A-List: Top Five Anticipated Summer 2016 Movies
By J. Don Birnam
May 5, 2016
2. Finding Dory. My favorite movie of last summer was, far and away, the revelation that was Inside Out. Though this time I'm listing a sequel, it makes it impossible to ignore Finding Dory, which also happens to be the continuation of my favorite Pixar movie of all time. So, to say I'm excited about its return to the big ocean blue would be an understatement.
And what better return than to focus on the most interesting and exciting character in the original, by nautical miles, the little forgetful fish voiced by the brilliant Ellen DeGeneres? The franchise, of course, will have to balance carefully the love that Nemo and dad have from the fans as well, while offering fresh new characters to rival the memorable sharks, turtles, and others that made Nemo so endearing to audiences nearly 15 years ago.
Pixar rarely disappoints. Yes, some of its failures have come with sequels, from Monsters University to Cars 2, so let's hope the third time's the charm.
I forget just exactly when Finding Dory opens, but someone tells me that it's maybe June 17th.
1. Independence Day: Resurgence
Look, I never said I had good taste. Last year, San Andreas was my second most anticipated movie of the summer. I love disaster movies so much that it was one of my first A-List columns, and I did another column about them the very next day.
Are you surprised, then, to hear that the much awaited, 20-years-in-the-making sequel to the mother of all disaster epics, Independence Day, is at the top of my list? Need I really explain why?
The annoying Will Smith character is replaced by a Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum is back, Bill Pullman is back - I mean, what more do you want? Indeed, this movie is most obviously pining to be this summer's Jurassic World by tapping into a hunger or nostalgia for a known and beloved quantity. I do not expect it to do anywhere near that well - the trailers simply look way too over the top - but nothing would surprise me from sequel-hungry fans.
So, the aliens are bigger, badder, and meaner, and the stakes are higher. The dialogue, no doubt, will be cheesy. From a box office perspective, this sequel has all the makings of an absolute and complete disaster.
No matter, as I shall be there with bells on.
Independence Day opens, somewhat confusingly, on June 24th. Those distributors really need to learn how to make America great again.
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