Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Amy Nicholson review this weekend’s new movie releases including: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” “Me Before You,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and more. We'll also preview this summer's biggest blockbusters, including many with a predominantly female cast . TGI-FilmWeek!
FilmWeek: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ ‘Me Before You’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Amy Nicholson review this weekend’s new movie releases including: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” in huge release on more than 4,000 screens; a modern-day British romance called “Me Before You;” Andy Samberg starring in what seems to be a very long “Saturday Night Live” sketch called “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping;” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Tim's Hits
- " Me Before You "
- " Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping "
- " Chevalier "
- " Approaching the Unknown "
- " As I Am: The Life and Time of DJ A.M. "
- " The Final Master "
Amy's Hits
- " Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows "
- " Me Before You "
- " Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping "
- " Chevalier "
- " The Wailing "
- " As I Am: The Life and Time of DJ A.M. "
- " The Final Master "
Mixed Reviews
- Tim: " Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles: Out of the Shadows "
- Amy: " Approaching the Unknown "
This Week's Misses
Guests:
Amy Nicholson , Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic, MTV News; she tweets from
Tim Cogshell , Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from
Analyzing 2016’s summer movie scene with Entertainment Weekly’s leading man
Hollywood saw the dollars stack up to about $9.5 billion in earnings during last year’s summer cycle and industry analysts are curious whether this year’s season can pass muster.
The outlook is positive given last month’s debuts of both “ Captain America: Civil War ” and “ X-Men Apocalypse ,” which both pulled in top dollar in the US and abroad.
Up ahead moviegoers are looking at a long list of more remakes, reboots and sequels from “ Ghostbusters ” and “ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ” to “ Jason Bourne ” and “ Finding Dory .”
Entertainment Weekly’s LA Bureau Chief Sean Smith says 2016 could be the summer for women in the spotlight. Historically, Smith says, summer movies are a “boys town” but this year we’re seeing more female dominated casts with “ Bad Moms ,” “ The Shallows ,” and “ Suicide Squad .” Hollywood is going to be eyeing the success of these films closely.
“‘ Ghostbusters ’ in particular is the big test,” said Smith, “and whether it soars or flops will impact greenlight decisions going forward. If you want more women in big movies, buy a ticket opening weekend.” In other genre news, there are about zero romantic comedies on the roster, but family friendly features like “ The Secret Life of Pets ,” “ Ice Age: Collision Course ,” and “ The BFG ” are poised to do well.
Could family flicks be responsible for the dearth of rom coms this summer cycle? Also, a look at how the 55 films slated for the May to August season score on the racial diversity front.
For more summer movie previews from Entertainment Weekly, click here .
Guest:
Sean Smith, Executive Editor of film coverage at Entertainment Weekly