By Chris Kavan - 07/14/16 at 07:40 AM CT
With family films paving the way for the blockbuster summer, is there room for a serious drama? If not, is there room for a much-discussed reboot of a beloved franchise featuring an all-female-lead cast? I have a feeling this is going to be another weekend where The Secret Life of Pets is once again going to dominate the live-action films, but the big story is going to be where our remake lands and if the many nay-sayers are proven right or will finally shut up about things.
GHOSTBUSTERS At this point in time, what hasn't been said about the new Ghostbusters movie? Director Paul Feig took a big risk by casting four females (Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones) in the lead roles that were originally portrayed by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson - but if early reviews are to be trusted, this one may make the cut after all. Still, the $144 million budget seems a bit of a gamble, as even if the film earns rave reviews, it has an army of misogynistic, trolling mouth-breathers decrying its very existence. I was more apprehensive following the first (somewhat lackluster) trailer, but I have softened a bit. Still, I'm not dying to see this one in theaters but it will be the most interesting story of the weekend on whether it manages to score a decent opening or not.
THE INFILTRATOR Looking like a cross between Sicario, Traffic and Scarface, The Infiltrator looks to be a great vehicle for star Bryan Cranston. Based on the true story of agent Robert Mazur, Cranston stars as an elite undercover agent, one who is assigned to crack the biggest drug operation in Miami, that of Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar. He's teamed up with hothead Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) along with a highly-skilled, though untested in the field, "wife" (Diane Kruger) and together they work in this dangerous world trying to stay alive and get the job done. The supporting cast includes Olympia Dukakis, Joseph Gilgun, Jason Isaacs, Mark Holden, Amy Ryan, Saïd Taghmaoui, Benjamin Bratt and Michael Paré. That is a pretty impressive lineup and the fllm looks solid. Still, this R-rated endeavor, much like Sicario, isn't likely to score big numbers even with good critical reaction. We'll see how it stands against families and comedies, but the top five is the best it can hope for.
The weekend should shape up to be another big one. While Secret Life of Pets is likely to grab the crown once again, we'll see how Ghostbusters and The Infiltrator manage in their opening weekend.
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