Coming Soon: A Moviegoer’s Guide to July

“SEX TAPE”

Who: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corrdry and Rob Lowe
What: A married couple wakes up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts.
When: July 18th
Why: Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz had good chemistry in Jake Kasdan’s 2011 comedy “Bad Teacher,” so it’s great to see the trio teaming up again, this time with Segel in a more prominent role. Though it’s a little worrying that the script was written by the same woman responsible for the atrocious Jennifer Lopez rom-com “The Back-Up Plan,” the story is certainly timely, even if the lead characters’ naivety about the Cloud seems a bit dubious in this day and age. Still, Segel and Diaz can be really funny when given the right material, and with “Tammy” the only other major comedy being released this month, it’s a no-brainer which one you should see.

“THE PURGE: ANARCHY”

Who: Frank Grillo, Kiele Sanchez, Zach Gilford and Michael K. Williams
What: A young couple works to survive on the streets after their car breaks down right as the annual purge commences.
When: July 18th
Why: The first “Purge” movie was an incredibly stupid horror-thriller dragged down by its laughably implausible concept, idiotic characters and cardboard villains that wore masks for no apparent reason other than to look creepy. This fast-tracked sequel appears to be plagued by many of those same issues, but the decision to move the action out into the city (rather than stay contained within a single household) should at least make it a little more entertaining – like a slasher film by way of “The Warriors.” Though “The Purge: Anarchy” doesn’t have the name recognition of Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey, Frank Grillo is one of my favorite character actors working today, and his involvement is reason alone to give the franchise another shot.

“WISH I WAS HERE”

Who: Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene and Joey King
What: Aidan Bloom is a 35-year-old man who finds himself at major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, career and family.
When: July 18th
Why: It’s taken Zach Braff 10 years to direct a follow-up to his 2004 debut “Garden State,” eventually securing financing for the movie (or at least a large chunk of it) with a crowdsourcing campaign through Kickstarter, which drew more than its share of criticism. But while his first feature was widely loved by critics and audiences alike, “Wish I Was Here” has gotten off to a much shakier start after its mixed reception at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. With that said, there’s a lot to love about the trailer if you’re a fan of Braff’s work – even if it does come across a little heavy-handed with its mushy emotional beats – so don’t count it out just yet.

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