol Morris, a perfect fit, as they are two men who have spent their lives thinking about secrets.

“The Creator”

Worried about AI? This will make you worry even more. In the apocalyptic future of this story, AI has gone rogue and is on the way to wiping out humanity. If anyone can save us, I’d bet on John David Washington.

“Dicks: The Musical”

Yes, that is really the title. And the director is Larry Charles, of “Seinfeld” and the Borat and Brüno movies. And it stars Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Megan Thee Stallion, and Bowen Yang. And it’s something about…a kind of “Parent Trap”-type story? With puppets called The Sewer Boys.

October

“FOE”

Two of the world’s most talented and charismatic performers, Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, star in a movie about a couple who live quietly on land that has been in his father’s family for generations until a stranger arrives with a shocking offer in a “Black Mirror”-style tale of technology and identity.

“Freelance”

Fall may be for serious movies, but hey, there’s always room for action, especially if it stars John Cena. In “Freelance” he is a divorced dad in a boring law job, but of course he’s also ex-special ops, and he agrees to keep a journalist (Alison Brie) safe on a reporting trip to interview a dictator.

“Ordinary Angels”

Two-time Oscar-winner Hillary Swank plays a self-described mess who decides that she has a purpose in life — to help a family she’s never met get the transplant their little girl desperately needs.

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

One of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year is Martin Scorsese’s 3 1/2-hour epic adaptation of David Grann’s book about the real-life murder of Osage Indians in the early 1920s. No one paid much attention to the Osage until they discovered oil on their land and a lot of money was going to to to them or to anyone who got them out of the way. The cast includes Scorsese favorites Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as John Lithgow, Yancey Red Corn, Jesse Clemons, Brendan Fraser, and Tantoo Cardinal.

“What Happens Later”

Meg Ryan directs and stars with David Duchovny in a bittersweet story of exes to find themselves stuck at the airport.

“The Holdovers”

Alexander Payne reunites with his “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti for this story of an autocratic and disliked boarding school teacher stuck with the unhappy students who have nowhere else to go for the winter holidays.

NOVEMBER

“Rustin”

Producer Barack Obama (yes, that Obama) is behind this biopic about one of the key figures of the Civil Rights Movement, Bayard Rustin, played by Colman Domingo. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the 1941 March on Washington Movement to press for an end to racial discrimination in employment. He later organized Freedom Rides, and helped to organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He advocated for civil rights, workers’ rights, gay rights, and the rights of Soviet Jews. “Rustin’s” director is George C. Wolfe (director of many Broadway plays and films including “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) and the cast includes Aml Ameen as the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., Glynn Turman as A. Philip Randolph, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mahalia Jackson, Jeffrey Wright (who played MLK in “Boycott”) as Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, and Chris Rock as Roy Wilkins, along with CCH Pounder and Audra McDonald. Obama posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and this movie is sure to be a meaningful tribute.

“Quiz Lady”

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star as a gameshow-obsessed woman and her estranged sister, who have to work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. What better way to make some money than a game show? And what better actor to play a game show host than Will Ferrell?

“The Marvels”

Brie Larson is just one of the Marvels in this superhero story bringing together Carol Danvers with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (the adorable Iman Vellani). Of course Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Flerken named Goose that looks like a cat are there to provide back-up. What do I always say about the villain being the key to a good superhero movie? Well, we’ve got Zawe Ashton as Dar-Ben. Sisters are doin’ it for themselves!

“May December”

Director Todd Haynes always has a provocative take on the gaps between our public and private personas. In “May/December,” Julianne Moore plays a woman who had sex with her 13-year-old student. That was years ago, they are still together, living in a lovely home financed by their appearances on tabloid news shows. Their child is about to graduate from high school as an actress (Natalie Portman) has arrived because she is going to play Moore’s character in a movie based on the story.

“Next Goal Wins”

Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarock,” “Jojo Rabbit”) is not going to give us the usual underdog sports story. And it’s not “Ted Lasso.” This is based on the real-life Samoan team known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. Michael Fassbender plays the coach brought in to get them to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, or just to get one goal. To learn more, watch the documentary of the same name.

“Showdown at the Grand”

A movie theater owner (Terrence Howard) and an action star (Dolph Lundgren) join forces to save the business from developers in this commentary on and love letter to action movies.

“Maestro”

The last time Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, and starred in a film, it was the smash remake “A Star is Born.” The triple threat is back with “Maestro,” the story of musical genius Leonard Bernstein, a brilliant conductor and composer. Carey Mulligan co-stars as his wife Felicia.

“Napoleon”

Ridley Scott directs this epic story of an epic life, with Joaquin Phoenix as the emperor turned exile and Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Josephine.

“Wish”

No one knows more about wishes and magic than Disney, and after a couple of less-than-great films, this one looks like a return to the classic era, with a terrific voice cast: Chris Pine as the evil king, Oscar-winner Ariana Dubs as the heroine, and Alan Tudyk, as, I’m guessing, the goat?

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Movies Summer 2023

Posted on May 25, 2023 at 8:00 am

Lots of great movies coming our way! Of course the usual blockbusters and sequels and a new Pixar, and, as always, what I am most looking forward to is being surprised by some new director or star or filmmaker I don’t know now but will soon be unable to imagine the world without.

Some highlights about what’s coming:

JUNE

Past Lives A love story across time and distance.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse The sequel to the unexpected hit and winner of the Animation Oscar.

Flamin’ Hot Eva Longoria directed this origin story of a janitor who came up with the idea for spicy Cheetos.

Elemental You just know Pixar will make us all cry again in this story of a girl made of fire who falls for a guy made of water.

The Flash One of DC’s most popular superhero characters gets his own movie.

Asteroid City We don’t know much about Wes Anderson’s latest, but we do know that the visuals will be filled with dazzling visual details and quirky characters.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Harrison Ford as Indy. Time travel. Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Enough said.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but an animated sea beast!

JULY

Barbie Writer/director’s film about the world’s most popular doll has a spectacular cast including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, America Ferrara, Alexandra Shipp, John Cena, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, and Michael Cena, and Dame Helen Mirren.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part 1 Chases, explosions, fake-outs, saving the world, and Tom Cruise performing crazy stunts and running very fast.

Theater Camp This festival darling about theater kids looks adorkable.

Oppenheimer The story of the brilliant man who created the most powerful bomb the world had ever seen, with Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh.

The Haunted Mansion One of Disney’s most popular attractions inspired this thriller starring Rosario Dawson and LaKeith Stanfield.

AUGUST

Meg 2: The Trench Jason Stratham is back and so is that gigantic sea monster.

Gran Turismo Is this every gamer’s dream? A gamer got so good he became a real race car driver in this film based on a true story.

Blue Beetle In this DC story, Xolo Maridueña plays the title superhero and his alter ego, Jaime Reyes.

Also coming: the raunchy comedies “Joy Ride” and “No Hard Feelings,” another Transformers movie, another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, a new Dracula movie (set aboard ship!), and an R-rated movie about dogs!

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