The month ahead will see the return of some big franchises, some better, some worse, as well as some smaller movies fresh off the indie awards circuit. If May was not already an indicator that the summer blockbusters are arriving thick and fast with releases including; Guardians of the Galaxy vol. III, Fast X and The Little Mermaid, then June definitely will prove that the season of summer blockbusters is here.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG)
The first major release of the month is the one I personally am the most excited for as we get to see our favourite web-slinger return.
The animated feature is the follow up to the 2018 Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which introduced Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) to the big screen. This latest instalment will see Miles and love interest Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) on a mission to save every Spider-Verse from The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). Miles will also come into conflict with Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), who is the leader of the Spider-Society.
The Boogeyman (15)
The Boogeyman is the latest adaptation from Horror icon Stephen King, based on his 1973 short story of the same name.
The film is from British director Rob Savage who made his big breakthrough during lockdown with The Host, which was a paranormal found footage film about creepy goings-on during a Zoom chat between a group of friends.
This supernatural horror follows two sisters (Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) struggling to deal with the grief from the sudden death of their mother, when an unknown entity that feeds on suffering enters their home.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (PG)
Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime in the seventh instalment of the loud, clunky, Billion dollar franchise.
Michael Bay does not return behind the camera this time, only as a producer (perhaps that is for the best). Despite that this franchise, which he has helmed from the start, has grossed £5 Billion at the box office, the best instalment was 2018’s Bumblebee, which was the only one he did not direct.
The latest entry follows Noah (In the Heights’ Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) as they are at the centre of a three-way conflict between the Maximals, Predacons and Terrorcons as they aid Optimus Prime in a defense of Earth against the arriving Unicron’s (whatever any of that means).
Flamin’ Hot (TBC)
It certainly appears that 2023 is turning out to be the year where we see a lot of films being adapted from true stories about how recognisable global brands came into existence. We have already had films out this year about the creation of Air Jordan, Blackberry and Tetris, now we have one that I never thought I would see – Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Directed by Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and which received many positive reviews when it premiered at “South by Southwest” in March. The film is based on the memoir A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive by Richard Montañez, a cleaner for the company Frito-Lay, who claimed to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos despite this being disputed by the board members at Frito-Lay decades later.
The Flash (12A)
The latest release in the DC Extended Universe has one large hurdle coming out of the gate, which is the large amounts of controversy surrounding it’s star Ezra Miller. Despite this controversy, DC and Warner Bros. have decided to stick with Miller but I have a feeling the brunt of the damage will be done by lower than expected box office numbers due to fans boycotting as a result.
The 13th entry in DCEU will see The Flash travel back in time to prevent the murder of his mother. Ultimately, this results in him being trapped in an alternate reality that will see the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, 31 years after he last wore the famous cape.
The Wicker Man: 50th Anniversary Release (15)
In the 50 years since its original release, The Wicker Man has achieved true cult status as one of the most revered horror films in cinema history, despite a famously difficult production.
The folk-horror classic stars Edward Woodward as devout Christian Sgt. Neil Howie investigating the case of a missing girl on a remote Scottish island. The film, which also stars Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, will play in UK cinemas for one night only on Wednesday 21st June with exclusive ’50th Anniversary Event’ footage screening before the film.
This is the first ever 4K restoration of the alleged Final Cut of The Wicker Man which was first released on Blu-ray ten years ago, after an extensive campaign to restore the film with the missing footage that was cut from the film back in 1973.
Asteroid City (12A)
Asteroid City is the latest film by master indie filmmaker Wes Anderson, whose unique and eccentric visual style has seen him become a viral trend in 2023.
Like most of his previous works, the film has an outrageously large star-studded cast including: Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman, Margot Robbie, Steve Carrell, Bryan Cranston and Tilda Swinton to name a few.
The film is still hot off the presses after its premiere at Cannes on the 23rd May where it received a six-minute standing ovation. The story follows students and parents from across America as they gather in the fictional titular city for a Junior Stargazer convention.
No Hard Feelings (15)
No Hard Feelings is an upcoming coming of age, raunchy sex comedy from team behind Bad Teacher (2011) and Good Boys (2019). It stars Jennifer Lawrence who has struggled to find a good project for a few years now, which is strange considering she was an Oscar-winner at the age of 21 and was starring in major franchises such as The Hunger Games and X-Men.
The Silver Lining’s actor stars as Maddie, a young woman who works as an Uber driver until her car is repossessed and she faces bankruptcy. This leads her to accept a rather strange job listing on Craigslist by desperate parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti). The job has a degree of Failure to Launch about it as they offer to reward Maddie with a new car, if she agrees to pose as the girlfriend of their immature 19 year old son. The parents hope that this will make him mature and finally join ‘adult-life’.
Run Rabbit Run (TBC)
Following its premiere at Sundance in January, this Australian Psychological Horror was picked up by Netflix and will be available from the 28th June.
The film stars Sarah Snook, who is best known for portraying Shiv in the critically acclaimed TV Series Succession. Snook plays a fertility doctor named Sarah who starts to notice strange behaviour in her own child.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (12A)
The month of June will go out with a bang with the arrival of the fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise. This is the first time Steven Spielberg is not behind the camera, instead that duty falls into the capable hands of James Mangold who has brought us the likes of Logan, Walk the Line and Le Mans ’66. Spielberg may not be returning but Harrison Ford will be putting on his famous hat once again 42 years after he did in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The film takes place in 1969, 12 years after the events of the very questionable Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It follows everybody’s favourite archaeologist as he is left feeling uneasy after the US has recruited former Nazis in order to beat the Soviet Union in the Space Race.
There are supporting roles for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelson, Antonio Banderas and John Rhys-Davies, and I would not put it past Harrison Ford returning to the role in another 12 years.
Dan Loves Film 
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