JULY 2

Earth to Echo

I was debating even mentioning a movie here since this appears to be the saddest lineup of films ever put forth by Hollywood on the once mighty Independence Day weekend. Did the bomb that was the “Lone Ranger” really scare studios that much? Out of the three movies opening on this date, I highlighted this odd “E.T.”/”Goonies” meets “Chronicle”-style found footage, PG-rated, sci-fi movie because the other offerings were way less geeky.

JULY 11

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I was a fan of the first movie in this rebooted franchise but it had a lot of setup without a ton of action. The sequel plans to do what sequels do best: more action, more characters, and more apes shooting machine guns. I’m not sure I buy the premise of apes being superior combatants because they don’t rely on technology or wear clothes, but the movie may be fun in a turn-off-your-brain sense.

JULY  18

Wish I Was Here

Zach Braff’s controversial Kickstarter sensation gets its theatrical release this summer and while it isn’t the typical big movie I highlight in my summer previews, it’s notable for the way it was made. It also does feature a cosplay contest at a comic book convention, so there is a geek angle to it. If this movie is a success will it result in even more crowdfunded films where you don’t even receive a copy of the project?

Video Games: The Movie

Speaking of Zach Braff and Kickstarter, he also helped produce this crowdfunded film about the history of the video game industry, as seen through the eyes of celebrities if the trailer is any indication. Okay so there are a lot of industry people involved too, it seems, and at least backers of this project are receiving copies of the film before it hits theaters which is why I’m sure Braff didn’t mind sharing the same release weekend his own Kickstarted film.

JULY 25

Hercules

While this is the second Hercules movie to hit theaters this year, it is also the more anticipated, with the likes of The Rock and director Brett Ratner involved.  The trailer looks like 300 with a little bit of Gladiator thrown in. I’m sure the studio is hoping for a better result at the box office than the earlier Hercules movie this year and would be happy to earn what 300 or its sequel made.

Lucy

Scarlett Johansson takes on a role seemingly tailor made a decade ago for Angelina Jolie in this thriller about an unwilling drug mule turned superhuman. My only hope is that if the film succeeds Marvel Studios will finally give her a solo Black Widow movie and stop making her second fiddle in movies like the Iron Man and Captain America sequels.

AUGUST 1

Guardians of the Galaxy

Ever since The Avengers, movies from the Marvel cinematic universe have been printing money. This movie, based on a lesser known property, could test that. However, given the hype surrounding the release, it seems like it should have no problem sitting right next to the other Marvel blockbusters. 

AUGUST 8

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This movie has received a ton of flack, mostly because Michael Bay’s name is attached (though he isn’t directing the film) and there is a fear of too many changes in the vein of the Transformers movies. Also, the turtles have weird nostrils. Jury is still out for me, but unlike when the Transformers first came out, this franchise has a beloved live action counterpart that fans will use for comparison.

AUGUST 15

The Giver

Another trailer that raised the ire of fans belonged to this movie, based on the very popular novel of the same name. The cast looks fantastic though, so if issues with choices made during adaptation can be set aside, this could be a pretty fantastic film. And we need only to look to last summer for an example of a film in World War Z that strayed from the book but still was a hit at the box office.

AUGUST 22

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

After a long time off from the first film, will movie goers still show up for this latest trip into Sin City? Despite a couple of casting changes, it looks to fit right in with the previous installment. It will also be interesting to see how the quality of the new original segments written for this film hold up when presented alongside the stories taken from the graphic novel.


So that’s another summer in the books. Be sure to rank the films below and add any comments about my selections or anything I failed to mention that you are excited for.