An evening out at the movies
VALERIAN AND
THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
Summer blockbusters don’t come bigger than this. Based on a comic book series, it stars Dane Dehaan and
Cara Delevingne as two space cops – Valerian and Laureline – sent on a special mission to the mythical city of Alpha, where a dark force threatens their universe. Expect a 3D-fest with effects galore. Out 2 August
DUNKIRK
A top-rate cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Harry Styles (yes, really, the pop star!) and newbie Fionn Whitehead (below), star in this faithful recreation of one of the most documented events of the Second World War. It tells the tale of 300,000 allied troops trapped on the beach at Dunkirk as they faced an invading German army. Nail-biting and moving, this is one of summer’s finest films.
Out 21 July
ATOMIC BLONDE
Aptly, incendiary Oscarwinning actress Charlize Theron leads in this edge-of-the-seat thriller. She plays agent Lorraine Broughton, who’s sent to Berlin to retrieve a vital dossier and is willing to deploy any of her skills – beauty, cunning, sex appeal and karate moves – to stay alive in a deadly game of spies. James Mcavoy plays the Berlin bureau chief who comes to her aid, although she barely needs it. Who says the next Bond couldn’t be a woman? Out 11 August
MAUDIE
This gentle, hugely watchable film, set in 1950s Nova Scotia, tells the real-life story of artist Maud Lewis (played by Sally Hawkins). Brighteyed, intelligent and crippled with arthritis, she becomes housekeeper to Everett (Ethan Hawke), a curmudgeonly recluse. Love blooms, as does Maud’s talent for painting. After her marriage, her paintings made her a minor celebrity, and even Richard
Nixon owned one. A heart-warming story featuring two fine actors. Out 4 August