You’ve eaten a burger or two, and likely drank your fill of patriotic fluids; welcome to summer! But if you haven’t already digested some of this summer’s blockbusters (Incredibles 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Oceans 8, Sicario 2) you’re already way behind. Play catchup and then add these movies to your must-see list.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)
The first Ant-Man went on to a somewhat surprising $519 million worldwide, so things are looking good for the second instalment of Marvel’s micro-superhero film. Ant-Man may not make everyone’s top-three superhero list, but Paul Rudd is irresistible as the fallible superhero/dad, Evangeline Lilly proves the perfect sidekick (though she clearly has cooler gizmos, courtesy of Michael Douglas). There’s an urgent mission to distract our hero until the next Avengers mission, and it involves Michelle Pfeiffer. Sign us up.
Sorry To Bother You (July 6)
This satirical comedy stars Lakeith Stanfield (alongside Danny Glover and Armie Hammer) as Cassius, a telemarketer who gets elevated to the big time once he discovers his “white voice.” His position upstairs comes with riches, temptation and one hell of a moral dilemma.
Skyscraper (July 13)
Those of us old enough to recall The Towering Inferno (1974) will spot the similarities, though even Steve McQueen and Paul Newman would’ve passed on some of the stunts Dwayne Johnson takes on as a former FBI agent trying to save his family, caught in the middle of a high-rise terrorist plot.
Eighth Grade (July 20)
Your middle-schooler may not want to return to school in September after seeing Eighth Grade, the occasionally heart-breaking story of an ordinary girl trying to make friends and fit in. It’s the first film written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, starring Elsie Fisher as Kayla, the film received a warm reception at Sundance.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (July 20)
It’s been 10 years, and a now-pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is running mom Donna’s (Meryl Streep) Greek villa. Everyone is feeling nostalgic, so it’s time to reflect on Donna’s storied past, with Lilly James starring as the young Abba-loving wild child and Cher turning up as Sophie’s granny.
The Equalizer 2 (July 20)
Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington have a fruitful relationship, with Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and the first Equalizer film to their credit. In this followup to the 2014 film (Washington’s first ever sequel) Robert McCall continues his quest to settle the score for the victimized and the oppressed, going after the bad guys with gusto. But when the bad guys are the government, things get messy.
Under the Tree (July 20)
If you feel like something different look no further than this dark Icelandic drama-comedy about neighbourliness turned ugly in the space of 90 minutes. What starts as a request to prune a tree moves to blackmail, adultery, a child custody battle and canicide to outright bloody mayhem.
Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot (TBA July)
True story starring Joaquin Phoenix as John Callaghan, an aimless dude from Portland who is nearly killed in a car accident and is encouraged to get sober thanks to a supportive girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a dogged sponsor (Jonah Hill). On the road to recovery John finds healing through art, drawing bitingly funny cartoons for the newspaper and eventually gaining a national following.
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (July 27)
Crafted with plenty of Vancouver talent and starring Nicholas Cage as Superman: what more do you need? Kristen Bell and Will Arnett also lend voices to this spinoff of the animated TV show. In the film five teenage superheroes look to find fame in Hollywood but are distracted by an evil villain’s plan for world domination.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (July 27)
Ethan Hunt is back, which means Tom Cruise making headlines for performing his own stunts. It’s a race against time, and it’s immensely personal for Ethan: “The end you always feared is coming, and the blood will be on your hands,” warns a baddie (Sean Harris). Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg co-star.
The Spy Who Dumped Me (Aug. 3)
Things to ask a potential boyfriend: do you have an STD? Do you have kids? Are you a spy? Audrey (Mila Kunis) never quite gets around to question number three, and it turns out her boyfriend (Justin Theroux) is CIA. Audrey and friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon) now know too much: cue the silly spy mayhem. Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Gillian Anderson also star.
Christopher Robin (Aug. 3)
Our hero is all grown up since his childhood playing with his stuffed-animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood; gone is play and imagination, replaced by the drudgery of routine and work. But after being reunited with Winne the Pooh and rescuing Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) is the one who needs saving. That prompts our furry friends to venture out of the wood and into the wilds of London. Cue the cuteness and the tears.
The Darkest Minds (Aug. 3)
When children and teens start developing mysterious powers they become an endangered species, detained and experimented upon. Ruby (Amandla Stenberg) escapes her facility and joins a group of runaways forming a resistance. All sorts of parallels to teens taking on the government here. Mandy Moore, Harris Dickinson also star.
Searching (Aug. 3)
From the producer of Unfriended comes the story of a man, recently widowed (John Cho) whose 16-year-old daughter goes missing. Encouraged by a detective (Debra Messing), dad delves into her computer and social media, only to find that Margot’s (Michelle La) life isn’t at all what he thought it was. The story is told on multiple computer screens and iPhone point-of-view footage, not unlike Unfriended 2.
Dog Days (Aug. 10)
Interconnected stories of Los Angelenos and their canine companions, starring Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Eva Longoria, Vancouver’s Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Ron Cephas Jones (TV’s This Is Us) and Tig Notaro, to name a few.
The Meg (Aug. 10)
It’s Jaws on steroids: a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as Megalodon is terrorizing beach-goers, water vessels and members of a Chinese research station. It’s up to Jason Statham to save the day from this living fossil and “you’re going to need a bigger boat” ‘ain’t going to cut it.
Puzzle (Aug. 10)
Kelly Macdonald stars as Agnes, an unhappily married mother in her 40s who has never ventured far from home. She comes alive after she answers the ad for a puzzling partner and meets Robert (Irrfan Khan), a reclusive inventor who convinces her to attend the world jigsaw competition and slowly opens up her world.
Crazy Rich Asians (Aug. 17)
Screen adaptation of the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan which sees Rachel (Constance Wu) trying to live up to the expectations of her boyfriend Nick’s (Henry Golding) family after she learns that he’s “basically the Prince William of Asia”. There’ll be a fairy-tale ending for Rachel if she can get past the wicked mother-in-law.
Alpha (Aug. 17)
An origin story, of sorts, chronicling the love between man and dog. Rousing adventure starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, a boy in ancient times who survives his own injuries before bringing an injured wolf back to health. The alliance between human and canine proves pivotal. Trailer features the call-to-arms line “when there are no more leaders to follow, you must become one,” relevant both in ancient times and today.
Replicas (Aug. 24)
Keanu Reeves gets deep again as a scientist on the verge of a major cloning breakthrough who uses the tragic death of his wife and kids as an opportunity to test his theories. Spoiler alert: they’re not happy when they find out.
Slender Man (August 24)
End-of-summer scares are guaranteed with Slender Man, which comes accompanied by real-life controversy: the now-infamous character inspired two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls to lure a classmate into the woods, where they stabbed her 19 times (she survived). In the fictionalized film version, four high school girls in Massachusetts perform a ritual designed to debunk the mystery of Slender Man, but then one of the girls goes missing.
Support The Girls (Aug. 24)
Regina Halls stars as the manager and fierce den mother of a roadside “sports bar with curves” but finds her faith and her patience tested by customers and staff alike over the course of one trying day.
