Must-see movies this month
Taika Waititi helms another blockbuster, Karl Urban voices a sea monster hunter and one of the most hotly anticipated book adaptations of 2022 arrives, writes James Croot.
We may have hit potentially the gloomiest month of the year, but there are plenty of movie watching options over the next few weeks to help chase away those winter blues.
For those in need of a trip to the cinema, there’s Kiwi documentary Frocks and Divas, Siegfried Sassoon biopic Benediction (both Thursday), Irish period drama The Quiet Girl, Kiwi dramedy Millie Lies Low and horticulture doco The Gardener (all July 21).
However, if you prefer to do your viewing at home, Netflix has a new French, youthful version of Dangerous Liaisons (July 8), Disney+ boasts social media satire Not Okay (July 29), and Prime Video’s lineup includes Gen Z coming-of-age story Anything’s Possible (July 22)
After looking through schedules though,
has come up with a list of the 12 flicks we’re most excited to see this month.
The Black Phone (July 21, Cinemas)
Ethan Hawke headlines this supernatural thriller about a 13-year-old boy who is abducted and locked in a soundproof basement. While he waits in hope of rescue, he begins receiving calls on a seemingly disconnected phone from his kidnapper’s previous victims.
‘‘Part Stranger Things, part The Lovely Bones, and part that urban myth that freaked you out when you were little, The Black Phone is a deliciously creepy throwback anchored by strong performances from kids and adults alike,’’ wrote National Post’s Chris Knight.
Don’t Make Me Go (July 15, Prime Video)
Shot in and around Auckland and Christchurch last winter, this familial drama focuses on the relationship between a single father and his teenage daughter.
After discovering he has a terminal disease, the pair embark on a road trip to find her estranged mother. John Cho and Mia Isaac star.
The Drover’s Wife (July 20, Rentals)
Police Rescue and Wentworth star Leah Purcell wrote, directed and stars in this reimagining of Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story. She plays a heavily pregnant mother-of-four who finds herself in a tight spot when an escaped convict (RFDS’ Rob Collins) arrives at her homestead while her husband is shifting their stock.
Following in the footsteps of The Nightingale and Sweet Country, this makes great use of the Australian countryside as a backdrop for some searing tension.
The Gray Man (July 22, Netflix)
Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War helmers Joe and Anthony Russo direct and co-wrote this actionthriller based on a 2009 novel by Mark Greaney. Court Gentry is the CIA’s most-skilled mercenary, but when he accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, he becomes the target of international assassins.
The impressive ensemble includes Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Rege-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard and Billy Bob Thornton.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (Wednesday, Netflix)
Jennifer E Smith’s mega-popular 2015 novel gets the rom-com treatment with Talia Ryder and Jordan Fisher teaming up for the tale about a couple who decide to go on one final, epic date before making good on their pact to break up before college.
However, as they retrace the steps, highs and lows of their relationship, the decision may not be as clear-cut – or easy – as it first seemed.
Persuasion (July 15, Netflix)
Jane Austen’s 1817 novel gets another airing and this latest version features Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Richard E Grant and Henry Golding.
For those unfamiliar with the tale, it’s the story of Anne Elliot, who eight years before the action was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins. Will she seize her chance at true love the second time around?
The Phantom of the Open (July 14, Cinemas)
British based-on-fact dramedy about a dreamer and unrelenting optimist – Maurice Flitcroft – who managed to gain entry to qualifying for the 1976 British Open Golf Championship and turned himself into a folk hero in the process. Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins star.
‘‘Rylance’s unassuming and twinkly eyed performance goes a long way to imbuing the film with a charm that elevates it above most crowd-pleasing fare,’’ wrote Radio Times’ Terry Staunton.
Press Play (July 28, Cinemas)
Sci-fi-infused romance about a young woman who has a chance to save the love of her life, when she discovers that the mix-tape they made together can transport her back in time.
‘‘Here is a movie that works almost entirely because of its commitment to a genuinely intriguing premise,’’ wrote Spectrum Culture’s Joe Copling.
The Princess (Today, Disney+)
Joey King, Dominic Cooper and Olga Kurylenko star in this action fantasy about a strong-willed royal who must save her kingdom after the cruel sociopathic suitor she rejects becomes hell-bent on stealing her father’s throne.
Vietnamese director Le-Van Kiet’s background in marital-arts-based productions infuses itself into the story in the form of multiple fight scenes.
The Sea Beast (July 8, Netflix)
New Zealand’s Karl Urban voices legendary sea monster hunter Jacob Holland in this animated adventure from one of the co-director’s of Moana, Chris Williams. Holland has an epiphany after a stowaway girl befriends the most dangerous monster of them all.
The vocal cast also includes Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens and Kathy Burke.
Thor: Love & Thunder (Thursday, Cinemas)
Taika Waititi returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this Ragnarok follow-up, set in a post-Avengers: Endgame universe.
Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster returns, the Guardians of the Galaxy feature, and Christian Bale plays the infamous Gorr the God Butcher. Look out for a host of Kiwi actors including Russell Crowe and Sam Neill, as well as New Zealand singer Jenny Morris.
Where the Crawdads Sing (July 21, Cinemas)
Daisy Edgar-Jones is at the centre of this greatly anticipated adaptation of Delia Owens’ wildly popular 2018 novel.
The former Normal People star plays Kya, a woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep south, who now finds herself a suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with.