London Films Not To Miss In July

By Londonist Last edited 104 months ago
London Films Not To Miss In July

We’re exhausted thinking about July. With Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the Ashes, the British Grand Prix and the Open just for starters, simply typing that has given us tennis elbow and the urge to carb-load. But fear not, if it all gets too much, take refuge in the cool, dark haven of your local cinema and rejuvenate with one of July’s top new releases. Filled with London talent, they run the gamut from docs to blockbusters to the darkest of black comedies. It’s almost worth wishing for rain to stop play...

Amy

amyposter

London Talent
Release date: 3 July 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Asif Kapadia
Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Tony Bennett
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have been witness to the unfortunate in-fighting between filmmaker and family that has heralded the arrival of Amy. A portrait of the late, much lamented singer from the director of the BAFTA award winning documentary Senna, it features archive footage plus interviews with her colleagues, friends and family. Regardless of whose side you take on the film, one thing is for sure, London has been a quieter place without her.

Terminator Genysis

London Talent
Release date: 3 July 2015
Certificate 12A
Director: Alan Taylor
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith, J.K. Simmons
Having tired of running the world’s eight largest economy, Arnie has finally returned to his pumped, monosyllabic, celluloid roots. Hurrah! Terminator Genysis is the fifth in the series and sees John Conner sending a stooge back in time to protect Sarah Conner. Hang on, didn’t they do that one already? Anyway, the plot doesn’t really matter. What we want is explosions and creepy, CGI-tastic mutating baddies and Arnie grunting “I’ll be back”. Brave Londoner Emilia Clarke takes on the role of Sarah Conner — no mean feat filling Linda Hamilton’s massive shoes.

Love & Mercy

Release date: 10 July 2015
Certificate: 12A
Director: Bill Pohlad
Stars: Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giametti
No self respecting music fan is without a copy of The Beach Boys's seminal Pet Sounds. But how much do you know about Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind the band? It’s easy to presume the fragile figure he cuts today is a result of 60s excess. Prepare to be surprised and moved as Love & Mercy uncovers some disturbing and deeply sad truths about his life. With stunning performances across the board, particularly from Paul Dano as the young Wilson, this is an absolute must-see.

Ant-Man

antman

London Talent
Release date: 17 July 2015
Certificate: TBC
Director: Peyton Reed
Stars: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena
Move over Spiderman, Paul Rudd becomes Marvel’s latest insect superhero with the ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength. Marvel movies have become known for their witty scripts (we’re looking at you, Iron Man), taking the comic book capers beyond geeks-only appeal. Ant-Man looks certain to deliver wit in spades with Londoner Joe Cornish — yes, he of Adam & Joe fame — plus Edgar Wright, director of the spectacular London zombie-fest Shaun Of The Dead, onboard as story and screenplay writers.

True Story

London Talent
Release date: 17 July 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Rupert Goold
Stars: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones
Nope, despite the presence of Messrs Hill and Franco, this isn’t a comedy. Guess again. Directed by Rupert Goold, creative head of London’s esteemed Almeida Theatre, True Story instead lets our boys exercise their serious actor chops. Based on the disturbing true story (see what they did there) of a man who killed his family and children then assumed the name of an investigative journalist, it reflects Goold’s theatrical roots, playing out in numerous claustrophobic, head-to-head scenes. Chilling.

The Legend of Barney Thomson

London Talent
Release date: 24 July 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Robert Carlyle
Stars: Robert Carlyle, Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Martin Compston, Ashley Jensen, Tom Courtenay
Robert Carlyle makes his directorial debut with this darkly comic tale of a murderous Glaswegian barber, adapted from the Douglas Lindsay novel. But don’t worry, unlike Sweeney Todd, he doesn’t sing. London luvvie extraordinare Emma Thompson plays his overbearing mum — a surprising bit of casting as Emma is a mere two years older than Robert. A slightly less surprising bit of casting is the inclusion of Ray Winstone as a grizzly Cockney.

Maggie

London Talent
Release date: 24 July 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Henry Hobson
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson
Well, he did promise he’d be back. Not content with fighting cyborgs and chewing scenery, Mr Schwarzenegger also takes on an arthouse, zombie apocalypse movie, if you can imagine such a beast. Playing a distraught, small town American father trying to protect his family from being bitten, he embraces his softer side, albeit with the occasional bit of gunslinging, naturally. Londoner Joely Richardson provides back up (and a far more authentic American accent) as his missus.

Southpaw

southpaw

London Talent
Release date: 24 July 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, Forest Whitaker, Rita Ora, 50 Cent
Having starved himself to a bug-eyed, greasy-haired skeleton for his Nightcrawler role as twitchy sociopath Louis Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal gets his laydee fans back on side by hitting the gym and bulking up to play Billy Hope, a boxer who loses it all and fights his way back to keep custody of his daughter. Yes, you’ve seen variants of this story a few squillion times before but Hollywood loves a sports movie / redemption story / physical transformation, so Jake’s performance is already being mooted as a potential 2016 Oscar contender. Popstrel and girl-about-town Rita Ora pops up in the supporting cast, climbing another rung up her burgeoning film career ladder.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

London set
Release date: 30 July 2015
Certificate: TBC
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Sean Harris, Jeremy Renner
We all know Mr Cruise is famous for doing as many of his own stunts as humanely possible (we pity his insurance company) and Mission Impossible 5 is no exception. So it seems more than a touch ironic that, having successfully completed stunts including hanging onto the outside of a plane and holding his breath underwater for over six minutes, he nearly came a cropper under the wheels of a double decker bus while filming scenes in London. Clearly not a man accustomed to using public transport.

Iris

Release date: 31 July 2015
Certificate: TBC
Director: Albert Maysles
Stars: Iris Apfel, Karl Apfel
London is nothing if not a fashionable city and, frankly, all that keeping up with the sartorial Joneses can get a little exhausting. Recharge your fashion batteries with this marvellously inspiring documentary about nonagenarian stylista Iris Apfel, she of the enormous glasses and oversized jewellery fame. Landing just two weeks before London Fashion Week, it’s your chance to pocket a sneaky tip or two, before wowing them on the frow.

By Ruth Sloss.

Last Updated 06 July 2015