May kicked off the summer with some solid flicks, but June seems to be a lull in the action, sticking a couple good action films together with a variety of other genres. With the exception of a few good films, it looks like this month might be a good time to go outside.
June 3 – Entourage
Starring: Kevin Connelly, Adrian Grenier, Billy Bob Thornton, Haley Joel Osment, Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, Kid CuDi, Bow Wow, bunch of cameos
The gang is back for one more hurrah. Vince, Eric, Turtle, Drama and most importantly Ari are doing everything they can to make sure Vince’s directorial debut goes off without a hitch, or a bad review. I was a fan of the show for seven of the eight seasons, never did finish that last season. This seems like the logical end to the Ballad of Vince. His character went from being basically a nobody, to the biggest star in Hollywood, then to rehab. Him becoming a director is the next most logical step. The movie looks like it could be fun, as fun as the show ever was. It’s guaranteed that there will be lots of Ari yelling, Eric whining, and of course boobs. The show was never very deep and the movie probably won’t be either but if anything it’s the perfect guys night out movie. – Scott
June 5 – Insidious: Chapter 3
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stafanie Scott, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye
The Insidious series has been one of the more successful horror franchises over the last few years. The original chapter is one of the best scary movies I’ve seen, possibly ever. The second chapter was a little lacking but still a lot better than most of the found footage crap that gets put out these days. The Insidious trilogy stands out because of its writing. It does not solely rely on gore or jump out scares, it is more reminiscent of Poltergeist and other supernatural thrillers that are story driven. Insidious: Chapter 3 is the prequel to the first two films (I know, 3 comes after 1 and 2; the titles irritates me, too) and chances are it will lack the true fear of the first movie, but still be pretty darn good. This movie is more of an origin story for Elise Rainier, the medium from the first two films, so the usual family and boogeymen will not be around. Instead, a new family is introduced, a widower and his teenage daughter who attempts to contact her deceased mother but reaches a demon instead. If I had a nickel for every time that happened to me… Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) return for this one, ensuring we will get some goofy comic relief amongst all the scares. The biggest factor this movie has going for it is the director, Leigh Whannell. He is a brilliant horror writer and is responsible for the entire Insidious series, Dead Silence, and the Saw movies – back when they were still good. Whannell has written before, but this will be his first time directing. I’m excited to see how he executes his vision now that he is the one behind the camera and the script, he’s really talented and I would bet Insidious: Chapter 3 will prove that. – Keriann
June 5 – Spy
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Lude Law, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, 50 Cent, Morena Baccarin,
When I first saw ads for this, I thought “Oh great. Another cheap humor spy movie,” but watching the trailer got me really excited for it. There’s no denying that this is a film made specifically to highlight Melissa McCarthy as an actress, but it’s definitely more than that. The humor is witty. The characters are strong, female leads. It doesn’t perpetuate the idea that only thin women are desirable or strong. I couldn’t be more excited to see this on the big screen. I’ll definitely be seeing this the day it comes out. – Charlotte
June 5 – Testament of Youth
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Taron Egerton (Eggsy from Secret Service) Dominic West (McNulty), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter)
There is absolutely no way that this movie will be able to live up to the past roles it’s comprised of. If only the actors in this movie played the roles we know them for and not the roles of a crappy British love story, I’d be all in. Kit Harrington does not look like a badass Crow any longer, and his 5’8″ frame is apparent for the first time. Anyway, Jon Snow falls in love with some girl, and then is sent to war. It’s all very sad and dramatic, and VERY British. Sappy romantics (especially those in love with Kit Harrington) may be suckered into seeing this one, but don’t expect your boyfriend to go with you. – Sherif
June 5 – Love and Mercy
Starring: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti
The Beach Boys’ music has been a part of my life ever since my mom played me the Muppets version of “Kokomo,” but I know very little about their real life. In this biopic of Brian Wilson, we get an in-depth look at Wilson’s troubled life after the success of Beach Boys. The real life Wilson, who was not involved with the film, calls it “very factual.” Love and Mercy debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year, but is making rounds in theaters this month. Dano and Cusack play a young and old Brian Wilson, respectively, showing his regression over the years. Ultimately, though, it’s about how his second wife (played by Banks) saved him from the grasp of his over-medicating and manipulative therapist (played by Giamatti). I feel like I’d rather watch a documentary. – Sherif
June 12 – Jurassic World
Starring: Chris Pratt, Chris Pratt’s manliness, Bryce Dallas Howard (supposed to be MJ Watson in Amazing Spider-Man 3), Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin from Daredevil series), Omar Sy (Bishop in Days of Future Past), Judy Greer
Oh. My. GOD. I never thought this day would come; I really didn’t. I remember my best friend telling me in my senior year in high school that there would be a Jurassic Park 4 and this time it was about the underwater dinosaurs. I believed him, and I held onto that belief for years, telling anyone who would listen. After a while it was hard to tell if I was sharing news or just trying to convince myself, but I held on to hope and now here it is. The park is open. After all John Hammond tried to do, and all the fallout that came from his whimsy-driven mistake, Jurassic Park, the amusement destination is open and people come from all over to enjoy it. In fact, the park has become so popular that some people are bored, and in order to increase tourist traffic the bioengineers have created a hybrid dinosaur made up of DNA from the most terrifying carnivores. Needless to say, chaos ensues. Let’s get one thing out of the way: this film will not capture all the magic of the original; that would be impossible. But that does not mean this movie won’t be great, that doesn’t even mean it won’t be one of the best all year. It simply means that there so few movies in our history that have such magic, such impact, that nothing – no matter how great – will ever properly compare. Jurassic Park has been one of my obsessions all my life, don’t even get me started on what a dinosaur nerd I was and still am because of this film series. I am so completely and utterly excited for this movie. It has a lot going for it – a great cast (Chris Pratt FTf’nW), amazing visual effects, and more important than anything, a unique and new story we haven’t seen in the series before. While I loved all three previous movies, I’m aware that it was the same story over and over. People go to an island with dinosaurs, dinos remind humans how tasty they are. This time we get to see Hammond’s dream brought to life, and how the arrogance of man knows no bounds. I will be waiting in line to see Jurassic World on June 12, I suggest you do the same. – Keriann
June 12 – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Starring: Thomas Mann (Project X), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Jon Bernthal (Shane from The Walking Dead), Nick Offerman (Parks & Rec), Molly Shannon (SNL), RJ Cyler, Connie Britton
As a huge fan of both film adaptations of books and honest stories about pain, I’m super excited for this. Of course, the comparison to The Fault in Our Stars can’t be ignored, but I think this will have a different feel than that film – similar, but different. TFIOS called out a lot of the bullshit people say and do when confronted with illness. It seems to me that this film will go into overdrive when it comes to that, and that’s great. Illness isn’t something mysterious and romantic. It hurts. People make it into something it’s not and that hurts even more. I’m glad Hollywood is finally starting to see that. – Charlotte
June 19 – Inside Out
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kating, Diane Lane, Mindy Kaling
I’ve been looking forward to this movie coming out for a while now. I think the premise is an intriguing concept and I’m interested in seeing how they tackle it. The emotions that are inside the character all have personality and play a role at the control center. Then we get to see how it’s reflected on the outside. I like the idea and I think there is a lot of potential for it to be the feel-good family movie of the summer. Pixar does have a tendency to throw a curve ball and I’m looking forward to what they will do. On the other hand, the stereotypical gender roles already playing out in the preview is annoying. I hope the movie won’t be riff with them. Looking forward to sitting down with some popcorn and watching it. – Jené
June 19 – Dope
Starring: Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons, Tony Revolori, A$AP Rocky, Zoë Kravitz, Blake Anderson (Workaholics), Rick Fox, Tyga, Forrest Whitaker
I am so excited for this movie for so many reasons. One of the main reasons being how it’s nice to see a well-educated young black man who embodies so many different parts of black culture. Growing up with what Malcolm refers to as a “cliché life;” living in a poor neighborhood, in a single parent household, and no father around, Malcolm seeks to not let this life define him. Being in a punk band, being a 90’s hip-hop geek, and wanting to attend Harvard, he is taking steps to make his life better. So, although all the odds are against Malcolm, he still is smarter than yo ass. Oh, and did I mention this movie is a comedy. Malcolm, played by Shameike Moore, is a genius who has nearly perfect SAT scores and seeks to escape this cliché life. After Malcolm attends a local drug dealer’s birthday party for the sake of getting to known his crush a little better, he gets more than he bargains for after being set up and leaving with a backpack full of drugs. If Malcolm doesn’t get rid of these drugs it could mean his life. Do you know what happens after a drug dealer tells you to sell drugs and you refuse? Well, rumor has it that more times than not, the drug dealer wants to kill you, and that is exactly the situation. Just a typical weekend in the hood. – Evan
June 19 – Infinitely Polar Bear
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana,
If you’ve seen Mark Ruffalo act in anything other than The Avengers, then you know he’s pretty much a genius when it comes to playing deep, flawed characters. In Infinitely Polar Bear, he plays a father of two, Cam Stuart, with manic-depression trying to make it work with his wife (Saldana) and keep the family together. The story is narrated by Cam’s eldest daughter, Amelia, and is played by Imogene Wolodarsky, director of the film’s daughter. This works well because it’s essentially writer/director Maya Forbes’ auto-biography.
June 19 – The Overnight
Starring: Taylor Schilling (Piper from Orange is the New Black), Adam Scott (Parks & Rec), Jason Schwartzman (Bored to Death), Judith Godrèche
If being an adult means putting the kids to bed and engaging in wife-swapping with another couple late at night, then I’m going to Peter Pan this shit til I’m 90. First of all, “sex comedy” is a genre now. Second of all, I don’t see the comedy. I am usually the first one to jump at watching something that I know will make everyone else in the room really uncomfortable, then laughing my ass off to just accelerate the uncomfy feelings they all have, but The Overnight preview made me feel uncomfy. Anyway, Piper from OITNB is in it, as is Jason Schwartzman… so I guess those are plusses? – Adrian
June 21 – Jaws: 40th Anniversary
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary,
For those of you who have not seen the movie, Jaws originally came out in 1975 and tells the heartwarming story of a marine biologist who journeys to find the shark he assisted in raising at the first aquarium he worked at, which has now been released into the wild. If any of you readers believed that because you actually haven’t seen or heard of the movie I would likely to kindly ask that you vacate the planet and go back to whatever rock you’ve been living under. In reality, Jaws is THE monster movie. When it premiered in 1975, it changed the world – it changed everyone who saw it. Jaws struck such fear into audiences that most who saw it have never really recovered. Don’t believe me? I was raised watching this movie, as a little girl down in Florida I was afraid that Jaws could come through the floor of my house because I was close to the ocean and he could swim under the land just to get me. I have never been night swimming in any natural body of water, and I’m even afraid that Jaws will find his way into a swimming pool if I dare go there at night. Not only is this one of the scariest movies ever, but it boasts amazing performances from the entire cast – especially Robert Shaw, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Quint in the film. Jaws will be re-released into theaters this month for the 40th Anniversary and the best advice I can give any of you ever is to take advantage of that and go see it. This movie holds up so well, even after 40 years. It is still absolutely terrifying and the fact that I now have a chance to see it in theaters for the first time ever (considering it came out well before I was even born) is an incredible and humbling thing. This movie is an extremely significant part of cinematic history and that we are all lucky enough to experience it on the big screen again is amazing. I don’t think there is a person in the world who shouldn’t take advantage of this opportunity. – Keriann
June 26 – Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World
Starring: Batkid and friends
Talk about tugging at your heart strings! Batkid Begins is the feel-good documentary about Miles Scott, a child cancer survivor who asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make him Batman for a day. With the help of the City of San Francisco, Miles Scott transformed into the savior of the city. His story is pretty well known, but it would be interesting to see how the Make-A-Wish Foundation pulled off the feat. – Adrian
June 26 – Ted 2
Starring: Seth McFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Morgan Freeman, Patrick Warburton, Jessica Barth, John Slattery
I absolutely adore Ted. It’s brilliantly written humor that really understands the characters and their dynamic within the world being written in. However, I’m a little shaky on Ted 2. It could go one of two ways. It could either be a hilarious film with a resonant metaphor for human rights campaigns or it could fall into the “terrible sequel of an awesome movie” category. I hope the former. This film has potential. We’ll just have to see whether or not it lives up to it or not. – Charlotte
June 26 – Big Game
Starring: Samuel L Jackson, Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber
Oh god. Alright, I’m just going to say what we are all thinking about this movie. This looks extremely stupid, but don’t let that make you think I’m not going to go see it. With Samuel L. Jackson as President, Air Force One is shot out of the sky and he is ejected in what appears to be a NASA escape pod for his own safety. Once landed, he is found by a young boy, for some reason or another, is set on keeping him safe. Yeah, I know, I don’t get it either. As it turns out, this entire situation is a set up by one of Jackson’s personal men. Simply, I know, and we all saw it coming. If you are feeling somewhat blah about this movie, make a game out of it. What will occur more, the amount of times Jackson lives through something that should have killed him? Or how many times he says mother f*cker? As of right now, I’m taking all bets, because you know it’s not a Jackson movie if he doesn’t say mother f*cker. – Evan
Hush Comics 