A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2018 - Episode VII

As the Summer temperature rises, so does the heat in the movie theatres, as studios roll out their action flicks for the month of July. Here is a preview for the notable releases for the month.

It all flies in with…

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP – How does Marvel Studios follow-up INFINITY WAR, their biggest film ever? By going small of course. Paul Rudd reprises his role as the Ant-Man and is teamed up with fellow shrinking-hero The Wasp, as played by Evangeline Lily. The rest of the impressive cast includes Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas.

THE FIRST PURGE – The fourth film in the PURGE series serves as a prequel, depicting the origins of the first annual night in which all crime in America is legal for a 12-hour period. Marisa Tomei stars.

SKYSCRAPER – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays a former FBI agent who tries to rescue his family from a newly-built skyscraper after it is invaded by terrorists. It is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who brought us DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY in 2004.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION – The third installment of this animated series has Dracula (Adam Sandler) taking his friends on vacation via luxury cruise ship. The rest of the cast includes Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, and Mel Brooks.

SHOCK AND AWE – If the summer fun is too much noise, director Rob Reiner (A FEW GOOD MEN) helms this drama which tells the story of the journalists who investigated the Bush Administration’s weapons-of-mass-destruction fiasco in 2003. It stars Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, James Marsden, Milla Jovovich, and Jessica Biel.

SIBERIA – In this crime thriller, Keanu Reeves plays a diamond dealer who gets caught up in a web of crime in Russia.

THE EQUALIZER 2 – The very first sequel by Denzel Washington has him reprising his role from the 2014 hit, this time returning to his old ways to punish some crooks. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY).

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN – This musical romantic-comedy is a sequel to the 2008 smash, which was based on the music of Abba. It stars Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Cher, Meryl Streep, and Colin Firth (THE KINGS SPEECH).

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT – The sixth (!) film in this series which started way back in 1996, with Tom Cruise returning as secret agent Ethan Hunt…who is (again) racing to save the world. The cast includes Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, and Henry Cavill (MAN OF STEEL).

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of August…the final month of the Summer Movie Season.