Screen

Screen time: Preparing you for a massive summer at the movies

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Josh Bell

Action & Sci-Fi

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Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame (April 26)

Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has been leading to this epic finale to the Avengers series, as the superheroes try to reverse the damage done by the villainous Thanos.

Did you know? For the truly intrepid, some AMC theaters are offering a 59-hour MCU marathon leading up to the premiere of Endgame (though not in Las Vegas, sadly).

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (May 17)

Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne. Directed by Chad Stahelski. Reeves’ stoic hitman is on the run again, this time trying to escape New York while being pursued by every assassin and criminal in the city.

Did you know? Director Stahelski started his career as a stuntman, and he met Reeves when he worked as the actor’s stunt double in The Matrix.

Ad Astra (May 24)

Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga. Directed by James Gray. An astronaut (Pitt) embarks on a deep-space mission to search for his missing father.

Did you know? Gray, who’s known for serious, small-scale dramas, has promised “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.”

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)

Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown. Directed by Michael Dougherty. The sequel to 2014’s Godzilla introduces a whole menagerie of massive monsters to challenge the giant, fire-breathing lizard.

Did you know? King of the Monsters is the latest building block in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, leading in to next year’s Godzilla vs. Kong.

Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix (June 7)

Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender. Directed by Simon Kinberg. The latest movie in the X-Men saga adapts the classic comic-book story of powerful telepathic mutant Jean Grey (Turner) losing control of her powers after being possessed by an alien entity.

Did you know? Kinberg makes his directorial debut after working as a writer and producer on the X-Men series since 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.

Men in Black: International (June 14)

Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson. Directed by F. Gary Gray. The secret agency that polices aliens on Earth is back, with all-new agents in a new branch office (London).

Did you know? Emma Thompson, as the head of the U.S. MIB agency, is the only actor confirmed to return from the original MIB trilogy.

Shaft (June 14)

Jessie T. Usher, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree. Directed by Tim Story. Three generations of badass detectives in the Shaft family come together to solve the murder of the youngest Shaft’s best friend.

Did you know? Roundtree first played the original John Shaft in 1971.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2)

Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya. Directed by Jon Watts. While on a school trip to Europe, superhero Spider-Man faces off against the villainous Mysterio (Gyllenhaal).

Did you know? Far From Home officially kicks off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. (August 2)

Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba, Jason Statham. Directed by David Leitch. Antagonistic Fast & Furious stars Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Statham) get their own spin-off when they are forced to team up to stop a terrorist threat.

Did you know? With Elba's literally superpowered villain, the Fast & Furious series heads into full-on sci-fi territory in this installment.

Artemis Fowl (August 9)

Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Nonso Anozie. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. A teenage criminal prodigy attempts to discover (and then kidnap) a real-life fairy.

Did you know? The movie is based on the first two books in Eoin Colfer’s best-selling young adult series.

Angel has Fallen (August 23)

Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Danny Huston. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh. After being framed for an assassination attempt on the president, Secret Service agent Mike Banning goes on the run to clear his name.

Did you know? This is the third movie in the Mike Banning series, following Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen.

Thrills and Chills

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Annabelle Comes Home

The Intruder (May 3)

Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid. Directed by Deon Taylor. After buying a rustic home in Napa Valley, a married couple find themselves terrorized by the home’s former owner.

Did you know? While Quaid plays the villain here, he previously played the new homeowner who’s targeted by an unhinged former owner in 2003’s similar Cold Creek Manor.

Brightburn (May 24)

Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn. Directed by David Yarovesky. A couple takes in a baby who lands on Earth from another planet, only to see him grow into a monstrous child with unstoppable powers.

Did you know? Brightburn is a Gunn family affair, produced by Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn and written by his brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn.

Ma

Ma (May 31)

Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, McKaley Miller. Directed by Tate Taylor. A seemingly kind, lonely older woman (Spencer) offers local teenagers a place to hang out and get drunk, but becomes increasingly threatening and dangerous as she spends more time with them.

Did you know? Ma is Taylor and Spencer’s fourth feature collaboration, going back to Taylor’s little-seen 2008 directorial debut Pretty Ugly People.

Child's Play (June 21)

Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, voice of Mark Hamill. Directed by Lars Klevberg. Killer doll Chucky (voiced by Hamill) is reimagined as a malfunctioning robot toy in this reboot of the classic slasher franchise.

Did you know? The original Chucky series, from creator Don Mancini and starring Brad Dourif as Chucky, is also still going strong, with a TV show in the works at Syfy.

Annabelle Comes Home (June 28)

McKenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife. Directed by Gary Dauberman. The evil doll from The Conjuring movies wreaks more havoc, even after being captured by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga).

Did you know? This is the seventh movie in the overall Conjuring universe, and the third solo outing for Annabelle.

Midsommar (July 3)

Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper. Directed by Ari Aster. A vacationing couple discover sinister intentions among the people in the quaint small town where they’re staying.

Did you know? Aster (who also directed Hereditary) has described the movie as “a Wizard of Oz for perverts.”

21 Bridges (July 12)

Chadwick Boseman, J.K. Simmons, Sienna Miller. Directed by Brian Kirk. After being forced out of the NYPD, a disgraced former detective (Boseman) gets the chance to redeem himself by catching a cop killer on the loose.

Did you know? The film was produced by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed Boseman as Black Panther in multiple Marvel movies.

Crawl (July 12)

Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Ross Anderson. Directed by Alexandre Aja. A woman has to fight off killer alligators who invade her home during a hurricane.

Did you know? Aja previously explored the topic of deadly marine life in 2010’s Piranha 3D.

Brahms: The Boy II (July 26)

Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Owain Yeoman. Directed by William Brent Bell. A new family moves into the creepy house inhabited by malevolent doll Brahms.

Did you know? This is the third horror movie of the summer focused on an evil doll.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (August 9)

Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams. Directed by André Øvredal. A group of teenagers discovers a book of scary stories that come to life.

Did you know? Producer Guillermo del Toro has been working since 2016 to develop a movie based on Alvin Schwartz’s renowned series of books.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (August 16)

Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Sistine Rose Stallone. Directed by Johannes Roberts. Four teenage girls take a diving expedition to underwater ruins, where they find themselves stalked by killer sharks.

Did you know? This sequel to the 2017 surprise hit 47 Meters Down features an all-new cast and storyline.

The Informer (August 16)

Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen. Directed by Andrea Di Stefano. An FBI informant is forced to return to prison in order to expose a criminal organization.

Did you know? The setting of the 2009 source novel Three Seconds, by renowned Swedish crime-fiction duo Anders Roslund and Borge Hellström, has been shifted from Sweden to the U.S.

Funny Business

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Long Shot

Longshot (May 3)

Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael. Directed by Jonathan Levine. A schlubby journalist (Rogen) begins an unlikely romance with a glamorous presidential candidate (Theron), who happens to be his childhood neighbor.

Did you know? Rogen and Levine previously teamed up on the comedies 50/50 and The Night Before.

The Hustle (May 10)

Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp. Directed by Chris Addison. Hathaway and Wilson play a pair of competing con artists in this gender-flipped remake of the 1988 Steve Martin/Michael Caine comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Did you know? Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was itself a remake of 1964’s Bedtime Story, starring Marlon Brando and David Niven as the two grifters.

Poms (May 10)

Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier. Directed by Zara Hayes. After moving into a senior community, retiree Martha (Keaton) recruits some of her fellow residents to start a cheerleading squad.

Did you know?The real-life Sun City Poms—members of a 55-and-over cheerleading squad in Arizona—have been around since 1979.

Booksmart (May 24)

Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Skyler Gisondo. Directed by Olivia Wilde. A pair of straight-arrow high school girls decide to finally cut loose right before graduation.

Did you know? Booksmart marks veteran actress Wilde’s first feature as a director.

Late Night (June 7)

Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow. Directed by Nisha Ganatra. A veteran late-night talk show host (Thompson) hires her first female writer (Kaling) in an effort to breathe new life into her fading show.

Did you know? Amazon paid $13 million for U.S. distribution rights at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, making Late Night one of the most expensive sales in the festival’s history.

Stuber

Stuber (July 12)

Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Iko Uwais. Directed by Michael Dowse. A meek Uber driver gets drawn into a dangerous battle when he picks up a cop on the trail of a wanted terrorist.

Did you know? The movie debuted as a work-in-progress at South by Southwest in March, where it already garnered a strongly positive audience response.

Good Boys (August 16)

Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky. A trio of 12-year-old boys get deeper and deeper into trouble while trying to get to a party.

Did you know? All three lead actors are technically too young to buy tickets for the raunchy R-rated comedy in which they star.

For the Family

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Detective Pikachu

Uglydolls (May 3)

Voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe. Directed by Kelly Asbury. The line of cutely grotesque toys stars in its first big-screen animated adventure.

Did you know? Stars Clarkson, Jonas, Monáe, Blake Shelton, Bebe Rexha and more are all contributing original songs to the movie’s soundtrack.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (May 10)

Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, voice of Ryan Reynolds. Directed by Rob Letterman. In the world of Pokémon, cute creature Pikachu teams up with the only human who can understand him—and whose missing P.I. father is Pikachu’s former partner.

Did you know? Although there have been numerous animated Pokémon series and feature films, this is the first time the megapopular franchise has been adapted into live action.

A Dog's Journey (May 17)

Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, voice of Josh Gad. Directed by Gail Mancuso. The dog from A Dog’s Purpose gets reincarnated again, this time as the companion to the granddaughter of its original owner.

Did you know? Author W. Bruce Cameron has written a dozen or so dog-focused novels, including the source material for A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey and this past January’s A Dog’s Way Home.

Aladdin

Aladdin (May 24)

Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith. Directed by Guy Ritchie. Disney’s latest live-action remake of one of its animated classics reimagines the story of thief Aladdin (Massoud) and his romance with Princess Jasmine (Scott).

Did you know? Aladdin is the second of four Disney live-action remakes due in theaters this year.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (June 7)

Voices of Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart. Directed by Chris Renaud. Terrier Max and his fellow pets get into more trouble when their human owners aren’t around.

Did you know?Oswalt stepped in as the voice of Max when the first film’s voice star, Louis C.K., was no longer deemed an appropriate choice for family entertainment.

Toy Story 4 (June 21)

Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Tony Hale. Directed by Josh Cooley. Action figures Woody (Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Allen) and their fellow toys try to help arts and crafts project Forky (Hale) adjust to life as a toy.

Did you know?Although he died in 2017, Don Rickles will once again voice Mr. Potato Head, through the use of archival recordings.

The Lion King (July 19)

Voices of Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Jon Favreau. Disney’s 1994 animated musical about a young lion exiled from his kingdom gets a fancy update via photorealistic computer animation.

Did you know? While it’s typically grouped with Disney’s live-action adaptations, the movie was created entirely via motion capture and CGI, similar to Favreau’s version of The Jungle Book.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (July 31)

Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Jeffrey Wahlberg. Directed by James Bobin. Animated educational children’s character Dora the Explorer (now a teenager) stars in her first live-action adventure movie.

Did you know? CollegeHumor did it first, in a series of parody videos starring Modern Family’s Ariel Winter as a grown-up, live-action version of Dora.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 (August 14)

Voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Rachel Bloom. Directed by Thurop Van Orman. The evil leader of the pigs defeated by the hapless birds in the previous movie vows to have his revenge.

Did you know? The original Angry Birds Movie (from 2016) is the second highest-grossing video game-based movie of all time (behind only 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider).

Dramatic Material

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The Sun is also a Star

The Sun is also a Star (May 17)

Yara Shahidi, Charles Melton, Jake Choi. Directed by Ry Russo-Young. College students Natasha (Shahidi) and Daniel (Melton) get caught up in a whirlwind romance even as Natasha faces the prospect of her whole family being deported.

Did you know? The film is based on the No. 1 bestselling novel by Everything, Everything author Nicola Yoon.

Rocketman (May 31)

Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden. Directed by Dexter Fletcher. Iconic singer-songwriter Elton John (Egerton) gets the biopic treatment, with fantasy elements woven into the story of his life and career.

Did you know? Fletcher is the uncredited director who finished Bohemian Rhapsody after original director Bryan Singer was fired.

Yesterday (June 28)

Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon. Directed by Danny Boyle. A struggling musician wakes one day to discover that The Beatles have been erased from existence, and as the only one who remembers them, he becomes a superstar by taking credit for their songs.

Did you know? Ed Sheeran co-stars in the film as himself.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26)

Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. This ensemble drama set in 1969 LA focuses on a TV star (DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Pitt), whose lives intersect with the followers of Charles Manson.

Did you know? The movie was originally set to be released on the 50th anniversary of the Manson Family murders before being shifted two weeks earlier, allegedly for unrelated reasons.

The Kitchen (August 9)

Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss. Directed by Andrea Berloff. In 1970s New York City, the wives of several crime bosses take over when their husbands are sent to prison.

Did you know? The movie is based on an acclaimed 2015 graphic novel by writer Ollie Masters and artist (and former Las Vegas Weekly contributor) Ming Doyle.

Blinded by the Light (August 14)

Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra. Directed by Gurinder Chadha. In 1987 Great Britain, the teenage son of Pakistani immigrants copes with the struggles of his life via the songs of Bruce Springsteen.

Did you know? Co-writer Sarfraz Manzoor based the movie on his own experiences growing up in Britain.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette (August 16)

Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Emma Nelson. Directed by Richard Linklater. A teenage girl sets out to discover why her mother has seemingly abandoned her home and family.

Did you know? Maria Semple's 2012 source novel constructs its narrative from a series of letters and other documents.

Streaming Picks

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Deadwood: The Movie

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (May 3, Netflix)

Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario. Directed by Joe Berlinger. The film explores the life of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy (Efron) through the perspective of his longtime girlfriend (Collins).

Did you know? Netflix picked up the movie at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in part as a companion piece to Berlinger’s Netflix documentary series Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

Wine Country (May 10, Netflix)

Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch. Directed by Amy Poehler. Several friends cut loose while on a trip to California’s Napa wine country to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of their party.

Did you know? Poehler was inspired to make the film by real trips she took to Napa with friends including Rudolph.

The Perfection (May 24, Netflix)

Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber. Directed by Richard Shepard. A dark revenge thriller set in the world of elite classical musicians.

Did you know? After premiering at Fantastic Fest in September 2018, the film was widely praise for its outrageous plot twists.

Deadwood: The Movie (May 31, HBO)

Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker. Directed by Daniel Minahan. Nearly 13 years after HBO’s acclaimed Western drama Deadwood aired its final episode, the cast reunites for a story about the denizens of Deadwood celebrating South Dakota’s statehood in 1889.

Did you know? Deadwood creator David Milch first signed on to write what was meant to be two Deadwood movies in 2006, after the show’s third season ended.

Ask Dr. Ruth

Ask Dr. Ruth (June 1, Hulu)

Directed by Ryan White. A documentary chronicling the life of renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Did you know? In interviews, Westheimer has already been actively campaigning for an Oscar nomination.

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