SUMMER MOVIE MADNESS!!!! part 1

It's the summer of love man!

Big movies, epic sequels and awesome originals are headed our way this summer, are you ready?!

Let's take a look at some of the blockbusters (and sleepers) that will be hitting theaters throughout the summer:

"Chef" (May 9)

The cast of Iron Man 2 returns to support Jon Favreau who plays a high profile chef that leaves the restaurant he works in and opens his own food truck.  Feeling under appreciated in his job and wanting more out of life, and culinary expertise, Favreau's Chef character looks to free himself  by delivering an experience to enrich and nourish lives through his food.

I, working in the culinary field and having a passion for cooking Cuban food, find this to be a great story being that this chef specializes in CUBAN FOOD!!!!  An extra bonus, as an avid movie watcher, is that about half the cast (Favreau, Robert Downy Jr. and Scarlett Johansson) has proven to have great chemistry in other movies already, add to that mix some great actors in Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara and John Leguizamo and we have a recipe for some fun! I've got my theater seat reserved!!

"Godzilla" (May 16)

Need I say more?

The king of the monsters is back and FINALLY appears to be in the shape he should be in (not looking like a Jurassic Park reject like the 1998 version starring Matthew Broderick).  Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (star of Kick-Ass) give this movie instant street cred as the mighty fire breathing lizard destroys San Francisco, New York City and more!

IMAX will be the ONLY way to watch this!

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" (May 23)

Our favorite mutants are in dire straits in the future and must contact their younger selves in the past to rectify the problems.  

How could anyone NOT want to see this??  I've heard so many complaints about the X-Men movies, and how they "messed up" the characters and story lines somehow; but these are MOVIES folks, not the comics!

Either way, with the older cast returning (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman) to meet with the younger cast (James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender), this movie may just be all the epic we're looking for!  Also starring the amazing Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin and Shawn Ashmore.

"Blended" (May 23)

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are single parents who are forced to share a suite in an African resort with their various children.

Adam Sandler sliding further and further down the rabbit hole here.  I'll be skipping this.

"Maleficent" (May 30)

The absolutely beautiful Angelina Jolie stars as the titular witch from Sleeping Beauty who has gone down in history as one of the most evil characters of all time.  We are introduced to the villainess and will be shown her origins and, hopefully, how she got the power to transform into a dragon.

I love the concept of a dark Disney movie with a villain as the "hero" of the film, and watching Jolie with the trademark black horns is surprisingly easy on the eyes.  I have a seat with my name on it in theaters for this.  Also starring Elle Fanning......by the way, what ever happened to big sis Dakota?  It's like she vanished off the face of the earth!

"A Million Ways to Die in the West" (May 30)

For fans of the classic comedy movie "Blazing Saddles" by the legendary Mel Brooks, Seth McFarlane creates, and stars in, a quasi-remake of the Western.  Starring Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson along with co-stars Sarah Silverman, the hilarious Neil Patrick Harris and Giovanni Ribisi!

I wonder if anyone punches a horse in the face in this?

"Edge of Tomorrow" (June 6)

Tom Cruise does his best Bill Murray in Groundhog Day impression as he relives the same day over and over again when stuck in a time loop.  Only in here, he's destroying aliens alongside Emily Blunt.

While we all know Cruise tends to be kooky, he still brings the awesome in action movies.  This will be a must see in theaters type of movie.

"Jimi: All is By My Side" (June 13)

Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 of OutKast) plays the uber-legendary Jimi Hendrix!  I love music and Hendrix is one of my all time faves, but I'm a little nervous about this movie.  The Hendrix family has complete control over the rights to all of Jimi's songs and they are, apparently, not going to allow this film to use his more popular hits.  Because of that, this film will only portray his life before the height of his popularity.

Interesting, but not enough to warrant a trip to the theater.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" (June 13)

Four years after the animated Viking epic dragon story soared into our lives, we finally get the sequel!  Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) returns with his fire breathing buddy to prove his worth as a Viking.

I usually don't watch animated movies in the theaters, but I may make an exception for this movie being that I thoroughly enjoyed the first and felt it would have been better on the big screen rather than the TV where I saw it.  This movie looks to be as large as the first and should probably be seen in the theaters.

"22 Jump Street" (June 13)

In the sequel to the hit comedy 21 Jump Street, based on the cult classic television show that brought Johnny Depp and Richard Greico to stardom (although only one of them stayed in the spotlight while the other plummeted into obscurity), Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return as undercover cops to take on college!

I may not be seeing this in theaters, but I WILL see it!  The first movie was hilarious, just not theater worthy, in my opinion.  Part two looks to be as funny as the first.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction" (June 27)

A Transformers movie without Megan Fox?  Sure, I can live with that.  A Transformers movie without Shia Labouf??  I don't know how to feel about that one.

The falling star, famous for repeatedly saying "no", will not be making an appearance in the fourth installment of the robotic franchise, but Mark Wahlberg will be taking the helm.  Michael Bay is going a little darker, a little more serious and more on the robot side with this movie, so it should feel much different than the others.  Wahlberg is a great replacement to be the face of the franchise as he's more serious, mature and believable as an action hero.

Here's an equation for you mathematicians out there: vintage Michael Bay explosions plus lens flare plus giant robotic dinosaurs equals IMAX!


What are you looking forward to seeing?  Anything I may have missed that you're excited about for the beginning of this summer?

Stay tuned for Summer Movie Madness part 2!!


Thank you for reading and making this the success it is!  If there are any movies you'd like to see reviewed, feel free to email me at jayreviewsfilms@gmail.com.  

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Jay