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A Good Day to Die Hard
Who: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cole Hauser, Yuliya Snigir
What: The fifth movie in the action franchise about tough NY detective John McClane. This time, McClane's son, played by Jai Courtney, finds himself caught up in a crime in Russia. McClane goes to help and they soon find themselves caught up in an explosive government scandal.
When: July 2nd - DVD and online on demand
Why: I'm a big fan of the Die Hard series but I have to admit that I wasn't really a fan of Live Free or Die Hard. A good Die Hard movie should have McClane trapped in one location, where he's the only thing standing between terrorists and the good guys. So ramping up the stakes by putting him overseas seems more suitable to a James Bond movie. Still, Die Hard movies promise action and there appears to be plenty of that in the trailer, so I'm fairly enthusiastic about seeing this fifth entry.

Identity Thief
Who: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Banks, Genesis Rodriguez
What: A road trip comedy starring Bateman as a married man named Sandy Patterson who unwittingly gives up his personal information to an identity thief (McCarthy), and then decides to chase her down and confront her.
When: July 2nd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Both Bateman and McCarthy are great comedians in their own way, and I think pairing them up for a comedy like this is brilliant. Unfortunately the Rotten Tomatoes score for this movie is down at 20%, but I expect that even if the movie's dumb, I won't regret having spent time watching it.

Inescapable
Who: Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Oded Fehr
What: A thriller starring Siddig as a former Syrian intelligence official who has settled in Toronto. He receives word that his daughter has gone missing in Damascus and sets out to find her while dodging elements of his past.
When: July 2nd - DVD
Why: I first became familiar with Siddig as Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He's continued to work since then, in the tv series 24, and Primeval, as well as in movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Syriana, and Clash of the Titans. Putting him in a spy thriller with Tomei and Oded Fehr sounds like a good mix to me.

This week celebrates Independence Day, and what better way to celebrate patriotism than watch Bruce Willis tear up Russia in A Good Day to Die Hard? I'm hoping Identity Thief will bring the same level of enthusiasm in comedic form, though the reviews don't seem promising. Those big name movies are the obvious choices this week, but among the others I'm most interested in seeing Inescapable. The Middle Eastern spy thriller and the presence of Siddig, Tomei, and Fehr make it seem interesting. After that, I'd probably lean toward The Girl because of Abbie Cornish, though it's a drama that doesn't necessarily appeal to me. Similarly, 6 Souls could turn out to be a decent thriller but I'm more interested in the performances of Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers than I am the plot potential. AE: Apocalypse Earth can't be much worse than its inspiration, After Earth, based on that movie's Rotten Tomatoes score, but still, this is a movie that I would catch on tv if I were being lazy on the couch, but probably not one I'd make an effort to rent.

Coming next week:

Dead Man Down, The Gatekeepers, The Power of Few, Spring Breakers, Tyler Perry's Temptation

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