Magic Mike XXL
Dir. Gregory Jacobs
July 1
When Magic Mike hit theaters three years ago it was sold to the masses as a girls’ night out movie, but for all the marketing focused on the big biceps, ripped abs and pelvic thrusting of the self-proclaimed “Cock-Rocking Kings of Tampa”, I was surprised to find out there was far more to the movie than met the eye, though I probably shouldn’t have been since Steven Soderbergh directed it. While Soderbergh didn’t direct the sequel — long-time collaborator Gregory Jacobs did — he did shoot and edit it, and with the bulk of the cast back for more on-stage action Magic Mike XXL likely won’t surprise us the same way its predecessor did, but I think it can be just as good.
In Magic Mike XXL, the story picks up three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game. The remaining Kings of Tampa are likewise ready to throw in the towel, but the crew wants to go out in style, burning down the house via one last performance in Myrtle Beach with legendary headliner Magic Mike by their side. Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Andie MacDowell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Amber Heard, Michael Strahan, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez co-star.
Ant-Man
Dir. Peyton Reed
July 17
I keep saying I’m just about done with the whole Marvel movie thing, but in all honesty if Ant-Man doesn’t do it for me it might really be time to throw in the towel. The movie once had the allure of Edgar Wright on its side, but as soon as Wright and Marvel parted ways last year my interest in the movie itself was largely replaced by curiosity about the behind-the-scenes drama of its development and production. That Adam McKay and star Paul Rudd helped re-work the script after Wright’s departure helps add to the intrigue. Do I still want to see it? Yeah, I think so, but for very different reasons than I would have given you fifteen months ago.
Billed as “the next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe”, Ant-Man stars Rudd as master thief Scott Lang, a man armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength. Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Alongside Rudd and Douglas, the film stars Michael Peña, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, John Slattery, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer and Tip Harris.
Trainwreck
Dir. Judd Apatow
July 17
Judd Apatow‘s career has taken an interesting turn recently. His name is attached to a pretty impressive string of adult comedies and gross-out teen romps, first as producer and then as director, but the Apatow brand has carried less and less favor with each passing year. As Apatow’s directorial credits go, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin is still easily my favorite, with each subsequent film lesser (in my opinion) than the one that precedes it; and as for the movies he has produced but not directed, 2007 (Superbad, Walk Hard) and 2008 (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers) were banner years but the last half-dozen have been less so. Apatow seems poised to get back on track this summer with Trainwreck, as contrary as that sounds, and with pop culture phenoms Amy Schumer and LeBron James in his corner I really hope he delivers.
From the synopsis: Since she was a little girl, it’s been drilled into Amy’s (Schumer) head by her dad (Colin Quinn) that monogamy isn’t realistic. Now a magazine writer, Amy lives by that credo — enjoying what she feels is an uninhibited life free from stifling, boring romantic commitment — but in actuality she’s kind of in a rut. When she finds herself starting to fall for the subject of the new article she’s writing, a charming and successful sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), Amy starts to wonder if other grown-ups, including this guy who really seems to like her, might be on to something. Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton, Barkhad Abdi, John Cena, Mike Birbiglia, Ezra Miller, Method Man, Randall Park, Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei round out the cast.
The End of the Tour
Dir. James Ponsoldt
July 31
[amz asin=”0316066524″ size=”small”]I almost put Woody Allen’s Irrational Man here. I was so close. Like, this close. I had a big paragraph written and everything. But as much as I am excited to see Irrational Man for the simple fact it is a new Woody Allen joint — and despite middling reviews out of Cannes — the widespread praise I’ve read for The End of the Tour has me itching to feast my eyes upon it. Directed by James Ponsoldt, the film appears to have a bit of an Almost Famous vibe, telling the story of a Rolling Stone reporter who accompanies David Foster Wallace on a promotional tour in Minnesota right after the publication of “Infinite Jest”, the novelist’s groundbreaking 1996 novel. Given I love Almost Famous, and that I really enjoyed Ponsoldt’s last effort The Spectacular Now, I just couldn’t keep this one off the list.
Jason Segel stars as David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg plays Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky. Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer and Ron Livingston round out the cast.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Dir. Christopher McQuarrie
July 31
If it hasn’t become patently obvious since I began writing for this site, blockbuster movie franchises aren’t particularly my “thing.” However, if I had to choose one such series for which I would warmly welcome a new installment every few years, the Mission: Impossible franchise could well be the one. Tom Cruise remains among my favorite action stars, and with him as the lead the Mission: Impossible movies have always been flat out fun. I wasn’t fond of Jack Reacher, Cruise’s first outing with his Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, but McQuarrie did write the screenplay for Edge of Tomorrow — far and away my favorite action film last year — and alongside the Mission: Impossible brand that inspires hope that the franchise’s fifth installment is as fun as its previous four.
With the IMF disbanded and Ethan (Cruise) out in the cold, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation finds the team facing off against a network of highly skilled special agents called the Syndicate, a group hellbent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) — who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation — as the group faces its most impossible mission yet. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Simon McBurney co-star.
And there it is, folks, a thorough look at the July 2015 release slate, including five must-see films and plenty more you should consider checking out — if of course they play in your area. July finds us making our way into the second half of the summer movie season, and with Avengers 2 and Jurassic World lighting up the box office in the first half of summer it will be interesting to see if any of the movies on the horizon can even come close to hitting the numbers those two put up.
At the same time, a number of smaller budget and independent movies from the festival circuit are finally making their way into theaters, so here’s hoping there are a few gems for us to unearth to go along with some of the bigger titles listed above. Welcome to July, everybody, and happy moviegoing!
