'Star Wars' prequel, 'Incredibles' sequel among summer's hottest movies
Of all the movies scheduled to open this summer, a ghostly horror tale tops my Gotta-See-Or-I'll-Just-Die list: “Hereditary.”
I first became aware of this movie when it freaked out audiences at the Cannes Film Festival.
The chameleonic Toni Collette stars as a woman still traumatized by her late mother, being buried at the story's outset. Variety's Kristopher Tapley wrote, “Collette's work earns a place right beside Ellen Burstyn's Oscar-nominated turn in 'The Exorcist'.”
Throw in some naked, grinning ghosts, dark family secrets and Collette's daughter (Milly Shapiro) who can see dead people, what's not to keep us up with the lights on? It opens June 8.
Here come highlights of what to expect down the theatrical pike this summer. For a frequently updated calendar of Chicago market releases, go to chicagofilmcritics.org and click on the “Now Playing” icon.
Sequels and prequels
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” - The Marvel Universe welcomes back Ant-Man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who teams with Waspy Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) to take on the villainous Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen playing an originally male character) to save her mom (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the alternate dimension called Quantam Realm. July 6
“The Equalizer 2” - Denzel Washington returns as the unsympathetically efficient killer from Antoine Fuqua's thriller, based on the 1980s TV series. The trailer looks cold and familiar. July 20
“The First Purge” - A horror/sci-fi prequel that examines how a psychologist (Marisa Tomei) develops the idea of making all crimes (especially murder) legal for one day as a way for American citizens to chill out. July 4
“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” - Chicago critics recently saw an extremely lengthy segment of this animated sequel about Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his family (plus other creatures) taking a vacation cruise into the Bermuda Triangle where cleverness is never seen again. July 13
“Incredibles 2” - A powerful PR campaign (no allusion to Russian collusion?) enables Brad Bird's Oscar-winning family of Supers to be legal once more, just in time for Holly Hunter's Elastigirl to become the breadwinner, relegating Craig T. Nelson's Mr. Incredible to Mr. Mom duties. June 15
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” - Chris Pratt returns as a potential dino snack when an Indoraptor (indoor raptor?) traps humans inside a giant American estate. Directed by J.A. Bayona, who gave us the ghost chiller “The Orphanage.” June 22
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” - Some old ABBA hits get recycled here along with “new” old ABBA hits as Sophie (reprised by Amanda Seyfried) renovates the Greek island hotel run by her mom (Meryl Streep, again). Look for Cher as Sophie's grandmother. They took a chance on her. July 20
“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” - So many breathless action sequences tease us in the trailers to Christopher McQuarrie's sequel, will there be anything new left to see as Tom Cruise reprises his role as agent Ethan Hunt, now confronting his vengeful “Rogue Nation” arch-villain (Sean Harris)? July 27
“Sicario: Day of the Sodado” - It lacks the spellbindingly visceral beginning of Denis Villeneuve's 2015 thriller, but Stefano Sollima's sequel brings back Benicio Del Toro's world-weary hitman, now helping U.S. agents kidnap a Mexican drug lord's daughter (Isabela Moner). June 29
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” - Ron Howard took the production's reins from canned directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and reportedly reshot everything they had done. Set 10 years before Han met Luke in “Star Wars,” younger Han (Alden Ehrenreich) meets younger Lando (Donald Glover), discovers the Millennium Falcon and finds his new partner in crime Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). May 25
Remakes
“Papillon” - Danish director Michael Noer guides Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek through the story of a French safecracker framed for murder and sentenced to life in a penal colony. A remake of the original 1973 Steve McQueen/Dustin Hoffman escape movie based on Henri Charriere's autobiography. Aug. 24
“Superfly” - Music video creator Director X has a go at making Gordon Parks Jr.'s 1973 “blaxploitation” classic relevant again with stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell and Arlington Heights native Jennifer Morrison. June 15
Documentaries
“Won't You Be My Neighbor?” - Morgan Neville's report explores the continuing appeal of minister-turned-kids-show-host Mr. Rogers. June 8.
“Whitney” - Scottish filmmaker Kevin MacDonald interviewed more than 70 people to gain an inside perspective about the life and music of the late pop diva Whitney Houston. July 6
Cool extras
“BlacKkKlansman” - Spike Lee returns with the incredible story of an African-American cop who infiltrates a Colorado KKK group and becomes its leader. With John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace. Aug. 10
“Eighth Grade” - Elsie Fisher goes to the head of the class as a confused student struggling to survive eighth-grade. July 20
“Leave No Trace” - Oscar voters should note Thomasin McKenzie's charismatic performance as the teen daughter of a mentally ill dad (Ben Foster) living off the grid in an Oregon forest, until authorities find them. July 6
“Ocean's 8” - Danny Ocean from Steven Soderbergh's George Clooney-led franchise has a sister named Debbie (Sandra Bullock), who conspires with seven women to pull off a heist of $150 million in diamonds during a posh gala. June 8.
“Skyscraper” - Dwayne Johnson does “The Towering Inferno,” but with sensitivity and heart, allegedly. July 13
“Slender Man” - The infamous online boogeyman who has inspired real-life acts of violence makes his theatrical debut, terrorizing children and young people in a stylish horror tale directed by Sylvain White. Aug. 24.
“Upgrade” - Leigh “Saw” Whannell combines “The Matrix,” “Colossus: The Forbin Project,” “Videodrome” and “2001” in a harrowing sci-fi tale about a quadriplegic man given new abilities by a computer chip. June 1