Did you read our review of Avengers: Age of Ultron? Well, the film finally came out last week and I don’t have to guess whether you went and saw it or not. A quick look at the box office figures suggests you probably did. Of course, now that we’re in the thick of summer movie season, every week feels like it brings us something bigger and more CGI-filled. Cinemas are busier, and sitting through what feels like hours of pre-movie advertisements can feel exhausting when you’ve got a two hours of computer -generated explosion to come after it. Never mind though because, as always, we’re here to offer a bit of assistance to help soothe your eyes and give you a nice – and certainly cheaper – night in on the couch.
Hot Pursuit (May 8)
Buddy cop movies are a dime a dozen, really. Some of them are good, some of them are bad. However, much more entertaining than any of them, really, is Quick Change (1990), which flips the script and tells a similar story, but from the POV of the people being pursued. It was the only film that Bill Murray ever directed, and he stars in this hilarious movie with Geena Davis and Randy Quaid as they repeatedly just miss being captured by the cops after bungling a bank robbery. Tony Shalhoub’s foreign taxi-driver is funnier than any episode of Modern Family with Sofia Vergara’s loud Colombian minstrel show.
Quick Change is available to rent on iTunes, Google, Vudu, YouTube and Sony.
Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15)
Did you like the first Pitch Perfect? If you did, then you probably don’t need to be convinced to see the sequel, which has been directed by Elizabeth Banks (commentator Gail from this very franchise, as well as Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games series). If you’re being dragged along by a significant other and the idea of hearing karaoke versions of all the songs on Now That’s What I Call Music! 53 doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, why not recommend Camp (2003) instead? It was Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick’s big breakthrough and is a theatrical musical so it’ll be right up their alley. It’s also kinda fun and you may just find yourself humming along to the famous showtunes that make up its giddy soundtrack. “Ladies Who Lunch,” anyone?
Camp is available to stream on Netflix.
Tomorrowland (May 22)
After the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies – well, the first one at least; the sequels are rubbish – we shouldn’t be too skeptical about Disney making a feature film about one of their theme park rides. This time, Brad Bird has made a film about an entire section of the park! If you want your sci-fi a little bit different though, you could check out Predestination (2014), from the directors of Daybreakers (2009). This mind-bending time-travel flick stars Ethan Hawke and the soon-to-be-breakout star Sarah Snook in a puzzle of identities and mysteries. It’s nifty and certainly a much quieter film-watching experience than the whizz-bang effects and explosions of George Clooney’s family-friendly adventure.
Predestination is available to rent on Amazon, iTunes, Google, Vudu, YouTube and Sony.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (May 29)
Did you know they had made another one of these films? That’s actually okay, because the first two are actually two of the better mainstream horror flicks from the past decade. However, if you prefer your scary movies a bit more cerebral than full-on demonic action and cats jumping out of closets every five minutes, then maybe you should finally go about watching The Babadook (2014), which you’ve hopefully heard so much about. It’s a creepy horror film about a widowed mother and son who are haunted by the mythical creature from inside a children’s story book. But while that’s scary enough on its own, Jennifer Kent’s film is so much more thanks to what it has to say about some all–too real issues that real people face each and every day when faced with the death of a partner.
The Babadook is about to stream on Netflix and to rent on Amazon, iTunes, Google, YouTube and Sony.
San Andreas (May 29)
Just go see Mad Max: Fury Road again. Trust us on that.
