With all the superheroes who have been dominating the box office of late, it's easy to forget that there are other highly promising blockbusters on the horizon. Perhaps none releasing this summer, however, are as promising as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a wildly anticipated sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes that picks up the story some ten years later, after a devastating virus wipes out most of the human population. Andy Serkis, who stars through motion capture as head ape Caesar, recently spoke to Dread Central about the film. You can surf on over there for the full interview or look below for the highlights.
From Singin' in the Rain to Once, one of the most tried-and-true subgenres of cinema is the musical drama. And it looks like we're in for a treat later this summer when Begin Again, previously titled Can A Song Save Your Life?, hits theaters. The film, from Once helmer John Carney, boasts a pair of truly magnetic leads in Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, along with a supporting cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Mos Def and James Corden. Now, a brief but enjoyable clip for the film has hit the web, highlighting the chemistry between Ruffalo and Knightley.
You won't find that many X-Men fans who were disappointed by Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past, last month's fantastic, time-travelling series update. However, that could change now that X-Force creator Rob Liefeld is saying the success of that film - and the quick green-lighting of follow-up X-Men: Apocalypse - has put a monkey wrench in Fox's plans to bring X-Force to the big screen.
The gorgeous and talented Gemma Arterton is one of those rare actresses with the ability to both stun in arthouse films and walk away unscathed from studio trainwrecks. That's why the actress, who last year appeared in two terrible films (Runner Runner, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) and a fascinating one (Byzantium), is one of the few performers whose films I actively seek out. Her next, a French graphic novel adaptation titled Gemma Bovery, should prove no different.
Though HBO's Lena Dunham-led comedy series Girls won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series for its first season, the show has largely faded in the eyes of critics over time. Though the show's third season was a marked improvement over its decidedly unfunny second, Girls hasn't been seen as an awards darling since its premiere. Perhaps that will change next season, when Dunham and co. are joined by some extremely talented guest stars. We previously reported that Community alum Gillian Jacobs would appear, and now Parenthood's Jason Ritter has booked a guest spot as well.
In our minds, one of the biggest question marks on the calendar this summer is the Michael Bay-produced, Jonathan Liebesman-directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. Blending motion-capture effects work with an overload of Bayhem, it hasn't exactly found a consistent tone in its trailers, and one has to wonder which age demographic a gritty, realistic take on talking turtles will actually appeal to. Still, it will be one of the more interesting blockbuster hopefuls of 2014, and I'm still intrigued by how this version will reinterpret the classic cartoon characters.
Continuing its very fruitful relationship with Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions, Universal has dated three Blumhouse horror flicks for dates through 2016.
In just two short weeks, Jenko and Schmidt will reteam for 22 Jump Street, which is in all likelhood the movie most entitled to call itself "the comedy of the summer." After all, 21 Jump Street was a smash hit back in 2012, and this follow-up finds Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube back on board, alongside returning directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. This time around, undercover cops Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) infiltrate a college to find the supplier of a dangerous new drug that's growing in popularity on campus.
If you want an unnerving, truly disturbing cinematic experience, be sure to check out Borgman, from Dutch helmer Alex van Warmerdam. It's a scary, eerie, darkly humorous flick filled with questions about identity and the true nature of evil, and it's sure to stick in your head for long after you leave the theater.
Animated films for adults are an inherently tricky proposition, and so very few of them ever get made. In fact, only South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police really come to mind, though the Ralph Bakshi films did find success way back in the '70s. Still, the small-screen success of Family Guy, Futurama, South Park and Archer has proven that there is some appetite for witty, raunchy animation. So that's why there's hope for Sausage Party, Seth Rogen's animated raunchfest, which has been building a pretty stellar voice cast and sounds, ahem, intriguing.
