Our annual preview of the summer’s movies
Women are making their mark in a testosterone-fueled summer season, with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
The summer movie season officially kicks off this weekend with the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and its week-by-week slate of wannabe blockbusters will be peppered with art films, dark horses, interesting failures and more. Here’s our curated list of what to look forward to for the next four months.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
MAY 5
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The surprise blockbuster of 2014 returns with another comic sequel. Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
3 Generations. The Weinsteins got some free publicity when they challenged the R rating given to this drama about the effect of a trans teen’s (Elle Fanning) transition, and the support of the mother (Naomi Watts) and grandmother (Susan Sarandon). (Limited release)
MAY 12
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law star in Guy Ritchie’s take on the Arthurian legend.
Snatched. Goldie Hawn returns to the screen after a 15-year absence as the mom of Amy Schumer in this full-bodied action comedy, arriving for Mother’s Day.
Paris Can Wait. Diane Lane and Alec Baldwin star in this romantic comedy from first-time feature director Eleanor Coppola… aged 81. (Limited release)
MAY 19
Alien: Covenant. Ridley Scott directs this latest in the Alien series.
Everything, Everything. A teenager, allergic to everything, falls for the boy next door.
MAY 24
Baywatch. Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson take over as lifeguards in this action comedy based on the camp TV series.
MAY 26 (Memorial Day)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Javier Bardem joins this over-exposed series based on the Disney ride.
JUNE 2
Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot, who played the Amazonia princess in Dawn of Justice, gets to headline this origin story with Chris Pine. Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).
Captain Underpants. An animated comedy about two pranksters, from DreamWorks Animation. Voiced by Kevin Hart and Jordan Peele.
JUNE 9
Rachel Weisz as a female undead in the rebooted ‘Mummy.’
The Mummy. Tom Cruise stars in the remake of the undead classic, now with a feminist bent.
It Comes at Night. A revenge drama starring Joel Edgerton.
Rachel Weisz in ‘My Cousin Rachel
My Cousin Rachel. Rachel Weiss stars in this remake of the Daphne Du Maurier mystery; the original was Richard Burton’s film debut. (Limited release)
JUNE 16
All Eyez on Me. Biopic about Tupac Shakur.
Cars 3. Another fuel-injected sequel.
Rough Night. A comedy with Scarlett Johansson about a male stripper who dies at a bachelorette party.
47 Meters Down. A thriller about a shark threatening divers.
JUNE 23
Transformers: The Last Knight. Yet another in the series of noisy, annoying robot movies.
The Beguiled. Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman star in this remake about a confederate soldier rescued by several young women… if you want to call it “rescue.” (Limited release)
JUNE 28 (Wednesday)
Baby Driver. Edgar Wright directs this action comedy about a young getaway driver. Features Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey.
JUNE 30 (Independence Day Weekend)
Despicable Me 3. More minions!
The House. Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and former Dallasite Allison Tolman star in this comedy.
JULY 7
Spider-Man: Homecoming. First full feature with Tom Holland starring as Peter Parker.
A Ghost Story. This year’s best actor Oscar winner Casey Affleck follows up with this romantic fantasy. (Limited release)
JULY 14
War for the Planet of the Apes. The latest in the series where the earth is ruled by talking apes. How different is this from the Trump administration?
JULY 21
Dunkirk. Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic about a brutal battle. Stars Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Luc Besson’s adaptation of the sci-fi comic book.
JULY 28
Atomic Blonde. A Cold War spy thriller with Charlize Theron.
The Emoji Movie. Yes, we’ve reached that point in our culture.
An Inconvenient Sequel. A follow-up to the Oscar-winning documentary about global climate change, with Al Gore.
AUG. 4
Detroit. John Boyega (The Force Awakens) stars in Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow’s historical drama about the civil unrest in Motor City in 1967.
The Dark Tower. Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba star in this hotly-anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s series.
AUG. 11
Ananbelle: Creation. The latest installment in the possessed-doll horror series.
AUG. 18
The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson star in this action-comedy.
The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature. Sequirrel to the animated comedy.
AUG. 25
Polaroid. A Ring-like horror film.
Tulip Fever. Oscar winners Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz star in this Tom Stoppard adaptation of the romance set during the flower mania of 17th century Holland.
Villa Capri. A chase comedy with Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman, filmed in New Mexico.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 5, 2017.