For those who like the serious side
For those who have no need to access their inner hormonal preteen (why go through that more than once?), there is plenty of cinematic counterprogramming to the summer movie season.
All lists should start with Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit” (Aug. 4), a look at the 12th Street riot in 1967. The Oscar-winning director of “The Hurt Locker” focuses on the Algiers Motel incident involving police and the death of several civilians.
Below are a few more notable indies, art films and documentaries. For “Paris Can Wait” and “The Lovers,” check out stories elsewhere in this section. Opening dates subject to change.
The Big Sick (June 30): “Silicon Valley” star Kumail Nanjiani stars in this semiautobiographical film, co-written by his wife, Emily Gordon, about their crisis-filled courtship.
Chuck (May 5): Liev Schreiber plays Chuck Wepner, the “Bayonne Bleeder” and real-life inspiration for “Rocky” who went toe to toe with Muhammad Ali. The Beguiled (June 23 or June 30): Sofia Coppola directs this drama about a Union soldier who is sheltered in a girls’ boarding school. Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst co-star. Okja (June 28): “Snowpiercer” and “The Host” genius Bong Joon-ho directs this monster fable, starring Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal. A Ghost Story (July 7): Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck star in a meditative film about two lovers, secret messages and a wandering ghost. Patti Cake$ (July 7): This low-budget Sundance favorite features Danielle Macdonald as a girl who becomes a gangster rapper. Landline (July 21): A comedy starring Jenny Slate, Edie Falco and Abby Quinn as three family members in 1990s New Jersey. Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (July 28): An 11-years-later sequel to the Al Gore climate-change film “An Inconvenient Truth.” Brigsby Bear (Aug. 4): Dave McCary directs a comedy/drama with Kyle Mooney, Claire Danes and Mark Hamill, about a TV producer and his show’s biggest fan. Already a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival.