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4th of July Movies Offer Many Options
by Sandra Olmsted
Whether you are taking the whole week off or only have the 4th off, movies are a good option to celebrate the holiday. The movie openings offer comedy, horror, documentary, biography, music, and drama. Here is the 411 on the films opening this week.
Opening June 29:
Uncle Drew (Lionsgate) In Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment’s Uncle Drew quips, one-liners, sports banner, and slapstick add up to escapism in this sports/come-back movie. Not only do director Charles Stone III and writer Jay Longino focus on septuagenarians having game and bringing it, but many sports stars and legends play roles (NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, and Lisa Leslie). With his life savings on the line, Dax (LilRel Howery) convinces 75-year-old Uncle Drew (Irving aged with makeup) to play in the Harlem’s Rucker Classic streetball tournament, mostly to get revenge on Mookie (Nick Kroll). Drew insists on rounding up his old teammates to play on Dax’s new team. Uncle Drew is rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language, and brief nudity and runs 103 minutes.
Opening July 4:
The First Purge (Universal) For those curious about the origin story of the Purge’s 12 hours of lawlessness, The First Purge will fill in the blanks. What started as an experiment aiming to lower the yearly crime rate by venting aggression for one night in one isolated community goes terribly wrong. This action horror film is rated R for strong disturbing violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use and runs 97 minutes.
Opening July 6:
Ant-Man and The Wasp (Disney/Marvel) Set in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, this Marvel Cinematic Universe installment features heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. While balancing being a father and being a superhero, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) accepts an urgent mission from Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), fights alongside The Wasp against a new
super villain and discovers secrets from their past. Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne also star. Director Peyton Reed’s film is rated PG – 13 for some sci-fi action violence and runs 118 minutes.
Whitney (Roadside Attractions) Director Kevin Macdonald examines the life and musical contributions of Whitney Houston. Both an intimate and unflinching portrait of the music superstar and occasional movie star, this thoughtful documentary also takes the viewer behind the tabloid to the real Whitney Houston. Rated R for language and drug content and running a solid gold 120 minutes, this thoughtful, respectful documentary uses never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances, audio archives and original interviews with the people who knew her best, as Oscar®-winning filmmaker Macdonald reveals the mystery behind “The Voice.”
Leave No Trace (Bleecker Street) Winter’s Bone director Debra Granik continues her film exploration of marginalized white, poor and working class lives in Leave No Trace, which is getting excellent advance buzz. Although the film starts slowly, the build to grand emotional levels soon reveals much in this character-driven, emotionally-charged film. Will (Ben Foster) and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), live an ideal existence off the grid in the wilderness of a vast Portland, Oregon park. Then one small mistake derails their lives, and their contact with the world changes their relationship forever.
