Reel Corner - June 2021

Summer Movie Previews

ReelCorner0221
June 2021 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

Summer Movie Previews

It seems that Hollywood is very busy with its 2021 summer movies coming to theaters for June, July and August. With an ungodly amount of comic book movies from Marvel and DC alike, to the new Fast and Furious movie, this summer is jam-packed with some of the most anticipated releases to ever be announced. This is due, in part, to the fact that many of these films were originally scheduled for a sooner release, or should have been out months ago. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a great deal of rescheduling and reevaluating primary methods of distribution, with some studios taking the straight-to-streaming route. The ones who chose to uphold the tradition of going to the theater either postponed a release to later in the year, or went as far as pushing it right into the 2022 calendar, which is why you may recognize some of the titles below as films you hoped to see in 2020.

The following are movies to look forward to this summer and when to expect them. Of course, as we all should be used to by now, dates are subject to change.

JUNE------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Theatrical & HBO Max release)
Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson
Samaritan, Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr
Spirit Untamed, Isabela Merced, Jake Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore
Vivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pamela Morales
The Hitman’s Wife's Bodyguard, Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek
Fatherhood, Paul Alexander Désiré, Rodney Alexandre
In the Heights, (Theatrical & HBO Max release) Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anthony Ramos
Luca, Maya Rudolph, Jacob Tremblay
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, James Corden, Margot Robbie, Lennie James
Blue Bayou, Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander
F9 (Fast and Furious 9), Vin Diesel, John Cena
Zola, Taylour Paige, Riley Keough

JULY------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tomorrow War, (Amazon Prime release) Betty Gilpin, Chris Pratt
Black Widow, (Theatrical & Disney+ Premier Access release) Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh
Cinderella, Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel
The Night House, Rebecca Hall, Stacy Martin
Space Jam: A New Legacy, (Theatrical & HBO Max Release) LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Zendaya
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Henry Golding, Samara Weaving
The Green Knight, Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander
Jungle Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
Stillwater, Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin


AUGUST--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Suicide Squad, (Theatrical & HBO Max Release) Margot Robbie, Viola Davis
Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi
Respect, Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker
Finch, Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones
PAW Patrol: The Movie, Dax Shepard, Tyler Perry, Lilly Bartlam
The Beatles: Get Back, (Documentary) John Lennon, Paul McCartney

This Month's Hidden Gem:
The Secret of Santa Vittoria

Director: Stanley Kramer; Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, Virna Lisi

During WWII in Italy, a wine-producing village hides a million bottles from the Germans. Set in the summer of 1943, immediately after the fall of Italy’s Fascist government under Benito Mussolini, when the German army moved to occupy most of the country. The only substantial source of income for the little hill town of Santa Vittoria was its wine. The townsfolk learn that the German occupation forces will be arriving soon, with plans to confiscate most of Santa Vittoria’s wine and truck it to Germany. The people organize under the inspiration of their new mayor, Italo Bombolini (Quinn), who until days before had been thought of as a buffoon by everyone in town, including his wife (Magnani), and had only been appointed mayor by the town’s pro-Mussolini politicians as a ruse to deflect the people’s anger. With everyone working together, the villagers attempt to hide the million bottles of wine. Based on a true event, I found this film on Amazon Prime and was surprised at how well it was presented—the performances of Anthony Quinn is one of his finest and Anna Magnani, one of my favorite Italian actresses, compliments Quinn. Dialogue is in English, and the score is delightful.

References: www.imbd.com, www.nyt.com, www.movietone.com

ReelCorner 1219 Donne
Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is a retired executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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