Movies in Theaters This Friday, June 6, 2014: Edge of Tomorrow, The Fault In Our Stars, and More
As we hit June, we start into the heart of summer. The last couple years have shown a trend toward early summer (read: May) releases. This is probably done to keep a blockbuster in theaters longer. This was evident with movies like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, and X-Men: Days of Future Past (two of which were good movies). There’s a case to be made for Maleficent being in this same category (though I haven’t seen that one yet).
This weekend’s Edge of Tomorrow seems like a more “traditional” blockbuster for a few reasons. First of all, it features the box-office mogul Tom Cruise (last seen in a similarly-themed film, Oblivion). Second of all, being in the sci-fi genre practically screams summer.
The other big release is about the exact opposite (if that is possible) when compared to Edge of Tomorrow. Titled The Fault In Our Stars, the film is based on a very sad (or so I’ve heard) book by John Green. The bestseller has quite the teen following, giving this movie a good shot at the box office prize. It helps that rising star Shailene Woodley is fronting the pic with Divergent co-star Ansel Elgort also playing a major role.
The only other film that stands out for me personally is Clark Gregg’s (Choke) latest, Trust Me (out in limited release). Gregg is certainly a talented guy, but he’s not alone in this film. In fact, Sam Rockwell (Moon), William H. Macy (Magnolia), and Amanda Peet (Syriana) are also in the movie.
The long list of the rest of the limited releases are: Anna, Borgman, Burning Blue, Burt’s Buzz, The Case Against 8, Citizen Koch, Dormant Beauty, Holiday, The Moment, Obvious Child, The Sacrament, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Garden, This Is Not A Ball, and Willow Creek.
All the movies mentioned are featured below with a trailer and synopsis. Enjoy your weekend!
OSCAR® NOMINEE TOM CRUISE (THE “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” FILMS, “COLLATERAL,” “JERRY MAGUIRE”) AND EMILY BLUNT (“THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA,” “THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU”) STAR IN WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ AND VILLAGE ROADSHOW PICTURES’ SCI-FI THRILLER “EDGE OF TOMORROW,” UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DOUG LIMAN (“THE BOURNE IDENTITY,” “MR. & MRS. SMITH”).
THE EPIC ACTION OF “EDGE OF TOMORROW” UNFOLDS IN A NEAR FUTURE IN WHICH AN ALIEN RACE HAS HIT THE EARTH IN AN UNRELENTING ASSAULT, UNBEATABLE BY ANY MILITARY UNIT IN THE WORLD.
Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
A man with the ability to enter peoples’ memories takes on the case of a brilliant, troubled sixteen-year-old girl to determine whether she is a sociopath or a victim of trauma.
A vagrant enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family, turning their lives into a psychological nightmare in the process.
Drawn from the author’s own life, BURNING BLUE explores the concepts of love, friendship and honor in the U.S. Navy when a routine accident investigation turns into a modern-day Witch Hunt. Following two fatal mishaps involving F-18 jets aboard an aircraft carrier a government agent is placed aboard the ship to determine what may be at the root of these accidents. His mission abruptly changes course when a young sailor reports seeing one of the fleets’ top-ranking fighter pilots in a gay club. The suspected aviator and three of his squadron mates and their spouses become the subjects of a deadly investigation entangling them in a web of jealousy and deceit changing their lives forever.
Humourous, authentic and compelling, BURT’S BUZZ is a journey into the remarkable double life of Burt Shavitz— a reclusive beekeeper who reluctantly became one of the world’s most recognizable brand identities.
Filmmaker Jody Shapiro (How To Start Your Own Country) follows Burt from the pot-bellied stove of his rustic rural lifestyle to another world on the other side of the world, in Taiwan where the septuagenarian is greeted by hoards of his adoring fans.
Moving from his privileged childhood on Long Island to his early career as a photo-journalist in counter-culture Greenwich Village, Burt left his past behind to pursue an almost monastic existence as a beekeeper in upstate Maine. Between these extremes is the story of a man who chose his own path and accidentally spawned a billion dollar natural product line.
Guided by those who know — or at least think they know — Burt best, Burt’s Buzz is a fascinating portrait of a singular personality who refuses to conform.
A behind-the-scenes look inside the historic case to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage. The high-profile trial first makes headlines with the unlikely pairing of Ted Olson and David Boies, political foes who last faced off as opposing attorneys in Bush v. Gore. The film also follows the plaintiffs, two gay couples who find their families at the center of the same-sex marriage controversy. Five years in the making, this is the story of how they took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“America — they’re coming for you next.”
That’s the warning from a Wisconsin state employee after her union rights were destroyed by a Republican governor funded by corporate and billionaire donors whose ultimate goal is to break the unions nationwide — and cripple the labor-backed Democratic party.
In this searing exposé on the state of democracy in America and the fracturing of the Republican Party, Academy Award®-nominated directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water; co-producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 & Bowling for Columbine) follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. CITIZEN KOCH investigates the impact of unlimited, anonymous spending by corporations and billionaires on the electoral process, featuring stories of life-long Republicans whose loyalty is tested when their families become collateral damage in the GOP fight to take organized labor out at the knees. Alternately terrifying and funny, CITIZEN KOCH is an essential and powerful portrait of our political times.
A mosaic of several intertwined stories questioning the meaning of life, love and hope, set during the last six days in the life of Eluana Englaro, a young woman who spent 17 years in a vegetative state.
Virat (Akshay Kumar) is among a battalion of military officers that comes to Mumbai on vacation. Virat is also a secret Defence Intelligence Agent who cannot lie low, much to the irritation of his friend and sub inspector. During a bus ride, an attempt to frisk passengers for a lost wallet leads Virat to something much bigger. Within minutes, the bus is blown into pieces and he helps cops nab the carrier of the bomb, who escapes from the hospital only to be caught by Virat again. Using tact, Virat follows one clue at a time hoping to track down the terrorist on whose orders the sleeper cell terrorists plan to cause mayhem in Mumbai.
After a tumultuous affair between international photojournalist Lee (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and troubled writer John (Martin Henderson) ends in John’s disappearance, Lee lands in a mental hospital to recuperate. She strikes up a friendship with a fellow patient bearing an uncanny resemblance to her missing lover. The pair works to uncover the truth behind the disappearance, but Lee’s precarious sanity comes under threat when the clues lead to the last place she would ever expect.
For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her hysterical and relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna winds up unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand, she is forced to face the uncomfortable realities of independent womanhood for the first time. Donna’s drunken hookup – and epic lapse in prophylactic judgment – turns out to be the beginning of a hilarious and totally unplanned journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
From acclaimed writer/director Ti West (THE INNKEEPERS, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) and master of horror Eli Roth(THE LAST EXORCISM, HOSTEL, CABIN FEVER) comes the story of two Vice Media correspondents on an adventure to document their friend’s journey to reunite with his estranged sister (Amy Seimetz, UPSTREAM COLOR). They track her to an undisclosed location where they are welcomed into the remote world of “Eden Parish,” a self-sustained rural utopia composed of nearly two hundred members and overseen by a mysterious leader known only as “Father”. While they are initially inspired by the community, it soon becomes evident that something is rotten in paradise. As their one night in the parish turns to day, the visitors realize that Eden Parish harbors a twisted secret. What started as just another documentary shoot soon becomes a fight for escape and survival.
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
In his directorial debut, Mike Myers (Wayne’s World, Austin Powers) documents the astounding career of Hollywood insider, the loveable Shep Gordon, who fell into music management by chance after moving to LA straight out of college, and befriending Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Shep managed rock stars such as Pink Floyd, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Alice Cooper, and later went on to manage chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, ushering in the era of celebrity chefs on television. Stuffed with fantastic archive footage the film traces Shep’s transformation from the 1970’s hedonist to today’s practicing Buddhist yearning for a family of his own.
“This is Not a Ball” is a documentary that follows the creative process of acclaimed Brazilian artist Vik Muniz in the months leading up to the 2014 World Cup as he plans and creates a major new artwork made of 10,000 soccer balls.
The documentary follows Muniz as he explores the global passion for soccer and the game’s central object, the ball. In his journey, Muniz interacts with some of the most playful minds in science, like astrophysicist Neil deGrass Tyson and some of the most extraordinary soccer players in the world, like the Sierra Leone Amputee Soccer League.
Trust Me tells the sharp, comic story of Howard Holloway (Gregg), a down-on-his luck agent for child actors and truly one the last good guys left in Hollywood. After discovering a 13-year-old acting prodigy (Sharbino), he is poised to close the deal of a lifetime which would catapult his tween client and, at long last, himself, into the big time. With the support of his gorgeous new neighbor (Peet), he must wrangle the actress’ volatile, overprotective father, dodge a scheming producer (Felicity Huffman), and outwit his uber-slick nemesis (Sam Rockwell). As he arrives on the brink of the Hollywood dream that’s eluded him for a lifetime, he begins to sense that his innocent young starlet may not be quite what she seems.
Jim and his girlfriend Kelly are visiting the infamous Willow Creek, the alleged home of the original Bigfoot legend – the tale of huge ape like creatures that roam the forests of North America. It was there that in 1967, the legendary beast was captured on film and has terrified and mystified generations since. Keen to explore more than 50 years of truth, folklore, misidentifications and hoaxes, Kelly goes along for the ride to keep Jim happy, whilst he is determined to prove the story is real by capturing the beast on camera. Deep in the dark and silent woods, isolated and hours from human contact, neither Kelly or Jim are prepared for what is hidden between the trees, and what happens when the cameras start rolling…
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