Zac Efron just figured out that the second
half of August is a terrible time to release a movie. Over the weekend, the
poor guy’s DJ drama We Are Your Friends experienced one of the worst
wide-release openings in box office history. Whether it’s because kids are back
in school or audiences are suffering from blockbuster burnout, most auditoriums
showing new stuff look like ghost towns.
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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
Black Mass
Johnny Depp looks absolutely terrifying as
real-life gangster Whitey Bulger in this crime drama from Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper. The manipulative criminal served as the inspiration for
Jack Nicholson’s character in The Departed, so it will be interesting to see
how this film dramatizes his life. It also has a stellar supporting cast, including
Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Corey Stoll, Kevin Bacon and Peter
Sarsgaard. (Sept. 18)
The Intern
After a string of intense dramatic roles,
Anne Hathaway returns to the lighthearted fare that made her a star. She plays
the founder of a popular fashion website who learns her new intern is a
70-year-old former retiree played by Robert De Niro. Writer/director Nancy
Meyers has a pretty solid track record (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta
Give) and the trailer looks charming. Plus, it’s always nice to see De Niro
when he doesn’t seem to be coasting. (Sept. 25)
The Martian
This might be my most-anticipated film of
the next few months. Based on the phenomenal, surprisingly funny novel by Andy
Weir (one of my new favorites), this sci-fi thriller stars Matt Damon as an
astronaut who is presumed dead by his crew after a freak storm on Mars. They
abort the mission and leave for home, not realizing their colleague is still
alive. Now he has to figure out how to stay that way until the next crew
returns to the planet in four years. With a supporting ensemble including
Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig,
along with director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard serving as the
creative voices behind-the-scenes, this one could be something really special. (Oct.
2)
Sicario
A drug war thriller from Denis Villeneuve
(director of the ultra-bleak Prisoners)? And it stars Emily Blunt, Benicio
del Toro, Josh Brolin and Jon Bernthal? That’s all I need to know. Plus, since
I hear the script is smart and twisty, that’s really all I want to know. (Oct.
2)
The Jungle Book
The latest Disney animated film to get a
live-action remake, director Jon Favreau casts notable names as the mo-cap
wildlife, including Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher
Walken, Giancarlo Esposito, Lupita Nyong’o and – in staggeringly perfect
casting – Bill Murray as Baloo. This means, since the film incorporates the
animated version’s classic songs, we’re going to hear Murray sing “The Bare Necessities.”
Yes. (Oct. 9)
Crimson Peak
Guillermo del Toro, whose masterpiece
remains the heartbreaking Pan’s Labyrinth, tackles the gothic haunted house
genre. The intriguing trailer focuses on a troubled young bride (Mia Wasikowska)
as she acclimates to living with her new husband (Tom Hiddleston) and his
sister (Jessica Chastain). I’m assuming things don’t go well. (Oct. 16)
Bridge of Spies
Tom Hanks stars in a Cold War legal drama
directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay co-written by the Coen brothers.
Part of me wants to say the movie is an Oscar contender based on those names
alone, but Unbroken, a film with a similar pedigree that fizzled during
awards season last year, has me a little skittish. (Oct. 16)
Spectre
The latest entry in the Bond franchise
brings back the villainous organization familiar to the series’ longtime fans.
Sam Mendes is directing again and Daniel Craig returns as 007, but he’s
answering to a new M (Ralph Fiennes) and facing a lot of bureaucratic red tape
thanks to what happened in Skyfall. Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci are the
love interests this time around, and Christoph Waltz plays a new foe named
Oberhauser – although almost everyone is assuming he’s actually Bond’s classic nemesis
Blofeld. (Nov. 6)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
It’s time to see if Katniss Everdeen
(Jennifer Lawrence) and the rest of District 13 succeed in their rebellion
against the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). If that sentence sounds
like complete gibberish to you, there’s still time to catch up with the
previous three installments in this uber-popular series. Those who’ve read Suzanne
Collins’ novels know this will be an action-packed and controversial conclusion.
I still don’t think the finale needed to be split in half, but at least Part
2 will be all payoffs since Part 1 was basically two hours of table setting.
(Nov. 20)
The Good Dinosaur
Pixar’s second movie of 2015 asks viewers
to imagine what Earth would look like if an asteroid never wiped out the
dinosaurs. In this world, an Apatosaurus named Arlo befriends a human child and
they set out on a journey to face their fears. It’ll be tough to top Inside
Out (which earned a rare A+ from me), but I’ve learned to have faith in the
studio’s decisions (as long as they don’t involve Cars). What I’m wondering:
if The Good Dinosaur is top-shelf Pixar, what happens in the Best Animated
Feature race? Do their two films cancel each other out and allow another competitor
to win the Oscar? (Nov. 27)
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force
Awakens
Do I even need to write anything about
this one? Hardcore fans and casual moviegoers alike are jittery with
anticipation about the return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie
Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) after 32 years
away from the big screen – not counting those problematic Special Edition
re-releases, of course. The beloved characters are expected to pass the baton
to a new generation of heroes and villains in a galaxy far, far away. I think
The Force Awakens might have a legitimate chance (albeit a faint one) to
dethrone Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time. (Dec. 18)
The Revenant
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s follow up to
his compelling, if over-praised, Birdman is a frontier epic that chronicles
an explorer’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) quest for revenge as he tracks down the men
(including Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter) who left him for dead
in the wilderness. Inarritu loves his gimmicks (Birdman was designed to look
like one long take), and this time around he and cinematographer Emmanuel
Lubezski shot the entire movie using only natural light. That’s long, tough
work. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’re still filming. (Dec. 25)
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