Fright Night
(Aug. 19) – Colin Farrell stars in this remake of the 1980s horror hit as the vampire who moves in next door to a curious teen (Anton Yelchin) who discovers his identity and enlists the aid of a local television host to drive a stake through his heart. With Farrell on board, this raises the bar for this late summer entry.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(Aug. 5) – James Franco stars as a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by experimenting on the brains of chimpanzees. Things go horribly awry when one of his subjects becomes extraordinarily intelligent. Hopefully, this reboot of the Planet of the Apes series will be better than Tim Burton’s misguided 2001 remake.
Final Destination 5 (Aug. 12) – More deathcheating teens try to outrun the Grim Reaper in the reportedly final installment of the horror series whose violent set pieces would make Rube Goldberg envious.
Our Idiot Brother
(Aug. 26) – Paul Rudd takes on the title role as an unemployed but likeable couch potato who finds himself without a home when his girlfriend leaves him. Lacking any sort of ambition, he takes to spending time with his three sisters (Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel) and making their lives a living hell.
The Hangover, Part II
(May 27) – Director Todd Phillips insisted that his sequel to the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time have “Part II” in its title like The Godfather, Part II. He thinks it’s on par with that classic, as followups go. Obviously, a bit of hyperbole is at play here and one has to wonder if he and the Wolf pack – Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis – can catch comedic lightning in a bottle once more. This time out, the boys who can’t hold their liquor head to Bangkok for yet another bachelor party and are left to pick up the pieces the day after.
Friends with Benefits
(July 22) – Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star as two friends who decide to introduce sex into their relationship without any expectation of any emotional commitment. As one would suspect, complications ensue. With its premise nearly identical to this year’s No Strings Attached, this feature will have to find a way to distinguish itself from that underperforming film.
Kung Fu Panda 2
(May 27) – The second sequel of the Memorial Day weekend finds everyone’s favorite chop-socky panda, Po (voice by Jack Black) and the Furious Five battling a new foe (Gary Oldman) who threatens to wipe out Kung Fu itself. With a script by the originators of the series, Jonathan Aibel and Glen Berger, the return of the original cast of voice actors – Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan and Dustin Hoffman – and the addition of a character voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme, this promises to be as entertaining and thoughtful as the original.
Apollo 18 (Aug. 26) – Film footage that’s decades old reveals that there was a mission to the moon that’s been kept from the American public. As we watch these newly found scenes unfold, we see just why missions to the moon have been abandoned.
Captain America: The First Avenger
(July 22) – The summer’s second superhero feature recounts the origin of the Marvel Universe’s personification of the American ideal. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) longs to serve his country during World War II, but being declared 4- F, he has few options. However, he agrees to participate in a Top Secret program that promises to turn him into a new breed of super soldier. This is the final piece in Marvel’s grand plan to bring their superhero team, The Avengers, to the big screen. If previous entries (Iron Man, Thor) are any indication, this should be a winner.