Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The first Spider-Verse movie won the animated feature Oscar, so best stick with a victorious, tried and tested team, right? Nope. Pretty much the whole directorial and writing crew has changed for this follow-up. Surely there must be a reason; is this even better? The arrival of Daniel Kaluuya as (a Camden) Spider-Punk was enough to get me to the cinema. Here’s the bare bones of what you’re in for: Miles Morales (Spider-Man) accidentally threatens the whole existence of the Spider-Verse with the help of supervillain Spot (who’s a bit dull but has an entertainingly hilarious trick of ripping holes in the space-time continuum). He then bumps into, like, a billion Spider-Men (it’s multiple worlds, keep up!) including a supercool new Indian one. Everyone has different ideas about how to stop everything turning to a pile of poo, but it doesn’t matter because the chaotically beautiful animation is, indeed, even more amazing than the previous film. It’s 140 minutes long, which will be heaven for Marvel nerds, but prepare to see some restless 10-year-olds at your local multiplex. Oh, and don’t expect an ‘ending’ either; you’ll have to wait until part II for that... Out 2 June
Reality
In the desert of the real, here’s something rather thirst-quenching, and my film of the month too. On 3 June 2017, the FBI rolled up to Reality Winner’s house to question the National Security Agency translator about a classified intelligence report that had been leaked to the media. Less than two hours later, she was in handcuffs. All the words spoken in Tina Satter’s strangely gripping directorial debut are taken verbatim from the transcript of the interrogation; nothing more, nothing less, right down to the verbal ticks, repetitions and incidental chit-chat (’Is the cat still under the bed?’). The result, which could have been so dry and clinical, is uncannily brilliant. Bafflingly so. The likely answer is Sydney Sweeney’s quietly, utterly mesmerising performance as Winner. It is near impossible to pull your attention away from her. In an era when fakery and misinformation is king, cinema can’t get much more vérité than this. Out 2 June
The Boogeyman
Evil Dead Rise… Scream VI… Pearl… er, Renfield… It’s quite the year for horror films, and now… ‘Heeere’s Stephen!’ Yes, The Boogeyman is the (count ’em!) 83rd Stephen King adaptation. They’re not all classics, though. One way to judge a Stephen King movie is to see what he thinks of them. He rightly loved Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and Carrie. The Boogeyman was expected to go straight to Hulu, but King enjoyed it so much that he pushed for a full cinema release. And we’re in safe, albeit trembling, hands with Rob Savage (who made properly scary Zoom chiller Host) in charge. The title kind of sums up the storyline: creepy motherf***er freaks the shit out of kids in their bedroom, blah, blah, blah… But being Stephen King, there’s plenty more you’re not expecting… Out 2 June
War Pony
No, this isn’t the junior sequel to War Horse, but something even less likely to appear on cinema screens: a genuinely realistic film set on a reservation and starring actual Native American actors. Refreshingly, there’s no romanticised claptrap à la Dances with Wolves either, as we follow the intertwining tales of two young men, Matho (played brilliantly by 12-year-old LaDainian Crazy Thunder) and Bill (and equally affecting Jojo Bapteise Whiting). Life is undeniably on the margins here; jobs and money are scarce, while meth (for the grown-ups) and weed (for the kids) form much of the daily currency. But these two boys are trying their damnedest to do the right thing (most of the time) against the odds. And while things may be bleak, this is a raw and tender tale of hope and survival, bursting with gritty teen spirit. Out 9 June
Chevalier
When you see a man leaping on stage to challenge Mozart to a violin duel, then buddy up with Marie Antoinette, you might well wonder why you’ve never heard of this guy – and whether you’re watching a piece of historical fiction. Well, blame history itself for burying the name of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799). And thank Disney for putting the story of this son of a plantation owner – who became a champion fencer, virtuoso violinist and composer in the French royal court – in the spotlight. The excellent Kelvin Harrison Jr brings Bologne gloriously to life and, while the movie might not offer remarkable insights into the prejudices he faced in 18th-century Parisian society, it’s a welcome primer on an extraordinary personality. Out 9 June
Medusa Deluxe
Hairdressers of the world, unite and take over! That’s pretty much the ethos behind this ballsy British feature. Director Thomas Hardiman has a bugbear about the hierarchies of creativity, so for his debut he wanted to place hair-styling on a pedestal alongside painting and other revered art forms. And just as with that classic movie trope, where you just know that whenever someone enters a barbershop, a cut-throat razor will be at their jugular before you can say ‘Just a mullet, please’, there’s murder too – but here it’s behind the rough and ready scenes at a regional hairdressing competition. Shot in ‘one’ (okay, there’s a bit of trickery) breathless take to a brilliantly twitchy, acid-disco soundtrack, it’s a bitchy panic fest peppered with memorably extravagant characters and scissor-sharp dialogue. And the hairdos by London stylist Eugene Souleiman are proper OTT outre monuments to the art. Out 9 June
The Flash
All due respect to June’s other blockbuster heroes, super or not, this might be the one to mark in your diary with a giant lightning-bolt tick. The primary reason (or reasons): it’s got two frickin’ Batmans in it! Ben Affleck reprises his role as the caped crusader (no biggie), but the coolest, most devilishly moreish Batman ever, Michael Keaton, is back too. Supergirl (Sasha Calle) is also there for good measure. Oh, it’s meant to be about The Flash, isn’t it. Yep, Flashie (Ezra Miller) races back in time to save his mum, accidentally breaking the universe (as you do) and creating a world without heroes for evil General Zod to lord it over. Cue a mad multiverse of retired Batmen and so forth to help out. It’s gonna be loud, it’s gonna be eyeball-frying, and funny too. Prepare for EP-IC… Out 16 June
Pretty Red Dress
If I persuade you to go and see this little treasure of London film-making, please don’t cuss me if, 15 minutes in, you’re morosely wondering why you took my advice. Yes, Travis (Natey Jones) is fresh out of prison. Yes, his girlfriend Candice (Alexandra Burke) is working the checkout at a supermarket while trying to pursue her stage dreams. And yes, their daughter is on the verge of being kicked out of school. Yawn you might. However, what seems like a humdrum, 21st-century kitchen sink drama about a Black family on a former council estate turns into something beautifully refreshing the moment Travis buys Candice a saucy red dress for her auditions; and hitherto unexpected secrets and desires sashay out of the closet. Dionne Edwards’ big-hearted debut movie is both fragile and rough, yet strangely uplifting; and former X Factor winner Burke, likewise her first time on the big screen, totally nails it. Out 16 June
Greatest Days
If Take That are the type of band that makes you want to bury yourself in a bunker with the complete Napalm Death back catalogue, advance to the next movie now. If you’re a hardcore fan of the Manchester boy band, you’ll have already seen the stage musical on which this is based 28 times and probably bribed your way into the premiere of Greatest Days. For the inbetweeners, the story follows five best friends who reunite 25 years after the greatest night of their lives (at a Take That gig, obvs) for one more show by their favourite band. The musical was a vehicle for Take That hits, so your fire will get relighted, there’ll be love songs in their millions and there’ll be some heart-warming discoveries along the way. Out 16 June
Asteroid City
What do you need to know about a new Wes Anderson film? Nothing. It’s a Wes Anderson film! The usual pitch-perfect tweeness, picture-perfect retro stylings and exquisitely detailed suitcase packed with A-listers are all here. In fact, so many that they couldn’t stuff them all into one piece of luggage this time. Check ’em out (no surnames necessary): Johansson, Hanks, Robbie, Dafoe, Brody, Schwartzman, Cranston, Swinton, Norton, Wright, Goldblum, Hawke, Dillon, Chau, Carell, the list goes on… But shock, horror! No Bill Murray! This time it’s about a desert convention of young stargazers that comes under alien threat. A friend said that watching a Wes Anderson movie is like staring at an incredibly beautiful cake for two hours. I’ll have a second slice please. Out 23 June
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Harrison Ford is 80 now. The same age as Joe Biden. Can you imagine Sleepy Joe tearing around on a stallion, waving a bullwhip at badasses? However Ford still manages to do it, he has, unsurprisingly, said it’s his and Indy’s last outing. Spielberg has already bowed out, handing over the director’s reigns to James Mangold (The Wolverine and Logan). The plot? The usual scramble for a legendary artefact before the course of history is altered FOR EVER, another avaricious Nazi baddie (Mads Mikkelsen), this time set in 1969 against the backdrop of the space race. You want more star power? Try Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Toby Jones for size. Watch out too for my adorable upstairs north London neighbour Allon Sylvain playing the Hotel Maitre D (you owe me one, Allon xx). Out 28 June
