2025 SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW

I can't believe we are already approaching June which means the summer movie season is just around the corner. These next three months are the most important for the film industry as it tends to account for about 40% of the annual box-office totals in the US. The first quarter of the year has been down significantly but there is optimism due to the recent successes of "A Minecraft Movie", "Sinners" and even "Thunderbolts" which has helped the box-office regain some lost ground by 16%.  

This upcoming line-up of summer films appears, for the most part, overly cautious with Hollywood seeming to rely even more heavily on remakes, sequels and live-action versions of popular animated films to try and lure audiences back into theaters. But despite this safe, unadventurous slate, there are a few films that has managed to catch my attention that I am anticipating:

"ELIO"

Release date: June 20, 2025

With "Elio", Pixar/Disney will be releasing their first original animated movie since "Elemental" three years ago. This tells the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) who is convinced there is extraterrestrial life somewhere out there in the galaxy. After being beamed up to an alien communiverse, Elio accidentally becomes the ambassador of Earth where he must help divert an intergalactic crisis.

"F1"

Release date: June 27, 2025

Brad Pitt lends his star power to Formula One racing in "F1", a sports action drama from director, Joseph Kosinski who last brought us "Top Gun: Maverick". Pitt plays a successful Formula One driver who has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire. Years later, a team owner and friend (Javier Bardem) contacts him to mentor a promising young driver (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.



"THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS"

Release date: July 25, 2025

The Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, were the first superhero team by Marvel Comics. But Marvel has struggled to get a decent cinematic version of this group to make it to the big screen. With "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" (the third attempt of these characters in a feature film), this version looks very promising. The story is set in a 1960s-inspired, parallel Earth with highly intelligent scientist, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Reed's best friend, former astronaut, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) making up the Fantastic Four who were transformed into Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing respectively, who gained their superpowers after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission into space. They must stop the planet-devouring cosmic being, Galactus (Ralph Ineson) in order to save Earth.



"WEAPONS"

Release date: August 8, 2025

"Weapons" is a disturbing, horror mystery from Zach Cregger, a performer who found great critical and commercial success his first time as a writer/director with another horror film, "Barbarian" three years ago. One night, all of the children but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish at exactly the same time. The community is left frightened and confused by who or what could be behind the disappearance of their children. But they soon begin to look suspiciously at the teacher of the classroom, played by Julia Garner. Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan also star.



"AMERICANA"

Release date: August 22, 2025

"Americana", the feature debut by writer/director Tony Tost, made it's premiere at South by Southwest back in 2023 and is now finally getting it's theatrical release. Originally titled, "National Anthem", this brutal, dark comedy thriller revolves around numerous people who become connected through a fight to the death over a priceless, Native American ghost shirt that is believed to have spiritual powers. Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser headline a cast that also features Simon Rex, Eric Dane and pop singer, Halsey.



"THE ROSES"

Release date: August 29, 2025

Way back in 1989, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred in a pitch-black marital comedy, "The War of the Roses" which was directed by Danny DeVito who also co-starred. Now this popular hit has been remade as "The Roses" and directed by Jay Roach (the "Austin Powers" film series; "Meet the Parents"). We have the inspired pairing of Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as Theo and Ivy Rose, a long-time married couple whose relationship quickly comes apart, progressively leading to more violent behavior. And while the film appears to be still quite dark, the comedy feels raunchier and more edgy which makes this version come across as a completely different movie than the original. SNL vets, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg and Oscar-winner, Allison Janney are also along for the ride.

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS @ 100

Warner Bros. is not the only movie studio celebrating a centennial. This year Walt Disney Studios came into existence on this day one hundred years ago. Far removed from the global media conglomerate that it has now become, Disney began as a scrappy, yet innovative animation company started by two midwestern brothers, Walt, who was the creative driver and Roy who handled the production side of the studio.

Arriving in Los Angeles from Kansas City, MO in 1923, the brothers got their start producing a series of silent shorts that merged live-action and animation about a young girl named Alice and Julius, her cartoon cat. Another creation by Disney was "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" with the animated shorts were done for Universal Studios. But after a contract dispute over money and not owning the rights to Oswald, Disney began secretly working on a new character with a mouse named "Mickey".

The first Mickey Mouse short appeared in 1928 was silent and with sound on the horizon, the next film, "Steamboat Willie" was released later that year and became the first with synchronized sound. It became a major success and Disney began work on a second cartoon series, "Silly Symphonies" the following year. All of the initial animated films were in black & white and after the studio made a deal with Technicolor and their three-strip color film process in 1932, Disney made the first color "Silly Symphonies" short, "Flowers and Trees".

Walt Disney began considering a feature length animated film in 1934, deciding to base the story on the Brothers Grimm's German fairy tale. This expensive project, at over a million dollars and taking three years to complete, was extremely risky and if it failed could bankrupt the company. But "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" became a critical and commercial success, earning more than eight million globally during its initial release.

Disney would continue to achieve great success with other popular animated features ("Cinderella", "Bambi", "Dumbo", "Peter Pan", "Alice in Wonderland") and live action films ("Treasure Island", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Mary Poppins", "The Shaggy Dog", "The Parent Trap"). The company expanded to build a brand amusement park in Anaheim, Ca named "Disneyland" in 1950 and moved into television, offering such shows as "Walt Disney's Disneyland" and "The Mickey Mouse Club". Disney was in the process of developing a second theme park in Orlando, Fl and near completion of production on their nineteenth animated feature, "The Jungle Book", when Walt Disney, a heavy smoker, passed away from lung cancer in 1966.

The studio continued on, opening "Disney World" in 1971 and finding some success in live-action films and television yet struggled for a number of years in the animation division. But it was in the late 1980's with the release of "The Little Mermaid" that helped return Disney back into a reliable studio that created critically acclaimed and globally popular animated movies.



Disney’s 1937 animation classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" will be coming to Disney+ in a new 4K restoration that will premiere on Oct. 16th to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary.

THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023)

Written by David Magee



Directed by Rob Marshall



Where & When: Regal LA Live 14, Los Angeles, CA. May 29, 2023 3:20 PM



When the animated feature film, "The Little Mermaid" arrived in theaters in 1989, the glory days of Walt Disney Studios was far behind them with many of their recent family-friendly, animated movies failing to generate much critical acclaim or inspire box-office excitement. With an engaging script by the directors, John Musker and Ron Clements and lively, original songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, "The Little Mermaid" went on to revitalize Disney animation, winning over critics and becoming a worldwide blockbuster. More popular hits followed and Disney Studios would once again become the dominate force in animated feature films.

The astonishing advancement of visual effects has given Disney the opportunity to reimagine their animated classics into live-action movies. The latest is the film that began the studio's renaissance with this remake of "The Little Mermaid". Rob Marshall, the director who brought the razzle-dazzle to the Oscar-winning adaptation of the Broadway musical, "Chicago", is the guide of this version, driving the film impressively with a magical visual style that thrillingly has us in a believable underwater world. And what made this musical feel even remarkably modern was the casting of the dynamic r&b vocalist, Halle Bailey as our beautiful mermaid, Ariel who is fascinated by the human world and ends up falling in love with a prince. Yet does this extravagant production do enough to make a twenty-first century "Little Mermaid" feel actually necessary?

If you're not familiar with the first film, here is a rundown of the story which has essentially remained the same. Ariel (Bailey) is the youngest of seven daughters of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the ruler of Atlantica where merpeople live under the sea. With Triton not wanting anything to do with humans due to one killing his wife, Ariel must keep secret her determined desire to see the surface world and the collection of human objects she has found from wrecked ships that have sunk to the bottom.

After overhearing the kind and thoughtful Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), the prince of a royal kingdom on a Caribbean island, Ariel becomes smitten and after saving his life when his ship crashes during a violent storm, she falls in love. When Triton discovers Ariel's involvement with a human, he becomes outraged, demanding that she never go near them again. And when his daughter refuses to make that promise, he destroys her collection of objects.

But appearing out of the murky depths is Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), the sea witch who is also Triton's sister and had been banished from the kingdom. Well aware of Ariel's dilemma, Ursula makes an offer; she will transform her into a human for three days and if she can receive a true love's kiss from her beloved in that time, she will be able to remain a surface dweller. However, if Ariel fails, she will return as a mermaid and belong to Ursula. The deal is agreed upon but Ariel will not be able to speak while she is human with her voice being held captive in a shell by the sea witch.

With Ariel's friends, Sebastian the crab (Daveed Diggs), a píntano named Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and Scuttle (Awkwafina), a scatter-brained gannet, all banding together to make sure she succeeds in her quest after discovering that Ursula has cheated by not having Ariel remember she must be kissed.

There have been tweaks to the plot and a few of the songs of this "Little Mermaid". Lyrics have been slightly altered (with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda, teaming with composer, Menken since original songwriter, Ashman passed away in 1991) and character motivations have been updated in an appeal to modern sensibilities. Still far removed from the much darker original 1837 Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this film feels more mature than the animated film, wanting to attract even more broadly to the entire family. But we have ended up with just a colorless yet tasteful remake, far too cautious and fearful in alienating fans of the hand-drawn version. The actions may be live yet there isn't much life to be found in this updated musical.

Bailey, who first found fame as part of a musical act with her sister, Chloe, is absolutely captivating in her first starring role. She perfectly embodies Ariel's sweet yet determined nature, willing to defy anything that stands in the way of what she desires. And not surprisingly, Bailey delivers potent, expressive vocals that beautifully enhance these classic songs. Less impressive is Hauer-King as our Prince Eric. Handsome in the expected princely way, with a cute dimple on just one cheek which surely helped get him cast, yet regrettably bland in the screen presence department. And while the actor can carry a tune, his singing, much like the new song by Miranda, "Wild Uncharted Waters" that Hauer-King performs, lacks vivid power to make it memorable. But there is a lovely chemistry between Bailey and Hauer-King making it easy to root for this inter-species couple. And McCarthy came in knowing the assignment, bringing a deliciously campy vibe to her Ursula. But she has also added dimension to the evil sea witch by making her more sympathetic, revealing a painful backstory to help explain the motivation behind her not-so-nice behavior.

I was charmed and entertained by this flesh and blood animated version of "The Little Mermaid" yet I'm still struggling to understand a real purpose for this film to have been made beyond the obvious motivation by Disney to find a new way to bring in a fresh infusion of cash from a beloved film in their library. Without any true inventive update to the plot and the lack of memorable, new music (with another of Miranda's contributions, "The Scuttlebutt" that has Scuttle and Sebastian rapping not really adding much), "The Little Mermaid" is more promotional product than motion picture, designed to inspire merchandising than a film that will delight viewers for generations.

CINDERELLA (2015)

Written by Chris Weitz


Directed by Kenneth Branagh


Where & When: Vista Theater, Hollywood, CA. March 15, 2015 1:15PM


Since the Walt Disney Studios has seemed to run out of fairy tales to animate, the idea is to produce live-action versions of their classic films. First to arrive was "Alice In Wonderland" and it proved to be a global sensation, amassing over a billion dollars during it's run back in 2010. With that kind of success, "The Jungle Book", "Dumbo" and "Beauty and The Beast" are on a fast track to reach theaters but for now, "Cinderella" is the latest to be brought to life. While I wasn't overly impressed by Tim Burton's bombastic take of Alice's trippy adventures, what Kenneth Branagh has done with "Cinderella" I find to be inspired and magical. The director has made a spirited, straight-forward film, remaining fairly faithful to this timeless fable based on the 1950 Disney movie and the first written adaption by French author, Charles Perrault (and avoiding the unpleasant cutting off toes to fit in the slipper stuff like in the Brothers Grimm version). The graceful script by writer/director Chris Weitz has wisely kept the modern touches to a minimum which allows us to be swept away by one of the very first love stories.

Our tale begins with a little girl named Ella who is deeply loved by her much-in-love parents (Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell). Their idyllic life is shattered when her mother suddenly becomes gravely ill. Her final wish is for her young daughter to always display courage and remain kind to others, which Ella promises.

Ella grows up to become a beautiful young woman (now played by Lily James of "Downton Abbey" fame). Her uncomplicated life with her father is disrupted when he remarries a recent widow. Lady Tramaine (Cate Blanchett) arrives with her dimwitted, gaudy daughters, Drisella (Sophie McShera, also from "Downton") and Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and a cat named Lucifer in tow. The evil stepmother is the showiest role in this story and without a doubt, the two-time Oscar winner makes it all her own, carrying herself like a fanciful peacock with arched eyebrows, blood-red lips and an icy chilliness that Joan Crawford would envy.

After Ella loses her father due to an illness while out at sea, she's left alone with these horrible women. Short of funds, Lady Tramaine dismisses the staff and encourages her stepdaughter to help around the house. Moved up to the attic and no longer allowed to eat with the family, Ella soon realizes she has become nothing more than a live-in maid. After serving breakfast covered in soot, her step-sisters cruelly rename her "Cinderella".

Frustrated with trying to keep her promise to her mother, Ella rides off and stumbles across a hunting party. Among the hunters is Prince Charming (Richard Madden) who becomes so enchanted by this simple girl that he decides not to disclose his identity. Under pressure to marry someone royal, the Prince decides to select his bride at the upcoming ball but extends the invitation to all eligible ladies of the land with the hope of seeing Ella again. When the news reaches Lady Tramaine, she spares no expense at making sure her daughters will captivate the Prince. Ella announces she'd like to go too but her step-mother savagely removes that thought out of her head.

Once Helena Bonham Carter arrives as Ella's daffy fairy godmother to magically whisk her off to the ball, we know she will dazzle the Prince, dash off moments before midnight, leaving behind her glass slipper and then the future King will desperately search throughout the entire kingdom for the only woman that can fit in to this shoe.

Since we are very familiar with this story, the only way this would truly standout is in the way it's put together. There are no talking animals (although CGI has the critters believably engaging with Ella) and not a single note is sung but this "Cinderella" will keep your attention with vivid, candy-colored images. With a superb cast (that also features Sir Derek Jacobi as the King and Stellan Skarsgård as the conniving Grand Duke), the exquisite work of production designer, Dante Ferretti, the radiant costumes by Sandy Powell (both the winner of three Oscars) and expert camerawork from Haris Zambarloukos together makes this a breathtaking experience.

The charm of "Cinderella" is decidedly sweet and old-fashioned and that is certainly not a bad thing. During these cynical and jaded times, the simple pleasure that comes from the notion that good can triumph over evil (while still being able to forgive) or that happily ever after can actually happen is quite appealing.