July brings a crop of summer blockbusters including the latest instalment
of the Mission Impossible franchise, Greta Gerwig's
take on an iconic doll and Christopher Nolan's atomic age
biopic, along with indies from the likes of Quentin Dupieux and
Nicole Holofcener.
Here are the 10 new releases we're most excited for.
Prisoner's Daughter
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen) and written by Mark Bacci, Prisoner's Daughter stars
Kate Beckinsale as Maxine, a struggling single mother who agrees to
take her dying father Max (Brian Cox) into her home when he is
released from prison on compassionate grounds. When Maxine's abusive drug
addicted ex (Tyson Ritter) comes back into the picture, Max considers
one drastic move to reconcile with his daughter before his death.
On Prime Video July 4th.
The Damned Don't Cry
This Moroccan-set drama from writer/director Fyzal Boulifa (Lynn + Lucy) stars Aicha Tebbae and Adbellah El Hajjouji as Fatima-Zahra and Selim, a mother and her teenage son who are forced to hit the road following
a violent incident. Hiding out with family members, Selim learns the
shocking truth of his past.
In cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema July 7th.
Smoking Causes Coughing
Prolific French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux (Incredible But True;
Deerskin) delivers another slice of madness with
Smoking Causes Coughing. The film stars
Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Vincent Lacoste, Jean-Pascal Zadi
and Oulaya Amamra as the five members of the Tobacco Force, a ragtag
group of superheroes who become Earth's only hope in defeating an evil
galactic emperor.
In cinemas July 7th.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
The seventh instalment of the Tom Cruise led spy series sees Ethan
Hunt (Cruise) and his buddies come up against a villain played by
Esai Morales, who seems to be a figure from Hunt's past now in
control of a weapon that threatens the human race. This mission, which is
apparently impossible, is so big it's split across two movies and sees
Cruise risk his life for our entertainment once again with a well-publicised
motorbike jump off a cliff.
In cinemas July 11th.
A Kind of Kidnapping
Written and directed by Dan Clark (How Not To Live Your Life), A Kind of Kidnapping is a blackly comic British thriller
in which a desperate young couple abduct Richard Hardy, an unpopular
politician. When nobody is willing to pay the ransom, Hardy convinces the
couple to continue to keep him hostage in the hopes it will rehabilitate his
public image.
In cinemas July 13th and VOD July 24th.
Medusa
This Brazilian thriller from director Anita Rocha Da Silveira stars Mari Oliveira as a young woman who succumbs to religious
fundamentalism. Forming a cult of similarly minded girls, she begins to
violently target women whose lifestyles she disagrees with.
In cinemas July 14th.
Barbie
Directed by Greta Gerwig and co-written with Noah Baumbach,
Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular doll and
Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend Ken. Taking its cues from
The Brady Bunch Movie, Barbie is a fish out of water comedy that sees the doll and
her beau try to make it in the real world after being kicked out of
Barbieland.
In cinemas July 21st.
Oppenheimer
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan,
Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as physicist J. Robert
Oppenheimer, known as "the father of the atomic bomb," and focusses on the
race to create a weapon that will end WWII. Nolan has apparently recreated
an atomic explosion without the use of CG, so you might want to take some
iodine tablets before visiting the cinema.
In cinemas July 21st.
You Hurt My Feelings
Writer/director Nicole Holofcener reteams with
Julia Louis-Dreyfus for this comic drama. Louis-Dreyfus plays a
novelist whose marriage hits the rocks when she overhears her husband (Tobias Menzies) giving a brutally honest negative reaction to her latest work.
On Prime Video July 25th.
Talk to Me
Filmmaking twins Danny and Michael Philippou have amassed a
cult following through their YouTube channel RazzaRazza, an outlet for their
horror shorts. The twins have now made their feature debut with
Talk to Me, which stars Sophie Wilde as a teen who holds a seance in the hopes
of connecting with her dead mother. You won't be surprised to learn that
something far more sinister is unleashed.
In cinemas July 28th.