By Chip Chandler — Producer
In Amarillo theaters this week: Dinosaur attack!
New in theaters
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The Jurassic World theme park has closed, but a dormant volcano is poised to explode on the island and wipe out the surviving dinosaurs in this new sequel directed by J.A. Bayona. A rescue operation is launched by a mysterious, wealthy man (James Cromwell), sending Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) back to the island — and, eventually, the dinosaurs back to the mainland. Chaos ensues, naturally. Reviews are mixed, though more positive for this film than the previous one in the franchise. "Life finds a way, and so do franchises that make ungodly amounts of money. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom gets away with its unoriginality for the most part, but this franchise’s desperation is starting to show. It’s time to evolve or go extinct," writes the Associated Press' Lindsay Bahr. (PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd., and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)
Special engagements
Jurassic World Double Feature
Catch both the 2015 reboot and its new sequel on opening day in back-to-back screenings beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday at Amarillo Star 14.
2018 DCI Tour Premiere
Top drum corps Blue Stars, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment will show off their new shows at this season kick-off performance, screening live at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hollywood 16.
West Side Story
The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with beloved musical West Side Story, screening at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Bandstand
Broadway show Bandstand, a swing musical about a group of soldiers adapting to life on the homefront following World War II, will screen at 7 p.m. Monday and June 28 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Purple Rain
Dearly beloved, the Purple one rises. Special screenings at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday at the Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40, will feature glow sticks, purple streamers and tambourines to celebrate the film's 34th anniversary.
Kids' movie specials
All three Amarillo movie theaters are offering summer-long specials on family films. Click here for the full schedule.
This week's offerings:
- Regal Summer Movie Express: Animated features Despicable Me 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 will screen at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Amarillo Star 14. Admission is $1.
- Premiere Cinemas Summer Kids Fest: Animated feature The Peanuts Movie will screen at 10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40. Admission is free.
- Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse: Animated feature Storks will screen at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Hollywood 16. Admission is $1.
Upcoming
June 28: Advance tickets are on sale for action thriller Sicario: Day of the Soldado and comedy Uncle Drew at Hollywood 16.
July 3: Advance tickets are on sale for horror prequel The First Purge at Hollywood 16. Amarillo Star 14 should follow.
July 3 to 7: Filmmaker Geni Kawamura follows up his Your Name with Fireworks, a sci-fi tale of star-crossed teenagers who use an alien device to reset time and stay together — at the risk of losing touch with reality. A subtitled version will screen at 7 p.m. July 3 and 5, with an English-dubbed version screening at 12:55 p.m. July 7, at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
July 5: Advance tickets are now on sale for Marvel superhero sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp.
July 12: In 350 Days — Legends, Champions, Survivors, former pro wrestling champions Bret Hart and Billy Graham talk with fellow vets about the toll taken by the sport. It'll screen at 7 p.m. July 12 at Amarillo Star 14.
July 12: Advance tickets are on sale now for animated sequel Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation at Amarillo Star 14; Hollywood 16 should follow. Advance tickets are on sale now for action-adventure Skyscraper at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
July 15 and 18: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a 30th anniversary presentation of the Tom Hanks comedy Big, screening at 2 and 7 p.m. July 15 and 18 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
July 19: Advance tickets are on sale for musical sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
July 20: Thriller sequel The Equalizer 2 is scheduled to open, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
July 22 to 25: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with fantasy adventure Princess Mononoke at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. July 22 and 7 p.m. June 25, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. July 23.
July 26: An encore screening of Newsies: The Broadway Musical will return for special summer showings at 7 p.m. July 26 and 12:55 p.m. July 28 at Amarillo Star 14.
July 27: Action sequel Mission: Impossible — Fallout and animated feature Teen Titans Go! to the Movies are scheduled to open, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
July 28 and 30: An encore screening of Sailor Moon R — The Movie will precede the premiere of Sailor Moon S — The Movie in a special event. They'll screen at 12:55 p.m. July 28 (English-dubbed) and 7 p.m. July 30 (subtitled) at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. A third movie in the cycle, Sailor Moon Supers — The Movie, will screen Aug. 4 and 6.
Listings at a glance
Click on titles for my reviews and on theaters for showtimes.
Action Point (WM-6); Adrift (H-16); Avengers: Infinity War (H-16); Breaking In (WM-6); Deadpool 2 (AS-14, H-16); Hereditary (AS-14, H-16); I Can Only Imagine (WM-6); The Incredibles 2 (AS-14, H-16, plus Sandell Drive-In, 12 S. Center Drive in Clarendon, and Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Drive); Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (AS-14, H-16); Life of the Party (H-16); Ocean's 8 (AS-14, H-16 and Tascosa); Overboard (WM-6); Rampage (WM-6); Sherlock Gnomes (WM-6); Solo: A Star Wars Story (AS-14, H-16, Sandell and Tascosa); SuperFly (AS-14, H-16); and Tag (AS-14, H-16).
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
