CinemaCon: Top 10 Movies

Is it possible that 22 Jump Street breaks the comedy sequel curse? The hilarious new footage on display at CinemaCon suggests that yes, maybe it could.

The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes footage was very strong. Highlights included apes riding horses and wielding human weapons; this looks like it’s going to be a huge hit this Summer.

Universal unveiled what was essentially a first trailer for the highly-anticipated adaptation. It’s not exactly in my wheelhouse, but I couldn’t help getting a bit excited about seeing the first footage, which pitched the movie as a traditional romance with only hints of less savory content.

"Nevermind Blended -- how about that f---ing Godzilla?" Adam Sandler, summing up what everyone was thinking after seeing new footage of the giant monster.

Disney presented a lengthy, unfinished clip from Pixar’s Inside Out, which hits theaters next Summer. As of now, this looks like a welcome return to the sort of out-of-the-box thinking that made Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up so popular.

Disney screened baseball drama Million Dollar Arm during their presentation. While we aren’t supposed to say anything about it, I will go out on a limb and say this is one to keep an eye out for when it opens in May.

The set-up is great: Despicable Me's little yellow Minions have existed since the beginning of time, and are constantly “seeking the most despicable master.” It then shows the Minions unsuccessfully working for a T-Rex, the pharaohs, Dracula and many more historical bad guys. When the Minions find themselves without a master, three of them — Kevin, Stuart and Bob — head out on an adventure that ultimately leads them to New York City.

A lengthy, impressive clip featured Colin Firth’s secret agent character beating up some thugs in a pub using a mix of gadgets and hand-to-hand combat. The whole bit was set to John Barry’s iconic Connery-era Bond score, which set the tone nicely. Secret Service is currently scheduled to open in October.

Director Angelina Jolie took the stage to present the footage, which ran around 10 minutes. With an incredible true story, strong performances, and some gorgeous cinematography from Roger Deakins, this is absolutely a movie to be excited about. While it’s obviously very early, the buzz around CinemaCon for the rest of the day was that this is a legitimate awards contender.

This is one of my most-anticipated movies of Summer 2014, so it was great to see the first five minutes or so of the movie. The clip featured a mutant compound being attacked by Sentinels in a dystopian future setting. Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) were the familiar mutants, while a handful of new ones also took part. The action was exciting and unique, with portals factoring in heavily.