If you’re one of those who bemoans Hollywood recycling, this isn’t your season.
Summer films — which begin, according to the economics of the industry, this weekend, nearly two months before the actual first day of summer — are blockbuster time, when the green carpet rolls, when the comfort snacks of sequels and remakes and re-imaginings and re-re-re-whatevers bid you come where it’s cool inside. Leave brains at the door.
For summer 2015, we’ll see follow-ups to recent hits (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Magic Mike XXL,” “Ted 2,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Insidious: Chapter 3,” “Sinister 2”), new entries to venerable hit series (“Jurassic World,” “Terminator: Genisys,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”), and a restart or two (“Fantastic Four,” with an all-new cast, and possibly “Fury Road,” with Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson, though not much is known about the plot, aside from “lots of cars and trucks exploding fast”).
There’s at least one remake no one asked for — “Poltergeist” — one big-screen jump from an HBO hit — “Entourage” — and a new “Vacation,” sans National Lampoon and John Hughes, but with at least cameo appearances from Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase.
A few of the never-before-on-the-big-screen action flicks — “Ant-Man” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” — come courtesy of decades-old characters or concepts.
Even for the new-ish titles, the pitch meetings seem obvious: “Hot Pursuit” is “48 Hours,” only with chicks! “Spy” lets Melissa McCarthy “Get Smart!” “San Andreas” is “Volcano,” only this time, you’ll smell what “The Rock” is cookin’!
And yet there will be a few odds-and-ends non-sequel/remake/re-imagining flicks, because hey, where are 2016’s sequels gonna come from?
Here’s the list, best as can be told, of films that might hit Tuscaloosa’s Cobb Hollywood 16 in coming months. Dates may change.
Opened this weekend
“Avengers: Age of Ultron”: Writer-director Joss Whedon is back, as are all the Avengers (including the dull ones; squinting at you, Hawkeye), but now with oily James Spader as Ultron, an artificial intelligence machine gone genocidal, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as twins who also are better than you. This is the behemoth by which all others shall be measured.
Opening Friday
“Hot Pursuit”: Anal-retentive police officer Reese Witherspoon protects drug dealer’s widow Sofia Vergara on a cross-country road-trip, while being pursued by both sides of the law. Wackiness, as you might have guessed, ensues.
May 15
“Mad Max: Fury Road”: That original series writer-director George Miller came back to the outback after years of producing and directing kid-friendly fare (the “Babe” and “Happy Feet” flicks) can only mean one thing: There is a benevolent higher being, and he/she/it likes to see stuff blow up as much as the rest of us. Even better news: No Mel, as Tom Hardy takes over as former cop Max Rockatansky, rumbling through this post-apocalyptic land. Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz and others join the fracas. Look for Hugh Keays-Byrne, villain of the first “Mad Max” (from 1979) somewhere in the dust.
“Pitch Perfect 2”: Who knew a cappella duels could be so cutthroat, not to mention box-office lucrative? Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson return, directed this time by Elizabeth Banks, who also co-stars.
May 22
“Poltergeist”: So naturally, if you’re going to try to one-up Steven Spielberg, beating his 1982 haunted-house hit (Tobe Hooper was the director, but it’s well known Spielberg, as producer, got more hands-on than most), you sign up a big-league director like, um ... Gil Kenan? Really? It’s been seven years since Kenan’s “City of Ember” was a monster flop, but he’s got Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris and ... no, can’t think of any reason to pay for this, when the ’82 still works. But someone will, which is why this sort of thing keeps happening.
“Tomorrowland”: Details have been slow in coming for this, named for the Disney theme-park area. Disney ride-based movies have been a mixed bag: On the one hand, “The Haunted Mansion.” On the other, three world-spanning blockbusters from “The Pirates of the Caribbean.” So maybe somewhere in between we find mysterious scientist-inventor (George Clooney) guiding a teenage girl to some shiny otherworld that resembles a 1950s idea of our jet-car future. In the hands of Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Iron Giant,” “Ratatouille,” “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”) there should be something worth seeing, though.
May 29
“Aloha”: Good news: Writer-director Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Say Anything”) returns, with another tale of an obsessed man torn between loves. Bad news: Crowe’s last few features were “Elizabethtown” and “We Bought a Zoo.” Great news: Most of the cast, including Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Danny McBride, John Krasinski, Alec Baldwin and Jay Baruchel. Horrendous news: Bradley Cooper is in the lead. Wuh-oh news: Not much, if any, promotion for “Aloha” suggests no faith in the results.
“San Andreas”: Quake in your ... shakin’ all ... Rock, rattle and ...OK, so No-
Longer-The Rock Dwayne Johnson, Alexadra Daddario, Paul Giamatti and Carla Gugino star in this summer’s big disaster. Take that how you will.
June 5
“Entourage”: Has it been four years since “Entourage” left HBO? And has it been four billion since most of the sentient universe cared? Much of the show’s cast and some creators return, because it beats quaffing Starbucks in the unemployment line.
“Insidious: Chapter 3”: Surprise! It’s a prequel this time, starring the same doomed-haunted Lambert family.
“Spy”: At least runner-up for the title you’re least likely to remember, Melissa McCarthy makes yet another stab at leading a hit, as a CIA analyst who finally gets her big chance to play the field. It’s written and directed by Paul Feig, who directed her in “Bridesmaids,” with a supporting cast including Jude Law, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne, as more accomplished, um, agents.
“Love and Mercy”: A biopic about troubled genius Brian Wilson, who created The Beach Boys and “Pet Sounds,” then fell into a decades-long spiral of mental illness and drug abuse. Paul Dano plays him young, with John Cusack as the older Brian, and Paul Giamatti as Eugene Landy, Wilson’s controversial handler/adviser/pill dispenser.
June 12
“Jurassic World”: The original “Jurassic Park” sold on then-state-of-the-art special effects that showed us dinosaurs who seemed actually resurrected, present, solid and rumbling. This year’s model hopes you still love Chris Pratt enough to buy into him leading a motorcycle gang of velociraptors to combat an all-new, GMO-bloated dino. So yeah. Director Colin Trevorrow’s 2012 “Safety Not Guaranteed” was a small-scale, quirky-funny success, so yeah again.
June 19
“Inside Out”: Pixar’s animated summer flick brings emotions from inside a girl to anthropomorphic life, with Bill Hader as Fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith (from “The Office”) as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, so they got that bit right. Co-directed and co-written by Pete Docter, who did OK by “Up.”
June 26
“Max”: A Marine dog (the titular character, a Belgian Malinois like the ones used by Navy SEALs), comes home from Afghanistan to the family of his former handler. Based loosely on a true story, and co-written by a former Marine.
“Ted 2”: If you still enjoy Seth MacFarlane, because your meds haven’t kicked in, or for whatever other miscellaneous reasons, here you go.
July 1
“Magic Mike XXL”: From the title, you’d like to think Chris Farley could be resurrected in his Chippendales dancer character, but no, this revolves around extra-extra-muscular greasy, half-naked men, including Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer. Steven Soderbergh, who directed the 2012 original, executive produces, but apparently felt he could hand off the thong-reins to long-time assistant director and producer Gregory Jacobs.
“Terminator: Genisys”: It’s pretty clear where Hollywood thinks the gender divide will be on this week. Because time-travel makes with the wacky, John Connor yet again sends Kyle Reese back to 1984, to help Sarah Connor prevent Judgment Day. Yet again. With the help of a tired old Terminator, played by not-at-all-tired-and-old Arnold Schwarzenegger. Again.
July 10
“Minions”: Somewhat like Melissa McCarthy, or perhaps the penguins from “Madagascar,” the scene-stealing supporting cast (of the “Despicable Me” animated comedies) shoots for the spotlight. Folks lending voices include Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney and Steve Coogan.
“Self/Less”: Not to be confused with “Face/Off,” in which a cop and crook changed faces, “Self/Less” lets dying wealthy man Ben Kingsley’s self move into the body of a much-lesser actor, Ryan Reynolds.
Because it’s directed by
visually-focused but story-deficient Tarsem Singh (“The Cell,” “Immortals”), sort of a 21st-century Tim Burton, expect murk.
July 17
“Ant-Man”: Apparently a lot of comic fans have craved this for years. Why, I have no idea. A dude with possibly the worst superhero name since Matter-Eater Lad or Bouncing Boy grows very small, and that makes him mighty. Apparently. But it’s got Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, and the trailers show a nice mix of light and dark; this might be the superhero-minus-angst flick some have awaited. Apparently.
“Trainwreck”: Rising comic star Amy Schumer plays a commitment-phobe who might have her life, mind and all else changed by meeting a good guy, played by Bill Hader. Written by Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow, who’s due for a hit after the disappointments of “This is 40” and “Funny People,” it also features an eclectic supporting cast including Tilda Swinton, John Cena, LeBron James, Marisa Tomei, Method Man and Colin Qiunn.
July 24
“Paper Towns”: Based on a John Green (“The Fault in Our Stars”) novel, about a group of teens on a quest to find the missing girl-next-door.
“Pixels”: Oh, this looked so much fun at first: Aliens misinterpret feeds of 1980s 8-bit videogames as declarations of war, and attack Earth in the forms of gargantuan Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Space Invaders. The cast includes Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Josh Gad, Jane Krakowsi and Brian Cox. Ah, but then there’s the star: Adam Sandler. And then there’s the director: Chris Columbus (from the bad “Harry Potter” movies, and the “Home Alone” movies). Ah well. Perhaps Sandler and Columbus’ awfulness can cancel each other’s out, and make room for a miracle.
“Southpaw”: Jake Gyllenhaal buffed up to play a has-been boxer looking for One. Last. Fight. Directed by hit-and-miss Antoine Fuqua, and co-starring Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris and Rachel McAdams.
“Irrational Man”: As usual, little information escapes Woody Allen’s sets, but this one’s about a “tormented philosophy professor” (is there another kind?), played by Joaquin Phoenix, and his affair with a student, possibly played by Emma Stone. Also featuring Parker Posey.
July 31
“The Gift”: A thriller written and directed by actor Joel Edgerton (“Warrior,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Great Gatsby”) in which an old married couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) find their lives thrown into chaos by a chance encounter with an old pal, played by Edgerton.
“Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation”: You can’t keep a Tom Cruise down, with the help of a Simon Pegg, a Jeremy Renner, a Ving Rhames ... and a Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects,” “Edge of Tomorrow”) who directed and co-wrote.
“Vacation”: Now-adult Rusty Griswold (played by numerous actors in the earlier movies; here by Ed Helms) tries to bond with his family, much as pop Clark did, by undertaking a cross-country jaunt to Wally World. Co-starring Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth (the Hemsworth who plays Thor, not the other one), Michael Pena, Charlie Day, Chase and D’Angelo.
Aug. 7
“Fantastic Four”: The 2005 and 2007 versions of the team of Marvel mutants that’s not the X-Men didn’t create much of an impression, though each made just enough bank to drive another incarnation. This time it’s with Miles Teller as Mister (not to be confused with Captain) Fantastic; Kate Mara as his wife, Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman; Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch: Jamie Bell as The Thing; and Toby Kebbell as Dr. Doom.
“Masterminds”: An action-comedy loosely based on a true story of bank robbery, with Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis and Zach Galifianakis.
“Ricki and the Flash”: Here’s comeback news even more (potentially) wonderful than that of Cameron Crowe’s: a new feature by Jonathan Demme (“Something Wild,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Married to the Mob,” “Philadelphia”), his first since the almost-invisible 2013 “A Master Builder.” It’s a comic-drama with music, about an aging rock ‘n’ roll star (Meryl Streep, sounding miscast, but hey, it’s Meryl Streep), trying to make peace with her family, which includes Streep’s real-life daughter Mamie Gummer as her fictional daughter. Also starring Rick Springfield, Kevin Kline and Audra McDonald, with a screenplay by Diablo Cody.
Aug. 14</b.
“The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”: Ex-Mr. Madonna Guy Ritchie might seem an odd choice to revive the kitschy James Bond-light spy series, a ’60s hit on American TV, but he’s done OK by re-inventions of Sherlock Holmes, and the trailers seem to catch that “Mad Men”-era look and light, so maybe the Cold War can be won. It stars Henry Cavill (a Brit also seen elsewhere playing alien Superman) as American spy Napoleon Solo, teaming with Russian spy Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, an American playing Red) to bring down a shadowy organization bent on nuclear proliferation.
“Straight Outta Compton”: A feature-length version of the rise of N.W.A., with O’Shea Jackson Jr. playing his real-life father Ice Cube.
Aug. 21
“Sinister 2”: Sequel to the 2012 horror hit, with Shannyn Sossamon and real-life twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan moving into one of those fixer-uppers with blood streaming from the walls, demons screaming all night, hellholes in the basement. A steal.
Aug. 28
“Hitman: Agent 47”: Based on the videogames, it stars Rupert Friend as the titular genetically engineered assassin, with co-stars Ciaran Hinds and Zachary Quinto.