Future Films Heads Up: Summer Movie Preview

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Published on Thursday, 18 June 2015 11:10

Last Updated on 15 June 2015

Freda Cooper

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It may not be official yet, but 2015 is The Year Of The Blockbuster. Think of what we’ve had so far this year: a glut of films from Disney, including Big Hero 6 and Avengers:Age Of Ultron, the latest in the Divergent series, The Insurgent, one for the grown-ups in the shape of Mad Max:Fury Road and Jurassic World is settling in for the long haul in cinemas.

So what’s lined up for this summer? London Mums’ film critic, Freda Cooper, makes her pick – blockbusters and otherwise.

 

For the family …….

One of this summer’s biggest animations is just a couple of weeks away and it’s bright yellow. Gru’s little helpers, The Minions, get their own movie, released on Friday, 26 June. Actually, only three of them – Kevin, Stuart and Bob – have that honour, going on a search through time for a new and seriously villainous master.

 

There’s an illustrious cast of voices – Jon Hamm, Sandra Bullock and even Jennifer Saunders as The Queen – and, judging from the trailer, it promises to be a hoot. Watch out for Stuart chatting up a fire hydrant!

Disney-Pixar’s much-anticipated Inside Out arrives a month later, on 24 July, having already wowed the audiences at the Cannes Film Festival. This peek inside the mind of the little girl Riley shows how characters like Joy, Sadness and Anger help her – or not! – cope with major changes in her life.

The word is that this isn’t just a great piece of animation, it’s also a ground breaker. And when July arrives, we shall see …..

In the meantime, blockbusters aren’t blockbusters without superheroes and they inevitably put in an appearance this summer. First out of the blocks is another Disney offering, Ant-Man, on 17 July, with Paul Rudd bringing his comedic talents to the title role.

        

With help from a professorial Michael Douglas, Rudd’s con-man aims to pull off a spectacular heist – but House Of Cards’ Corey Stoll as Yellowjacket has other ideas.

While Ant-Man is the newbie on the blocks, this summer sees the re-boot of Fantastic Four, who land on 6 August with a new cast – Miles Teller (Whiplash), Kate Mara (House Of Cards), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) and Michael B Jordan (The Wire).

This comes from the same team as X Men:Days Of Future Past, so expect plenty of action and special effects – as well as a much younger breed of super hero. The following week, 14 August, brings a slice of nostalgia that goes all the way back to the 1960s with the return of spy spoof The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Still set in that decade, this has Man Of Steel’s Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger) as Ilya Kuryakin. This looks like fun, particularly for older members of the family who remember the original show – and who know that the original Ilya Kuryakin, David McCallum, is now a regular on TV’s NCIS.

But what if the grown-ups want a night out?

Strictly for the grown-ups ……

This year’s revival of the western continues with Slow West, which opens on Friday, 26 June. Michael Fassbender plays a mysterious stranger accompanying a naïve teenager trying to find his lost love.

 

The other two good-looking titles for the summer both have music at their heart. The documentary Amy, has already earned strong reviews at the Cannes and Edinburgh film festivals. It arrives in cinemas on 3 July and is a frank look at the life of the late singer, Amy Winehouse. The summertime sound of The Beach Boys is the backdrop for Love And Mercy, released on 10 July 2015.

The film focuses on the life of founder member and song writer, Brian Wilson, with Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) playing the younger Wilson and John Cusack (Being John Malkovich) the older one. This one is already being tipped as an early Oscar front runner.

So, plenty to choose from at the cinema this summer, and something for just about every taste, blockbusters or not. Keep checking the movie section here on London Mums for reviews of these, and other, films. And, of course, you can hear all about them on your essential guide to the movies, the Talking Pictures podcast.

Here comes summer ……!