May 2013 Summer Releases
May 3
Starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce
Directed by Shane Black
The first film that hits theaters when summer begins often sets the tone for the remainder of the summer.
Last summer it was "The Avengers," which broke every record known to man and became the third highest grossing movie of all time, and the remainder of the summer had some amazing films ("The Dark Knight Rises,"Prometheus," "Brave," "Ted").
In 2011 the first major film in the summer was "Thor," which wasn't extremely well received, and led to a subpar summer movie-going experience overall.
This year the first film out of the gate is "Iron Man 3," and by the looks of the previews it's going to be a non-stop action thrill ride, everything a summer blockbuster should be. It will pail in comparison to "The Avengers," but hopefully people won't be assoicating the two, since this one is just about Iron Man.
For the third installment, Tony Stark goes against the Mandarin (led by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley), and it seems that he goes through some personal demons that makes him face who he really is.
This reminds me of "Spider-Man 2" when Peter Parker gives up on being Spider-Man and has to come to terms with who he really is and what his powers mean. But with Tony Stark, you know they'll be several quips and one-liners that will have people laughing, and the previews look very interesting, especially with the multiple Iron Mans, and I'm dying to see how this will work out.
My anticipation to see this: Very high
May 10
Starring Eli Roth, Andrea Osvart, Selena Gomez, Ariel Levy
Directed by Nicolas Lopez
Eli Roth, best known for being behind the scenes as the director of some of today's most horrific films ("Hostel," "Cabin Fever") takes the lead role as friends travel to Chile looking for love, but instead face the most horrific moment of their lives.
After a earthquake strikes, martial law seems to be declared, as Roth and his friends try to escape from the underground club they were partying in moments earler. It seems, through the preview, that people have gone mad and start killing each other for some unknown reason.
This reminds me of last year's "Chernobyl Diaries," where it takes a true-life event and creates a horrific scenerio around it, which results in a box office bomb. I feel that this film (even with a cameo by Selena Gomez) will be one of the bigger flops of the summer.
My anticipation to see this: Low
The Great Gatsby
May 10
Starring Leopardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Toby Maguire stars as Nick Carraway, who befriends the rich and eccentric Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio), who is well known for hosting some of the most extravagant parties for the elite. As the two grow closer, Nick learns that Gatsby and Nick's sister Daisy (Mulligan) had a relationship long ago, and how Gatsby is trying to re-create the past.
This film has a high pedigree of talent. DiCaprio, Maguire, Mulligan. Three powerhouse performers. The story is well-known. The only issue is that this is released in the summer, and typically dramatic pieces don't fare so well in the summertime. It's billed as an alternative to the heavily male-driven films, but films usually billed as that during the summer end up flopping. Still, it's a compelling story filled with a stellar cast which is directed by Luhrmann, who is best known for directing DiCaprio in "Romeo + Juliet" as well as "Moulin Rouge!" and "Australia," so I don't see anything that would make this a poor performance film, just oddly timed release. Not to mention I haven't seen any ads for the film, and being released in less than a month I would expect to see more advertisements for this film. Also it was filmed in 3D, which is probably the most confusing aspect of this film - why would a dramatic piece be filmed in 3D?
My anticipation to see this: High
Tyler Perry Presents Peeples
May 10
Starring Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, David Alan Grier, S. Epatha Merkerson
Directed by Tina Gordon Chism
This film centers around the Peeples, a rich to-do family who go on vacation to the Hamptons where Wade (Robinson), who secretly proposed to their daughter Grace (Washington) crashes the get-together to announce their surprise engagement.
Typically a movie with Tyler Perry's name attached to it faired well in theaters, but then "Alex Cross" came, which soiled Perry's name somewhat due to his poor performance and overall weak story. If Perry isn't appearing in a film as Madea, it seems the box office numbers dwindle. Not to mention that he just released a film called "Temptation" a few months earlier, people might not want to see another Perry film so soon after another one. Plus the story seems very ordinary and not what people go to summer movies to see.
My anticipation to see this: Low
Black Rock
May 17
Starring Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth
Directed by Katie Aselton
This horror movie centers around three childhood friends who travel to an island to get their friendship back, but run into three veteran soldiers, and their original desire to re-connect is snuffed by the desire to hook up, until they find out that these "veterans" aren't who they say they are, and now they're in for the fight for their lives.
...
Nuff said.
My anticipation to see this: Very low
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed by J.J. Abrams
After returning home, the crew of the USS Enterprise discover someone has attacked the Starfleet and left Earth in disarray, so they set out to find the people responsible and to settle an old vendetta.
This is one of the most anticipated films of the summer, and with good reason. When the reboot was first released, no one really thought it would fare so well. They thought it would just be seen by the diehard Trekkies, but it ended up as one of the summer's highest grossing movies, and re-vitalized the dormant franchise. This is everything a summer blockbuster should be, and the previews make you salivate in anticipation, and no doubt this will also be one of the highest grossing films of the summer.
My anticipation to see this: Very high
May 24
Starring Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz
Directed by Chris Wedge
"Epic" is the first animated film of the summer, released by Fox Animation (the "Ice Age" franchise), that centers around a teenage girl who battles evil in the woods to help a gang of characters save their world, and in the process saves her own world as well.
Without "Pixar" or "Dreamworks" attached to it, I don't see this film fairing well. The story (based off William Joyce's book "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs") seems too adult for children and too children for adults (the same fate that "Jack the Giant Slayer" suffered earlier in the year). I think people will be saving their money for "Monsters University" and will probably skip this one.
My anticipation to see this: Low
May 24
Starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordanna Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson
Directed by Justin Lin
After the events in the previous film, Dominic Tortetto and his gang are wealthy but cannot return home, as they are still being hunted down by DSS agent Hobbs (Johnson). He offers the gang a deal - immunity in exchange for taking down a skilled mercenary organization led by a criminal mastermind and his second-in-command, who has strong ties to Tortetto's past.
The first film was revolutionary, the second was decent. The third film was downright silly without any of the former actors. The fourth "Fast and Furious" re-teamed the original crew, and was the best sequel since the original, and the fifth - with the addition of Dwayne Johnson - was by far the best of the series in my opinion. I've been eagerly awaiting the sixth installment, especially since it brings back Tortetto's long-thought-dead girlfriend, and the previews only heighten my anticipation. Cars, explosions, beautiful women, the whole crew back again, no doubt it will be another successful addition to the franchise.
My anticipation to see this: Very high
May 24
Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong
Directed by Todd Phillips
Not a whole lot is known about this film, except it places the old gang back in Vegas (after their disastrous Thailand experience), and is billed as the finale of a trilogy. Basically the previews show the same ole same, with the crude jokes, outlandish situations and Ken Jeong. Everything that made the first film revolutionary and the second film ordinary. Going up against "Fast & Furious 6" won't do it any favors, and I see this being the lowest grossing film of the "Hangover" franchise.
My anticipation to see this: Medium
May 31
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine
Directed by Louis Leterrier
A magical group known as the Four Horsemen astound audiences by performing high-tech shows while they perform their magic by robbing banks on other continents. FBI Special Agent Hobbs (Mark Ruffalo) is determined to bring the group down, but he has to learn the magic behind the magic, so he turns to a magic debunker (Freeman) to help uncover how they're pulling off these seemingly impossible heists.
Everything about this film screams "Ocean's Eleven," and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The acting chops in this film are through the roof, from Oscar winners (Caine & Freeman - reunited for the first time since "The Dark Knight Rises"), to Oscar nominees (Ruffalo, Eisenberg & Harrelson - the former two reunited for the first time since "Zombieland"), the story is fun and filled with mystery and wonder, and the effects look amazing. I feel, however, that this will be an underappreciated film, and won't fare as well as it should.
My anticipation to see this: High
May 31
Starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page, Julia Ormond, Patricia Clarkson
Directed by Zal Batmanglij
"The East" is about an operative for a private firm that is hired to protect their interests, which leads her to infiltrate a collective known as The East that has attacked the corporation. As she integrates herself into their world, she ends up falling for their charismatic leader.
This film seems to not know what it's aiming for. Is it supposed to be a full-on action spy espionage flick, or a love film between two polar opposites? It earned high praise at Sundance, and touts an amazing cast, but I'm not sure how the film will fare.
My anticipation to see this: Medium
May 31
Starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge
Directed by James DeMonaco
From the producer of "Paranormal Activity" and "Sinister" comes "The Purge." In the future, the United States has become a utopia. Unemployment is at 1%, crime is at an all time low, and the economy is more stable than ever. All this is due to a program the government enacted called "The Purge," which is an annual 12 hour period of time where all criminal activity (including murder) is considered legal. Emergency services are suspended, hospitals are closed, and nothing is against the law during that time.
For a wealthy family, they have their guard up with a superior security system that keeps everyone far from their home, until one man comes begging for help, and the family's young daughter lets him in out of pity. What follows is the group that's out to get that man, and will stop at nothing to kill him - even if it involves killing the whole family as well.
This, for me, is the sleeper film of the month. I never heard of it until I saw a preview when I was watching "Evil Dead," and I have to say, I am very intrigued. I love the unique concept of the film, and it seems like a great cat-and-mouse style film filled with suspense and anticipation.
My anticipation to see this: Very high
My box office predictions for May:
May 3rd - May 17th: Iron Man 3 will be the #1 box office champ, The Great Gatsby will take the #2 spot on May 10th
May 17th - May 24th: Star Trek Into Darkness will rule the #1, Iron Man 3 will be #2, Great Gatsby #3
May 24th - May 31st: Fast and Furious 6 will take the #1 spot, followed by The Hangover Part III, then Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, and then The Purge
Is May considered summer for movies then? Gatsby should have a wide book reading audience. It was made as a movie twice before and I would think an older set of people would be mostly interested. I will be!
ReplyDeleteYep the summer movie season officially begins the first weekend in May, basically because that's when most college students are off for the summer.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm also interested in seeing Gatbsy too, it looks like it has promise.