Each summer, the last weekend of July is always a big one, in terms of movie releases – and that’s especially true for this weekend. Read carefully – because if you’re only taking one trip to the movies this weekend, you’ve got some big decisions to make.
“Nerve” – Are you a watcher or a player?
Releases July 27.
Synopsis: “When pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee Delmonico decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger (Dave Franco), the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stakes finale that will determine her entire future” (Official Site).
The premise of this movie is beyond cool – and it’s perfectly timed too. What I mean by this, is that PokemonGo recently released, and it’s got smartphone users wandering around, with their location displayed on a map. The eponymous game has some eerie similarities to the new Pokemon, and the movie as a whole makes some great observations about our continuously-connected society. Having seen the movie, I can offer a personal opinion – which is that although “Nerve” has its cheesy moments, it’s still a fun film. Unfortunately, the professionals disagree with me, and the movie has a rotten score of 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. According to The Boston Globe‘s Ty Burr, “For about 45 minutes, the movie’s engrossing fluff, a stylish cautionary cyber-tale aimed primarily at teenage girls.”
“Jason Bourne” – You know his name.
Synopsis: “Matt Damon returns to his most iconic role in ‘Jason Bourne’. Paul Greengrass, the director of ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, once again joins Damon for the next chapter of Universal Pictures’ ‘Bourne’ franchise, which finds the CIA’s most lethal former operative drawn out of the shadows. For ‘Jason Bourne’, Damon is joined by Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones, while Julia Stiles reprises her role in the series. Frank Marshall again produces alongside Jeffrey Weiner for Captivate Entertainment, and Greengrass, Damon, Gregory Goodman and Ben Smith also produce. Based on characters created by Robert Ludlum, the film is written by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse” (Universal Pictures).
Reviving finished franchises is the hip thing these days. Sadly, the sequels we get never spawn from somebody saying, “I have this great idea!”. More often, sequels come from the movie studios’ realizations that sequels = more money. This seems to be the case with “Jason Bourne”, looking at its Rotten Tomatoes score of 55%. David Edelstein of Vulture writes, “watching the movie requires multitasking: You have to pay attention to multiple screens, to keep the spatial relations straight while the camera is, in effect, yanking you around.”
“Bad Moms” – Party like a mother.
Synopsis: “In this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote ‘The Hangover’, Amy has a seemingly perfect life – a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she’s over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she’s about to snap. Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities – going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence – putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms” (STX Entertainment).
I’ve been excited about “Bad Moms” for quite awhile. I love seeing women taking the center stage for comedies, so like every other woman in America, “Bad Moms” seems like a party. Disappointingly, the movie isn’t performing well with critics. The film currently holds a rotten score of 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press captures why: “‘Bad Moms’ had so many opportunities to be great, edgy and insightful, but instead settles for the most milquetoast commentary possible on modern motherhood.”
“Gleason” – Live with purpose. Love with purpose.
Synopsis: “Shortly after former New Orleans Saints star defensive back Steve Gleason is diagnosed with ALS at the age of 34, he learns that his wife Michel is pregnant with their first child. Determined to live his remaining years to its fullest, Steve goes on an expedition to Alaska, creates a foundation to help other ALS patients, repairs a rocky relationship with his father and embraces new technologies to help compensate for his deteriorating physical abilities — all with Michel’s unwavering support. Brimming with humor and heart, this inspirational documentary follows a man who battles overwhelming adversity to find his true purpose in life” (Mongrel Media).
Just watching the trailer for this movie will make you tear up, and it seems that a lot of critics have already been doing this. The documentary has a glowing rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s incredible that Steve Gleason plays himself in the movie.
“Equity” – On Wall Street, all players are not created equal.
Synopsis: “Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) is a sharp, experienced, and resolute competitor in high-stakes finance, but her (mostly) winning track record is overlooked when she is passed over for promotion at her Wall Street firm. Her specialty is bringing Silicon Valley start-ups through initial public offering, but her last project left an industry perception that she had miscalculated the IPO’s value and mishandled the delicate process of going public. She needs a big win to dispel those clouds, so she puts aside her frustration and gets to work courting promising start-ups” (Sony Classics).
It would be nice to see a good film in which the women are the power players. Apparently, “Equity” is doing the job quite well, holding an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie offers a great chance to see an all-star performance from lead Anna Gunn, who rarely obtains such moments in the spotlight. According to critics, Gunn gives a stellar performance. Of the movie as a whole, IndieWire reports, “What makes ‘Equity’ such a vital feminist film, even when its other qualities are often few and far between, is how defiantly it internalizes that idea.”
“Indignation” – Based on the novel by Philip Roth.
Synopsis: “Based on Philip Roth’s late novel, ‘Indignation’ takes place in 1951, as Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), a brilliant working class Jewish boy from Newark, New Jersey, travels on scholarship to a small, conservative college in Ohio, thus exempting him from being drafted into the Korean War. But once there, Marcus’s growing infatuation with his beautiful classmate Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), and his clashes with the college’s imposing Dean, Hawes Caudwell (Tracy Letts), put his and his family’s best laid plans to the ultimate test” (Roadside Attractions).
This movie looks incredibly fascinating. Logan Lerman first rose to “teen idol” status in 2010’s “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”. From there he rose to critical acclaim when he starred in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, alongside Emma Watson. “Indignation” will give audiences a chance to see if he’s come even further since then – and that’s something I definitely would like to know. The film is being received quite positively of critics, and Pete Hammond of Deadline writes that “in the end this film belongs to Lerman, an exceptionally fine young actor in just about everything he does.” Things are looking up, for young Logan!
“Tallulah” – Life can be a real mother.
Synopsis: “Tallulah (Ellen Page), a young vagrant, cares for a toddler abandoned by her mother. With no family to turn to, she enlists her ex-boyfriend’s mom (Allison Janney) for help in this drama written and directed by Sian Heder. Tallulah premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival” (Rotten Tomatoes).
“Tallulah” has one of those storylines that feels like it’s been written before – there’s just something about it . Still, it could be a new concept that just feels familiar. According to Rotten Tomatoes, that’s exactly it. In addition, Ellen Page, who has time and time again established herself as a superb actress, stars in the movie, which is sure to pique the interest of critics. The Los Angeles Times reports, “Even if the tale is a bit much to be believed at times, it’s unlikely you’ll see a film more refreshingly honest and incisive about motherhood than ‘Tallulah’.”
“The Tenth Man” (“El Rey del Once”)
Synopsis: “Award-winning director Daniel Burman returns with ‘The Tenth Man’, a well-observed comedy that wrestles with notions of identity, home and the intricacies of the father son relationship. After years away, Ariel returns to Buenos Aires seeking to reconnect with his father Usher, who has founded a charity foundation in Once, the city’s bustling Jewish district where Ariel spent his youth. In the process of trying to meet his father and getting entangled in his charitable commitments, Ariel also reconnects with his own Jewish roots. Usher staves off a meeting with his son; roping him into a number of small assignments, during the course of which Ariel meets Eva, who volunteers for Usher’s charity. Eva’s radiant inner strength and independent spirit inspires Ariel to come to grips with the the traditions that once divided him and his father and rethink his own identity. Tenderly, and with a lightness of touch, he has Ariel let go of his old expectations and allow himself to be drawn into the center of a vibrant and fascinating community” (Kino Lorber).
There you have it – all of the new releases for this weekend! If you’d like to know more of your movie options, check out last weekend’s Movie Preview!
Have a great weekend, thanks for reading, and be sure to let us know which movies you’ll be seeing this weekend!
*This article covers major movie releases in the United States, and may not cover limited releases, international releases, or releases on VOD.
