2015 Preview: June

The Summer 2015 Movie Season continues with plenty of new and exciting films on the horizon. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films that are set to come out in 2015. This is Part 6 of 12 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters this June. From Hollywood stars to dinosaurs to emotions to talking teddy bears there are quite a lot of noteworthy films coming out this month so let’s not waste any time and dive right into the films of June.

JUNE 3/JUNE 5- The month starts out with an early Wednesday release of one film, the continuation of a popular HBO series, and two other films, one horror and one comedy, on Friday the 5^th. Plus I’ll throw in one noteworthy limited release.

*Four years after the series came to an end in 2011, the hit HBO comedy ‘Entourage’ returns with a feature film directed by series creator Doug Ellin and produced by series producer/inspiration Mark Wahlberg. The series revolved around movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his entourage of friends; Eric ‘E’ Murphy (Kevin Connolly), ‘Turtle’ (Jerry Ferrara), and Vincent’s brother Johnny AKA ‘Drama’ (Kevin Dillon) and their adventures in Hollywood. In the film, Vincent is given the opportunity to direct his next film by his former agent turned studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) but ends up getting into trouble with the financiers when he goes over-budget. Like the show, the film features an abundance of celebrity cameos including, but not limited to, Liam Neeson, Bob Saget, Ronda Rousey, Pharrell, Jessica Alba, and Mark Wahlberg. (Opens Wednesday)

*Series writer Leigh Whannell takes over for James Wan as director of ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’, the third installment of the popular horror franchise. A prequel to the previous two films, this film centers around psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) as she uses her ability to contact the dead when a teenage girl becomes targeted by a supernatural entity.

*Director Paul Feig reunites with his ‘Bridesmaids’/‘The Heat’ star Melissa McCarthy for ‘Spy’, in which she stars as a CIA analyst who gets the opportunity to go into the field and stop the sale of nuclear weapons when the rest of the CIA’s operatives’ identities are compromised. The film also stars Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, and Allison Janney.

*Opening in limited release is ‘Testament of Youth’, based off of the first installment of the memoir of English writer Vera Brittain, portrayed in the film by Alicia Vikander (‘Ex Machina’). When World War I breaks out and her younger brother (Taron Egerton), her fiancé (Kit Harrington), and their friends (Colin Morgan and Jonathan Bailey) are sent to serve in the army, Vera joins the war effort as well as a nurse. The film also stars Dominic West, Emily Watson, and Hayley Atwell.  

JUNE 12- One of the summer’s biggest blockbusters debuts alongside another noteworthy limited release.

*The first installment of the franchise since 2001’s ‘Jurassic Park III’, ‘Jurassic World’ is the fourth installment in the highly successful ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise. Colin Trevorrow (‘Safety Not Guaranteed’) helms this entry, which takes place on the island of Isla Nublar, where the original ‘Jurassic Park’ took place, 22 years after the events of the first film. A now fully-functioning dinosaur park, Jurassic World, attempts to boost attendance by developing a new genetically-engineered hybrid dinosaur. However, the new dinosaur ends up escaping and starts to cause chaos around the park. The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Ty Simpkins, among others.

*Opening in limited release is ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’, which won both the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. Drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Thomas Mann stars as Greg Gaines, a high-school student who makes low-budget films with his best friend Earl (Ronald Cyler II). When they meet and befriend a girl named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who suffers from leukemia, the two decide to make a film just for her.

JUNE 19- A dramedy, the newest Pixar film, and yet another notable limited release.

*After not releasing any films in 2014, a first for the company since 2005, Pixar returns with their latest flick, ‘Inside Out’. Directed by Pete Docter (‘Monsters’ Inc.’, ‘Up’), the film centers around the ‘emotions’ of a young girl named Riley who is forced to move to San Francisco when her father gets a new job. Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling voice Riley’s five main emotions; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust, respectively.

*Produced by Forest Whitaker and Pharrell, ‘Dope’ centers around a young man named Malcolm who tries to traverse through life in a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, California.

*Co-produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, ‘Infinitely Polar Bear’, filmed in Rhode Island, stars Mark Ruffalo as a manic-depressive father who tries to win back his wife (Zoe Saldana) by looking after their two kids while she is away.

JUNE 26- Finally to close out the month, the sequel to a 2012 comedy smash hit and a family film.

*2012’s ‘Ted’, the directorial debut of ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane was a smash hit both critically and commercially, grossing over $500 million worldwide. And now everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed teddy bear is back in ‘Ted 2’ along with Mark Wahlberg as Ted’s best friend John. In this film, Ted (voiced and portrayed via motion capture by MacFarlane) and John work together to help prove that the former is human in a court of law when he faces the risk of losing custody of his new child that he is having with his new wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). Giovanni Ribisi and Sam Jones (but not Mila Kunis) also reprise their roles from the previous film and are joined by Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson.

*Finally we have ‘Max’, directed by Boaz Yakin, which centers around a dog named Max who works for the military but must then deal with the loss of his handler when he’s taken in by the marine’s family. The film’s cast includes Thomas Haden Church, Robbie Amell, and Lauren Graham.

And those are the films that are hitting theaters this June. Thanks for reading and check back next month for Part 7 as we’ll be looking at the films that will be coming out this July.