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.

2014 Preview: June

Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films set to come out during 2014. This is Part 5 of 11 (previously 12) and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters during the month of June. Of course, we are now officially in the ‘summer movie season’ but surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of wide releases coming out this month. Except for the last weekend of the month, only two new wide releases are coming out a week. Still, let’s take a look of what June has to offer at the movies.

JUNE 6- This week will feature a Tom Cruise sci-fi/action movie with a romantic drama based off of a best-selling book.

*Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, directed by Doug Liman (‘The Bourne Identity’) and based off of the novel ‘All You Need Is Kill’ by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Cruise stars as an officer who is sent into battle against an alien race despite being inexperienced in combat. However, he soon finds that he is continuously experiencing the same events over and over again as he begins to become a better fighter with the help of another warrior (Blunt).

*Based on the novel of the same name by John Green, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ stars Shailene Woodley as a girl suffering from a terminal illness who falls in love with a boy with a prosthetic leg (Ansel Elgort) when the two of them meet at a cancer support group.

JUNE 13- Two highly anticipated sequels come out this weekend. One’s an R-rated comedy to one of the big surprise hits of 2012 and the other is an animated sequel to a much beloved film.

*2012’s ‘21 Jump Street’ was a surprise hit and this weekend, its sequel, ‘22 Jump Street’ hits theaters, once again directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (fresh off of ‘The Lego Movie’ earlier this year). Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum return as cops Schmidt and Jenko, who in this film go undercover as college students in order to deal with another drug ring. Ice Cube, Dave Franco, and Rob Riggle return for this film as well.

*Another big hit was 2010’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, based off of the book series of the same name by author Cressida Cowell. The DreamWorks production’s sequel, ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’, hits theaters this weekend. Taking place five years after the events of the first film, dragons and Vikings now live in peace. While this is going on, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), son of the Viking chief Stoick (Gerard Butler), and his friends deal with a new threat, a dragon hunter named Drago (Djimon Hounsou) and Hiccup also comes across his long-lost mother (Cate Blanchett). Baruchel, Butler, Craig Ferguson, and America Ferrera (among others) reprise their roles from the previous film and are joined in this one by Blanchett, Hounsou, and Kit Harington.

JUNE 20- A Clint Eastwood directed musical and another comedy sequel hit theaters this weekend.

*Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort, ‘Jersey Boys’, is based off of the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. The movie (and play for that matter) is a dramatized account of the band known as ‘The Four Seasons’ detailing their formation, success, and ultimately their break-up. John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Vincent Piazza, and Michael Lomenda play the four members of the band and the film also stars Christopher Walken as Gyp DeCarlo, a mob boss tied to the group.

*2012’s ‘Think Like A Man’, based off of the book ‘Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man’ by Steve Harvey, was a surprise hit when it was released in April 2012; it even ended ‘The Hunger Games’ 4-week run at the #1 spot at the US box office. The main members of the cast, including Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, and Taraji P. Henson, return for the sequel, ‘Think Like a Man Too’, which sees the main group of couples heading to Vegas.

JUNE 27- The month closes out with a sole wide release this weekend; the fourth film in a very successful (if mostly just from a box office perspective) film franchise.

*Following 2007’s ‘Transformers’ and its sequels, 2009’s ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ and 2011’s ‘Dark of the Moon’ is ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’, the fourth installment in this franchise once again directed by Michael Bay. However this film features almost entirely a new cast of characters, taking place four years after the events of the last film. Mark Wahlberg stars as a mechanic who, along with his daughter (Nicola Peltz), come across a broken-down Optimus Prime (once again voiced by Peter Cullen), but then find themselves at odds with the government, who have been trying to rid the planet of the Transformers. The new members of the human cast include Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, and Jack Reynor and the voice cast includes John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, and Frank Welker.

And those are the films that are set to come out during June 2014. Check back next month, when we’ll be halfway through 2014, for Part 6 where we’ll be looking at July’s lineup of films.

2013 Preview: June

We’re nearly halfway through 2013, with one film (‘Iron Man 3’) having already gone past one billion at the box office. Will another film (or films) follow? Considering how many films have reached ‘the Billion Dollar Club’ in recent years, it seems very likely. After all, the Summer Blockbuster season has just begun. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films of 2013. This is Part 6 of 12 and today we’ll be looking at the June lineup.



*A trio of films will open up the month on June 7^th. The first, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, is the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous play of the same name. This new modern version of the story is helmed by Joss Whedon (‘The Avengers’), who filmed this over a period of 12 days at his home in Santa Monica during production of ‘The Avengers’. The cast consists of many frequent Whedon collaborators, including Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, and Nathan Fillion.



*’The Internship’ reunites Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, who last worked together on the hit comedy ‘Wedding Crashers’ back in 2005. In this new film, directed by Shawn Levy (‘Night at the Museum’, ‘Real Steel’), they star as two watch salesmen who lose their jobs amidst the rise of digital media. They end up getting internships at Google, where they have to compete with a younger and more tech-savvy group of interns for jobs at the company.



*The final major release on June 7^th is a sci-fi thriller called ‘The Purge’. This film takes place in the year 2022, where the U.S. prospers from low unemployment and crime rates. In order to maintain this prosperity, the government holds an annual 12-hour period where all criminal activity becomes legal; even murder. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey star as a couple who try to survive during this event, even when a complete stranger comes to their house.



*The first of two new films coming out June 14^th is ‘Man of Steel’, the highly anticipated reboot of the Superman franchise, although this is actually the second attempt by Warner Bros to revive the Superman franchise after 2006’s ‘Superman Returns’ did not perform as well as they hoped. This new take on Superman is directed by Zack Snyder (‘300’, ‘Watchmen’) and is produced by Christopher Nolan (‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy). Henry Cavill stars as Superman alongside Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe as Superman’s biological father Jor-El, and Kevin Costner as his adoptive father Jonathan Kent.



*’This is the End’ is an Apocalypse themed comedy that is written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, based on their 2007 short film ‘Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse’. The film revolves around fictionalized versions of real actors (primarily James Franco, Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride) who attempt to survive when Los Angeles is ravaged by the end of the world. Other actors portraying themselves include Aziz Ansari, Jason Segel, Emma Watson, and Michael Cera.



*Pixar’s major release of the year, ‘Monsters University’, hits theaters on June 21^st. The film is a prequel to 2001’s ‘Monsters’ Inc’ and focuses on the college years of Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan (AKA Sulley) as the two try to get along during their freshman year in college. Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles of Mike and Sulley, respectively, alongside newcomers like Charlie Day, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, and Nathan Fillion.

*The other new release that week is ‘World War Z’, based off of the Max Brooks novel of the same name. It is also perhaps the most controversial out of all the ‘delayed’ films of 2013. It was pushed back from a December 2012 release date and had to go through reshoots and even rewrites for the film’s final act. Brad Pitt stars as a UN worker who travels the world looking to find a solution for a zombie pandemic that’s affecting the whole world.



*The month ends with two films hitting theaters on June 28^th. The first is a comedy, ‘The Heat’, which reunites Bridesmaids director Paul Feig with his film’s breakout star, Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy stars alongside Sandra Bullock as a pair of cops (Bullock’s character an FBI agent, McCarthy’s a Detective) who must work together to take down a Russian mobster.



*The final release of the month is ‘White House Down’, the second film this year to be based around a takeover of the White House. This is following in the footsteps of ‘Olympus Has Fallen’, which hit theaters back in March. This film is directed by Roland Emmerich (‘Independence Day’, ‘The Day After Tomorrow’) and stars Channing Tatum as a police officers who must rescue the President (played by Jamie Foxx) and his daughter (played by Joey King) when a paramilitary group take over the White House.

And that’s what is to come this month and by the end of June, we will be halfway through 2013. Stay tuned for Part 7 next month.