In Theaters: July 18th, 2014

There are three wide releases this weekend.

Planes: Fire & Rescue

The follow-up that nobody asked for is here.

Less than a year after Planes hit theaters Fire & Rescue is coming at you.  Last year's Planes was developed and produced by Disney's direct-to-video team.  It wasn't even meant to see the silver screen until somebody changed their mind.  It's this kind of thing that gets Disney such a bad reputation with my generation.  Planes was a half-cocked attempt to ride on the success of Pixar's Cars franchise.  I make special mention that Pixar is not involved in Planes in any way.

There is something interesting about this sequel, however.  Something interesting and absolutely terrifying.  There is no writer credited with this screenplay.  I have never seen that before.  What does that mean?  I really don't know!  Could it be so bad that nobody wants their name attached?  Maybe.  Either way it's terrifying.

Planes: Fire & Rescue is rated PG for action and some peril.

The Purge: Anarchy

James DeMonaco returns to write and direct this horror sequel.

The Purge was another inexpensive and fairly successful horror film.  Of course it gets a sequel.  The basic premise of both movies is an annual "purge" day when nothing is illegal for 24 hours.  Because, you know, horror movies.

The Purge: Anarchy is rated R for strong disturbing violence, and for language.

[DEEMED INAPPROPRIATE FOR MY BLOG]

There is a third wide release that I don't care to mention here.  When the content of a movie is offensive that's one thing.  But when the title is something I wouldn't mention in front of kids - that's something else.  And there is no room for that on my blog.

      Big Shot Critic

UPDATE!

There is now a fourth wide release scheduled for July 18th, 2014!  It is . . .

Persecuted

Now here is a movie that might be interesting.  When I first saw a trailer for it I didn't think it would get a wide release, but here we are.

Persecuted is a political thriller centered around a televangelist turned fugitive who is framed for a murder after refusing to get out of the way of religious reform.

Frankly, this hits close to home.  I see Christians all over being persecuted for "outdated" beliefs all the time, albeit in much less dramatic ways than being framed for murder.

See the trailer here.

Persecuted is rated PG-13 for violence and thematic elements.

In Theaters: July 11th, 2014

There is only one wide release this week.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Forever to be confused with 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn picks up eight years or so after the end of its predecessor.

First things first.  Rupert Wyatt did not return to direct this sequel.  I remember when I heard that news and I was a little disappointed.  There was subtlety in Mr. Wyatt's direction that I fear will be lost here in the second one.  Instead we have Matt Reeves who is known for the critically acclaimed 2010 horror film Let Me In, which I know nothing about.

All producers and writers are returning from Rise.

Worth noting is the cast.  They all seem very good.  Of particular interest is Jason Clarke as the lead human character.  He is a bit of a rising star these days.  He will be playing John Connor in the Terminator reboot next year.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: July 4th, 2014

There are three wide releases this week and ALL are opening on Wednesday, July 2nd.

Deliver Us From Evil (Wednesday)

From veteran horror director Scott Derrickson comes my pick for the best horror movie of the year.  But it's rated R and I don't go for that sort of thing so I will not be seeing it.  But I'll still tell you a little bit about it.

By the looks of it this one doesn't go for outrageous gore or stupid stuff like that.  It goes for good ol' psychological horror - the best kind.  That's my kind of horror movie.

Deliver Us From Evil is rated R for bloody violence, grisly images, terror throughout, and language.

Maybe I spoke too soon about this one not including outrageous gore.  I only read the rating information as I was typing it.

Earth to Echo (Wednesday)

Found footage has finally found its way into kids' movies (I had to do it, I'm sorry).  It is my personal opinion that found footage worked once.  Ever.  And that was in 1999.  I don't like it, but it's cheap so it's gonna stick around.

This is about some kids who make contact with an alien robot.  The robot is friendly and it wants to go home.  They try to help while the big bad adults try to capture the robot.  Will Lil' John Boyega and his friends be able to save their new friend?  I don't know.  And, tragically, I don't care.

John Boyega

Lil' John Boyega

Earth to Echo is rated PG for some action and peril, and mild language.  It is also Dave Green's feature film directorial debut.

Tammy (Wednesday)

I don't like Melissa McCarthy.  I find her annoying.  I haven't even watched a single trailer for this movie.  I'll attempt that now.

Well I made it through.  That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!  Okay so the main character (Tammy) is down on her luck and just needs to get away for a while (or something).  Her and her grandmother (portrayed by Susan Sarandon) take a drive to Niagara Falls.  I guess somewhere in there they do funny things.

Tammy is the directorial debut of Ben Falcone who is best known for voicing Henery Hawk on the The Looney Tunes Show or for playing a character called Howard on the short-lived Friends spinoff, Joey.  Take your pick.

Tammy is rated R for language including sexual references.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: June 27th, 2014

There is only one wide release this weekend.  No one dares compete with . . .

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Director Michael Bay is at it again.  And how can we resist?  We can't.  And we won't.

Ehren Kruger returns to his writing duties in this the fourth installment of the Transformers franchise.

It's been three years since the last one (instead of the usual two).  The former star of the franchise, Shia LaBeouf, will not be returning.  But who cares when Mark Wahlberg is our new leading man for the franchise!?  Shia LaBeouf went off the deep end anyway.  Don't believe me?  You should.

"I am not famous anymore"

We think he's been crazy this whole time and is only now showing it.  Still, he did really well in the first Transformers.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo.

      Big Shot Critic

P.S. The Grand Seduction is currently playing at a Harkins theater in Scottsdale.  Finally!

In Theaters: June 20th, 2014

Two more wide releases this weekend.

Jersey Boys

From director Clint Eastwood.  He does a lot of medium to heavy drama but this is his first "musical."

It's all about the formation of The Four Seasons.  And I'm sure it's also about how dramatic it all was.

Jersey Boys is rated R for language throughout.

Think Like a Man Too

I just watched the trailer and I still have little understanding of the premise.  What I got was a bachelor party and a bachelorette party in Las Vegas.  Somehow they turn it into a battle of the sexes.

Director Tim Story returns from 2012's Think Like a Man.

Think Like a Man Too is rated PG-13 for crude sexual content including references, partial nudity, language and drug material.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: June 13th, 2014

Two wide releases this weekend.  And one limited release that just might be playing somewhere in Arizona.  I'm still looking.

22 Jump Street

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller offer their second movie this year after (you might not see this coming) The Lego Movie!  These two (Lord and Miller) are the current go-to guys for crazy comedy.  And they have switched deftly from family friendly fare (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs) to R-rated comedy (21 Jump Street) and back to family (The Lego Movie).  Can they do it again?  Probably yes.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Dean Deblois returns to writing and directing duties for this sequel to the 2010 hit.

All I have to say is that some sequels look like they will be a serious turn for the worse and some don't.  This one looks like they took the time to make another good one.

The Grand Seduction

I'm a big Taylor Kitsch fan.  I don't know much about this movie.  I know Taylor Kitsch is in it!

It's about a small fishing village in Eastern Canada that will have a manufacturing plant if they can only secure a doctor to live there.  If they convince the doctor to stay, the jobs will come.  Taylor Kitsch is the doctor coming to check it out and Brendan Gleeson is the mayor.

I still haven't found any theaters that are or will be playing it in Arizona.  What a shame!

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: June 6th, 2014

There are two wide releases.

Edge of Tomorrow

I have high hopes for this one and early reviews are very positive.  As the poster notes, you know director Doug Liman from The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

With The Bourne Identity Mr. Liman really did change action movies.  Don't believe me?  Watch a hand to hand combat action sequence from before 2002.  After Jason Bourne everything had to be faster.  Will Doug Liman change action movies again?  Maybe.

This was originally titled All You Need Is Kill.  I kind of don't understand how Edge of Tomorrow can be the same movie, but I see why they made the change.  All You Need Is Kill is the name of the book from which the movie has been adapted.

Christopher McQuarrie is listed among the writers.  That is a huge plus because he's great.  He wrote Jack Reacher.  Go watch it if you haven't seen it.  He's also on board to direct the next Mission Impossible movie.

The Fault in our Stars

Another adaptation but from a totally different kind of book.

The Fault in our Stars is adapted from a book of the same name.  It is a romance novel about two teenagers who fall in love.  The trick here is that one of them (I think just one) has a cancer that could turn terminal at any moment.  Or something like that.  I don't actually know if it ends like A Walk to Remember or not so don't blame me if it is an exceptionally sad movie.

The female lead is Shailene Woodley.  We remember her from Divergent earlier this year.  The male lead is played by . . . well, who cares?  Shailene Woodley is in it, that's good enough for me.

Director Josh Boone just had his fourteenth birthday!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Okay, okay, he's not fourteen.  He looks about fourteen but he's actually thirty-five.  He did another love story movie a couple years ago that we don't know much about.  It did get fair reviews and that's all we know.

The writers also look like they're fourteen and to be honest I don't know for sure if they aren't.

Anyway they've written some pretty good stuff so I don't doubt this movie.

HEADS UP:

Next week I might break some rules and mention a limited release movie.

      Big Shot Critic