Kicking off what looks to actually be a pretty strong summer movie season, June has a lot of interesting offerings. From the biggest of the big budgets, to indie flicks that’ll probably make only a small blip at the box office, here are the 10 films I think you need to see this month.
Wonder Woman (June 2, wide)
Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster), Wonder Woman just opened on Friday and is already looking to smash records and exceed expectations. Of course, the film is the latest in the sometimes-maligned DC cinematic universe, though so far much more highly regarded by critics than DC’s other recent outings, including Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman.
Dean (June 2, limited)
Directed by, written by, and starring stand-up comedian Demetri Martin, Dean follows a New York City-based illustrator (Martin) who returns home to the west coast after the death of his mother. (It also stars Kevin Kline and Community’s Gillian Jacobs, which are two more pluses, in my opinion.) Knowing Martin’s distinctive brand of comedy, I’d imagine it’d be helpful to already be a fan of his work going into the film, and perhaps as a result, the film has earned somewhat mixed reviews from critics after initially being well-received at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
It Comes at Night (June 9, wide)
A24 has become a darling of independent film, with each of their new releases pre-ordained with buzz before much is even known about the film itself. Not everything they release is a hit or even very good, necessarily (for every Room or Moonlight there seems to be a Sea of Trees or an Equals) but It Comes at Night seems like it has potential to be a crossover success. Starring Joel Edgerton and Riley Keough, it story is familiar within the horror genre (a man tries to seclude himself and his family to protect them from a mysterious outside threat, only to have some strangers show up seeking refuge), but it looks to balance horror tropes with artful filmmaking, which I can always appreciate.
My Cousin Rachel (June 9, limited)
Oh, doesn’t this trailer look like melodramatic fun? Based on the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, director Roger Michell (Noting Hill, Venus) seems to be embracing gothic camp with the help of his seemingly extremely game leading lady, Rachel Weisz. Throw in Sam Claflin as a wan upper-crust dreamboat (arguably the only type of role he should play), and I’m solidly on board.
Rough Night (June 16, wide)
It shouldn’t be noteworthy that June features two major releases that are directed by women and feature female leads, yet it kind of is. The second of those is Rough Night, the debut feature from director Lucia Aniello. Aniello has worked extensively on Broad City and now makes the leap from television to film with the help of Broad City star Ilana Glazer. Following the misadventures of a bachelorette party whose hired male stripper winds up dead, Rough Night also stars Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Kravitz, and Jillian Bell.
The Bad Batch (June 23, limited)
Anna Lily Amirpour’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut feature, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, is sure to be batshit insane, if The Bad Batch’s trailer is any indication. Billed as a dystopian cannibal love story, The Bad Batch looks to offer an eclectic cast and style for days. It received somewhat lukewarm response on the festival circuit last year, but it looks ballsy, weird, and fun enough to get me into the theatre.
The Beguiled (June 23, limited)
Haven’t we all been waiting for Sofia Coppola to make a freaky Southern-gothic Civil War parable? Loosely based on the 1971 Clint Eastwood western of the same name and starring Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, and Elle Fanning, The Beguiled takes place at a Virginia girls boarding school that is disrupted by the arrival of Union soldier John McBurney (Colin Farrell). And in case all of that wasn’t enough to entice you, last weekend Coppola scooped up a Best Director award for The Beguiled at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Big Sick (June 23, limited)
There needs to be at least one quality indie rom-com released every summer (preferably starring Zoe Kazan), and The Big Sick looks like it could perfectly fill that slot. Telling the real-life story of star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily (portrayed here by Kazan), the film follows a complicated relationship made more complicated when Emily suddenly becomes very ill. The trailer looks touching and its two stars are endlessly charming. AND The Big Sick is directed by Michael Showalter, whose last film, My Name is Doris, was equal parts funny and melancholy.
Baby Driver (June 30, wide)
Any new film by Edgar Wright is bound to garner a lot of excitement. But while his last outing, 2013’s The World’s End left me a little underwhelmed, I have high hopes for Baby Driver, partly just because it looks like something a little different from Wright. More than just being a typical caper/crime movie, film also boasts an interesting approach to integrating its soundtrack. The trailer looks relentlessly stylish (but, like… in a good way) and early buzz seems strong. It looks like it could be a perfect summer popcorn flick.
Okja (June 30, Netflix)
There was a bit of a kerfuffle at Cannes this year after it was announced that Okja had been picked up by Netflix and would be released on the streaming platform just weeks after playing the festival. But hey, I’m not complaining about getting to see the new Bong Joon Ho movie. Following up 2013’s truly excellent Snowpiercer, Bong’s Okja looks strange and wonderful, telling the story of a young girl attempting to protect a fantastical creature from being kidnapped by a multi-national corporation. And to top it all off, the film stars Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, and Lilly Collins. Time to fire up Netflix and enjoy.
Times Like Those 