Tuesday, April 8, 2014

2014 Summer Movie Preview: August



So far with this four-day long segment I've highlighted the best films you can expect see throughout May, June and July. Today I'll break down everything that the final Summer month, August, has to offer. The lineup appears a little thin but, with Summer blockbuster, you just never know.


August

Honorable Mention: The month of August kicks off with Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st), a new comic-book-based sci-fi film starring Chris Pratt and Vin Diesel. The true story of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, is told in Taylor Tate's Get on Up (August 1st). I considered including the biopic in my top three of the month, but my expectations are closer to 42 than The Help. Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan star in What If (August 1st), the story of two mutually attracted friends who struggle to elevate their relationship. Writer/director Luc Besson offers another potential classic female hero in the action-thriller Lucy (August 8th) starring Scarlett Johansson. Summer is the perfect platform for action as we're also given The Expendables 3 (August 15th). Although I wasn't a huge fan of the original, there will be plenty of excitement circulating around the sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (August 22nd). While the movie had been in flux for some time after a ton of moving parts came and went, we will finally be given the western Jane Got a Gun (August 29th) starring Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton. 


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (August 8th)



Megan Fox stars as April O'Neil in the live-action reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's been over 20 years since the last live-action look into this franchise attracted audiences, so the buzz around this Summer's release is very strong. In typical fashion these four genetically mutated heroes, along with their sensei Master Splinter, will emerge from the sewer and battle evil forces threatening their city. Hopefully, it's a return to its classic form.


The Giver (August 15th)



Based on the best selling Lois Lowry novel of the same name, The Giver has been a long-awaited release for its star Jeff Bridges who plays the film's title character. Set during the future in a peaceful community without any pain or suffering and without differences or choices, a young boy is selected to learn from an elderly man about what the "real" world was once like. Confronted with this reality, the young man must decide whether to embrace the community he knows or rebel against the society. The Giver's debut trailer made me all the more eager to see this upcoming Summer blockbuster.


Let's Be Cops (August 15th)



I went out on a limb with my third and final selection for the month of August. Somewhat turned off by the initial looks into Get on Up and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, I decided to throw my hat in the ring for the upcoming R-rated comedy Let's Be Cops starring The New Girl's Jake Johnson and Daman Wayans Jr. My hopes are for a ceiling similar to something like 21 Jump Street, while the film also has a floor that could be bottomless. It's a risky move, but I'm still excited to catch this seemingly hysterical tale of two struggling buddies who begin to impersonate cops to the point where they find themselves entangled in a web of crooked cops and mobsters. Let's Be Cops offers a high-risk, high-reward premise that will hopefully surprise us all this August.

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