Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & II • April 30, 2014 Reviewer anticipates this summer’s movie releases by Dennis Seuling If excitement is in short supply at the movie theater this time of year, it is because Hollywood holds its big movies for the summer, the industry’s most lucrative season. Since there will be such a crowding of movies at theaters between Memorial Day and Labor Day, it is wise to have an idea of what is heading this way. Following, along with their release dates, are a few films that sound like they will be worth seeing. “Jersey Boys” (June 20) is the screen version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about the four blue- collar young men from New Jersey who came together to form the ‘60s singing group The Four Seasons. Their trials and successes are accompanied by the hit songs that topped the charts for years, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Dawn (Go Away),” “Working My Way Back to You,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.” John Lloyd Young reprises his role of Frankie Valli from the original Broadway cast, and Clint Eastwood directs. “Tammy” (July 2) stars Melissa McCarthy as the title character. Tammy is having a rough day. She totaled her car, got fired from her job at a fast-food restaurant, and dis- covered that her husband is cheating on her. Fed up, car- less, and broke, she looks to her only option, her often-tipsy grandmother Pearl (Susan Sarandon), with car, cash, and a desire to see Niagara Falls. Together, they set out on a raun- chy cross-country ride. The film was written by McCar- thy and her husband Ben Falcone. Kathy Bates and Mark Duplass co-star. “And so it Goes” (July 11) finds Michael Douglas again taking on the role of a less-than-admirable human being. Oren Little is a Realtor who does not much care for people. Obnoxious to anyone he encounters, he wants nothing more Susan Sarandon and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from ‘Tammy.’ than to sell one last house and retire in peace. His plan is undermined when his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life into a whirlwind. Absolutely clueless about how to care for this cute, abandoned nine-year-old, Oren tries to pawn her off on his neighbor Leah (Diane Keaton). However, bit by bit, Oren learns to open his heart to his family, Leah, and life. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (July 11) takes place 10 years after Caesar, the simian protagonist, led a rebellion of hyper-intelligent apes through the streets of San Francisco and a deadly pathogen wiped out much of humanity. A band of human survivors has made a fragile peace with the apes, but eventually hostilities break out that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species. Andy Serkis once again serves as the basis for Caesar, but all the apes are computer-generated, enabling some incredible sequences of the apes organizing in battle and using military strategy to overcome their human adversaries. Human stars include Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, and Keri Russell. “Jupiter Ascending” (July 18) is a science fiction action romance starring Channing Tatum as Caine, a genetically engineered ex-military bounty hunter sent to Earth to rescue a human named Jupiter (Mila Kunis). Born under a night sky with portents predicting she is destined for great things, Jupiter lives in a cold reality as a janitor who has had a series of tough breaks. Caine must retrieve her and reveal her place as a member of intergalactic royalty. The film is filled with special effects as Caine and Jupiter soar through the air and Caine glides above the ground on energy beams. The character of Caine is a hybrid of human and a wolf-like creature, complete with fur and plenty of attitude. “A Most Wanted Man” (July 25) features one of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final performances. He portrays Gunter Bachmann, a German intelligence operative stalk- ing a potential Islamist terror suspect in Hamburg. Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a mysterious, tortured half-Chechen, half-Russian man on the run arrives in the city’s Islamic community desperate for help and seeking his late Rus- sian father’s ill-gotten fortune. The man is an enigma. He could be a victim, a thief, or an extremist intent on destruc- tion. Drawn into this intrigue are a British banker and a young lawyer (Rachel McAdams) determined to defend the defenseless. Bachmann dedicates himself to putting the pieces together before innocent people are killed. The film is based on a 2008 novel by John le Carre.