July brings nine nationwide feature films to US screens. As it's summer, this guarantees that most of these films are along the big-ticket thriller or genre line. We are breaking down all of the next month's must-see films! One of them is coming out mid-week, right on the holiday as July 4th lands on a Wednesday this year. So after you've had your fill of hots and po-tots, enjoyed some time at a lake or beach, go and check this movie out:
The First Purge
The new offering is called The First Purge. It serves as a prequel to the others and purports to tell the story of how the ritualistic night of violence- venting came to be. It stars Mo McRae, Joivan Wade, and Luna Lauren Velez. The story explains that 'the New Founding Fathers of America' concoct a plan to test the validity of the sociological theory explored in the other movies: that allowing people one night of free reign to unleash pent-up anger and hostility with no worry of prosecution will produce positive social results in the long run. As the saying goes, even the best-laid plans go awry -- and this may not be the best-laid plan we've ever heard of!
Ant Man
After this mid-week release, Friday, July 6th brings one more nationwide release, and it's in the Marvel Universe -- that super-hero to cinema box offices around the world! It's Ant Man and The Wasp. And if you think we overstate the strength of Marvel's slate of courageous characters, realize that the first Ant Man in 2015 brought in a cool $178 million in the US alone! Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, and in this film, he's trying to find that elusive balance between super-hero and family man. When Dr. Hank Pym, portrayed by Michael Douglas, and his daughter Hope -- a.k.a. The Wasp played by Evangeline Lilly -- recruit him for an urgent mission, well, to put it simply: it's on! Marvel and its owner Disney certainly hope their ant-sized movie brings the gargantuan returns that the first one did!
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Friday the 13th, of course, has to have something with a touch of spooky to it, but no one needs to sleep with their lights on, we don't believe. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is an animated feature that focuses on the monster family from the first pair of the franchise's films. This time, rather than taking care of everyone at his hotel for vacation, Drac and fam are on their own vacay on a luxury monster cruise ship. There's a ton of high-profile voice talent with Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, David Spade, and Steve Buscemi all in the mix. The other countrywide release this weekend is Skyscraper, that poses a question of dizzying heights: Can America take Dwayne The Rock Johnson coming at it once more after Jumanji and Rampage in the recent past? In this movie, The Rock must save his family from a fire in the world's tallest skyscraper in China (a fire, incidentally, that he's been framed for starting!) Let's just call it Die Hard meets Towering Inferno and let The Rock do his thing that he does so well, which is entertain us with panache!
Equalizer 2
Friday, July 20th has more three coast-to-coasters. Equalizer 2 finds Denzel Washington in the first sequel of his career -- should we rejoice or despair? Denzel's character Robert McCall is a former CIA agent and secret ops commando who has faked his own death to try to live out his life quietly. But he has justice in his heart and there seems to be an unending demand for that abstract commodity which is in short supply. This follow-up to the 2014 film returns Antoine Fuqua at the helm and is based on the 1980s TV series. Those who are craving a real horror flick that they didn't get on Friday the 13th may be in luck this week with Unfriended: Dark Web. A young man obtains a new laptop and finds a trove of hidden files on it. It leads him into the depths of the dark web and all the danger and misery to be found there. It stars Betty Gabriel, Colin Woodell, Andrew Lees, and Connor Del Rio. The third release this week is Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. The film is a sequel to the 2008 movie that in turn was based on the mega-hit stage musical featuring Abba music. Part of the plot and marketing revolves around the question of whether Donna, played by Meryl Streep, is still surviving ten years after the first movie.
Teen Titans GO To The Movies
And the last Friday of the month, July 27th, has two more full-fledged release. The first is an animated feature based on a DC comic book. Teen Titans GO To The Movies is a satirical run-up of the superhero genre (sounds right on time), and revolves around the most famous super-hero teenage sidekick in history, Robin, wanting his own spotlight away from Batman's shadow. The movie even has musical numbers, so it sounds like the filmmakers are having A LOT of fun with this spoof! And the last major release of the month is the next installment in the hugely successful franchise Mission Impossible. Starring the man some love and a lot more seem to love to hate, Mission: Impossible - Fallout returns Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and team members Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin coming back after his memorable turn in MI: Rogue Nation. Ethan's other support comes from Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan in this adventure that finds the crew in a race against time when their mission goes awry. Well, those missions wouldn't be impossible if there weren't some issues!Follow this blog each month as we provide some info about the stories that play on the silver screen across the USA! And when it's time to tell YOUR story Steven James is here with all the tools and skills to help you tell it near and far!
