May 26, 2013: Upcoming movie releases to look forward to! Or not!

AFTER EARTH

Release Date: May 31, 2013

What it’s about: A father and son find themselves stranded on Earth, roughly a thousand years after humanity abandoned the planet.  With dad injured, son must find a way to brave the strange and dangerous new/old world to ensure their survival.

What it’s got working for it: It’s scifi and we all love scifi, don’t we?

What’s it’s got going against it: Just because it’s SF, doesn’t mean it’s good.  In fact, more often than not, it isn’t.  Also, these father-son outings (starring real life father and son Wil and Jaden Smith) inevitably play like Disney adventures where the threats and suspense are muted by the foregone happy ending.  ALSO, it’s directed by M. Night Shyamalan who hasn’t delivered a good movie since The Sixth Sense.

NOW YOU SEE ME

Release Date: May 31, 2013

What it’s about: An elite FBI team faces off against the world’s greatest illusionists turned bad.

What it’s got going for it: An impressive cast.

What it’s got working against it: Despite the out-there premise, it isn’t a comedy.

THE INTERNSHIP

Release Date: June 7, 2013

What it’s about: A couple of out-of-work salesmen land internships at Google.  Hilarity ensues.

What it’s got going for it: Will Ferrell is part of the cast.  He’s pretty funny.

What it’s got working against it: Didn’t someone declare a moratorium on these Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn movies?

THE PURGE

Release Date: June 7, 2013

What’s it about: In the not too distant future, the government deals with crime by allowing criminals one annual 12-hour state-sanctioned reign of terror.  Just to get it all out of their systems, y’know?  On one such night, a family has their lives upended by an intruder who breaks into their gated community.

What it’s got going for it: An intriguing, albeit somewhat silly, premise.

What’s it’s got working against it: An intriguing, albeit somewhat silly, premise.

THIS IS THE END

Release Date: June 12, 2013

What it’s about: Six buddies try to survive the apocalypse, and each other, in this end-of-the-world laugher.

What it’s got going for it: A darkly humorous premise and the always-funny Craig Robison (Daryl from The Office).

What it’s got working against it: I think Seth Rogen is funny too – his movies not so much.

MAN OF STEEL

Release Date: June 14, 2013

What it’s about: Superman.

What it’s got going for it: Brought to you by tremendously talented director Zack Snyder and tremendously talented writer Davis S. Goyer.

What it’s got working against it: I’ve yet to meet a Superman movie I’ve liked.

WORLD WAR Z

Release Date: June 21, 2013

What it’s about: Brad Pitt battles zombies on a world-wide scale.

What it’s got going for it: The book, by Max Brooks, is excellent.

What it’s got working against it: What made the book so great, it’s sequential, multi-voiced narrative, is exactly what makes it impossible to translate to the big screen.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Release Date: June 21, 2013

What it’s about: A young, idealistic Mike Wazowski’s college plans are upended by an all-out rivalry with big-monster-on-campus James P. Sullivan.

What it’s got going for it: I loved Monsters Inc.

What it’s got working against it: It IS a sequel…but I’m cautiously optimistic.

THE HEAT

Release Date: June 28, 2013

What it’s about: A by-the-book FBI agent (played by Sandra Bullock) teams with a loose cannon cop (played by Melissa McCarthy) to take down a drug kingpin.

What it’s got going for it: Melissa McCarthy.

What it’s got working against it: The premise aint exactly fresh.

WHITE HOUSE DOWN

Release Date: June 28, 2013

What it’s about: Terrorists take the White House and only one man – a guy with something to prove and nothing to lose! – can save the President!

What it’s got going for it: I’m going to need more time to think about it.

What it’s got working against it: Didn’t this exact same movie come out a couple of months ago?  Only back then, it was called Olympus Has Fallen.

Tagged: After Earth, film & television, Man of Steel, Monsters University, Now Your See Me, Superman, The Heat, The Internship, The Purge, This is the End, Upcoming Movies, Upcoming Releases, White House Down, World War Z