Look, there’s no sugarcoating it: last summer was an absolutely dreadful one at the cinema. With the notable exceptions of early May releases Mad Max: Fury Road and Carol (why was Carol released in May, again?), blockbusters like Jurassic World and Avengers: Age of Ultron disappointed, while movies like The Fantastic Four, Pixels, Terminator Genisys, Ted 2, and Entourage (whyyy!) made us want to just pack it in. Fortunately, this summer offers an intriguing mixture of indies, studio comedies, and blockbusters that seem far more promising than the dreck of yesteryear. Oh, and we already know this summer’s biggest film, Captain America: Civil War, kicks serious ass. So without further ado, here are the movies to look forward to most this summer.
Marvel; Warner Bros.; Universal
Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and actress Tilda Swinton, who teamed up on the excellent satire of the Milanese haute bourgeoisie I Am Love, have reunited for this gonzo thriller. Set on the remote island of Pantelleria, it centers on a legendary glam rock singer (Tilda Swinton, channeling Bowie) and her hunky boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts, never looked better) whose R&R time is distrupted by the arrival of the gal’s randy ex (a very naked Ralph Fiennes) and his Lolita-ish daughter (Dakota Johnson). Guadagnino’s film is not only grade-A travel porn, but also boasts inspired performances and narrative left-turns.
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Whereas Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a moody, mirthless, monotonous affair, Joe and Anthony Russo’s supersized sequel Captain America: Civil War is equal parts fun, witty, and packed with one scintillating high-octane set piece after another. It’s genuinely surprising how nearly every supporting character here seems fleshed-out in this spandexed battle between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) over the Sokovia Accords, known to comics’ fans as the Superhero Registration Act. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther is electrifying, and Tom Holland is already the best Spider-Man ever. I never in a million years thought I’d be excited for yet another Spidey reboot, but alas, Marvel does it again.
Marvel
Directed by the inimitable Jodie Foster, this drama stars George Clooney as Lee Gates, a financial TV personality (think Mad Money’s Jim Cramer) who’s held hostage by an angry viewer (Jack O’Connell) who lost his savings after following one of Gates’s bogus investment tips. This one unhinged man, however, may have stumbled upon a broader conspiracy. The film also stars Julia Roberts as Gates’s producer—in a nice lil’ Ocean’s Eleven reunion, The Affair’s Dominic West, and Outlander’s Caitriona Balfe.
TriStar
Helmed by one of the finest filmmakers around in Jacques Audiard, who gave us Read My Lips, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, and A Prophet among others, this timely movie took home the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It centers on Sivadhasan (Antonythasan Jesuthasan), a Tamil Tiger soldier during the Sri Lankan Civil War who forges papers in order to find refuge for himself and his family in a housing project on the outskirts of Paris. There, he encounters a new battle. The film’s received rave reviews in its native France.
Why Not Productions
The latest head trip from British filmmaker Ben Wheatley, whose psychedelic A Field in England is well worth your time, is an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, and stars the immaculately dressed Tom Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, a man who moves into a high-rise building. Soon, however, he finds that the edifice is divided by social class—the rich on the upper floors and the poor, who have scant electricity and aren’t granted entry to the pool and other areas, on the lower floors. The blue-collar Richard Wilder (Luke Evans) leads a rebellion up to the penthouse. The film also stars Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, James Purefoy, and Elisabeth Moss.
highrisefilm.com
Based on Jane Austen’s 1871 novel Lady Susan, this British period drama is a nice little Last Days of Disco reunion between filmmaker Whit Stillman and stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny. Here, Beckinsale plays Lady Susan, a widow who’s become the subject of much gossip. In turn, she decides to secure husbands for herself and her socialite daughter—by any means necessary. The lighthearted film showcases Stillman’s trademark wit, and features supporting turns by Sevigny as Lady Susan’s BFF, Xavier Samuel, and Stephen Fry.
Roadside Attractions/Amazon
Every movie about the life of Jesus Christ is destined for controversy, and this film by Colombian director Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives, HBO’s In Treatment) is surely no exception. It follows Jesus (Ewan McGregor) in a non-scripture tale dramatizing his 40 days in the desert, including his psychological battle with the Devil (also McGregor) over a family. The family in question is played by Ciaran Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, and Tye Sheridan.
lastdaysinthedesert.com
One of the most original films of the year—and a comeback vehicle of sorts for its always intriguing star, Colin Farrell—is this sci-fi mindfuck by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Set in the not-so-distant future, single people have 45 days to find a viable partner lest they be turned into an animal. David (Farrell) finds himself navigating this oddball dystopia in search of a mate, and finds one in a short-sighted woman (Rachel Weisz). Will they avoid the dreaded transformation? The film also stars Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, and John C. Reilly.
Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival
The title to this comedy sequel is just awful—I mean really awful—but the first installment back in ’14 turned out to be a surprisingly funny (and insightful) coming of age comedy. Director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Rose Byrne are back, and this time they’ve joined forces against the gals of Kappa Kappa Nu, a sorority next door led by Chloe Grace Moretz that feels they have just as much right to party as the frat boys. Shenanigans no doubt ensue. The film also sees Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, and Lisa Kudrow return, and welcomes new cast members Selena Gomez, Kiersey Clemons, Abbi Jacobson, and LL Cool J.
Chuck Zlotnick
Shane Black invented the modern-day buddy action-comedy with his screenplay to 1987’s Lethal Weapon, and helped trigger Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback with the underrated neo-noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Here, he’s paired up Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as a goofball private eye and hired muscle who must join forces to find a missing girl (Margaret Qualley). Needless to say, they end up biting off a lot more than they can chew. The film also stars Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger—reuniting with her L.A. Confidential bud Crowe.
Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, daughter of the famed playwright Arthur Miller and director of the underrated dramas Personal Velocity and The Ballad of Jack and Rose, this romantic comedy follows Maggie (Greta Gerwig), a New Yorker who falls for an older man, John (Ethan Hawke), whose marriage to a gifted Columbia University professor, Georgette (Julianne Moore), is on the rocks. Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Travis Fimmel, and Wallace Shawn round out the talented ensemble cast.
Sony Pictures
Directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, this documentary provides an all-access backstage pass to New York congressman Anthony Weiner’s disastrous 2013 campaign for mayor of New York—you know, the one that gave us the handle “Carlos Danger” and some very unfortunate crotch shots. Because of Kriegman’s post as Weiner’s former chief of staff, the access is truly remarkable, capturing Weiner and his unbelievably devoted/trapped wife Huma Abedin as they weather scandal after scandal.
Sundance
In this star-studded superhero extravaganza, the centuries-old deity Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) has risen and wishes to institute a New World Order. He recruits the Four Horsemen—Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and Archangel (Ben Hardy) to assist him. On the other side is the X-Men—led by Professor X (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)—who assemble to stop him. The cast also includes Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, and Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler.
20th Century Fox
Directed by James Bobin, who helmed the surprisingly good Jason Segel starrer The Muppets, this sequel to 2010’s $1 billion-grossing Alice in Wonderland sees the titular Alice (Mia Wasikowska) return to Wonderland only to find The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) on the brink of death. In order to save him, she must tussle with the mutant clock Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) and dodge The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and the late, great Alan Rickman.
Peter Mountain
In 1985, Will Allen found himself in “The Buddhafield”—a California cult headed by a charismatic man known as Michel, aka the Teacher. As the cult’s official filmmaker, he chronicled their everyday rituals, which grew increasingly more bizarre and abusive as the years went on. Comprised of archival footage shot by Allen and present-day interviews with ex-members, this documentary provides a fascinating and horrifying glimpse of a little-known notorious cult leader who’s still at large.
Sundance
The latest from acclaimed filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Drive) is this noir-horror film featuring Elle Fanning as Jesse, an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles and falls under the wing of a fashion bigwig (Alessandro Nivola) promising her the moon. Soon, however, she finds herself the target of a coterie of venomous women hellbent on sucking her dry. The film also stars Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Abbey Lee, and Bella Heathcote.
Amazon
This could very well be this year’s The Fault in Our Stars. Based on the acclaimed romantic novel by Jojo Moyes, the film centers on Louisa Clark (Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke) who’s hired as the caregiver for the disabled William Traynor (Sam Claflin). She soon learns that William is suicidal, and his parents (Janet McTeer, Charles Dance) hope to convince him that life is still worth living. As the two spend more and more time together, a powerful relationship blossoms.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
The latest from Oscar-winning documentarian Charles Ferguson, who explored the causes of the late-2000s financial crisis in Inside Job, is this doc exploring the possible challenges posed by—and potential solutions to—climate change. The film includes interviews with scientific experts and politicians, and is narrated by Oscar Isaac.
timetochoose.com
Directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, the team behind the underrated (it’s hilarious, dammit) comedy Hot Rod, comes this mockumentary about a white-boy rapper named Connor (Andy Samberg) whose album bombs terribly, and is forced to reunite his old boy band. The film also stars Samberg’s Lonely Island cohorts, as well as Sarah Silverman as Connor’s publicist, Imogen Poots as Connor’s girlfriend, Bill Hader as the roadie, along with Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack, Will Arnett, and Martin Sheen in supporting roles.
In this sequel to the surprisingly engaging 2013 caper, famed illusionists the Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan) are recruited by a nefarious tech genius (Daniel Radcliffe) to pull off their most insane heist yet. Filmmaker Jon M. Chu’s movie also stars Mark Ruffalo, Sanaa Lathan, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman.
Jay Maidment
Duncan Jones is probably best known as Zowie Bowie, the son of the late music legend David Bowie, but he’s also emerged as a talent in his own right, helming the impressive 2009 sci-fi flick Moon and 2011’s Source Code. Here, he’s been given a lot more money—$100 million, to be exact—to direct a fantasy epic based on the Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft game series. In order to prevent a human-orc war that will end civilization as we know it, the leader of the humans (Travis Fimmel) and the leader of the orcs (Toby Kebbell) must team up and hatch a plot to prevent mutually-assured destruction. The film also stars Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, and Daniel Wu.
Universal Pictures
Directed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow, this documentary chronicles the life of one of the more underappreciated American filmmakers ever: Brian De Palma. Over the course of his 50-plus-year career, De Palma’s made genre classics like Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface, and The Untouchables, and in the process has influenced a generation of filmmakers from Sam Raimi to Quentin Tarantino.
A24
Pixar’s long-awaited sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo sees original writer/director Andrew Stanton return, along with its beloved characters Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), Nemo, Marlin, and Co. Set six months after the events of Nemo, this 3D animated film follows Dory on a quest to find her family. Along the way, she crosses paths with Bailey, a white beluga whale (Ty Burrell); Destiny, a whale shark (Kaitlin Olson); Hank, a cranky octopus who guides Dory (Ed O’Neill); as well as Idris Elba and Dominic West voicing unspecified characters.
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story), this spy-comedy centers on Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), the former bullied “fat kid” from his high school who’s now the world’s top CIA agent. Returning home for his high school reunion, he decides to play a little trick on his former tormentor, Calvin (Kevin Hart), who’s now a crestfallen accountant, recruiting him on a “top-secret mission.” But the ruse soon takes a sharp turn, as the unlikely pair find themselves in the midst of an elaborate plot that could mean curtains for the both of ‘em. The film also stars Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, and Megan Park.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
You know that gnarly beard Matthew McConaughey’s been sporting? It’s not because he’s JKL-ing too strong. It’s for this Civil War action-drama helmed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) about Newton Knight (McConaughey), a pig farmer from Mississippi who leads a rebel faction of anti-slavery Confederate army soldiers against the Confederacy. He marries Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an African American, and establishes one of the first mixed-race communities in the South. The film also stars Keri Russell, Brendan Gleeson, and Mahershala Ali.
STX movies
If you thought Finding Dory took a long time, well, this sequel is coming 20 years after the original Independence Day—and minus star Will Smith, whose character has been killed off. In filmmaker Roland Emmerich’s follow-up, 20 years have passed since the War of 1996, but before the aliens were vanquished, they were able to fire off a signal to their remaining fleet. Now the aliens are back to wreak havoc on the world once more. Original cast members Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Vivica Fox are back, and joined by newcomers Joey King, Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, and Jessie Usher as Will Smith’s character’s son.
via 20th Century Fox
I am still annoyed that my favorite performance of 2015, Paul Dano’s brilliant turn as Beach Boys’ frontman Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy, was passed over for an Academy Award nomination. Here, in this surreal drama by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—the music video-directing duo behind “Turn Down For What”—the talented actor plays a man in the wilderness who stumbles upon a dead corpse (Daniel Radcliffe). With the corpse’s help, the two try to make their way back home. The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
A24
In a summer movie season very light on sports films, perhaps this baseball drama will hold people over. Directed by Noah Buschel, it stars Johnny Simmons as Hopper Gibson, a talented MLB rookie pitcher who loses control of the strike zone and is shipped down to the minors. There, he begins a series of therapy session with Dr. Mobley (Paul Giamatti), an eccentric sports psychologist, and is forced to come to terms with the lingering issues between him and his father, played by Ethan Hawke.
Directed by the one and only Steven Spielberg, this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s celebrated children’s book of the same name tells the story of Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) and the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton), who joins forces with the titular Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) to rid the world of the villainous man-eating giants plaguing humanity. The film also stars Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall, and Jemaine Clement, and features lensing by Spielberg regular Janusz Kaminski and music by the legendary John Williams, who composed the scores to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films.
Directed by David Yates, who helmed the final four films in the Harry Potter franchise—as well as the upcoming Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—this rendition of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character opens with Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) settled down in London as Lord Greystoke with his lovely wife, Jane Porter (Margot Robbie). However, he finds himself drawn back to the Congo as a trade emissary, where he finds himself caught in a sadistic scheme headed by corrupt Belgian Captain Rom (Christoph Waltz). The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent.
Warner Bros.
The feature directorial debut of Justin Tipping, this gritty drama was one of the standouts of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. It tells the story of Brandon (Jahking Guillory), a 15-year-old outcast who’s been saving all his life for a pair of fresh Air Jordans. When he finally scores them, they’re jacked by local gangster Flaco (Kofi Siriboe), sending Brandon and his two dorky pals, Albert (CJ Wallace, son of the late Notorious B.I.G.) and Rico (Christopher Meyer), deep into the mean streets of Oakland, California, to find them.
Focus World
Chris Renaud is one of the more successful animated filmmakers around, having helmed Despicable Me, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and Despicable Me 2. His latest is this 3D computer animated comedy set in a Manhattan apartment building. When the owner (Ellie Kemper) brings home a big new dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), her once-cherished terrier, Max (Louis C.K.), feels overlooked, and embarks on a soul-searching journey. Meanwhile, a scheming rabbit (Kevin Hart) has recruited an army of stray pets to declare war on all the housebroken pets and their doting owners. The film also features the voice talents of Steve Coogan, Bobby Moynihan, Dana Carvey, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Jenny Slate, and Albert Brooks.
Universal Pictures
My favorite film of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was this, Matt Ross’s poignant drama focusing on Ben (Viggo Mortensen), the devoted patriarch to a brood of six kids raised in the forest on deer, hikes, and Chomsky. When their mother passes, the gang are forced back into society, who greets the feral brood with a collective side-eye. This is one of the best performances of Mortensen’s career as he fully embodies one of cinema’s great eccentric dads, and Ross’s film also poses some fascinating questions about the ways we parent and educate our children.
Bleecker Street
Filmmaker Paul Feig has reunited with his Bridesmaids duo of Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy for this all-female Ghostbusters reboot, about a pair of authors (Wiig, McCarthy) who penned a book about ghosts that team up with a nuclear engineer (Kate McKinnon) and an NYC subway worker (Leslie Jones) to defend Manhattan against an invading legion of ghosts. The film also stars Chris Hemsworth as the Ghostbusters’ hunky receptionist, Andy Garcia, Elizabeth Perkins, and Cecily Strong, and features cameos from the original Ghostbusters cast of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts (RIP Harold Ramis).
Columbia Pictures
Directed by Drake Doremus (Like Crazy), this sci-fi romantic drama is set in a futuristic utopian world without human emotions. One day, an illustrator named Silas (Nicholas Hoult) becomes a pariah when he becomes infected with a new disease and develops romantic feelings for his co-worker, Nia (Kristen Stewart), who’s also infected. The two terribly pretty outcasts go on the run from the authorities. The film also stars Guy Pearce and Jacki Weaver.
A24
The sequel to 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness—and the 13th Star Trek movie overall—sees Fast Five director Justin Lin take the reins from J.J. Abrams, who’s busy with another galaxy far, far away. When the USS Enterprise is destroyed by a mysterious group of aliens, the crew find themselves stranded on an unknown planet and squaring off against the villainous Krall, played by Idris Elba. The original cast of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin are all back setting phasers to stun.
Paramount Pictures
This is the fifth installment in the Ice Age 3D-animated film series. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t seen any of them. But if you need something to take your kids to, well, this seems like a decent option. The film features the voice talents of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, and—yes—Neil deGrasse Tyson as a weasel-astronomer recruited to stop a meteor shower. OK, that alone seems worth the price of admission.
20th Century Fox
There’s precious little known about the plot of the latest film in the Bourne Identity series. What we do know is that Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross likely won’t feature—he’ll star in his own sequel skedded for 2017, to be directed by Justin Lin. Meanwhile, this one has Paul Greengrass back at the helm and original star Matt Damon in the lead, who will square off against a villain played by Vincent Cassel. They’re joined by Alicia Vikander as the female lead, Tommy Lee Jones, Julia Stiles, and Riz Ahmed.
Universal Pictures
Directed by David Ayer—and sadly rated PG-13—the third film in the DC cinematic universe centers on a group of villains who are banded together by government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to dispatch the psychopathic villain The Joker, played by Jared Leto. The Suicide Squad consists of Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Katana (Karen Fukuhara), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Slipknot (Adam Beach). Supermodel Cara Delevingne will also star as the mystical Enchantress, and Ben Affleck’s Batman will make an appearance as well.
Warner Bros.
Directed by John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks) and written by Robert Siegel (The Wrestler), this biopic stars the great Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, an Illinois salesman who meets McDonald’s founders Mac and Dick McDonald, and, through a series of deals, manages to take over the company in 1961. The film—which seems like potential Oscar bait, though it is August—also stars Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, Patrick Wilson, B.J. Novak, and Linda Cardellini.
The Weinstein Company
This remake of the 1959 William Wyler-Charlton Heston multiple Oscar winner is directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and co-written by John Ridley, who penned 12 Years a Slave. It tells the tale of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a nobleman enslaved by the Romans after being falsely accused of a crime by his childhood friend, Messala (Toby Kebbell), who’s hell-bent on revenge. The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Nazanin Boniadi, Rodrigo Santoro, and Ayelet Zurer.
Paramount Pictures
A work-in-progress cut of the film that premiered at this year’s SXSW drew critical raves, with Variety calling it the “R-rated Inside Out.” Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This Is the End) and directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, this very raunchy, curse-happy 3D-animated flick is set in a supermarket. When Frank (Rogen), a sausage, discovers what his purchaser plans to do with him, he goes on a mission to free the food. The film also features the voice talents of Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek.
Columbia Pictures.
This remake of the 1977 Disney animated film of the same name is directed by David Lowery, who last gave us the impressive western Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. This is decidedly more family-friendly fare here, about an old man (Robert Redford) who tells tales of a dragon living deep in the woods. When his daughter (Bryce Dallas Howard) comes upon a 10-year-old named Pete (Oakes Fegley) who says he lives with a dragon, she embarks on a dangerous and thrilling journey in search of the truth.
Walt Disney Studios
Directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips, this crime drama is based on a real-life story documented in Rolling Stone about a pair of arms dealers, Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) and David Packouz (Miles Teller), who somehow secure a $300 million contract to run guns to U.S. allies in Afghanistan. Needless to say, things don’t exactly go as planned, and the pair of knuckleheads find themselves wanted by both the U.S. government and other nefarious forces. The film also stars Cuban stunner Ana de Armas and J.B. Blanc.
Warner Bros.
The latest from Laika, the 3D stop-motion animation studio behind the films Coraline and ParaNorman, this stop-motion flick centers on Kubo (Art Parkinson), a young boy in feudal Japan who must rid his family of an evil spirit by locating a magical set of samurai armor owned by his later father, and facing down the gods. The film also features the voice talents of Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, and George Takei.
Focus Features
Directed by Venezuelan filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz (Secuestro Express), this boxing biopic tells the story of Roberto Durán (Edgar Ramirez), a Panamanian boxer who was nicknamed “Manos de Piedra” (“Hands of Stone”) for his vicious fighting style. Durán, thanks to the tutelage of coach Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro), goes head-to-head against Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher) for the 1980 WBC welterweight title. The film also stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ellen Barkin, Ana de Armas, and John Turturro.
The Weinstein Company
Marking the feature directorial debut of Richard Tanne, this romantic comedy follows a young associate by the name of Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) who, in 1989 Chicago, tries to win the heart of a young lawyer, Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter). Tanne’s film depicts the pair’s first date to the Art Institute of Chicago and a showing of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.
Sundance Film Festival
