2015’s much-anticipated movies
“Fifty Shades of Grey,” an adaptation of the best-selling erotic novel. UNIVERSAL PICTURES
LOS ANGELES—With “Jupiter Ascending” in “Tomorrowland,” “The Force Awakens” “Ricki and the Flash” and their “Entourage,” turning them “Inside Out” and making them blush into “Fifty Shades of Grey,” like “Cinderella” driving “Straight Outta Compton” on the “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
How’s that for a sentence using the titles of 10 films coming your way this year? 2015 seems like a year of exciting films, at least based on their synopses, cast and filmmakers.
February will see the release of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the much-anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling erotic romance novel which sold more than 100 million copies in e-book and print. The book’s many fans hope that the movie, starring Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Ehle and Luke Grimes, doesn’t disappoint.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” stars (from left) Alicia Vikander, Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill.
“Jupiter Ascending,” described as “an original science fiction action adventure,” is another eagerly awaited movie directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski. Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis are joined by Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean and Douglas Booth.
In one spectacular-looking scene, Mila wears a stunning gown by Michael Cinco, the Dubai-based Filipino designer whose latest feat is Marian Rivera’s wedding gown which drew raves, especially on social media.
Disney’s live action “Cinderella,” with Lily James in the title role and Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Tremaine and Fairy Godmother, respectively, waltzes into cineplexes in March, along with “Insurgent,” the sequel to “Divergent” with Shailene Woodley back as Beatrice Prior; Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea”; Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart’s titillatingly titled “Get Hard”; and “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” with Richard Gere checking in to join the original cast led by Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench and Dev Patel.
“Chappie,” about the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself, should be another engrossing film by Neill Blomkamp, with a cast that includes Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver.
So far, “Furious 7” seems to be the big release in April. It’s the final movie of Paul Walker, who died in a car crash during a hiatus in shooting, and whose remaining scenes were reportedly completed with a combination of CGI and Paul’s brothers, Caleb and Cody.
Other April releases include “Ex Machina,” a drama/sci-fi/thriller starring Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander; “The Moon and the Sun,” a fantasy involving King Louis XIV (Pierce Brosnan) and a mermaid (Chinese singer-actress Bingbing Fan); and “The Longest Ride,” an adaptation of the best-selling novel featuring Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Oona Chaplin and Jack Huston.
Bingbing Fan plays a mermaid in “The Moon and the Sun.”
May is shaping up to be a big month, following Hollywood tradition. Four movies are much-awaited—Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland,” a mystery adventure with George Clooney ; “Mad Max: Fury Road” starring Tom Hardy ; “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” with enough stars to fill the universe (at least Marvel’s Cinematic Universe); and “Pitch Perfect 2,” with Fil-Am Hailee Steinfeld proving she has singing chops, as well.
Also coming in May are an untitled Cameron Crowe project, a comedy/drama love triangle with Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone; and a remake of “Far from the Madding Crowd” with Carey Mulligan.
Highest-ranking Pinoy
June unveils Pixar’s “Inside Out,” directed by Pete Docter and codirected by University of Santo Tomas alumnus Ronnie del Carmen, one of the Pixnoys, or Filipinos working in the acclaimed animation studio. As codirector of the film that takes us inside the mind, Ronnie becomes the highest-ranking Filipino creative talent in the US film industry.
Amy Poehler (Joy), Bill Hader (Fear) and Mindy Kaling (Disgust) are among the talents who voice various emotions.
The movie version of the hit HBO series, “Entourage,” with the original cast—Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven—hits the big screen in June, along with “Ted 2” and “Jurassic World.”
In July, those male strippers, including Channing Tatum (in the title role) and Joe Manganiello (Big Dick Richie) and Matt Bomer (Ken) are back in “Magic Mike XXL” but minus Matthew McConaughey (who played Dallas).
Levi Miller (left) and Hugh Jackman in “Pan”
Hugh Jackman is unrecognizable as Blackbeard in “Pan,” with newcomer Levi Miller landing the plum title role.
‘Terminator’ returns
Paul Rudd jumps from comedic star to Marvel hero as “Ant-Man,” a founding member of The Avengers.
Sacha Baron Cohen, last seen on the big screen in 2013’s “Anchorman 2…,” returns with “Grimsby.” He plays a sweet but dumb English football hooligan with 11 kids, a girlfriend (Rebel Wilson) and a deadly MI7 agent for a brother (Mark Strong).
Also making a comeback is Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator Genisys.” He plays, gasp, “an aging terminator” who teams up with Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) “to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, ‘Judgment Day.’”
Two remakes appear in July— “Poltergeist” with Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt and “Point Break” with Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey and Edgar Ramirez.
Oscar-nominated (for “Black Swan”) Fil-Am cinematographer Matthew Libatique lensed “Straight Outta Compton,” director F. Gary Gray’s film on the rise and fall of N.W.A., opening in August. This year we also hope to see “Pele,” Jeff and Michael Zimbalist’s biopic of the Brazilian football legend, which Matthew also shot.
Since Meryl Streep tantalizingly described Jonathan Demme’s “Ricki and the Flash” to us in an interview, we couldn’t wait to see it. La Streep is part of a Valley rock and roll band whose members are in their 60s. Kevin Kline plays her ex-husband while Rick Springfield is the other love interest in the film written by Diablo Cody.
Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler reunite in “Sisters.” KC BAILEY
August also marks the debuts of “The Fantastic Four” (Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell); “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” with Henry Cavill, Alicia Vikander, Armie Hammer and Hugh Grant; and “Sinister 2,” starring Fil-Am Shannyn Sossamon.
‘Mano a mano’
In September, Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Depp go acting mano a mano as brothers in the true story of a violent South Boston criminal, Whitey Bulger, in a movie with the working title, “Black Mass.”
Other September releases: M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit”; Baltasar Kormakur’s “Everest” with Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley and Robin Wright; Robbie Pickering’s “Kitchen Sink,” with Fil-Am Vanessa Hudgens and Ed Westwick.
October’s “Victor Frankenstein” should be very interesting—imagine Daniel Radcliffe as Igor to James McAvoy’s Victor Von Frankenstein. The drama/horror is told from Igor’s perspective—how Frankenstein became the man and the legend.
Newlywed Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as high-wire artist Philippe Petit in “The Walk,” which depicts his attempt to cross the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in 1974.
Also slated in October are “The Jungle Book,” with a dream cast—Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Lupita Nyong’o and new discovery Neel Sethi as Mowgli; Steven Spielberg’s untitled cold war spy thriller starring Tom Hanks and Billy Magnussen, Rapunzel’s Prince in “Into the Woods”; and Guillermo del Toro’s “Crimson Peak,” with Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam and Jessica Chastain.
Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco designed this gown worn by Mila Kunis in a scene from Andy and Lana Wachowski’s “Jupiter Ascending.”
November brings back Daniel Craig as James Bond in Sam Mendes’ “Spectre,” with a formidable cast that includes Fil-Am Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Christoph Waltz, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux and Ben Whishaw; Ridley Scott’s “The Martian”; and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2.”
December, of course, brings out the usual mix of potential blockbusters and prestige films in time for the awards season. There’s that little film called “Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens.”
The holiday fare includes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s “Sisters,” Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible 5,” Jennifer Lawrence’s “Joy,” Robert De Niro’s “Dirty Grandpa,” Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” and Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The Revenant.”
(E-mail the columnist at [email protected]. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)
