Five Remaining Summer Movies To Look Forward To [FaN Extra] Jun19

Five Remaining Summer Movies To Look Forward To [FaN Extra]

We’re a third of the way through Hollywood’s summer movie slate. So far, there are clear winners like Iron Man 3, retched garbage like The Hangover 3 and some middling-to-decent efforts worthy of a watch like Star Trek Into Darkness and Man of Steel. Given that it’s still only June, I thought it pertinent enough to preview five upcoming offerings that twinge my cinematic prostate to the point of excitement:   1. Elysium Neill Blomkamp’s long awaited follow up to 2009’s District 9, Elysium has the makings of a science fiction classic. Though I enjoyed the first half of District 9, I ended up shrugging through the second half when it eschewed its entire conceit and turned into a first person shooter. Elysium picks up Matt Damon who knows a thing or two about story and throws in the kind of class warfare hyperbole I’m a sucker for. The trailer kind of kicks ass too. We’ll see. Until then, my curlys are cautiously crossed in optimism.   2. The Wolf Of Wall Street Outside of a few documentaries, there hasn’t really been the definitive story of the 2008 financial crash. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was, for lack of a better phrase, fucking stupid and Margin Call was too low key to garner wide recognition. When Martin Scorsese is on point, no director can match him and Leonardo DiCaprio embodies the nature of afflicted privilege better than anyone. Let’s hope The Wolf Of Wall Street captures the rampant greed and the careless pursuit thereof better than Oliver Stone’s cartoonish misfire.   3. Pacific Rim It’s Robot Jox with a bigger budget and normally I’d roll my eyes at this production but it’s directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Everything Del Toro touches turns to gold and although the idea seems ridiculous to the point of farce, I’m on board anyway. Damn you Guillermo, on your reputation alone, you’ve got me interested in a movie with the tag line, “Go Big or Go Extinct.”   4. Fruitvale Station Oh man, I’m so in on this flick. Even if it didn’t star Vince from Friday Night Lights, the execution, mood and style of this movie stands the independent hairs up on the back of my neck. I hope, hope, hope it’s not another unintentional comedy like Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire. Liberal reviewers have a tendency to elevate socially relevant, yet artistically lacking productions to a much higher level than they deserve. Given the subject matter, I have faith this won’t be the case.   5. The Way, Way Back You ever have those movies you look forward to so strongly that if they don’t live up to your expectation you’re almost angry at them? Yeah, The Way, Way Back is like that for me. It runs the risk of being too quirky for its own good, but I trust the writers (including Jim Rash – Dean Pelton from Community) and the cast to deliver a top notch, memorable coming-of-age tale. Please don’t let this suck. That’s my list, what are you looking forward...