Do your movie tastes run big-box or boutique? You don’t have to stick to one type of film this summer; go see this season’s big-budget films (mentioned first in the paragraphs below) or opt for the accompanying smaller and independent alternatives.
Sorry, but there doesn’t seem to be an indie tonic for giant transforming machines or apes that rule the earth: you’ll have to go big or go home that weekend.
Are you in the mood for..
…guys with an identity crisis?
The two 30-somethings in Let’s Be Cops (New Girl’s Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr.) are going nowhere. But their status improves significantly after they dress up as police officers for a party. They milk the attention for all it’s worth but you know they’ll find meaning in all the mayhem. They’re not that different than the 60-year-olds in Land Ho! Ex brothers-in-law (Paul Eenhoorn and Earl Lynn Nelson) travel to Iceland in order to heal from a loss, to reclaim their youth via Reykjavik nightclubs, and to answer some of life’s big questions.
…something tasty?
The Hundred Foot Journey stars Helen Mirren as the owner of a Michelin-rated restaurant in the north of France who is horrified when an Indian restaurant sets up shop directly across the lane. Culture clashes turn into a tasty masala. On a smaller scale is Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip to Italy, a sequel of sorts to 2010’s hilarious The Trip, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as two minor celebs reviewing restaurants and delivering impeccable Michel Caine imitations across Italy.
… song and dance?
Step Up: All In is dance-battling excess, Las Vegas style. “Does it always have to end in a big dance battle?” one character jokingly asks. Yup. Alternately, check out Begin Again. Keira Knightly stars as a struggling musician stranded in New York City after a bad breakup who meets up with a has-been record exec (Mark Ruffalo). Knightly sings and plays guitar, both of which reportedly terrified her. Added bonus: Maroon 5’s Adam Levine in his acting debut.
… kiddie fare?
Planes: Fire and Rescue. Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook) has to reinvent himself after some wing damage, but might have found his purpose as an aerial firefighter. Ed Harris, Regina King and Julie Bowen lend their voices. Or you could see The Boxtrolls, a stop-motion marvel from the makers of Coraline and ParaNorman, about a boy raised by a race of trash-loving trolls. He must learn to be human if he wants to save his troll family from being annihilated by small-minded humans.
… Susan Sarandon?
In Tammy Melissa McCarthy doesn’t know where her life is headed, so she knocks over a fast-food joint and hits the road, accompanied by her drunk Grandma, played by Susan Sarandon (though even with a bad wig, no one is buying Sarandon as McCarthy’s granny). More promising is The Calling, starring Sarandon as a police officer in Port Dundas, Ont., who finds herself busy when a serial killer with “a higher calling” starts picking off the town’s inhabitants. Topher Grace and B.C. natives Gil Bellows and Christopher Heyerdahl also star.
…horror?
Last year’s The Purge was made on a scant $3-million budget and earned just shy of $90 million. Pretty sure this one has a bigger budget: Michael Bay is a producer. No Ethan Hawke this time, but The Purge: Anarchy features the same director (James DeMonaco), same concept: in a near-future U.S. all crimes — including murder — are legal for a 12-hour period. Or you could see director Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno, in which a group of students head to Peru hoping to save the rainforests. But after their plane crash lands and they’re captured by a primitive tribe, they just hope to stay off the menu.
…romantic comedy?
And So It Goes is a romantic comedy for baby-boomers, starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton. An egocentric real estate agent (Douglas) suddenly finds himself caring for a granddaughter he never knew he had. He turns to neighbour Leah (Keaton) for help, instead finds something more. On a smaller (and younger) scale, The F-Word likewise starts off with two friends (Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan) who have great chemistry but bad timing. The duo must decide whether or not to sacrifice their platonic friendship by giving love a try.
…mystery?
The Signal, a sci-fi thriller. After trespassing with friends in the search for a legendary computer genius, Nic (Brenton Thwaites) finds himself in a waking nightmare, complete with men in hazmat suits (Laurence Fishburne). He must piece together the puzzle of what happened in order to escape and get his life back. Calvary is an altogether different kind of mystery. In the confessional, an unseen confessor tells Father James (Brendan Gleeson) that he will kill the priest in one week, retribution for boyhood abuse at the hands of another priest. Father James has a week to solve the mystery — everyone’s a suspect — and save his life in this black comedy.
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