Summer Movie Preview: Thrillers, romance flicks, comedies and more

<p>Edge of your seat thrillers. Heart-warming romances. Gut-busting family comedies. Choice abounds on the big screen!</p><p><strong>Click through to see the most anticipated Summer films of 2017...</strong></p>
<h3>The Hitman’s Bodyguard</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson</strong> In the spirit of a mismatched buddy flick, a special agent (Ryan) is assigned to protect a hitman (Samuel) who has been the bane of his existence. The mission: escort the hitman to a court date – while tolerating one another and fending off bad guys who have them in their crosshairs. </p> <p>In theatres: Aug 18</p>
<h3>Atomic Blonde</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy</strong> Having optioned the film rights to Antony Johnson’s graphic spy novel, Charlize cast herself as the titular cool-as-ice MI6 agent, dispatched to Berlin circa 1989 to work with a local officer (James) and retrieve a dossier. “I hadn’t seen another character like her. She doesn’t apologize for anything” the star says of her heroic alter ego. “We made her strong and feisty. She’s cheeky.” </p> <p>In theatres: July 28</p>
<h3>Baby Driver</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Ansel Elgort, Lily James</strong> Best known as Gus in The Fault in Our Stars, Ansel gets to switch gears as a getaway driver who tries to leave his life of crime behind after meeting his dream girl (Lily James). But first he has to do one last heist for a crime boss, played by Kevin Spacey. </p> <p>In theatres: June 28</p>
<h3>The Big Sick</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan</strong> A Pakistani comic, who was dating a girl he kept secret from his family because she’s white, tries to win her back after she falls ill. The Sundance hit was written by Kumail and his wife, Emily V. Gordon (played in the film by Zoe), based on their own courtship. </p> <p>In theatres: June 23</p>
<h3>Kidnap</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Halle Berry</strong> A frantic but determined mom finds herself in a high-stakes car chase after her young son is abducted from the park. “Being a parent, I understood this in a very visceral way,” says mother of two Halle, reflecting on the role. “I play an ordinary mom forced to act in extraordinary ways.” </p> <p>In theatres: Aug. 4</p>
<h3>Lady Macbeth</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Florence Pugh</strong> With this role – not as Shakespeare’s Queen of Scotland, but as a Victorian teen in an arranged marriage who embarks on a torrid affair – Florence is earning comparisons to a young Kate Winslet. Based on an 1865 novella, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk. </p> <p>In theatres: July 14</p>
<h3>A Ghost Story</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck</strong> Another film that had audiences talking at Sundance, A Ghost Story is a meditation on love, grief and the passage of time. When a husband (Casey) is killed in a car accident, he returns as a ghost to the home he shares with his wife (Rooney), longing to somehow connect with her. </p> <p>In theatres: July 7</p>
<h3>Dunkirk</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Tom Hardy, Harry Styles</strong> Christopher Nolan recreates the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk during WWII. Harry of One Direction fame says of his first acting gig: “One of the best experiences of my life. I loved being so far out of my comfort zone.” </p> <p>In theatres: July 21</p>
<h3>The Dark Tower</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey</strong> Stephen King fans are eager for this adaptation of the novelist’s genre-bending series of books, The Dark Tower. A gunslinger (Idris) and the evil man in black (Matthew) face off in a Western-like alternate universe. </p> <p>In theatres Aug. 4</p>
<h3>The House</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Jason Mantzoukas</strong> Saturday Night Live alums Amy and Will reunite onscreen 10 years after their hilarious turn in Blades of Glory. This time, the comic greats play parents willing to do what it takes to win back funds they lost to pay for their daughter’s college tuition – including running an illegal gambling ring from their basement casino. What could go wrong!? Jeremy Renner also stars. </p> <p>In theatres: June 30</p>
<h3>Girls Trip</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah</strong> Four friends have the time of their lives testing each other’s limits on a wild weekend at a music festival in New Orleans. “In this film we are flawed, funny, vulnerable and out of our minds!” says Jada. “We go way over the top, just to remind people that it’s comedy.” </p> <p>In theatres: July 21</p>
<h3>Logan Lucky</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes, Adam Driver</strong> A heist comedy in the vein of director Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven films, this star-studded caper sees two brothers (played by Channing and Adam) attempt to cash in on NASCAR’s biggest race of the year, with the help of Daniel Craig – unrecognizable as a bleach-blond criminal mastermind. </p> <p>In theatres: Aug. 18</p>
<h3>Fun Mom Dinner </h3> <p><strong>Starring: Toni Collette, Molly Shannon, Adam Levine</strong> Like an onscreen love letter to moms, this sitcom-style romp follows four women who go on a girls’ night out and discover their bond runs deeper than their everyday encounters would suggest. First-time screenwriter Julie Rudd penned the script and her husband, actor Paul, is an executive producer who stars in the film. </p> <p>In theatres: Aug. 4</p>
<h3>Spider-man: Homecoming</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya</strong> Navigating high school is tricky, especially when you’re also trying to master your superpowers. In this reboot, Peter Parker’s attempting to do just that with help from experienced Avengers like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans). </p> <p>In theatres: July 7</p>
<h3>Despicable Me 3</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig</strong> In the third instalment of the fan favourite, onetime villain Gru takes on an evildoer (Trey Parker) in pursuit of world domination – and also finds out he has a long-lost twin brother! But all is not what it seems with his cheerful, energetic sibling, who hopes to get Gru to return to the dark side. </p> <p>In theatres: June 30</p>
<h3>War for the Planet of the Apes</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer</strong> The people closest to the apes know them as compassionate, kind creatures. But when power-hungry humans – led by Woody Harrelson’s Colonel – want to wipe out the primate population, a violent battle eh3upts.</p> <p>In theatres: July 14</p>
<h3>The Emoji Movie</h3> <p><strong>Starring: Sofia Vergara, James Corden</strong> For Gene (T.J. Miller of Silicon Valley), life as an emoji inside a user’s phone is one-note. After all, he’s expected to deliver nothing but the lacklustre “meh” expression – though he feels so many other emotions! It’s a quandary that sets him on a quest: to be true to himself. </p> <p>In theatres: July 28</p>
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