SUMMER MOVIES

Smaller films worth a look

4/20/2014
BY KIRK BAIRD
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to summer movies. Below are some smaller film highlights:

May 9: Locke. In filmmaker Steven Knight’s (Eastern Promises) exploration of the ripple effect of one decision, Tom Hardy is winning raves for his performance as a family man whose life is forever altered by one phone call in the course of a single car ride.

June 6: The Fault in Our Stars. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort star in this adaptation of John Green’s bestselling novel about love between unconventional teenagers who meet at a cancer support group.

June 20: The Signal. In writer-director William Eubank’s sci-fi thriller, three college students are drawn by a computer genius to the desert and find themselves caught up in something beyond their nightmares.

July 25: Wish I was Here. At a crossroads, a thirtysomething actor re-examines everything and everyone in his life. Writer-director-actor Zach Braff used kickstarter to fund this follow-up to his 2004 indie hit Garden State. Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Ashley Green, and Pierce Gagnon.

A Most Wanted Man. A tortured half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant appears in Hamburg’s Islamic community and claims a family fortune, drawing the attention of the authorities. Based on John le Carré’s novel, the film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright.

Aug. 1: Calvary. After a mysterious parishioner threatens Father James (Brendan Gleeson), the good-natured priest continues to help members of his church, even as sinister forces close in. Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, and written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (The Guard).