The weather is getting nicer. Baseball has begun. Grills are getting uncovered and fired up across the nation, and shorts are acceptable clothing again. Yep, summer is here, and you know what that means: Time to head indoors to a dark theater to watch movies! What should you expect from this year's slate? Here's a rundown of the big blockbusters headed to the cineplex this summer.

May 6

"Captain America: Civil War"

In case "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" didn’t satisfy your craving for watching heroes battle themselves rather than bad guys, a month and a half later, here’s "Captain America: Civil War." The only difference? Marvel’s put in the time to make audiences actually care about the friendly fire, they’ve figured out the right tone that’s both serious but still allows actual fun and smiles to be had, and the Russo brothers proved with "The Winter Soldier" to be strong action directors. Also: hopefully no "Martha" moments of peerless stupidity.

The earlier buzz on "Civil War" is that it’s one of Marvel’s best, so it would seem this summer is starting with the season’s surest thing, both at the box office and in terms of quality.

May 13           

"Money Monster"

If you liked last year’s "The Big Short" but kept wishing it was just a bit dumber – and had a dopey title – "Money Monster" looks like it might just be the movie for you. There’s a whole lot of star voltage powering this economic hostage drama – George Clooney as a "Mad Money"-esque TV host, Julia Roberts as his director, Jack O’Connell ("Unbroken") as his captor, Jodie Foster making her second trip behind the camera – but judging from the previews so far, that power doesn’t seem to have turned the lights on upstairs if you know what I’m saying.

Hopefully the result is a little less heavy handed, preachy and simplistic than its trailer. Then again, if it was a stronger, smarter movie, it probably would be coming out as Oscar bait in the fall rather than coming out during the summer a week after the money monster that will be "Captain America: Civil War."

"The Darkness"

I know what you're thinking: This summer movie slate is desperately lacking bacon. Then it is bacon you shall receive, as Kevin Bacon stars in "The Darkness," a little horror flick about a family menaced by an evil spirit they brought home from vacation. The trailer doesn't offer much you wouldn't expect – is there a possessed kid? Oh, you know it! – and the general vibe around the movie isn't particularly positive. After all, it's a generically titled horror movie coming out the weekend after the biggest movie of the summer, aka a burial ground. But maybe like the burial grounds found in horror movies like these, there's a little more life here than we expect. Also: Bacon. 

May 20           

"The Nice Guys"

"The Nice Guys" looks like a throwback – and not just because it takes place in 1977. It’s a buddy cop movie – buddy private detectives if you want to be particular – in a time when the subgenre’s been seemingly well milked of all of its good ideas and kooky combinations (we’ve even already had a detective matched up with a dinosaur; that’s how out of good ideas).

This doesn’t look like it’s reinventing that wheel, but at least it’s bringing in the wheel’s original inventor – Shane Black, the guy behind "Lethal Weapon" – to make it seem fresh and fun again. He played nice with superheroes in "Iron Man 3," and now Hollywood’s letting him play with his real favorite toys: mismatched manic cops, sharp funny dialogue, noir-baked mystery intrigue, a Christmas setting. Add in a super-game Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and we might just have a hit on our hands. It looks hilarious, and in an era of big superhero sequels and CGI explosions, what’s old now seems pretty new.

"The Angry Birds Movie"

Nope. Nope nope nope nope. So many reasons for nope. For one, wasn’t the "Angry Birds" heyday like three years ago at this point? So it’s a bad idea that’s also late. Perfect; that’s great. That’s a positive sign. But also, it’s not like "Angry Birds" has a deep plot to mine from. Pigs steal eggs; birds get angry; stuff goes crash. It wasn’t exactly rich in story or meaty characters. No one played a level of "Angry Birds" and thought, "I’d like to know more about the tiny grey bird that explodes into three tiny grey birds. I’m intrigued by his story."

In fairness to "The Angry Birds Movie" – just the first of many brand-based films inspired by "The LEGO Movie" coming up, including an emoji movie – it does have a stellar voice cast. Peter Dinklage, Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Keegan-Michael Key, Josh Gad, Titus Burgess from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," Jillian Bell, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale, Billy Eichner and Sean Penn are all very funny people (wait, Sean Penn? What the hell?) who must all have some very incriminating photos somewhere. In unfairness to "The Angry Birds Movie," its trailer ends with a joke about drinking an eagle’s pee.

"Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising"

The first "Neighbors" movie was a surprisingly very funny romp, turning Rogen and Efron into very entertaining bros-turned-battlers as well as establishing Rose Byrne has secretly one of our funniest actresses. But can it be done again? Can we really buy this poor couple having to deal with ANOTHER house of crazy college kids?

Sure, why the hell not? I like the slightly feminist tweak to the story with it being a sorority – assumed to be polite and well-mannered but instead insane girls who just want to be allowed to party like the boys. I like the cast returning and the new performers brought in, like Chloe Grace Moretz, Selena Gomez and Kiersey Clemons from "Dope." I like the jokes we’ve seen so far in the trailers – including but not limited to Hannibal Buress and Garf from the first movie blasting through the suburbs in a police tank. As far as needless summer sequels go, this is one I can get behind.

May 27           

"Alice Through the Looking Glass"

Did I say something about needless summer sequels? Here’s the thing, Disney: I know "Alice in Wonderland" made a ton of money way back when (second highest grossing movie of 2010 with over a billion worldwide). But nobody actually, you now, LIKES that movie. The fantasy adaptation happened to be one of the first 3-D movies after "Avatar," and people wanted to see more of what the technology could do. Instead, they got a visually frantic yet dull film that did its damnedest to end any remaining love folks had for the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

But sure, what the hell, let’s make another one, keep Depp, ditch Burton for "Muppets Most Wanted" director James Bobin, grab Borat and make a kids movie about Alice escaping "female hysteria," which I’m not sure is what Disney thinks it is.

"X-Men: Apocalypse"

The X-Men film franchise is a bit like the Cincinnati Reds of the superhero movie world: They’re around, I guess, and they’re not bad – but they’re not particularly good either. I’m in the minority on thinking "Days of Future Past" was a bit of a chintzy bore, and while I can’t speak to the excitement factor of "X-Men: Apocalypse," it certainly still looks chintzy – from the overall special effects to the new villain that looks like the Ooze guy from the "Power Rangers" movie. Bottom line: I should be more excited for a summer movie starring Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Oscar Isaac and the queen of Green Bay herself Olivia Munn.

June 3                       

"Me Before You"

Psht, another romantic weepie, this one starring Khalessi herself Emilia Clarke as the sweetly enthusiastic caretaker to a paralyzed rich guy (Sam Claflin, "The Hunger Games"). Whatever with your sweet talk about bumblebee tights and your romantic getting dressed up to see concerts and your trips to lovely beaches and your chats about loving others while they’re around and your third act medical drama and NO I’M NOT CRYING WATCHING THIS TRAILER; YOU ARE!

In closing, "Me Before You" looks sweet, cute and competently tearjerking enough. Plus, any movie that puts Khalessi and Tywin Lannister into the same frame can’t be immediately disregarded. And much like "Game of Thrones," I have a good feeling like will end in tragic, emotionally brutal death. Probably not a beheading. Probably.

"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"

From Justin Bieber to Katy Perry to One Direction, I’ve seen most – if not all – of MTV’s pop star advertisements branding exercises "documentaries" (out of professional obligation, of course, so don’t you judge me). So an R-rated mockumentary about those concert films, focused on a belligerent Bieber-esque pop-douche who performs grandiose songs about how humble he is accompanied by hologram celebrities, is beyond down my alley. Don’t worry, Matt; watching "Never Say Never" and "Justin Bieber: Believe" will have been totally worth it now – or at least I hope so.

Admittedly, I’m hit or miss on the Lonely Island gang, especially when it comes to stretching out their short-form humor to feature-length. But the early redband trailer has some solid jokes, the cast – from Bill Hader to Sarah Silverman to the enchantingly named Imogen Poots to … hey, was that Seal? – is great and I already have that "Humble" song stuck in my head.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows"

This summer preview is going to feature a lot of this sentence: Huh, so they decided to make a sequel to Enter Movie Here. It applies to "Alice Through the Looking Glass," and it most certainly applies here to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," the sequel to the generally loathed but also financially successful franchise reboot.

The good news? It looks like the fun has been cranked up, as well as the classic Ninja Turtles stuff, as Bebop and Rocksteady are both making an appearance. The bad news? The turtles still look like sentient tumors, and they are uncomfortable to look at – not optimal leading character material.

June 10           

"Now You See Me 2"

Huh, so they decided to make a sequel to "Now You See Me" – and they didn’t even call it "Now You Don’t." For shame.

The first film, a surprising small budget box office success back in 2013, was a magic-based thriller that didn’t bother trying to do any real magic, relying instead on bad CGI trickery and a dumb final twist. But gone is old director Louis Leterrier, and in comes Jon Chu, a "Step Up" series veteran who should at least bring some energy to the otherwise unnecessary sequel. Also: Harry Potter’s in this one! Here’s to this one being dumb fun, rather than simply dumb. And if it ends in dance battle between Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman, four stars.

"The Conjuring 2"

As far as small summer sequels go, "The Conjuring 2" might the one must worthy getting excited about. The first film was a really strong haunted house creeper, building old school dread with good characters and some well-earned jumps. Now, they’re aiming to turn the Warrens into a franchise, digging into their story vault for new spooks – including this one, which is being touted as "the Amityville of England." The teaser already had a great misdirection scare and tons of eerie mood, so it would seem director James Wan’s time away from horror with the "Fast and Furious" franchise hasn’t dulled his horror senses.

"Warcraft"

"Warcraft" is a real mixed bag for me. On one hand, I really like director Duncan Jones; his debut "Moon" is a terrific sci-fi mind teaser, and "Source Code," though flawed, showed he’s got an intriguing mind. And I like the idea of a really, REALLY nerdy fantasy epic, filled with orcs and elves and sorcery and medieval political debates – if only to see how the average moviegoer reacts to such untainted geekery. On the other hand … "Warcraft" doesn’t look that great. Frankly, the CGI-loaded previews look no different from the usual commercials for Blizzard’s video game monolith.

This project has been in the works a long time for Duncan Jones. I’d hate for all of that work to go for naught. If an intriguing director is going to spend years working on a big blockbuster, I’d hope it’d be worth the wait. But nothing I’ve seen or heard so far makes it seem like more than a long cutscene. Here’s to being proven wrong. 

June 17           

"Central Intelligence"

Move aside, "The Conjuring 2." You won’t see a more unsettling, horrific, nerve-rattling image this year than The Rock CG-ed into an obese ’80s high school student. That is legitimate nightmare fuel. Haunting visions escaped form the bowels of hell aside, "Central Intelligence" might as well rename itself "Money Monster" because this thing is pretty much guaranteed success this summer. Kevin Hart is one of the world’s most popular comedians – and occasionally funny enough to earn that title. The Rock is one of the world’s most effortlessly charming performers – and occasionally stars in movies worthy of his movie star talents. Smash them in a movie together, and it should be a guaranteed box office spark. Actually bother to write and craft some decent material for the two? Box office wildfire.

"Finding Dory"

One year after showing the world what Pixar was still capable of with "Inside Out," the animation giant moves back to what it’s now most comfortable with: churning out the brand names. If that sounds like an awfully cynical response to "Finding Dory," I wish it wasn’t that way. I love "Finding Nemo." It’s a terrific film. But Pixar is at its best inventing and creating new worlds and characters. That’s what we love them for, not pumping out sequels. It just seems like the easy, obvious route for a studio that tends to not make easy, obvious kids movies. We have DreamWorks around to run animated properties into the dirt, not Pixar.

Anyways, "Finding Dory" still looks cute and obviously gorgeous from a purely technical side. But after these past few years, I’m weirdly more interested to see what Disney’s in-house animation studio ("Zootopia," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Frozen") has coming up rather than Pixar. 

June 24           

"Independence Day: Resurgence"

I’m a bad millennial: I’m not on Snapchat, I kind of hate BuzzFeed and, most crushing, I have no strong feelings toward the original "Independence Day." Even if I did, however, I’d have a hard time being particularly excited for this decade-late sequel. Will Smith’s been replaced by the less interesting Hemsworth brother. The special effects actually look worse since 1996 (its new massive ship barely looks like anything through the CGI fire and smoke), and the tone of this sequel seems oddly grim and serious for a movie who’s most famous donation to popular culture was "Welcome to Earf." Still, Jeff Goldblum is back. So four stars.

"Free State of Jones"

The McConaissance heads back in time to the Civil War for "Free State of Jones," about a small rebellion inside the Confederate South. On paper, it sounds like a winner. As opposed to just five years ago, anything with Matthew McConaughey is something worth checking out, and he’s joined by a duo of talented actresses in Keri Russell and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, the latter of which hopefully on her way to becoming a household name. It is a little concerning that such a serious, Oscar bait-esque film is headed to theaters in the middle of summer rather than around award season. Hopefully that just means the studio is really confident in what they’ve got, rather than just trying to dump it off somewhere.

"The Shallows"

After fighting the horrors of being young and beautiful forever in "The Age of Adeline," the film fates decided to punish Blake Lively with a real horror in "The Shallows": a big-ass shark. It’s an intriguingly small premise – a woman trapped on a rock 200 yard from the mainland with a hungry shark daring her to make a move – for the middle of big bombastic summer blockbuster season. Will it be able to maintain that premise for at least 90 minutes? That’s the big sink or swim question.

July 1                       

"The BFG"

"The BFG" is yet another odd choice for summer. Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s tale, mixed with director Steven Spielberg’s classic cinematic warmth and wonder, would seem to be perfect for a fall release, but instead it’s snagged a spot on the prime Fourth of July weekend. Does this mean they’re confident? Let’s hope. After all, what isn’t there to be confident about? It’s good source material, the man behind the camera is a legend and the BFG himself is newly crowned Best Supporting Actor Mark Rylance (albeit stretched out a bit). Then again, many still have memories of the poorly received on all levels "Jack the Giant Slayer." Actually, no one has memories of that movie anymore.

"The Legend of Tarzan"

Yeah, sure, let’s make a new Tarzan movie. That makes sense. There’s some reason to be optimistic about the new take on the classic character. The cast is strong with Margot Robbie, as well as Tarantino buddies Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz, on board, and director David Yates did some fine stuff with the back half of the Harry Potter film franchise. But where’s the interest in more Tarzan? And if there is interest, they’re done a weak job so far of dredging it up. If I had to guess, this one smells like the box office flop of the summer.

"The Purge: Election Year"

Is there a way to make this current presidential campaign season even more horrific? I suppose government-mandated murder would suffice. Indeed, just in time for Independence Day comes our latest installment of "The Purge," this time sending an anti-Purge politician out into the wild with the last film’s badass Frank Grillo as her only protection. Will people want to watch ugly satirical politics after a year of ugly real politics that have beyond the ability to be satirized? And will this finally be the "Purge" movie that comes through completely on its devilish premise? I hope so – and I also hope I’m never anywhere friggin’ near that creepy glowing Statue of Liberty person from the trailer. This series has a monopoly on nightmare masks. 

July 8                    

"Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates"

That’s right: The "Dirty Grandpa" dream team of Zac Efron and Aubrey Plaza is back together! Despite that unfortunate smear on both of their resumes, I like Efron and Plaza as performers, and I like pretty much everyone else – Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, Kumail Nanjiani – that fills out "Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates" (and I need that title to be shorter). I’m just not sure if I like what I see of the actual movie yet, which seems like a forced premise with some dim, immature jokes. There’s enough talent here to make a quiet summer comedy hit. Let’s hope the laughs are there too.

"The Secret Life of Pets"

Money on the table right now: "The Secret Life of Pets" will be the highest grossing movie of the summer. Sure, it’s not hard to guess that an animated will do well, but the adorable and amusing trailers have been everywhere. And that’s not all: When I saw "The Force Awakens," of all the big anticipated previews that played before the movie, this one got the biggest reaction. The people behind "Despicable Me" have another hit here, I’m sure of it. Better yet, the voice cast is crazily deep with comedic talent, including Louis C.K., Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks, Hannibal Buress (for a third time this summer) and many more. If the movie’s good enough to match the talent and the advertisements, "The Secret Life" will be a smash.

July 15         

"Ghostbusters"

No, the first trailer for "Ghostbusters" did not inspire a ton of confidence. But I ain’t afraid of no "Ghostbusters" reboot quite yet. The cast of comediennes is unparalleled, and better yet, director Paul Feig knows how to use a lot of them to their fullest, best extent – in the case of Melissa McCarthy, better than she knows how to use herself based on her own film projects.

For me, this is actually a best-case scenario. Nobody really wanted another "Ghostbusters" with the original cast; you think you want that, but watching old, creaky versions of your beloved characters would’ve been a bummer – especially if Bill Murray wasn’t into it, which, considering the long-running rumors concerning previous "Ghostbusters" reunions, would have been more likely than not. And we’ve seen "Ghostbusters 2." We know what it looks like when nobody actually cares. It’s depressing. So here’s to the new team – and here’s to a new trailer that hopefully inspires more hope while I’m at it.

July 22          

"Ice Age: Collision Course"

Huh, so they’re still making sequels to "Ice Age." At this point, the actual history of the planet as portrayed in these movies has been bullied, shattered, pummeled, bent and broken more than poor little Scrat. Scientific bafflements aside, I’m genuinely amazed this serious is still on the march. The first movie came out in 2002, the same year "8 Mile" came out. Back then, we still had two more "Star Wars" prequels to go. I have no hate or ill-will towards "Ice Age" or this new installment. I’m more fascinated by it than anything, though judging from the last movie, that fascination will likely diminish after seeing the movie itself. They’re fine diversions for kids and nap time for adults. I imagine no less from this (possibly final?) chapter.

"Star Trek Beyond"

Oh hey, it’s that other big sci-fi franchise that begins with "Star"! We’d almost forgotten about you – especially after the director of your last two installments bailed to work on that other "Star" franchise.

Some may be concerned about the lack of buzz surrounding "Beyond" – at CinemaCon, Paramount didn’t even bring footage to show – or the fact that "Fast and Furious" vet Justin Lin has taken over for J.J. Abrams (cue Captain Kirk ramping a motorcycle). But there’s hope to be found here. The great cast is all back – along with solid new additions like Idris Elba as the villain – and co-star Simon Pegg, a huge Trek fan, actually co-wrote the film, noting in interviews that he’s trying to take it back to its adventuring, thought-provoking sci-fi origins. So there’s still plenty of room in the pop culture galaxy for two "Star" franchises to shine.

"Lights Out"

It's not very convenient that, in a summer stacked with horror movies, two have titles like "The Darkness" and "Lights Out" to only add to the confusion. "The Darkness" is the one about spooky vacation souvenirs (roughly), while "Lights Out" is the one about the darkness ... wait, this isn't helping, is it?

Anyways, "Lights Out" is about a creepy creature – as though there's any other kind in a horror movie – that only appears when the lights, you guessed it, go out. It sounds like a simplistic premise considering that most horror ghouls only tend to pop up when it's dark and spooky, but the trailer shows a lot of fun being had with the idea of the dark being your friend and your enemy. Plus, it comes produced by modern horror wiz James Wan, who gave us "Insidious" and "The Conjuring." If you're going to see one horror movie involving darkness, this is the one to put your bet on.

July 29

"Jason Bourne"

Ignore the awful title (impressive considering the series’ history of awful titles). That’s just there to remind audiences that, yes, this Bourne movie will actually have Jason Bourne in it and, no, this isn’t a pretend Bourne movie about "chems" or whatever that was about. This is a legitimate sequel with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass all back in action – back in action indeed, based on the new trailer, which is filled with the kind of raw car chases and brutal hand-to-hand combat that made the series a surprise franchise hit. Plus they added new Oscar winner Alicia Vikander to the cast, so while "Jason Bourne" may be coming at the end of the summer movie season, it might be one most worth looking forward to.

Aug. 5 

"Suicide Squad"

"Suicide Squad," a DC adaptation about several villainous comic book misfits teaming up to take down even bigger villains, was supposed to be the crazy alternative DC movie in 2016. After the disappointment of "Batman v Superman," however, it’s now playing DC’s savior, the movie that will hopefully remind audiences why they should stick with what they’re serving up.

Can the movie live up to these new expectations? It’s on the right path. The second "Bohemian Rhapsody"-fueled trailer was a hit on the Internet, mostly because it was a lot of fun – so much so that DC reportedly went in for reshoots post-"BvS" to amp up the fun factor. And fun is good. Fun – or even just a smile – is what was desperately lacking in DC’s superhero beatdown last month. And the interpretation of "fun" by director David Ayer – a madman who makes grimy, gritty actioners about grimy, gritty people – could be insane. Hopefully in an entertaining way. 

"Nine Lives"

Kevin Spacey plays a businessman who gets turned into a cat by Christopher Walken. I repeat: In the actual major motion picture "Nine Lives" – directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the man behind "Men in Black" – Kevin Spacey plays a businessman who gets turned into a cat by Christopher Walken. A very fluffy white cat. I'm sure life lessons will be learned and families will be appreciated, but let's not forget the important point here: Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is playing a cat this year. The world can be a beautiful place.

"The Founder"

The Michael Keaton comeback tour continues with a surprising choice for a summer release: a movie about the beginning days of McDonalds. Because the business of fast food screams summer blockbuster. If "The Founder" doesn't exactly sound like a box office Big Mac, at least the basic premise and cast sound intriguing, as Keaton plays Ray Kroc as he swindles his way into creating a burger kingdom – all while ruining others lives, such as a shaven Nick Offerman. So it's "The Social Network" for the fast food industry – or at least it could be. I'm not confident in director John Lee Hancock – this is the guy who made "Saving Mr. Banks," the Disney corporation's thank you card to itself – but the rest of the ingredients for a good movie are there. 

Aug. 12

"Pete's Dragon"

Nobody was clamoring for an updated "Pete's Dragon," but in Disney's quest to turn every single one of its old properties into a new live-action one, we're getting one. And ... it actually looks pretty good! Coming from Milwaukee Film Festival alum David Lowery ("Ain't Them Bodies Saints"), the movie looks more natural, old school Spielberg than the CGI-heavy Disney live-action updates of recent years, and there's a nice little sense of wonder going on in its brief teaser spot. Add in a strong cast, including Robert Redford, and you've got a potential late summer surprise lurking here. Disney seems to like it; they've actually just penned Lowery to do a live-action Peter Pan. Yes, another one. Because it worked great last time. 

"Florence Foster Jenkins"

Just this month, the Downer Theater picked up a French movie called "Marguerite" about a rich woman who desperately wanted to be an opera singer despite the slight problem of having a miserable voice. "Florence Foster Jenkins" is basically the American version of that story, with Hollywood royal Meryl Streep playing the warbling wannabe songbird and Hugh Grant (hey, he's alive!) as her partner in auditory crime.

"Marguerite" was an interesting little film, half frustrating and half fascinating, so I'm intrigued to see how this much bigger production takes on the story. I'm concerned it'll go for the half that frustrated me, the part that leans toward an inspirational story about a lady rich enough to pursue her misplaced dreams and convince others that her sh*t doesn't stink. On the other hand, it's Meryl Streep in a movie directed by Stephen Frears, the man behind one of my favorite movies of all time, "High Fidelity."

At worst, you'll have a movie to take mom and grandma to this summer.

"Sausage Party"

Do not take mom and grandma to this movie this summer. "Sausage Party" is as bonkers and inappropriate as its title sounds, following a bunch of baked foods – in all meanings of the word "baked" – as they attempt to unveil the truth about their existence: They're doomed to be devoured brutally by us humans. Seth Rogen voices a hot dog. Kristen Wiig voices a (very weirdly animated) bun. It's a Seth Rogen movie, so of course James Franco is set to show up too. Also: Edward Norton, because if you're going to make a movie about profane food items, you invite Ed Norton to the party. It looks crude. It looks insane. And it looks like delightful entertainment for the whole family – as long as you "accidentally" put the rest of your family in a screening of "Ice Age" or something. 

Aug. 19

"Ben-Hur"

"Ben-Hur": the most recent installment of Hollywood's ongoing series entitled "Remakes nobody wanted, needed or asked for." Who watches the Charlton Heston classic and thinks, "You know, they could've done better"? And, more pressingly, who is going to watch this version? Young audience members likely don't have any knowledge or attachment to the name "Ben-Hur," so for them, it just looks like another sword-and-sandal movie at the end of a long blockbuster season. As for older audiences and fans of the Heston film, do they want a younger, more violent, "edgier" version of a movie they already appreciate, directed by the man behind "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"? A version they'll likely dislike in inevitable comparison? It's that "Lone Ranger" audience no man's land, and even if it's a decent late summer action movie ride, it'll always be the other "Ben-Hur."

Aug. 26

"Hands of Stone"

Boxing movies are Hollywood's favorite sports tales; the stakes are obvious – no pesky rules to explain to newcomers; it's a fairly straightforward sport – there's visceral action and it speaks to a kind of American individuality and get-back-up mentality that's hard to make not inspiring. But while there's plenty of boxing movies, the greats are hard to come by, special movies that embrace the cliches but also add to them and give them real emotional weight. Will "Hands of Stone" be one of those greats? It helps to have Robert De Niro, the star of one of those legends "Raging Bull," in your corner, but then again, he also did "Grudge Match." And "Dirty Grandpa." 

"Mechanic: Resurrection"

Huh, so they made a sequel to the remake of "The Mechanic." And they even added one of those generic sequel R-words to the end of the title, like "Redemption" or "Reloaded" or, indeed, "Resurrection" – which is an ironic reminder that, with this movie, the summer movie season has died.