“The Lion King” – July 19
Regardless of how you feel about Disney’s new trend of “live-action” remakes – people seem to have wildly different opinions about their artistic merit and overall necessity – don’t expect them to “run away and never return” any time soon. Considering how many other retellings audiences never seem to grow tired of (see: “A Star Is Born”) Disney’s likely pretty confident these remakes will simply print money. It’s the circle of life, right? Perhaps the bigger questions for “The Lion King” remaining; how will director Jon Favreau’s second “live-action” adaptation alter the original, and how will it be classified exactly? Is it going to compete in the Animated Feature or Visual Effects category at next year’s Oscars? There were no real sets, as the upcoming film was captured with the new movie magic of VR tech, so the movie is technically not live-action. However people end up classifying Favreau’s movie, be prepared for a summer of divisive debate and Disney pride. – AB
“Ray & Liz” – July 10
Dysfunction is the name of the game and English photographer and visual artist Richard Billingham captured that brilliantly, visually and viscerally in “Ray & Liz” which made its world premiere at the New York Film Festival last year. NYFF said his first feature is “grounded in the visual and emotional textures of his family portraits, particularly those of his deeply dysfunctional parents.” Our review from NYFF described the film as a “portrait of dysfunction, but also nostalgia,” but not all dire and English-kitchen-sink-bleak; there’s apparently humor to it all as well. Actors Patrick Romer and Ella Smith are said to be terrific in the film and Billingham announces himself, right out of the gate, as a filmmaker we all must now keep an eye on. Can’t wait.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” – July 26
Look, there’s no reason for us to sell you on “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” – we could tell you it’s the ninth film from Quentin Tarantino and simply ask “are you excited yet?” What’s intriguing about Q.T.’s latest is that early word seems to indicate something closer to the leisurely tone of his classic “Jackie Brown” than the spectacularly gory revenge narratives of his last few movies. ‘Hollywood’ is the story of Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), an actor in TV Westerns who’s fallen on hard times, and his best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a stuntman/war veteran who’s apparently so tough that the director has said he can “kill [you] with a spoon.” Rick and Cliff’s story unfolds against the tapestry of 1969 Los Angeles: when love was free, the movie industry was changing, and a certain long-haired degenerate named Charlie Manson was making quite the bloody name for himself. Tarantino has made it clear that ‘Hollywood’ won’t be “The Charles Manson Story,” although Margot Robbie has been given prime billing playing the late Sharon Tate alongside an absolutely killer cast that includes Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Emile Hirsch, and Bruce Dern. – NL
AUGUST
“Hobbs and Shaw” – August 2
It’s no secret that the “Fast and Furious” franchise underwent a bit of a shakeup in 2017 with the release of its eighth installment, “The Fate of the Furious.” Even before that mega-blockbuster landed in multiplexes, rumors began to fly that franchise mainstay Vin Diesel and (relative) newcomer Dwayne Johnson weren’t getting along. With that in mind, it makes sense that Johnson – who is arguably the biggest movie star on planet Earth at the moment – would want to branch out on his own. So, “Hobbs and Shaw” – which pits Johnson’s no-B.S., ass-kicking bounty hunter Luke Hobbs against Jason Statham’s smack-talking international criminal Deckard Shaw – offers fans of this series a unique and exciting proposition. Directed by David Leitch (“Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2”) this flick will no doubt boast the same brawny action, rowdy humor, and logic-defying set pieces as the original “F&F” flicks, all while shining a light on Johnson and Statham, who have proven themselves to be two of the bright spots in this enduring franchise. They’ll be joined by Idris Elba as a cybernetically-enhanced baddie, Vanessa Kirby as Statham’s sister, and of course, Helen Mirren – because what would one of these movies be without her? – NL
“Luce” – August 2
Lots of films break big out of the Sundance Film Festival, but perhaps one of the bigger breakouts is somewhat under the radar. Directed by Julias Onah, “Luce” is a tense psychodrama which stars Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Tim Roth. The movie centers on a married couple (Watts and Roth) who are forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea (Harrison Jr.), after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher (Spencer) threatens his status as an all-star student. It’s a movie that collides our race, privilege, and current cultural issues into a big, fraught, intense stew that makes you question everyone and everything. And apparently it’s brilliant too. In our A-grade review, our Sundance reporter wrote, “’Luce’ is a dangerous mind field and simply crackles with the kind of distressing pressure that is beginning to define America in every conversation we have about race, marginalization, social strata, woke politics and even marriage.” Sold!
“The Nightingale” – August 2
For two years now, the prestigious Venice Film Festival has featured only a single film helmed by a female director. Last year, Jennifer Kent brought her controversial, stately follow-up to the arthouse horror smash “The Babadook” to the festival, where she was harassed by an Italian reporter who called her a “whore” after the film’s debut. Those who were eager to soak up more of Kent’s idiosyncratic and uncompromising brand of horror movie madness will want to check out “The Nightingale” when it sees its stateside release this summer. Set in the 19th century, Kent’s brutal revenge fable follows newcomer Aisling Franciosi as an Irish convict hellbent on retribution in the Tasmanian wilderness (check out our mixed-to-favorable review). Kent is a key player in this new golden age of artful, thoughtful independent horror films, and it seems as though she’s chosen to follow “The Babadook” with something grimmer and potentially more alienating than her critically heralded first film.- NL [Our review]