“Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Cast: Danny Glover, Finn Wittrock, Mike Epps, Thora Birch, Tichina Arnold
Synopsis: Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.
What You Need to Know: Director Joe Talbot caused some excitement with his debut feature film “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” when it premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Based on a story by the director and star Jimmy Fails (and based partially on Fails’ own experiences), the film was picked up by A24 after winning over critics and scoring the Best Director and Special Jury Award for Creative Collaboration awards at the festival. Our critic called in a triumph, writing “The film team is so strong and the direction so fine that it’s simply hard to believe this is actually Talbot’s first full-length feature film.”
Release Date: June 14th
“Wild Rose”
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Sives
Synopsis: The complicated story of Rose-Lynn, a woman on a quest to become a country music star, while also grappling with the responsibilities of being recently released from prison and a young mother of two children.
What You Need to Know: Actress Jessie Buckley would appear to be on the edge of a mainstream breakthrough. She stunned in last years thriller “Beast” and played a pivotal role in the dour drama “Chernobyl” and with “Wild Rose,” the story of a would-be country singer from Glasgow, she gets to cut loose. Yes, there’s still plenty of high stakes that go along with her character’s journey, but it’s a relative different step that the work she’s previously laid out for herself. Directed by Tom Harper (“War & Peace” and “Peaky Blinders“), the film played at the Tribeca Film Festival where our critic sang its praises, writing, ” From its opening notes, “Wild Rose” puts a lump in your throat as you realize you’re watching a star being born.”
Release Date: June 21st
“Toy Story 4”
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tony Hale, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Synopsis: Woody has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. So when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky, declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy.
What You Need to Know: What’s left to be said about this franchise that hasn’t already been written? Did anyone need a fourth installment of the “Toy Story” franchise, especially following the beautiful and poignant “send-off” we were given back in 2010? No, not particularly. Nine years later with much of the original fan-base having reached a natural goodbye at the turn of the decade with Woody and pals, it’s hard to even understand who the target audience is. Regardless, this is Pixar with one it’s most beloved franchises and while it’s gratuitous, if there’s any series that has discovered new layers through its sequels when it could’ve rested on its innate popularity, it’s this.
Release Date: June 21st
“Child’s Play”
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Mark Hamill, Gabriel Bateman
Synopsis: A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, “Child’s Play” follows Karen, a single mother who gifts her son Andy a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature.
What You Need to Know: I am not one for creepy doll films, so consider myself checked out here but, as has been mentioned before with any and all remakes/reboots/sequels/prequels – was a new Chucky film really necessary? Directed by Lars Klevberg whose most notable film prior to this was “Polaroid,” maybe this will scratch the summer itch for horror fans. At the very least it will give us Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, and Mark Hamill all in the same film, which just about justifies it all.
Release Date: June 21st
“Yesterday”
Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, Ed Sheeran
Synopsis: Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in a tiny English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. Then, after a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed… and he finds himself with a very complicated problem, indeed.
What You Need to Know: If you were to sum up the general atmosphere of Danny Boyle’s upcoming feature it would be, in a word, charming. “Yesterday” looks winsome and fun with a pretty stellar soundtrack to boot. Forgetting any misfires, Boyle’s resume is admirably eclectic, never staying with one genre too long and the results are always interesting. Lily James and Kate McKinnon are always a draw, but seeing Ed Sheeran’s name attached has us crossing our fingers.
Release Date: June 28th
“Ophelia”
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, George MacKay, Tom Felton
Synopsis: Something is rotten in medieval-era Denmark, where political intrigue swirls around the imperial court like dark magic. Amidst it all, the queen’s brightest lady-in-waiting, Ophelia, finds herself drawn to Hamlet, the charismatic and elusive crown prince. As their secretive love affair takes flight, betrayal strikes the court, threatening to derail their union and devastate the royal family for good. Caught between her desires and her loyalty, Ophelia has to decide where her devotion will ultimately lie.
What You Need to Know: “Ophelia,” starring lead of the new ‘Star Wars‘ trilogy Daisy Ridley, already seems poised to cause a divide between film critics as they weigh the merits. A refreshing retelling of a Shakespearean work, the film allows us to see a familiar story through the eyes of a character so often not given the amount of face time they deserve with how innately fascinating they are. The film followed an unfortunate trend of films directed by women (in this case, Claire McCarthy) post-festivals (Sundance 2018) taking far too long to have the rights picked up and distributed.
Release Date: June 28th, Streaming July 2nd
