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Cinematic Giggles and Thrills The Last of Summer’s
by Sandra Olmsted
As summer winds down, a few more films still offer summer fun and excitement.
Director Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, a Paramount release, opens on Friday, July 31 and is already getting good buzz. With the IMF disbanded, and Ethan (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, the team now faces off against a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. These highly trained operatives are hellbent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. When the group faces their most impossible mission yet, 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. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin also star. PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity; 125 Minutes.
For fans of director Woody Allen’s work, Irrational Man, a Sony Pictures Classics release, promises more of Allen’s new storytelling and some of the same themes that have always fascinated Allen. In the film, a tormented philosophy professor finds a will to live when he commits an existential act. Philosophy professor Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) is at rock bottom emotionally, unable to find any meaning or joy in life. Abe feels that everything he’s tried to do, from political activism to teaching, hasn’t made any difference. Jamie Blackley, Parker Posey, and Emma Stone also star. Rated R for some language and sexual content, 97 minutes. Also in theaters, July 31.
On Wednesday, Aug. 5, Shaun the Sheep, a Lionsgate release, opens and promises to delight fans of Aardman Animations and their Wallace and Gromet films. In directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak’s film, Shaun the Sheep decides to take the day off and have some fun, but gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan, and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home. Rated PG for rude humor; 84 minutes.
On Friday, Aug. 7, Fantastic Four, a Fox release, brings a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team to the big screen. Director Josh Trank’s version centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey, and Tim Blake Nelson star. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and language; 98 minutes.
In Ricki and the Flash, a Sony-TriStar release, Meryl Streep takes on a whole new gig – a hard-rocking singer/guitarist – for Oscar®-winning director Jonathan Demme and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. In an original and electrifying film loaded with live musical performances, Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to put things right with her family if she’ll “face the music.” Streep stars opposite her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer; Rick Springfield, portraying a Flash member in love with Ricki; Kevin Kline plays Ricki’s ex-husband; and Audra McDonald plays Kline’s new wife. Rated PG-13 for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality and language. 100 minutes. From the trailers and ads, Ricki and the Flash looks like it will rock the last month of summer. Opens Aug. 7.
In Memoriam: Joe Williams, St. Louis Post Dispatch film critic.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of local film critic Joe Williams in a car accident on the evening of July 26. He loved movies and especially loved drive-in theaters and seeing movies under the stars. He brought much to the local and even national conversation with his knowledge, keen eye, and unique understanding of film. Joe will be greatly missed by the local film community and his fellow film critics in St. Louis and across the nation.
-Sandra Olmsted
