Ten Most Anticipated Summer Movies for 2014
Every summer, studios try to put out the most exciting films possible, hoping audiences will fill the theaters wanting mindless blockbuster entertainment. I love the high entertainment, the tricky part is removing my brain from the mindless section. Usually the summer is full of sequels (yes, I have a few on the list) or superhero movies (guilty again), but I like the original ideas and smaller films too, which I’ve tried to mix in as well. Sorry in advance to MALEFICENT and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, which I’m sure will clean up at the box office but without Pixar’s name behind a kid’s movie, my interests, probably unfairly, fail to be peaked. I am fully aware that half of the films on my list could be big disappointments. Nonetheless, I am genuinely eager to see a handful of the seasonal releases, so here are my Ten Most Anticipated Summer Movies for 2014:
Honorable Mention: PURGE: ANARCHY – Last year’s THE PURGE was a great horror concept where one day a year, all crime is completely legalized. Unfortunately, the idea was wasted away by falling into the typical horror genre trap of a family locked in a house with bad guys trying to get in. Maybe the sequel can rectify the wrong and bring the creative thought to life with more explorative levels, but I won’t keep my hopes up. (July 18)
10. LUCY – Perhaps I’m overreaching on LUCY, but the film is directed by Luc Besson, the same guy who directed one of my all-time favorite films in LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL. However, his last writing/directing effort, 2013’s THE FAMILY, fell a little flat, but the concept was still on point. I’m hoping this revenge flick starring Scarlett Johansson will bring the director back in good graces. (August 8)
9. JUPITER ASCENDING – The Wachowski siblings last project, CLOUD ATLAS, left me cold and unimpressed. But the ambition of the hit/miss duo keeps me curious about their projects. JUPITER ASCENDING is another Sci-Fi venture starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum and will hopefully be closer to the success of the MATRIX rather than the failure of MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. (July 18)
8. BOYHOOD – Writer/director Richard Linklater has done fan favorites like DAZED AND CONFUSED and SCHOOL OF ROCK. He also did some of the all time greatest films of all time in the Before Trilogy. BOYHOOD is an ambitious project as it was filmed over thirteen years following the life of a boy from age five to eighteen and stars Linklater regular Ethan Hawke. (July 11)
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