The New Movies of June 2017, In Order of Anticipation

By Rob Hunter

From Henry to heroes to heists, these are the movies worth getting excited about this month.

June is the last month of the first half of the year. Is that meaningful in any way?

Not really. Keep reading to see the ten most anticipated movies premiering this month!

10. The Book of Henry

Release Date: June 16

Pros: Director/co-writer Lucia Aniello sharpened her comedy chops as a director/writer on the extremely funny Broad City, and one-half of that show’s dynamic duo, Ilana Glazer, is part of a cast that includes Kate McKinnon, Zoë Kravitz, Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Ty Burrell, and Dean Winters.

Cons: We’ve seen this story before, albeit always from the male perspective in films like Very Bad Things and Stag, so the laughs will need to be big enough to forgive the familiarity.

8. I, Daniel Blake

Release Date: June 16

Pros: Ken Loach’s latest is a simple delight that delivers far more humor than the premise would suggest, and lead Dave Johns gives a performance that walks a sharp line between frustration and persistence. It’s similar to the recent Paterson in how it’s ultimately far less about plot than it is about people.

Cons: No one went to see Paterson either.

7. The Beguiled

Release Date: June 23

Pros: Sofia Coppola makes films great, good, and mediocre — sorry The Bling Ring — but her best focus on women who take their male-centric world and turn it on its head. From The Virgin Suicides to Lost in Translation, she has an eye for beauty and suffering both, and remaking the Clint Eastwood classic from the POV of the girls is an intriguing idea. Couple that with a cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell and you have what should be a sure thing.

Cons: The pacing in Coppola’s movies aren’t for everyone I guess?

6. The Big Sick

Release Date: June 23

Pros: Romantic comedies are the most innocuous and ubiquitous genre going, so it’s always refreshing to see one come along that does things differently. Casting Kumail Nanjiani (who also co-wrote the film) as a lead does just that, and per the folks who saw it at Sundance (including our own Neil Miller) the movie is an absolute delight that jerks both tears and laughs out of your body. I’m paraphrasing.

Cons: Everyone was wrong in praising director Michael Showalter’s last movie, Hello My Name Is Doris, so I’m not sure if I should trust folks now.

5. The Mummy

Release Date: June 9

Pros: Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are a fairly unbeatable team, and their pairings are frequently fantastic (Jack Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and never less than good (Valkyrie). I also love the idea of seeing Cruise in a horror movie — yes, even PG-13 horror that leans heavy on the action — making this a must-see for me this month.

Cons: As excited as I am for it, there’s every chance director Alex Kurtzman takes this the way of Transformers and is simply big, loud, and stupid. The stated intention of this beginning a shared universe of Universal Monsters is also troubling as it suggests a studio looking well beyond this one film instead of ensuring this one film is the best it can be.

4. It Comes at Night

Release Date: June 9

Pros: Writer/director Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha is a harrowing, suspenseful, and tense film… and it’s about a family dinner. The idea of him crafting a horror movie has me giddy.

Click here to read our review.

Cons: I expect the “it” of the title to be little more than people with poor manners and bad attitudes.

3. Wonder Woman

Release Date: June 2

Pros: Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the top highlight in Batman v Superman: The Spawn of Martha, and her solo debut confirms what that supporting turn promised. It’s fun, exciting, and features some truly thrilling beats. Even better, it keeps Wonder Woman front and center. [

Click here to read our review.

Cons: The film is kept from greatness by a few things, most noticeably a lot of rough CG and a habit of leaning on Marvel’s first Captain America film. There’s also not nearly enough of Robin Wright.

2. Baby Driver

Release Date: June 28

Pros: Edgar Wright’s feature filmography consists exclusively of varying degrees of greatness, so there’s no reason to suspect he’ll deliver anything less with his latest. Advance word out of SXSW was incredibly strong, and Wright’s gathered a pretty irresistible cast in the form of Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, and more.

Cons: Let’s be honest, there are no cons here.

1. Okja

Release Date: June 28

Pros: Like Wright above, Bong Joon-ho has yet to deliver a misfire of a feature film. His latest recalls his brilliant creature feature, The Host, but with a Free Willy spin on it. The cast is crazy good with the likes of Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, and more bringing the international tale to life. Advance word has been positive and praises the fil’s ability to shift between genres and tones.

Click here to read our review.

Cons: There’s a chance Bong tips the film a bit too far into the realm of cheesy kiddie fare (but I doubt it).

Also out in June — Cars 3 (6/16), Transformers: The Last Knight (6/21), The Bad Batch (6/23), Despicable Me 3 (6/30), The House (6/30), The Little Hours (6/30)

The article The New Movies of June 2017, In Order of Anticipation appeared first on Film School Rejects.