Ghostbusters
This female-led reboot attracted criticism well before the film was even made – with its co-writer Kate Dippold telling The Telegraph that “They said it was the worst movie ever before I’d written a word.” When the original film came out 32 years ago, it too was poorly received and only became a cult hit over time.
The characters “were a different breed of hero… out-of-shape academics in crumpled, slime-smeared jumpsuits”. This time around, the academics in jumpsuits are played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones; there are cameos from original cast members including Sigourney Weaver, Dan Ackroyd and Bill Murray.
Director Paul Feig once again teams up with McCarthy and Wiig after his 2011 hit Bridesmaids, and addressing the backlash, he has said: “I think the cast is so good, and they can stand in the footsteps of who came before.” Or, as one writer put it, “It’s not as if Feig has remade Citizen Kane with Kim Kardashian in the title role.” On general release from 12 July.
Café Society
Woody Allen’s latest feature opened the 2016 Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews – but drew praise for its performances. Set in the 1930s, it stars Jesse Eisenberg as a New Yorker who moves to LA and falls for his uncle’s secretary (Kristen Stewart).
“Stewart has the glow of a bona fide 1930s bombshell while retaining her characteristically sheepish, down-to-earth persona”, while “Eisenberg is one of the most natural of Woody proxies”.
The Times calls him `an Allen mini-me, an Allen avatar. From his hunched, put-upon shoulders to his nervous, rapid-fire delivery, Eisenberg gives us vintage Woody`.
Despite being criticised for not matching the director’s best works, the film was described as “gentle, whimsical and sumptuously shot” by The Independent, which claims that “even if Allen’s energy levels may be dipping, he still knows just how to mix the comedy and the pathos.” Released 14 July in Thailand, 15 July in the US and 21 July in Russia.
Me Before You
Louisa Clark must find a new job after being laid off from a café. She finds work in taking care of Will Traynor, a cynical banker who was completely paralyzed by a motorcycle accident.
At first, he reacts coldly to her spunkiness, but they soon become friends and develop feelings for each other, even though Louisa has an unthoughtful, marathon-running boyfriend named Patrick.
Louisa learns that Will has given his parents six months before they must bring him to Switzerland for euthanasia. Will cannot deal with the pain and suffering of his disability. Louisa secretly makes it her mission to change his mind and takes him on all the adventures that she can to prove that life is worth living. However, at their final trip to Mauritius with Will`s nurse Nathan, Will confesses he intends to follow through with the euthanasia and asks for her to accompany him.
She is heartbroken and does not speak to him the rest of the trip. After they arrive home, she goes to Switzerland to see Will in his final moments. After his death, he bequeaths her enough money to continue her education and instructs her to, "live well".
On April 2, 2014, it was announced Thea Sharrock would direct the film. On September 2, 2014, Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin were cast in the film. On March 24, 2015, Stephen Peacocke was cast in the film. On April 2, 2015, Jenna Coleman and Charles Dance were cast in the film. On April 9, 2015, Janet McTeer joined the cast. On April 10, 2015, Brendan Coyle, Matthew Lewis, Samantha Spiro, Vanessa Kirby, and Ben Lloyd-Hughes joined the cast.
Principal photography began in April 2015, and ended on June 26, 2015.
In July 2014, it was announced that the film would be released on August 21, 2015. In May 2015, the film`s release date was moved to June 3, 2016. In November 2015, the film`s release date was moved back, to March 4, 2016,before being delayed again in January 2016, to its previous June 3, 2016 release date.
Tale of Tales
“Once upon a time there were three neighbouring kingdoms each with a magnificent castle, from which ruled kings and queens, princes and princesses. One king was a fornicating libertine, another captivated by a strange animal, while one of the queens was obsessed by her wish for a child.”
The billing for Tale of Tales gives a clue as to the timbre of a film populated by “sorcerers and fairies, fearsome monsters, ogres and old washerwomen, acrobats and courtesans” – played by a strong ensemble cast that includes Salma Hayek, John C Reilly, Toby Jones and Vincent Cassel.
According to The Times, “The adult fairytale is a freakish, hybrid, disturbing creature, mostly forgotten in these days of Disney sanitisation, but Tale of Tales resurrects the genre with surreal humour and gothic horror.” The Financial Times praises writer-director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) for recognising “the anarchy and delirium in the fairy-tale tradition, and that anarchy and delirium, properly orchestrated, can do us good”. Released 3 July in Germany, 6 July in Switzerland and 28 July in New Zealand.
Toni Erdmann
“Based on a really brilliant script, you have a comedy of manners and of family life at the same time – and then it is brilliantly acted,” Verena Leuken of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung told at the Cannes Film Festival, where Toni Erdmann was one of the favourites to win the Palme d’Or.
At its first press screening in Cannes, the film was greeted by critics with laughter and spontaneous applause, and it’s since been showered with five-star reviews. Telling the story of a father (Peter Simonischek) who disguises himself as a ‘life coach’ to get closer to his daughter (Sandra Hüller), a busy corporate strategist, it’s the third feature in 13 years from German writer-director Maren Ade.
Time Out praised it for a “sly evocation of the absurdities and banalities of modern life”, while The Telegraph said that “The film’s sweetness and bitterness are held so perfectly in balance, and realised with such sinew-stiffening intensity, that watching it feels like a three-hour sports massage for your heart and soul.”
There is plenty to provoke thoughts among the laughs, too. “It has some serious things to say about family dynamics, about the pressures that professional women face, and how working too much can hollow us out,” says Anderson. Released 14 July in Germany, 15 July in Austria and 21 July in Switzerland.
