As the Summer Movie Season approaches, there are several films (based on their trailers) that look quite promising. These include “Get On Up”, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”, “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Maleficent”. But there are others that, frankly, could go either way: a solid hit or a complete disaster. Here are my Top 5 cautiously optimistic Summer releases:
“Neighbors” – Last year Seth Rogen teamed-up with all his Hollywood buddies for “This Is The End”. The first half was brilliant, and then it quickly became just another typical raunchy and forgettable comedy by the end. Now Rogen’s back with Zac Efron for another hard-R comedy about parenting and an annoying group of fraternity brothers who move-in next door. Potentially could be very funny or misguided and way too over-the-top. (May 9)
“A Million Ways to Die in the West” – Seth MacFarlane’s first big screen effort, 2012’s “Ted”, proved to be comedy gold. Now, before the return of the crazy bear next year, MacFarlane is directing himself, along with Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron, in this spoof on classic westerns. Kinda has a “Land of the Lost” vibe (one of Will Ferrell’s good but not great comedies). I’m worried the repetitive theme of the title will get old fast. (May 30)
“Edge of Tomorrow” – Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in this sci-fi action thriller version of “Groundhog Day”. They play soldiers who keep waking up on the same day – Judgment Day – only to lose the war against the aliens every time. Now they have to figure out why this keeps happening and how they can stop it. I like these two very much, but this is another case where the unique plot may get tiresome quickly. And how many sci-fi movies can Cruise honestly keep doing? (June 6)
“Guardians of the Galaxy” – It’s a Marvel Superhero movie with a fantastic cast. But it seems like this one may try to balance uneasy laughs with intense action. Already, the trailer is offering mixed results. Chris Pratt (“Parks and Recreation”) joins Zoe Saldana (“Star Trek”, “Avatar”) as part of the latest group to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bradley Cooper actually voices a raccoon, and Vin Diesel plays a large tree trunk. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” may not come fast enough. (August 1)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” – The fifth big screen version of the “Heroes in a Half-Shell” crime fighters is yet another reboot. Michael Bay has producing credit and his former “Transformers” leading lady Megan Fox is April O’Neil. The turtles themselves are CGI (in this case the G stands for Giant), and they’re clearly not as “cute” as the earlier versions. Is the old fanbase, and new generation of kids watching the Nickelodeon animated series, ready to shell-out cash to see yet another Turtles adventure? (August 8)