The summer movie season isn’t just sequels and reboots. OK, well, it mostly is. But there are originals trying to squeak through, too. Here are 10 to look for this summer:
1. Inside Out (June 19) — By June, it will have been two years since the last Pixar release (Monsters University). They have been missed. The pressure will be on Pixar’s latest, about the voices inside the mind of a young girl, to rekindle absolute faith in the animation studio. But with one of Pixar’s top talents, Pete Docter (Up, Monsters, Inc.), directing, hopes are deservedly high for Inside Out.
2. Spy (June 5) — Melissa McCarthy stumbled last summer with the poorly received Tammy, but in Spy, she’s back with writer-director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) for a European spy spoof. Expect a lot of wigs.
3. Aloha (May 29) — Writer-director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) can be counted on for something hard to come by in the summer: funny, heart-warming tales about humans. His latest stars Bradley Cooper as a defence contractor in Hawaii, along with Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams.
4. Ricki and the Flash (August 7) — Meryl Streep stars as the ageing lead singer and guitarist in a cover band, playing everything from Springsteen to Lady Gaga. Enough said?
5. Straight Outta Compton (August 14) — With Death Row Records co-founder Mario “Suge” Knight awaiting trial for murder, there should be plenty of off-screen drama surrounding this film about the emergence of the revolutionary hip-hop group NWA.
6. Me and Earl the Dying Girl (June 12) — This cancer drama, based on Jesse Andrews’ novel, has more laughter than you’d expect and was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival.
7. Southpaw (July 24) — A bulked-up Jake Gyllenhaal enters the ring in this gritty boxing drama from director Antoine Fuqua.
8. Trainwreck (July 17) — That this is the first film Judd Apatow has directed that he hasn’t also written is probably a testament to his faith in Amy Schumer. The Inside Amy Schumer star transitions to the big screen in this comedy Schumer also wrote about a commitment-averse woman.
9. Good Kill (May 15) — In Andrew Niccol’s drama, Ethan Hawke stars as an Air Force drone pilot, leading missions from a base outside Las Vegas.
10. Dope (June 19) — One of the buzziest films at Sundance, Rick Famuyiwa’s indie teen caper comes with the backing of producers Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams.
Others to remember: Infinitely Polar Bear (June 19), Love and Mercy (June 5), Far From the Madding Crowd (May 1) and Slow West (May 15).
