COMING SOON …
… to a screen so near you it’s probably in your home
This is the time of year when newspapers traditionally roll out their lists of summer blockbusters to whet your appetite for popcorn and superheroes. In an alternate universe free of COVID-19, summer 2020 would officially have began with Black Widow on May 4, followed by the usual package of sequels and throwbacks — Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Bill & Ted Face the Music, etc. — in the months after.
We’ve had to wash our hands of all that for now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new releases coming to a screen near you. They’re just tinier screens, and a lot closer to you.
Here are a few upcoming titles. And, remember dates are subject to change.
The list is big. It’s the pictures that got small:
SPACESHIP EARTH
This timely doc looks back at Biosphere 2, the 1991 experiment in which eight people lived in a sealed environment for two years. (May 8, on demand.)
CLEMENTINE
A first feature from writer-director Lara Gallagher, this dark, twisty drama premièred at last year’s’ Tribeca film festival. (May 8, on demand.)
RED ROVER
A quirky comedy from Canada’s Shane Belcourt, this tale of a geologist pining for a trip to Mars stars Kristian Bruun (also in the new release Tammy’s Always Dying) and rising star Cara Gee. (May 12, on demand.)
PORNO
Good luck Googling this one. A comedy-horror from first-time director Keola Racela, Porno follows five teens who find something evil in the basement of a small-town cinema. (May 12, on demand.)
THE WRONG MISSY
Was this a title in search of a plot? David Spade (who I thought was getting too old for this kind of thing) stars as a man who meets a wonderful woman named Missy, then invites her to Hawaii. Except, you know that thing where you text the wrong person? Yeah, that. (May 13, Netflix.)
CASTLE IN THE GROUND
Canadian actor-turned-filmmaker Joey Klein presents a drama set during the opioid crisis, starring Alex Wolff and Imogen Poots. (May 15, on demand.)
THE GREAT
A new series set in the court of Catherine the Great features Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult and writing from Oscar-nominated Tony Mcnamara. (May 15, Amazon.)
THE ROADS NOT TAKEN
You can also see Fanning in this drama from Sally Potter about a day in the life of a father (Javier Bardem), who looks back on the lives he could have lived. (May 19, on demand.)
THE DALAI LAMA: SCIENTIST
A new documentary looks at the religious leader’s longtime fascination and engagement with scientists and the scientific world. (May 19, on demand.)
THE LOVEBIRDS
Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae star as a couple who accidentally get caught up in a murder mystery. Originally set for an April cinema opening, it’s now being released May 22 on Netflix.
THE TRIP TO GREECE
Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and director Michael Winterbottom are at it again in this latest chapter of two old friends eating well and doing impersonations. (May 22, on demand.)
MILITARY WIVES
Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) directs this comedy about a group of women who become a singing sensation while their husbands are away in Afghanistan. (May 22, on demand.)
THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
A documentary about an artist who befriends the man who stole her paintings after he is hurt in a car crash. (May 22, on demand.)
SPACE FORCE
Steve Carell created and stars in this highly anticipated “The Office in space” sitcom about life in the newly created sixth branch of the U.S. armed services. (May 29, Netflix.)
ARTEMIS FOWL
A young criminal prodigy faces off against a secret society of magical folk in this family adventure. It’s skipping cinemas to arrive June 12 on Disney+.
THE VAST OF NIGHT
Set in 1950s New Mexico, this science-fiction fantasy has a switchboard operator and a radio DJ on the trail of a mysterious signal that could be aliens. (May 29, Amazon.)
THE HIGH NOTE
Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson star in a musical comedy about a superstar and her personal assistant, who wants to be a producer. (May 29, on demand.)
7500
Joseph Gordon-levitt plays the pilot of an aircraft that’s hijacked by terrorists. Sounds like Sully meets Captain Phillips. Which raises the question of why Tom Hanks isn’t starring, but he is quite busy these days. (June 19, Amazon.)