Movie magic | Summer heats up with male strippers, minions and more Schwarzenegger
This year’s summer season boasts a lot of exciting movies being released to theaters nationwide.
June will start the season off with a strong and loud presence found in stories of hauntings (“Insidious: Chapter 3”) and dinosaurs (“Jurassic World”). The long-awaited Pixar movie “Inside Out” also will be released, a fun breather after those larger-than-life adventures.
In July, theatergoers will see the return of male strippers in “Magic Mike XXL,” which features scenes filmed in Myrtle Beach, as well as another of John Green’s works, “Paper Towns,” sure to make audiences laugh and cry once more.
Finally, August wraps up summer with more action, as found in “Hitman: Agent 47” and the newest version of “The Fantastic Four.” Families also can enjoy “Shaun the Sheep Movie” together, while plenty of adults will get laughs out of “Masterminds” and chills from “Sinister 2.”
Keep in mind, not all movies on this list are guaranteed to come to Myrtle Beach, so please be sure to check all local movie listings before making plans. Release dates are subject to change.
‘Insidious: Chapter 3’
Release date | June 5
Director | Leigh Whannell
Starring | Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson
Rating | PG-13
The newest addition to the “Insidious” storyline is a prequel rather than a sequel, but possesses all of the horror and thrills found in the first two. The talented psychic from the first movie is given more background in this origin story as she attempts to help a teenager being viciously haunted by a malignant and paranormal entity.
‘Entourage’
Release date | June 5
Director | Doug Ellin
Starring | Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara
Rating | R
“Entourage” is a continuation of the popular HBO show with the same name, taking place roughly six months after the end of the series. The famous movie star Vincent Chase returns with his buddies, only this time, he doesn’t want to just act: He wants to direct. Familiar faces from the show appear in the movie to bring this crazy ride to an end.
‘Jurassic World’
Release date | June 12
Director | Colin Trevorrow
Starring | Chris Pratt, Judy Greer, Ty Simpkins, Bryce Dallas Howard
Rating | PG-13
The park is finally open and ready for business. Jurassic World has been running a successful theme park with many different ways to showcase the prehistoric creatures for human entertainment. However, as seems to be the case with dinosaurs and experimentation, events quickly spiral into chaos.
‘Inside Out’
Release date | June 19
Director | Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring | Diane Lane, Amy Poehler, Kyle MacLachlan, Mindy Kaling
Rating | PG
The voices inside your head have never been more literal. In Pixar’s newest movie, audiences everywhere will journey with young Riley, whose five primary emotions are trying to help her through some big changes in life without going crazy. But as everyone knows, growing up is difficult, and raging emotions don’t help.
‘Dope’
Release date | June 19
Director | Rick Famuyiwa
Starring | Zoe Kravitz, Kiersey Clemons, Keith Stanfield
Rating | Not yet rated
Malcolm is preparing himself for an important part of life — college applications. He has big dreams, but coming from a poor neighborhood in Los Angeles seems to be working against his efforts, and things become more complicated after some events at his first party lead to this knowledgeable geek getting some street cred.
‘Ted 2’
Release date | June 26
Director | Seth MacFarlane
Starring | Mark Wahlber, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Seth MacFarlane
Rating | R
Whether you wanted it or not, this crude teddy bear is back for more. Ted and his new wife hope to have a child, but being a stuffed animal means a lot of complications come up, including the challenge of proving himself a person in a court of law.
‘Max’
Release date | June 26
Director | Boaz Yakin
Starring | Robbie Amell, Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden
Rating | PG
Sure to be simultaneously heart-wrenching and uplifting, Max is about a dog serving the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. When his service is ended and he returns home, Max has to adjust to his new life, just as his new family has to adjust to him.
‘Terminator: Genisys’
Release date | July 1
Director | Alan Taylor
Starring | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke
Rating | Not yet rated
New life is breathed back into an old franchise, with a set of fresh faces and a very familiar one. The future’s last hope resides in the past, and it’s up to Sgt. Reese to protect Sarah Conner. The known timeline fractures, however, so it’s up to the heroes and an old machine to set things right.
‘Magic Mike XXL’
Release date | July 1
Director | Gregory Jacobs
Starring | Channing Tatum, Amber Heard, Elizabeth Banks, Matt Bomer
Rating | R
This sequel takes place three years after the end of the first movie, when Magic Mike retired. Now the rest of his crew is ready to take their last bows, and they want Mike’s magic hips to do one final performance with them.
‘Minions’
Release date | July 10
Director | Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Starring | Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm
Rating | PG
In a story before everyone’s favorite minions began working for Gru (“Despicable Me,” “Despicable Me 2”), Kevin, Bob and Stuart are on the search for an evil villain to serve. But when they’re taken under Scarlet Overkill’s wings, they might have bitten off more than they can chew.
‘The Gallows’
Release date | July 10
Director | Chris Lofing, Travis Cluff
Starring | Cassidy Gifford, Pfeifer Brown, Reese Mishler, Ryan Shoos
Rating | Not yet rated
A terrible accident that happened 20 years ago at a high school play was written off as a tragedy. Today, students of that same high school wish to honor the anniversary of the heartbreaking event by reshowing the play, but it turns out there’s a reason for stage fright …
‘The Bronze’
Release date | July 10
Director | Bryan Buckley
Starring | Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson
Rating | Not yet rated
This comedy showcases another side of the Olympics — what happens when the athletes come home. A bronze medalist in gymnastics, crude and candid, has to fight to keep her meager celebrity status in her hometown as another athlete rises in popularity.
‘Ant-Man’
Release date | July 17
Director | Peyton Reed
Starring | Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Hayley Atwell, Michael Pena
Rating | Not yet rated
Marvel is at it again with another action-packed, superhero movie with ant-sized proportions. This time, the world is in the hands of a conman who is given a suit with fantastic powers that lets him shrink to the size of an insect, but increase his strength to superhuman capabilities.
‘Trainwreck’
Release date | July 17
Director | Judd Apatow
Starring | Amy Schumer, Bill Harder, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn
Rating | R
Amy has been living her life by doing what she wants, when she wants. She’s never been in a serious romantic relationship, but she has a good job and a fun life. But when she starts getting interested in one of her clients, Amy’s way of life is thrown into even more chaos.
‘Poltergeist’
Release date | July 24
Director | Gil Kenan
Starring | Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Saxon Sharbino
Rating | PG-13
In 1982, the original “Poltergeist” astounded audiences everywhere. Today, the remake aims to do the same. A young family in a new home discovers a malicious entity is haunting the house after it kidnaps their daughter, and the ensuing fight for her life may not end well.
‘The Vatican Tapes’
Release date | July 24
Director | Mark Neveldine
Starring | Michael Pena, Djimon Hounsou, Dougray Scott, Kathleen Robertson
Rating | PG-13
What starts off as a slight infection in a young woman escalates into violent and destructive behavior, both of herself and others around her. Eventually it comes to light that she is possessed, so the Vatican sends help to fight a demon that might very well be an antichrist.
‘Pixels’
Release date | July 24
Director | Chris Columbus
Starring | Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage
Rating | Not yet rated
It turns out aliens do exist, and they did not appreciate the pop culture probe Earth sent into space during the ’80s. When they finally make contact with earthlings, they choose to take the forms of what they misconstrued as a declaration of war: ’80s arcade games.
‘Paper Towns’
Release date | July 24
Director | Jake Schreier
Starring | Cara Delevingne, Nat Wolff, Halston Sage
Rating | Not yet rated
Mystery is a part of coming of age, but Margo takes it one step further. Fueled by her passion for adventure and living, the teenager disappears one night, and her friends take it upon themselves to discover the clues left behind to find Margo and bring her home.
‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’
Release date | July 31
Director | Christopher McQuarrie
Starring | Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Rating | Not yet rated
Ethan Hawke returns for a final mission, the one that could see the end of his organization or even the end of his life. The stakes are higher than ever, and with little to back his team up and a mysterious ally they might not be able to trust, this mission may truly be impossible.
‘Vacation’
Release date | July 31
Director | John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Starring | Chris Hemsworth, Leslie Mann, Chevy Chase
Rating | Not yet rated
Considered a sequel to 1983’s “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” Rusty Griswold decides to follow in his father’s footsteps by taking his family on a vacation to Walley World. Of course, being part of the Griswold family, antics ensue, both embarrassing and downright hilarious.
‘Southpaw’
Release date | July 31
Director | Antoine Fuqua
Starring | Rachel McAdams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker
Rating | Not yet rated
Sometimes, a boxer’s greatest fight can be outside of the ring. When a tragedy leaves him reeling, Billy “The Great” Hope continues to lose everything important to him. Disgraced and at his lowest, his only hope is to fight back against his biggest enemy: himself.
‘Self/Less’
Release date | July 31
Director | Tarsem Singh
Starring | Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Goode, Ben Kingsley
Rating | PG-13
This sci-fi thriller explores the possibilities of a type of immortality. Very wealthy but dying of cancer, a businessman transfers his consciousness to the empty vessel of a healthy man. As it turns out, immortality has its price, and the life of one could be forfeit for the life of another.
‘The Fantastic Four’
Release date | Aug. 7
Director | Josh Trank
Starring | Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell
Rating | Not yet rated
A modern iteration on one of the oldest superhero teams from Marvel, The Fantastic Four comes to big screens again. Our four main characters are scientists turned superheroes, thanks to a dangerous exploration of an alternate universe. But with every superhero comes a super villain.
‘Masterminds’
Release date | Aug. 7
Director | Jared Hess
Starring | Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis
Rating | Not yet rated
The humdrum of everyday life is about to go on a wild ride for a Mr. David Ghantt. Based on true events, this is a comedic heist movie of the largest cash robbery on American soil. But instead of being executed by masterminds, this theft seems to run on an absurd amount of luck.
‘Ricki and the Flash’
Release date | Aug. 7
Director | Jonathan Demme
Starring | Sebastian Stan, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline
Rating | Not yet rated
As a young adult, Ricki abandoned her family to pursue her passion as a guitar player in a rock band. Decades later, she decides it’s finally time for her to renew familial relationships. However, with resentful adult offspring and an estranged husband, is it too late for this rock star?
‘Shaun the Sheep Movie’
Release date | Aug. 7
Director | Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
Starring | Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili
Rating | Not yet rated
From the creators of “Wallace and Gromit” comes another hilarious stop-motion adventure, this time following Shaun the sheep. When he wants to take a break from the hard work of life on a farm, Shaun goes to the city. Naturally, shenanigans follow in his wake.
‘Straight Outta Compton’
Release date | Aug. 14
Director | F. Gary Gray
Starring | Keith Stanfield, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Aldis Hodge
Rating | Not yet rated
A gripping true story about the rise of N.W.A. and the controversy they brought with them. From the streets of Compton, these five men revolutionized rap in the 1980s and used their lives as inspiration for their art. They helped give a voice to a culture too often ignored and fought to keep a light shining on the truth — all through their music.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Release date | Aug. 14
Director | Guy Ritchie
Starring | Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Henry Cavill
Rating | PG-13
Inspired by a TV show of the same name from the 1960s, this political action movie takes place during the Cold War. However, the USA and Russia have to secretly put aside their differences momentarily to stop a mysterious organization from making atom bombs. The top secret agents from each country, though the two don’t get along, are on the case.
‘Sinister 2’
Release date | Aug. 21
Director | Ciaran Foy
Starring | Shannyn Sossamon, James Ransone, Nicholas King
Rating | Not yet rated
The boogieman returns in this horror sequel. A mother and her twin sons move to a farmhouse that, unbeknownst to her, has been condemned for death by the evil entity. A man who has been tracking the murders that started in the 1960s tries to help the newest marked family.
‘Hitman: Agent 47’
Release date | Aug. 28
Director | Aleksander Bach
Starring | Zachary Quinto, Rupert Friend, Ciaran Hinds
Rating | Not yet rated
An assassin engineered to near perfection, he is only known as 47. While his intentions seem to be shrouded in mystery, his methods are frightfully straightforward. Now the daughter of the scientist who started it all is dragged into the middle of the fight — and more is at stake than just one life.
‘Regression’
Release date | Aug. 28
Director | Alejandro Amenabar
Starring | Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis
Rating | Not yet rated
A young girl is haunted by a horrific event, scarred and terrified. Her father is accused of the crime, but he doesn’t remember ever committing it. A detective and a psychologist try to drag the truth out of both, but doing so reveals something far worse and bigger than just the two.
This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Movie magic | Summer heats up with male strippers, minions and more Schwarzenegger."