Adam Gunton
Barbie
Released: 21 July
Barbie is a doctor, and a lawyer, and so much more than that.
Life in plastic – it’s fantastic! At first glance you might think this is another cheap attempt by Hollywood to cash in on childhood nostalgia. But look closer; it’s being directed by the great Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) and she’s written it with Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story, Frances Ha), two powerhouses of American independent cinema. Plus it’s got a sublime cast of Margot Robbie, Gosling, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, Helen Mirren, Simu Liu, Nicola Coughlan and… well, I could keep going on but it’s a pretty long list. The plot follows Margot’s Barbie whose perfect life in Barbieland is becoming less perfect as she has a full-on existential crisis. So, along with Ken, she ventures to the real world to find out what it means to be a Barbie. This is a bit of a shock to the real world and even more so to the Mattel CEO (played by Will Ferrell) and no-one seems to understand what’s going on. It’s a classic “fish out of water” story as Barbie and Ken discover the joys and perils of the real world while the Mattel CEO tries to send them back to Barbieland.
Watch the trailer here
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Released: 12 July
Ethan, this mission of yours is going to cost you dearly.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to come up with a new name for these films. Mission: Impossible? Since we’re now on the seventh, these missions seem pretty easy to me. Anyway, Tom Cruise is back as spy Ethan Hunt and this time, he and the other IMF agents must track down a new weapon and keep it out of the wrong hands. These films are so silly but they are consistently brilliant fun. Tom Cruise has another ridiculous stunt lined up for himself. It’s hard to top hanging on the side of a plane as it takes off but Tommy will manage it.
Watch the trailer here
Oppenheimer
Released: 21 July
I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But we have no choice.
If you’re looking for something a bit more serious this month then look no further than a film about nuclear bombs. From director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception, Dunkirk) comes this biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his role in the development of the atomic bomb and the burden that he carried for the rest of his life. Knowing Nolan, this won’t be a conventional biopic and the cast is phenomenal. Look out for Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Rami Malkek and Kenneth Branagh to name but a few.
Watch the trailer here
Joy Ride
Released: 7 July
I don’t know when, I don’t know how. But I know something’s starting right now. Watch and you’ll see, some day I’ll be part of your world.
Adele Lim, the writer of the excellent Crazy Rich Asians brings us this brand new comedy about an adopted Asian-American girl going on a quest with three of her friends to find her birth parents. What should be a sweet, life-affirming adventure turns into utter chaos as the four get themselves into all sorts of trouble, even pretending to be an Asian pop-band like BLACKPINK to get onto a private flight. Expect hard to watch moments and big laughs!
audience.
Watch the trailer here