2018 Summer Movie Season Preview

It’s officially the 2018 summer movie season! This time of year used to be all blockbusters, franchises, and explosions. We still get all of our mindless fun, but we also get our fair share of indie darlings, horror films, and Oscar players. This summer features an eclectic group of movies, with some of Hollywood’s best actors and filmmakers hitting the big screen. We also get some indie hits, including what is my favorite movie of 2018 so far. Here’s a preview of the 2018 Summer movie season.

MOST ANTICIPATED SEQUELS

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (Peyton Reed, July 6)

DEADPOOL 2 (David Leitch, May 18)

THE INCREDIBLES 2 (Brad Bird, June 15)

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (Christopher McQuarrie, July 27)

SICARIO: DAY OF SOLDADO (Stefano Sollima, June 29)

There are a number of sequels dropping this summer, but each of these movies had a great original movie. The Incredibles 2 is one of the most anticipated sequels of the last decade and Fallout proves that how valuable Tom Cruise is as a movie star and the longevity of the franchise.

MOST ANTICIPATED NON-SEQUELS

ADRIFT (Baltasar Kormákur, June 1)

MILE 22 (Peter Berg, August 3)

OCEAN’S 8 (Gary Ross, June 8)

SKYSCRAPER (Rawson Marshall Thurber, July 13)

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (Ron Howard, May 25)

Yes, Solo and Ocean’s 8 count in this category because they don’t continue any story from a previous film. Skyscraper stars Dwayne Johnson and looks like the summer action flick we usually get this season. Adrift could be an awards player if it’s as good as it looks. And I have no idea what Mile 22 really is, but it re-teams director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg following three hits (Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day), so anything they do has me excited.

MOST ANTICIPATED INDIES

BLACKkKLANSMAN (Spike Lee, August 10)

FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader, May 18)

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST (Desiree Akhavan, August 3)

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (David Robert Mitchell, June 22)

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (Morgan Neville, June 8)

BlacKkKlansman could be a return to form for Spike Lee, who has been on a downward spiral for over a decade now. First Reformed is a Paul Schrader joint, so you know it’s going to be wild. Under the Silver Lake is David Robert Mitchell’s follow up to his masterful debut, It Follows. And I’m excited to see two films I missed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the Fred Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? which is sure to bring the tears, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, the surprise U.S. Dramatic winner for Best Movie. It’s looking like a good summer for indies!

THREE MOVIES I’VE SEEN THAT YOU SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR

AMERICAN ANIMALS (Bart Layton, June 1)

HEREDITARY (Ari Aster, June 8)

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (Boots Riley, July 6)

I saw all three of these movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and they are all great movies. Sorry to Bother You is as unique of a film as there is in 2018. American Animals is a wild, compelling, real-life crime story that has to be seen to believe. And Hereditary is the best movie I have in 2018. It is genuinely horrifying and masterfully crafted. Make sure you seek these ones out this summer. You won’t be disappointed!

MOVIES I AM NOT EXCITED FOR BUT I’LL SEE ANYWAY BECAUSE IT’S MY JOB

THE FIRST PURGE (Gerard McMurray, July 4)

JURASSIC WORLD: THE FALLEN KINGDOM (J.A. Boyana, June 22)

MAMMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN (Ol Parker, July 20)

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (Susanna Fogel, August 3)

UNCLE DREW (Charles Stone III, June 29)

None of these movies are wanted. There’s literally three sequels that nobody asked for and a movie based on a Pepsi commercial starring a basketball player. The Spy Who Dumped Me might have some hope, as I am a big fan of Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, but it’s an uphill climb. I’ll be seeing all of these and I’m not happy about it.