July is proving to be a fruitful month for fans of superhero films, with James Gunn’s Superman and the latest edition of Fantastic Four sure to dominate the box office.
Horror hits are now just around the corner though, with Bring Her Back and I Know What You Did Last Summer serving as two equally exciting, polar opposites within the genre. With these two coming out now and the UK release of Celine Song’s Materialists within touching distance, here are some films further afield that everyone needs to catch!
Weapons (Current UK release date: August 8)
Some love them and some hate them but you have to respect them—I’m of course talking about viral campaigns to drive up the interest in new horror releases. A few years ago it was M3GAN and Smile, now it is the turn of Weapons, Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his debut feature Barbarian. With a real website displaying the fictional information about the events of the film, even connecting it to the same universe as Barbarian as well, there is an enticing story for the audience to embed themselves into.
The synopsis reads, “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance”. Fingers will surely be pointed left, right and centre, and the trailer suggests that we can expect a Josh Brolin performance like we’ve never seen before.
Many have been quick to draw attention to the heavy-handed hints at American school shootings and the black hole effect of growing up in the social media age, but perhaps that’s all part of the plan to build up intrigue and boost ticket sales.
Sorry, Baby (August 22)
Ever since watching Sean Fennessey (of The Big Picture podcast) interview Eva Victor about her directorial debut, I have found myself counting down the days until the release of Sorry, Baby.
Naomi Ackie is a fascinating performer who got the year off to a strong start with her role in Mickey 17, and she is set to play a key part, alongside Victor herself, in an A24 release that will make us go back-and-forth between laughing and crying. Victor’s character Agnes is left dealing with her trauma as the world around her carries on as normal in this Barry Jenkins-produced project.
Caught Stealing (August 29)
It shouldn’t all be about the casting, but the presence of Zoë Kravitz and Austin Butler in the new film from Darren Aronofsky is enough to pique the interest of many.
Aronofsky’s The Whale was far more popular with critics and awards bodies than the general public and so the hope is that he can appeal to a wider audience with Caught Stealing, as crime meets… baseball?
The History of Sound (September 12)
Now might be the time to take back that previous statement, as I will admit I know very little about The History of Sound beyond its big-name casting. The synopsis suggests that this is a film about music, love and everything in between in a post-World War One environment.
Paul Mescal is one of the most popular performers on the planet, and putting him across from Josh O’Connor, for whom every character is filled with so much depth and flavour, is a stroke of genius. Whether it’s the cheeky Challengers or the luscious La Chimera, the latter has it all—as does his Irish counterpart.
The Strangers: Chapter Two (September 26)
The Strangers: Chapter One fell flat on its face when released last year, and so I am well aware that I will be in the minority when it comes to eagerly anticipating the second part of this new-look trilogy.
We know that Madelaine Petsch, of Riverdale fame, will return for Chapter Two, and that the film opens with her awakening in a hospital bed. The idea of further exploring the identity and motivations of the masked killers could go one of two ways, and I’m hopeful that an out-there concept can land this in the same conversations as the 2008 original and Prey at Night (2018).
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (November)
Film lovers have been outraged that Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is not receiving a cinematic release, but the director’s straight-to-Netflix take on Pinocchio was a real delight, earning a Best Animated Feature victory at the Oscars.
Frankenstein, similar to the wider monster and vampire genres, is heavily trodden ground but if anyone can breathe new life onto Mary Shelley’s creation, it’s del Toro.
The Running Man (November 7)
Upon first watch of The Running Man trailer, I was by no means sold, but I’m glad to confirm it has grown on me with every viewing.
Anyone doubtful of Glen Powell’s leading-man ability must be insane, and this project provides him with another chance to go all-out under the stewardship of Edgar Wright (Cornetto trilogy, Last Night In Soho). It is being considered a second, more faithful adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King novel of the same name, as opposed to a remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring 1987 film version.
Every face that shows up in the trailer after Powell, from Colman Domingo to Katy O’Brian, Jayme Lawson to Michael Cera, should fill prospective audiences with even more confidence that this will be a film-of-the-year contender.
Die My Love (November 14)
Eight years since her last film (You Were Never Really Here), Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay is returning to the fray with Die My Love, led by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.
Pattinson is everywhere at the moment, and he has Dune: Part Three, The Batman 2 and The Odyssey all on the horizon too—this film shrinking in comparison to that trio when it comes to scale.
Described as a psychological dark comedy about a mother’s battles with sanity, it feels as if Die My Love will be a small, immersive production, with Lawrence hopefully reminding the world why she is considered as one of the greatest actors of her generation.
Hamnet (November 21)
Now for Paul Mescal’s second appearance on this list, this time for the film adaptation of modern literary classic Hamnet.
Mescal will be reuniting with Jessie Buckley and Emily Watson, a pair whom he collaborated with on The Lost Daughter and God’s Creatures respectively (two criminally underseen films that are well worth your time). Add into the mix director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals), an intriguing figure in her own right, and this sounds like a recipe for success.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (December 12)
2022 release Glass Onion may well have been met with a very lukewarm reception, but Rian Johnson has so much credit in the bank from Knives Out three years prior that everyone and their dog is getting ready to tune in to Wake Up Dead Man.
The third instalment could well be a return to form for Johnson, and the additions of Josh O’Connor, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and Cailee Spaeny to the cast, to name just a few, have poured further fuel on the building fire of excitement.
One of the drawbacks, as with del Toro’s Frankenstein, is that the power wielded by Netflix may well keep this film out of cinemas, but it is sure to be one for all of the family to get on board with either way.
Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19)
James Cameron is making his Avatar films longer and longer, and who are we to complain?
David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin join the well-established cast as the Na’vi and co make the switch from the underwater world into a more volatile environment. Not much more is known to the public, with tension set to build right up until release day as a result.
The first two Avatar films have been the first and third highest-grossing films of all time. Will Cameron surpass that elusive three-billion-dollar mark this time around?
Words by Jamie Rooke
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