“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (July 27)
You can always count on the “Mission: Impossible” franchise to deliver the goods. It does really help that Tom Cruise, playing Ethan Hunt, does his own stunts, which brings an authentic feel to the set pieces which many summer blockbusters would lack in their CGI-filled action. This July’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the sixth installment of a franchise that just keeps upping the ante and quality with every movie, has Cruise returning as Hunt who yet again has to race against time after a mission goes terribly wrong in Europe. Christopher McQuarrie, who also directed ‘Rogue Nation,’ returns as writer-director. The returning cast includes Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, and Henry Cavill, with a non-digitally-removed mustache to boot. The piece-de-resistance stunt here will have Cruise strapped onto an airplane as it takes off. You can never fault Cruise for not trying to entertain us. – JR
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (August 3)
After struggling to find distribution despite overwhelming positivity following its Sundance debut, Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” found a home and a prime summer release for a poignant tale about a teenager forced to go to a gay conversion summer camp. Akhavan has already proven herself more than capable of films that delicately observe women discovering their sexuality with the frank and lovely “Appropriate Behaviour” but with “Cameron Post” she’s granted a bigger platform. Chloë Grace Moretz stars, complimented with touching supporting turns from “American Honey” breakout Sasha Lane and John Gallagher, Jr. A timely and engaging story based on a popular book, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” may not have wowed our critic out of Sundance, but the infectious energy and heartfelt narrative should be more than enough to draw in an audience. – AJ
“The Spy Who Dumped Me” (August 3)
Despite being beloved on SNL as a member that seems to hold even the worst sketches she’s involved with by her teeth, Kate McKinnon has yet to receive a breakout role deserving of her considerable talents. She’s shined in supporting roles in films such as “Ghostbusters” but with “The Spy Who Dumped Me” she’s getting the chance to cement herself as a leading lady. Kicking ass with Mila Kunis in a film that doesn’t so much look to reinvent the wheel but allow two hilarious actresses take control of it. Shifting release dates due to reportedly “incredible test screenings,” it gives off the sense of a “Bridesmaids” or “Spy,” the type of big, studio comedy that can be theatrical must see if executed well. Directed by Susanna Fogel who has already showcased her ability to write a film centered on female friendship with 2014’s “Life Partners,” don’t let this one get buried under the remakes, reboots, and sequels surrounding it. – AJ
“Searching” (August 3)
Found footage movies don’t always work. The filmmaking style is constantly present, perpetually made mindful, and that can sometimes be haunting effective, but it’s usually excessively tedious. These movies typically fail to connect us on an emotional or psychological level. Thankfully, if early reports are true, “Searching” doesn’t have those issue. The feature film debut of co-writer/director Aneesh Chaganty, a former Google employee, and starring John Cho for reportedly the whole movie, “Searching” unfolds entirely from the viewpoint of computer screens, similar to “Unfriended” a few years earlier, and it relies on everyday technology to follow a desperate father searching for his missing daughter based on the clues left on her laptop. It’s certainly a gamble of a film prospect, and it works well, based on early reports from Sundance and, most recently, the San Francisco Film Festival, where it earned no shortage of raves. We’re not always in the bag for found footage movies, but we’ll give this one a click (read our review). – WA
“BlacKkKlansman” (August 10)
Even when his films aren’t complete commercial and critical successes, Spike Lee is always a filmmaker to get excited over. “BlacKkKansman,” which follows an African-American police officer from Colorado who successfully managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter, offers a complicated and rich storytelling platform for Lee to thrive in. Produced along with Jordan Peele and debuting at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, it looks to be one of the prolific directors most ambitious and bold undertakings in years. – AJ
“Madeline’s Madeline” (August 10)
Josephine Decker’s made films since 2005, but she really burst onto the scene in a big way in 2014 with the double premiere shot at the Berlin Film Festival (“Butter On The Latch,” “Thou Wast Mild and Lovely”). The films cemented her career as an indie filmmaker to watch and one that was experimenting and pushing the boundaries of narrative. She returned in 2017 in the blurred-lines performative doc “Flames,” but this year she’s returned with a new narrative feature “Madeline’s Madeline” that was met with critical acclaim at Sundance earlier this year (our review). An artful and whimsical picture in the vein of Miranda July (who perhaps not so coincidentally co-stars, the movie follows a theater director’s (Molly Parker) latest project and how takes on a life of its own when her young star takes her performance too seriously. Dreamlike, and quirky, “Madeline’s Madeline” certain experiments with narrative form again with terrific impressionistic camera work, but perhaps most of all it introduces the firecracker performance of the young lead Helena Howard. Exploring the thin lines between illness, artistry, and discovery of the self, Decker’s film might be a little bit challenging for the average viewer, but we urge you to step outside your comfort zone and give this film, that defies easy narrative categorization, a chance. – RP