Summer shade

Love and reluctance for the most anticipated films of the season

5 Flights Up // Starring Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton, “5 Flights Up” is the story of a married couple beset by late-life complications when they decide to sell the New York apartment they’ve lived in for decades. This looks like a charming confection just in time for Mother’s Day. Opens May 8.    

Mad Max: Fury Road // Stop right here, go to YouTube and watch the trailer for this thing. Back? Okay, good. Hopefully you were wearing SPF 5000, because otherwise your face just melted off. This long-awaited continuation of the legendary “Mad Max” trilogy swaps Mel Gibson for Tom Hardy as the iconic anti-hero, who’s having yet another bad day in the post-apocalyptic desert. I don’t even care what this movie is about; it’s already a thing of heart-breaking beauty that has me far more excited than “Star Wars.” Opens May 15.

Tomorrowland // There isn’t a Brad Bird movie I don’t like. “The Iron Giant” is still one of the best animated films of the past 30 years. “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille” cemented his Pixar bonafides, and he made the most enjoyable “Mission: Impossible” film since De Palma’s. “Tomorrowland,” his latest, finds a troubled girl named Casey (Britt Robertson) in possession of a pendant that transports her between the real world and a strange alternate reality where one person can change anything. Vague though that sounds, Bird is a master, and this will surely be an out-of-the-box, quasi-sci-fi action fable. I’m all ears (no Disney pun intended). Opens May 22.      

Aloha // Cameron Crowe was a Linklater-esque wunderkind once. Time capsules “Say Anything,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Almost Famous” were suffused with iconic characters, great humor and unapologetic nostalgia for their eras that didn’t feel maudlin. Fast forward to the 21st Century, and thanks to the Sony e-mail hack, we already know his latest, “Aloha,” is awful. But then, I didn’t need an e-mail to tell me “We Bought A Zoo” was going to suck, either. The man is not in his prime. “Aloha” stars Bradley Cooper as a military contractor who gets laid a lot. Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams and John Krasinski co-star. Opens May 29.      

Insidious: Chapter 3 // Each installment of “Insidious” has its relative merits. But even as the films sometimes excel at unnerving atmospherics, the franchise seems to continually burn itself out. “Insidious 3” is a prequel that explores the origin story of Lin Shaye’s character, Elsie Ranier, a psychic who can contact the dead and helps a family protect their daughter from a malevolent entity. Longtime “Saw” writer Leigh Whannell makes his directorial debut. Your mileage may vary. Mine sure has. Opens June 5.    

Jurassic World // Years ago, John Sayles penned a “Jurassic Park” sequel script that had talking, machine gun-toting raptors who killed drug dealers and rescued kidnapped kids. Though the upcoming “Jurassic World” probably won’t, that trailer shot of Star Lord (Chris Pratt) riding a motorcycle with a phalanx of raptor buddies out to kick some ass certainly seems like a hat-tip. Director Colin Trevorrow (of indie darling “Safety Not Guaranteed”) picks up the story 22 years later with a fully-functioning Jurassic Park. The shit hits the fan when a genetically altered, serially killing dino goes on a rampage. Because no one saw that coming. Vincent D’Onofrio and Bryce Dallas Howard co-star. Opens June 12.    

Inside Out // Weirdly, “Inside Out” adopts the premise of the last segment of Woody Allen’s “Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex… But Were Afraid to Ask” (which posits there’s a team of people in your head guiding your actions) and applies it to the relationship dynamics of a family that’s just moved into a new home. Though Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds aren’t trying to get anyone laid, “Inside Out” is still the first Pixar film I’ve been jazzed about in a while. Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane lend their voices. Opens June 19.      

Ted 2 // Seth MacFarlane is douchey, “Family Guy” sucks, and I’d sentence someone I truly hated to watch “A Million Ways to Die in the West” for eternity. But “Ted” was an amiable and funny directorial debut from MacFarlane—in the gutter, but inspired, if for no other reason than its love of “Flash Gordon.” For the apparently raunchier sequel, Marky Mark returns as John, from whom Ted needs a sperm donation so he and his new bride Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) can legally have a kid. Amanda Seyfried co-stars, and one hopes Giovanni Ribisi out-weirds himself. Opens June 26.      

Terminator: Genisys // Arnie is inexplicably in it. Alan Taylor has been one of the better directors on “Game of Thrones.” The trailers look fun enough. I don’t know why I can’t muster more than an “Okay, it exists now,” level of excitement for what’s still regarded one of the better action franchises ever—and one I’ve loved for decades. My hope is that lowered expectations will be rewarded with unanticipated greatness. Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke (Khaleesi!) star as the time-hopping Kyle Reese and Sarah Conner in a reset timeline, making it a “Star Trek”-like reboot and sequel all at once. Opens July 1.      

Minions // Some of you assholes loved the Minions so much they got their own movie. Thanks. Opens July 10.

Ant-Man // Paul Rudd is Scott Lang, a con artist who becomes a superhero with the help of his mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Hank’s miniaturizing technology, which shrinks a man to ant-size while exponentially increasing his strength and speed. Edgar Wright of “Shaun of the Dead” wrote the film seemingly forever ago but bowed out just as he began directing it. He clearly had a passion for a Marvel character as yet unknown to most people, and I’m achingly curious to find his fingerprints here. But as “Guardians of the Galaxy” proved, unproven Marvel characters can still clean up in the right hands. Evangeline Lilly co-stars. Opens July 17.

Poltergeist // I’m not going to complain about a remake of one of my favorite films. The seminal charms of the original “Poltergeist” have already been tainted by lesser sequels, so there’s no reason not to give this a shot (despite it being pushed back almost a year). Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt are the Bowens, and their family of four discovers their new home is a portal to the afterlife guarded by an evil spirit that kidnaps their daughter through the television. The import of that metaphor is probably lost now, but the solid cast, including Jared Harris (taking the Zelda Rubinstein role) still piques my interest. Opens July 24.    

Mission: Impossible—Rouge Nation // Tom Cruise is the last movie star. Scientology’s dumb, but whatever. Say what you will about his clear insanity—he’ll not only get asses in seats, he’ll cling to the side of an actual airplane on takeoff to do it. I don’t get the hate. His previous Brad Bird-directed “Mission: Impossible” film was a blast, 2012’s “Jack Reacher” even more so. And last year’s “Edge of Tomorrow” was the most under-appreciated genre film of 2014. You’ll miss this guy when he’s gone. The latest entry of his long-running franchise finds Ethan Hunt bringing the band back together to take down The Syndicate. Sounds basic, right? Judging from the trailer, I wouldn’t sell it short. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames return. Opens July 31.