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From movies about fiery skies to an ensemble travel comedy starring Stephanie Hsu, July releases herald the summer of 2023. Joining the list of blockbuster movie hits are some of the year’s most promising festival films, including “Kokomo City”, a beautiful and challenging documentary about transgender people. sex workers, and Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated “Barbie,” whose competitive release date has inspired an endless series of queer coding. memes and tweets.
Due to the timing of the Emmy Awards, July has become a difficult month for television, and this year is no different. Some gritty series, like the beloved and famously snubbed “What We Do in the Shadows,” are set to premiere. But in general, it’s best to use the TV drought as an excuse to escape the heat and kick back in an air-conditioned movie theater seat.
‘Bang!’
Before George Michaels was a solo heartthrob with a thriving career, he was one half of the dreamy English pop duo Wham. Filmmaker Chris Smith, perhaps best known for the glitzy documentary projects “Tiger King” and “Fyre,” focuses on this first chapter of Michaels’ career, which began in 1982 and ended with the band’s farewell show in 1986. at Wembley Stadium in London. Most of the material in the documentary comes from the archives of Michaels and Andrew Ridgeley, the other founding member of the band and, according to the documentary, the mastermind behind many of the band’s most iconic moments.
“Pam!” premiered on Netflix on July 5.
‘joy ride’
An all-star cast of Asian-American creators and stars put a new spin on raucous ensemble comedy with “Joy Ride.” The directorial debut from “Crazy Rich Asians” writer Adele Lim stars Ashley Park as Audrey, a lawyer who recruits her childhood best friend, Lolo (Sherry Cola), who then recruits her eccentric cousin. Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), to join her on a business trip to China that doubles as an opportunity to find her birth mother. Once the group arrives, Audrey’s college best friend Kat (“Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Stephanie Hsu) joins in the fun as the friends stage a succession of romantic encounters, sticky situations and bonding moments. fueled by drugs In addition to being this summer’s answer to “Bridesmaids,” the film is a boon for LGBTQ representation, with Hsu, Cola, and Wu representing queer, bisexual, and nonbinary artists, respectively.
“Joy Ride” opens in US theaters on July 7.
‘What we do in the shadows’
“What We Do in the Shadows,” the beloved series about a chaotic Staten Island vampire coven, may have consistently failed to garner Emmys over the years, but thanks to its constant laughs and ever-popular characters: Nandor ( Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) and Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) are still going strong after four seasons. Last season, polyamorous partners Nadja and Laszlo got together to open a cabaret-style club, headlined by energetic vampire Colin in pubescent form. And Guillermo spent most of the episodes trying to help Nandor overcome a bout of depression related to loneliness. But in the end, Colin was back to being a fun adult and William, disillusioned by years of broken promises, bribed another vampire to turn him. According to the trailer for the new season, Guillermo may not have gotten everything he hoped for, which means he may still be the one to lead the vampires as they transition from one moment of situational comedy and weird romance to the next.
The fifth season of “What We Do in the Shadows” premieres on Hulu on July 13.
‘A fire’
German author Christian Petzold delivers another independent hit with his searing film “Afire.” The film, starring Petzold’s new muse, Paula Beer (“Undine”), centers on a young author, Leon (Thomas Schubert), who finds his dreams of a blissful week of writing dashed when the beach house of the His friend Felix’s (Langston Uibel) family welcomes another guest: Nadja (Beer). The beautiful and quiet seasonal worker arrives with a lover (Enno Trebs), which further irritates the author when she gets together with Felix. As the four live out summer days in the coastal setting, the wildfire burning inland draws ever closer and eventually becomes a pressing threat. And in a surreal series of events, the tensions that have been brewing in the enchanting white-thatched seaside abode ignite into romance and tragedy.
“Afire” opens in US theaters on July 14.
‘Theater Camp’
An impressive cadre of intergenerational comedic actors come together in “Theater Camp,” a laugh-out-loud celebration of outsiders and amateur musical theater set in a run-down summer camp in the Adirondacks. At the camp, founded by theater matriarch Joan (Amy Sedaris), best friends Amos and Rebecca-Diane (Ben Platt and Molly Gordon, who also co-wrote) round out a group of passionate teachers who guide campers in the arts of theater. theater. dance, music, costume design and set design, in the case of the overlooked and overworked Glenn, played by breakout star and film co-writer Noah Galvin. This summer, the department heads are joined by newcomers Janet (Ayo Edebiri) and Troy (Jimmy Tatro), Joan’s influential son who has been tasked with keeping the camp afloat while she is in a coma. related to strobe lights. As eager young actors embody their roles for summer productions, these newcomers and the old guard try to keep the stage lights on and their spirits off each other’s throats.
“Theatre Camp” opens in US theaters on July 14.
‘Barbie’
Although she only directed a few titles behind the camera, Little Women director Greta Gerwig always manages to cause a stir when she announces a new project. And her new movie “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the titular plastic blonde and Ryan Gosling as her “himbo” partner Ken, is the filmmaker’s most headline-grabbing project yet. When Barbie begins to struggle to keep up with her utterly perfect image, she and Ken leave Barbie Land to embark on a journey of self-discovery in the real world, as an outrageously proportioned Eve departs from paradise with her platinum-haired Adam. Gone in Barbie Land are all the other Barbies and Kens, cutesy recreations of one-of-a-kind Mattel creations, being performed by the biggest names in Hollywood. (Though the hilariously chaotic, sticker-marked version of Kate McKinnon, billed as Weird Barbie, appears to be a Gerwig original.) she has the kind of riotous aesthetic that excites queer audiences.
“Barbie” opens in theaters in the United States on July 21.
‘Kokomo City’
Director D. Smith takes an unflinching yet beautiful black-and-white look at the lives of four sex workers based in Atlanta and New York City—Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver—in the new documentary Kokomo City. .” The subjects’ candid and intimate conversations with Smith, which make up the majority of the film, are reminiscent of scenes from Jennie Livingston’s groundbreaking 1990 documentary, “Paris Is Burning.” But, in this case, the director, who is a trans woman of color, shares a common background with her subjects. The documentary was met with enthusiastic reception when it premiered at Sundance and took home the audience award at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Her impressive career was marred by tragedy soon after, when it was announced in April that Koko Da Doll had been shot to death in Atlanta, news echoed in scenes in which women discuss the difficulty of making it out of sex work alive. .
“Kokomo City” opens in US theaters on July 28.
In case you missed it…
‘Steal America’
While there’s no shortage of online dating reality shows these days, they rarely have as much heart as “Swiping America.” From the makers of the heartwarming makeover series “We’re Here,” the documentary-style dating show sends a group of four New Yorkers across the country to set up singles with which the producers, according to the premise, will will match. on a dating app. While finding love is the ultimate goal, the diverse but homogeneous cast members quickly discover that forging friendships can be the most achievable and rewarding goal.
“Swiping America” is available on Max.
‘And just like that…’
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and the other privileged women of “And Just Like That…” return to walk the runway in Manhattan’s chicest restaurants and side streets in season two . Undeterred by the lackluster reviews of the debut season, the creators and producers of the “Sex and the City” remake are banking on their nostalgic fans’ willingness to tune in to see the beloved characters make their way through their 50s. years, with a new set of friends for her And they’re probably wise to roll the dice, because the mere mention of a possible return for Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was enough to send the internet jittery on the first day of Pride Month.
“And just like that…” is available on Max.
