We’re in that time of year when there is a lot of new content being thrown our way hoping to grab our attention over the Summer blockbuster season. Here are some of the new titles that will hit theaters this month that I think might be worth your time.
Black Mirror – Season 5
I’ll start with a bit of a cheat since it isn’t a movie. Netflix is bringing back Black Mirror for a short season 5. It looks like it will only be 3 episodes so it really won’t be much longer than a feature-length movie. I have adored the twisted technological storytelling of the first four seasons, and the create your own adventure style special. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was something I’ve been waiting for Netflix or another streaming platform to do for a long while.
Season 5 looks like it’s going to continue to trend of bringing A-list talent as the information we have seen the names Anthony Mackie (Falcon from Avengers), Miley Cyrus (You know her), Topher Grace (That 70s Show and lots of other stuff), Andrew Scott (Moriarity in Sherlock), Pom Klementieff (Mantis from Avengers), and Angourie Rice (I’ve been waiting to see her in more since The Nice Guys years ago) thrown around. Season 5 drops on Netflix on June 5th.
Dark Phoenix
With Disney now owning 20th Century Fox that means that they own the rights to the X-Men, as well as Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, X-Force, Deadpool, and much more. Because of this transition and a quote from Fox Executive Emma Watts who said that Dark Phoenix would be the “perfect sendoff for our X-Men team,” it looks like this will be the conclusion of the X-Men: Beginnings story arc which began with X-Men: First Class in 2011 and melded with the original timeline in X-Men: Days of Future Past. I think it is safe to say that we haven’t seen the end of the X-Men, but they may look very different under Marvel’s umbrella and this film will close the door that was opened in 2000 with the original classic X-Men. It still remains to be seen what will happen with the New Mutants horror spinoff that has been in the works for at least 3 years. It might just end up on Disney+.
Ever since the 90s cartoon, the X-Men have been my favorite superhero team. That’s right, even more than the Avengers. I mean my parents named me after Wolverine. (Not really, but that’s what I tell myself.) Over the years we’ve gotten some great stories and we’ve seen them weave several timelines together. Last Stand didn’t really do the Dark Phoenix storyline justice, so it will be nice to see something a little more in line with the comics. I’m tentatively excited about it if for nothing more than the return of Evan Peters’ Quicksilver. Dark Phoenix will rise in your theaters on June 7th.
I Am Mother
Shortly after humanity’s extinction, in a high-tech bunker deep beneath the earth’s surface, a robot named Mother commences her protocol. Designed to repopulate the earth with humans born from test-tube embryos, Mother raises a baby girl to become an intelligent, compassionate teenager (Clara Rugaard). But the arrival of a wounded woman (Hilary Swank) at the bunker door soon casts doubt on Mother’s account of the earth’s fate and threatens the unique bond between Mother and her “daughter.”
I don’t know much about this film, outside of this official synopsis. This is Grant Sputore’s first feature-length film and it looks like it could be a good addition to the myriad of man vs. machine movies that we have seen since the origins of cinema itself. With Hillary Swank and Rose Byrne, artificial intelligence, and a dilemma over who to trust it sounds like this will be a fun ride for a stay in date night. It will drop on Netflix on June 7th.
Murder Mystery
You’re probably thinking, are you serious Logan? An Adam Sandler movie? Direct to Netflix? Is this going to be another Ridiculous Six, The Do-Over, or The Week Of? With Sandler, it is always possible. He has given us some real stinkers over the years, but I still remember the good old days and I hope that maybe he is turning a corner in his career and really trying to make more quality films. I really enjoyed him in Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories. I know that he has good acting chops.
The same could really be said for Jennifer Aniston, however, I have usually enjoyed her films and I’m a fan. Add in Gemma Arterton, Luke Evans, and others in a good cast and give me a story that feels like it is pulled right from an Agatha Christie novel and I think we’ve got another good date night movie. Pop the popcorn and get ready to laugh with Murder Mystery dropping on Netflix on June 14th.
The Dead Don’t Die
If I asked 10 random people on the street to name 10 film directors I would bet a dollar a name that no one would mention Jim Jarmusch. He is an enigmatic and quirky individual who is extremely creative and has developed relationships all over Hollywood over the last 35 years. When I heard that he was producing a zombie movie with Adam Driver (who he directed in Paterson) I was instantly interested.
I had almost forgotten that Jarmusch is not a stranger to the horror genre. He created the vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive starring Tilda Swinton who also has a role in this. But when I saw the reclusive Bill Murray as the co-lead with Driver I was sold. The Dead Don’t Die will be hitting select theaters on June 14.
Beats
We had a flurry of powerful African American led dramas last year. Beats looks like it might be bringing that game to Netflix. Anthony Anderson (Dre from the TV show Black-ish) plays a school security officer who goes looking for a truant student and finds a hurting young man who is gifted musically. He begins to support the boy and encourage him but will he push him too hard? Is he ready to put himself out there with wounds and trauma still so fresh in his mind?
This one will pull on the heart-strings and probably make you think about music, race, law enforcement, mental health, education, and who knows what else. I love living in this creative environment where it feels like much of the creative and unique storytelling is being done on these new media platforms while theaters still play a rich role as the only venue for amazing experiential blockbusters. I hope that we keep both and that they both continue to thrive and grow. I’m really looking forward to Beats and Netflix will be releasing it on June 19th.
Yesterday
Jumping to the end of the month, we see another very unique story coming from the incomparable Danny Boyle. If you don’t know his name just do a quick google search and great movies will explode all over your screen. He’s one of the most reliably great directors out there. If he puts his name on it you can be sure it is worth your time.
I just love this concept. I’m not familiar with the lead actor, Himesh Patel, but he has a beautiful voice from the trailer. Lily James and Kate McKinnon are always wins as well. It looks funny and romantic and the music is guaranteed to be fantastic unless they take Ed Sheeran’s advice and change Hey Jude to Hey Dude. That is potentially blasphemous. Yesterday will be playing in your local theater on June 28th.
What About Toy Story 4?
I intentionally left Toy Story 4 off this list because I am reverse anticipating it. I’m still upset with Pixar for not listening to me after I told them to leave well enough alone after Toy Story 3. They’ve gone too far. If Pixar can’t continue to innovate and create unique stories then they should just hang it up and not ruin the great films that they already made. I could be totally wrong and it could be amazing. I’m sure I will see it, but I have a sinking feeling that it is not going to be great.
What is your most anticipated release of June? What do you think about Netflix putting out some great original content? We cancelled our Amazon Prime and haven’t really missed it, do they have some new movies or shows you’d like to share? Leave it in the comments below or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and we can chat.
The movie features a blend of new characters as well as actors reprising their roles from the original movies as we join them 30 years since the destruction of the Death Star and the fall of the Empire. We are treated to Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew as Han Solo and Chewbacca, Carrie Fisher as Princess turned General Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill even makes a brief albeit epic appearance as the nearly mythical Luke Skywalker. There are plenty of other visuals and references that caused the theaters to erupt with fanboys (and girls) gushing their praise. However, some have said that this film was too close to the originals and it should be called more of a reboot than a sequel. I disagree.
I see the presence of the original characters as a way to pass the baton on to a new generation as we step into new adventures. John Boyega as Finn, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, and Oscar Isaac as Poe bring a delightful on-screen chemistry reminiscent of the original trilogy but setting a course for a new direction. The new characters are at home in the Star Wars universe, nothing feels forced, and they welcomingly provide a lighthearted and fitting next generation of heroes. Both the old and new cast work beautifully together, and the result is a film jam-packed with classic banter, references to previous movies and suspenseful action.
I will not spoil anything here, though if you have waited as long as I did to watch the film you will need to watch out for sneaky spoilers already creeping their way into pop-culture. My recent favorite being Adam Driver reprising his role on Saturday Night Live as Kylo Ren becomes Undercover Boss.