Three Movies in One Week

It's summertime, which means there a lot of movies hitting theaters. There is a new film opening every weekend, and unlike during non-summertime or Oscar-bait months, these are all BIG films. Big stars! Big effects! Big sequels!

Last week I saw three movies. First up was the Magic Mike sequel. Just like when I saw the first one, I went with a bunch of friends from work. Unlike the first one, it was not a good movie. The first one had a story and an indy-vibe to it. It had something to say. It didn't waste a ton of time on the secondary characters. The sequel, Magic Mike XXL, unfortunately fell under the trap of giving the audience what they supposedly wanted (this is never a good choice; it's how we got Juan Pablo as a Bachelor and 157 seasons of American Idol). Apparently the public wanted not only the side characters to now have stories and things to do, but they wanted more of them! And they wanted a road trip movie! And they wanted unnecessary dancing! Don't get me wrong, Tatum is a legit dancer, however this time around there was far less "magic".

I've already discussed Terminator: Genisys.

On the Fourth I saw Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. It's one of those film-y movies that I really like. It is a film that just looks nice; the director clearly spent time planning his shots. Also, I want to live in a house and neighborhood exactly like the one Earl and Rachel live in. That is exactly my style. The film premiered at Sundance and won the Audience Award, and it' well-deserved.

It's now the middle point of the Summer Movie Season. There are still a lot of big releases left; some I am excited for and others I am indifferent about. 
---Mission: Impossible 5 - slightly interested. Since I no longer subscribe to Entertainment Weekly magazine, I had no idea this movie even existed until I saw a trailer during the Super Bowl. Tom Cruise doesn't exactly excite me anymore, but it could be fun.
---Minions: no. Just no.
---Ant-man: not really.
---Trainwreck: interested. It could be the perfect antithesis to the "Big Summer Blockbuster"
---Southpaw: hmm. Interested.
---Pixels: no. I'm a film snob.
---Fantastic Four: not really.

It might be a slow second half of summer.