Summer Movie Preview: July 2015

It's hot outside! You'd almost think it was summer! Now, where can we take refuge from the sweltering heat and enjoy some spectacle at the same time? I know! Moooooovies! Let's see what July can put on my radar.

The Main Attraction: I'd usually never list a romantic comedy as the most intriguing movie of the month. But I've been enjoying the hell out of Amy Schumer's comedy lately, so I just can't resist seeing what she's going to do with the format in Trainwreck (July 17). Throw in Tilda Swinton and Brie Larson in supporting roles, and I'll be at the theater with bells on.

Looks Promising: I'm a normal, red-blooded male who enjoys...certain kinds of physical beauty, so I'm hoping we can put together a Rum Crowd visit to the theater for Magic Mike XXL (July 1). The first one was pretty good, and I believe this one does away with the wooden characters that dragged it down, so all signs point to yay.

Possible Rental: I count myself among the fans of Sherlock, but aside from that, the character has been getting pretty overexposed lately. Normally, I'd likely skip a movie that features him as an elderly man losing his memories. But when he's played by Ian McKellen, it makes Mr. Holmes (July 17) a pretty good candidate for a quiet-evening-at-home sort of movie. I'll check out the reviews and take it from there. There's also Do I Sound Gay? (July 10), a documentary about the cultural history of the "gay voice". It sounds like a pretty natural follow-up to The Celluloid Closet, but nothing I need to catch in theaters.

We'll See: It's weird to relegate some of the summer's biggest releases to this category, but these are the movies I just can't whip up much excitement over yet, no matter how vast their budgets. There's the reboot of Vacation (July 31), which only interests me in terms of checking out Chris Hemsworth's comedic cameo. There's Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (July 31), which I'll wait for the word-of-mouth response to before making a decision. And while a Marvel superhero movie would tend to be towards the top of my list and I do love Paul Rudd, I'm going to reserve judgement on Ant-Man (July 17) as well. I care less than nothing about the character, and the trailers didn't make it look particularly good, but maybe it'll pull a Guardians of the Galaxy and come out of nowhere to blow me away. I'll keep my fingers crossed.