Preview by Flaco Jones

Flaco's 2014 Summer Movie Preview Part 2

Flaco's 2014 Summer Movie Preview Part 2

The box office has been pretty strong this summer as nearly all the movies highlighted in part 1 ended up as top 10 earners of the season so far. If only I had spotlighted “Neighbors” over “A Million Ways to Die in the West” all nine would have been up there.

With a frontloaded summer like this, is there any money left to support the movies coming out in the second half of the season? Looking at July, you may not think so, but things ramp up big time in August. 


JULY 2

Earth to Echo






I was debating even mentioning a movie here since this appears to be the saddest lineup of films ever put forth by Hollywood on the once mighty Independence Day weekend. Did the bomb that was the “Lone Ranger” really scare studios that much? Out of the three movies opening on this date, I highlighted this odd “E.T.”/”Goonies” meets “Chronicle”-style found footage, PG-rated, sci-fi movie because the other offerings were way less geeky.


JULY 11

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes






I was a fan of the first movie in this rebooted franchise but it had a lot of setup without a ton of action. The sequel plans to do what sequels do best: more action, more characters, and more apes shooting machine guns. I’m not sure I buy the premise of apes being superior combatants because they don’t rely on technology or wear clothes, but the movie may be fun in a turn-off-your-brain sense.


JULY  18

Wish I Was Here






Zach Braff’s controversial Kickstarter sensation gets its theatrical release this summer and while it isn’t the typical big movie I highlight in my summer previews, it’s notable for the way it was made. It also does feature a cosplay contest at a comic book convention, so there is a geek angle to it. If this movie is a success will it result in even more crowdfunded films where you don’t even receive a copy of the project?


Video Games: The Movie






Speaking of Zach Braff and Kickstarter, he also helped produce this crowdfunded film about the history of the video game industry, as seen through the eyes of celebrities if the trailer is any indication. Okay so there are a lot of industry people involved too, it seems, and at least backers of this project are receiving copies of the film before it hits theaters which is why I’m sure Braff didn’t mind sharing the same release weekend his own Kickstarted film.


JULY 25

Hercules






While this is the second Hercules movie to hit theaters this year, it is also the more anticipated, with the likes of The Rock and director Brett Ratner involved.  The trailer looks like 300 with a little bit of Gladiator thrown in. I’m sure the studio is hoping for a better result at the box office than the earlier Hercules movie this year and would be happy to earn what 300 or its sequel made.

Lucy






Scarlett Johansson takes on a role seemingly tailor made a decade ago for Angelina Jolie in this thriller about an unwilling drug mule turned superhuman. My only hope is that if the film succeeds Marvel Studios will finally give her a solo Black Widow movie and stop making her second fiddle in movies like the Iron Man and Captain America sequels.


AUGUST 1

Guardians of the Galaxy






Ever since The Avengers, movies from the Marvel cinematic universe have been printing money. This movie, based on a lesser known property, could test that. However, given the hype surrounding the release, it seems like it should have no problem sitting right next to the other Marvel blockbusters. 


AUGUST 8

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles






This movie has received a ton of flack, mostly because Michael Bay’s name is attached (though he isn’t directing the film) and there is a fear of too many changes in the vein of the Transformers movies. Also, the turtles have weird nostrils. Jury is still out for me, but unlike when the Transformers first came out, this franchise has a beloved live action counterpart that fans will use for comparison.


AUGUST 15

The Giver






Another trailer that raised the ire of fans belonged to this movie, based on the very popular novel of the same name. The cast looks fantastic though, so if issues with choices made during adaptation can be set aside, this could be a pretty fantastic film. And we need only to look to last summer for an example of a film in World War Z that strayed from the book but still was a hit at the box office.



AUGUST 22

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For






After a long time off from the first film, will movie goers still show up for this latest trip into Sin City? Despite a couple of casting changes, it looks to fit right in with the previous installment. It will also be interesting to see how the quality of the new original segments written for this film hold up when presented alongside the stories taken from the graphic novel.


So that’s another summer in the books. Be sure to rank the films below and add any comments about my selections or anything I failed to mention that you are excited for.

Flaco Jones is a former film school grad and current professional A/V nerd. You can follow him @flaco_jones on Twitter.

Preview by - 7/7/2014 5:16 PM481 views

Your Ranking

What movie are YOU most looking forward to in the coming months?

Flaco has told you about the movies coming out in July and August, which one are YOU most looking forward to?

Based on 8 Participants

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy
    (Average Rank: 2.37)

  2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
    (Average Rank: 3.62)

  3. Video Games: The Movie
    (Average Rank: 3.87)

  4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    (Average Rank: 4.75)

  5. Lucy
    (Average Rank: 5.50)

  6. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
    (Average Rank: 5.75)

  7. Earth to Echo
    (Average Rank: 6.62)

  8. Hercules
    (Average Rank: 7.12)

  9. Wish I Was Here
    (Average Rank: 7.50)

  10. The Giver
    (Average Rank: 7.87)

Registered Participants can rank these choices, and are eligible to receive Points during the article's first week of publication! Why not sign up and start playing today?

Comments

skie
skie
7/7/2014 5:20 PM

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Upon reading this article and watching some of the previews, I have had a change of heart from last nights OLR, I am now here for the TMNT movie realizing that Whoopi Goldberg has a cameo.
TigerClaw
TigerClaw
7/7/2014 6:23 PM

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She plays a character called Bernadette Thompson, a female version of Burne Thompson, Who is April's Boss in the original TMNT series.
TigerClaw
TigerClaw
7/7/2014 6:27 PM

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I'm looking towards the new TMNT film, With the motion capture they have today, These Turtles look a lot more realistic and less cartoony then the 90s movies, And I think they look fantastic.

I'm also looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy, Even though It's a comic book property I'm not familiar with, But I'm looking forward to it because Rocket Raccoon is in it, I think he's going to steal the show.

And Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Cause you get to see Monkeys with Machine Guns riding on Horses.
Bobby Blackwolf
Bobby Blackwolf
7/8/2014 3:47 PM

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All those other little flicks just sound like the undercard for Guardians of the Galaxy.
act_deft
act_deft
7/8/2014 1:38 AM

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I put GotG in first for obvious reasons. I kinda want to like Earth to Echo more but it seems like a cheap knock-off of Super 8, which was already of E.T.. I'll probably wait for reviews on that one.

Woo, another Hercules movie, yippie...</sarcasm>

The Giver seems ok but I've seen this done before (PLEASUREVILLE PEOPLE?)

Lucy, that one's a definite watch.

Video Games the movie doesn't seem that much different from any TV documentary I've seen already, but I know I'm still gonna watch it.

As for the rest, don't care. Yes, even TMNT. The more I see of it, the less I want to see it on theaters.
act_deft
act_deft
7/8/2014 5:01 PM

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I forgot to comment on Planet of the Apes, the previous one in this new series is actually really good, I hope this new one is also great.
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