Rebooted superheroes, epic Anime action fight scenes, sheep on the run, aging rock stars, kids on the run and so much more this week. So, what are the new films for August 7, 2015?
Let’s start with…….
What’s it about? Libby Day was only seven years old when her family was brutally murdered in their rural Kansas farmhouse. Twenty-five years later, she agrees to revisit the crime and uncovers the wrenching truths that led up to that tragic night.
My thoughts? Yes folks, Furiosa and Nux are together again in this film! Joking aside, this is a hell of a cast and a hell of a premise, that’s making me wondering why the film isn’t being pushed a bit more. The sad answer could very well be that it’s ok, not great. Fair enough. This may not be a “see it in the theater” kind of movie, but at home if you rented it, then yeah….I could see this be worth a nice movie night in.
What’s it about? When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.
My thoughts? Aardman Animation usually delivers on the goods. Personally, I wish they were at Pixar/Dreamworks level in which they would be constantly making stop motion films, but so it goes. I’ve seen the trailer to this several times in the theaters and I’m not gonna, lie I do find it charming and pretty damn funny. The bit with the dog staring down one of the sheep flat out is comedy gold. While I sadly don’t think the film will be the film to bring Aardman to the mainstream success it once had, I do think this film will be fun and pretty damn charming.
What’s it about? A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.
My thoughts? Fun visuals, a interesting lead and a interesting tone on the subject matter could make this more then just the usual coming of age story.
What’s it about? A musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.
My thoughts? Folks seem to have forgotten about Diablo Cody. It’s kind of an unfair situation. She blew up FAST back in 2007, but people seem to have decided they had enough of her and movie fans almost collectively moved on. Granted, not every film she’s written has been great (and I still haven’t seen her directorial debut, Paradise.) but I still think she’s a strong writer who creates memorable and fully dimensional characters. The utter maturity of her screenplay for the criminally underseen film Young Adult is proof of that for me. This doesn’t feel like it’s a Diablo Cody film at first, but once you realize the lead character is a deeply flawed but still fascinating person, it becomes obvious. I like Meryl Streep in this so far, and she seems to be enjoying how fun the role is. Oh, and this movie has Kevin Kline and I love me some Kevin Kline. This looks like a pretty solid feel good drama, and that could be a nice change of pace this summer.
What’s it about? One peaceful day on Earth, two remnants of Frieza’s army named Sorbet and Tagoma arrive searching for the Dragon Balls with the aim of reviving Frieza. They succeed, and Frieza subsequently seeks revenge on the Saiyans.
My thoughts? Man, as a kid I LOVED Dragon Ball Z! Loved it! It was the perfect show to get an adrenaline action cartoon rush! A perfect show for a 13-14 year old! I….just…didn’t stick with it that long. I know plenty of folks who still love the series and are totally stoked for this. I honestly didn’t get that far with the show, but I’m kinda curious if I can just jump right into this. We’ll see. My nephews are big fans of the show and they loved the last movie, so maybe I’ll see it with them.
Whats it about? A small town sheriff sets out to find the two kids who have taken his car on a joy ride.
My thoughts? A movie to keep an eye out for, especially if you’ve been a Marvel Studios fan. Why? The director of this film, Jon Watts, is now the man to helm the new MCU Spider-Man film. What do I hope to see when I go watch this film? I need to see if he can tell a story. I need to see if he can create compelling characters. I wanna know if he’s got a distinctive enough voice as a filmmaker that the film will have some kind of a personality. I’ve been reading some good reviews on Cop Car, and while none are proclaiming the film is a modern day masterpiece, it sounds like it might actually hit every criteria I’m asking for.
What’s it about? A young married couple’s lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband’s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.
My thoughts? Joel Edgerton’s career has always fascinated me. Playing Young Uncle Owen in Star Wars Episodes II and III, it seemed like he could have just disappeared in into the world of Sci-Fi Conventions and just done that. Instead, he crafted his career in the Australian film community. Making a ton of short films, he gained some notice acting in and co-writing the script and acting in the neo-noir film, The Square. Since then he’s been acting in some big Hollywood films include Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, and The Great Gatsby. Now Edgerton is making his feature film debut but with The Gift (because a gift box is a 3D square.). This looks unsettling as hell, but if Edgerton can deliver on the tension that this trailer promises, then The Gift will be that little thriller that everyone will slowly start talking about.
What’s it about? Inspired by the classic book by Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet is an animated feature film, with “chapters” from animation directors from around the world.
My thoughts? Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous gorgeous animation. Will it all come together a full narrative? Hard to say right now, but I’m curious to watch it to find out.
What’s it about? Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
My thoughts? Listen…I’ve been as skeptic as any other fan has been at this film. None of the trailers have particularly changed my mind on the tone. The Panel at SDCC this year didn’t change my mind .
While I liked the cast and I liked Josh Tranks first film Chronicle, I’ve just always been so apprehensive on this new films take on the ground breaking comic.
So I’m kinda surprised that when I saw the clip below, I had a weird feeling….
Now, let me be clear….I wasn’t really BLOWN AWAY by the clip, but something felt right about it.
I liked the energy of the clip. I like the pacing. The score was strong. The humor was good (I liked Reed praying to not blow up and Johnny’s reaction to this.) It’s not “OH MY GOD, WE’RE WRONG!! THIS FILM IS GONNA BE AMAZING!!”, but it felt like some good film-making.
Let me be clear on something…I HATE the 2005 Fantastic Four film. I feel the film’s tone was wrong. I feel Jessica Alba was miscast. I feel the movie never felt exciting enough. I felt that Doctor Doom was awful. The film didn’t have that sense of sci-fi, exploration and adventure movie feel.
This clip I just watched…..had that sci-fi, exploration and adventure movie feel.
So my take on the movie? The new Fantastic Four film could very well be the best MADE movie of all the FF films. That’s not saying a lot. When the bar is low, you can easily go up. Is it the dream FF movie I’ve wanted to see? No, it’s not. I want to film to feel like a Jack Kirby drawing but in real life.
But, could this somehow actually be a GOOD movie? I wasn’t sure before, but I have this gut feeling this movie might be surprising people this Friday and the film will create some fans.
For me, I still need some convincing. I’m worried that I haven’t seen a SINGLE scene in which The Thing talks. I haven’t really seen how Doctor Doom will be used here. I have no clue on Sue’s personality.
Right now, all I can do is only hope for the best.
Ok, what about you guys? Still think the Fantastic Four is gonna suck? Did Cop Car intrigue you? Let us know in the comments below!