14 Movies to See This Summer

This summer, it’s not just the giant blockbusters that deserve your attention. In the next few weeks theatres will be a smorgasbord of stories ranging in everything from a boxer’s redemption to the making of one of the most influential rap groups in history, with a little fun animation and spy action thrown in for good measure. To ensure you don’t miss a thing, here are the 14 films we insist you catch this summer.

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July 10: Amy

A musical doc is always a good watch, but Amy might be a little more depressing than illuminating. This film intersperses amazing performances with heartbreaking footage of Amy Winehouse’s decent into addiction.

July 17: Ant Man

Lest there be a week without a new superhero flick, Ant Man is here with your affable buddy Paul Rudd in the title role. Expect a lot of size jokes.

August 7: Fantastic Four

Don’t worry, you’re not crazy. There WAS just a Fantastic Four movie released a mere ten years ago. But, as is Hollywood’s wont, another one with an entirely new cast is here. Now, we get to learn how their powers came to be and if they’ll be able to protect our world with them. Spoiler alert: the answer is probably yes.

August 19: Masterminds

A comedy caper (about a night guard organizing the biggest bank heists in history) could either be great or terrible. But with a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Owen Wilson and many more, we’re leaning towards a home run.

Minions

Sometimes, the kids have to go to the movies too. Luckily, child films don’t all suck. Here, the sidekicks from Despicable Me are looking for a new evil mastermind to serve. You’ll giggle, we promise.

July 31: Mission Impossible

The fifth instalment of the franchise, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation sees the IMF disbanded, so they have to go – wait for it – rogue to catch an evil group of – wait for it – rogue terrorists.

Ricki and the Flash

Regardless of how many action movies you claim to like, everyone loves a little Meryl Streep. She plays Ricki, a woman who left her family to become a rockstar. Don’t lie, you relate a little.

July 24: Southpaw

Jake Gyllenhaal beefed up for his role as the reigning light heavyweight boxing champion who has to work through real tragedy.

August 14: Straight Outta Compton

This highly anticipated biopic about the start of the revolutionary NWA has huge summer hit written all over it. Adding to the realism of the film is Ice Cube being played by his real-life lookalike son. OG fans will be down right gleeful about this movie.

Trainwreck

Finally! The Amy Schumer film we’ve all been waiting for. Written, produced and starring the comedian du jour, Trainwreck follows a woman as she navigates the waters of monogamy, love and sex with John Cena.

Vacation

Your favourite childhood movie is back and this time it’s Rusty Griswold taking his family for a road trip. A lot of the original cast have returned, including Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

Self/Less

This is the second movie to have a plot that puts someone in Ryan Reynolds’ body (the first was The Switch), so it must still be a hot topic. In Self/Less the lucky guy is Ben Kingsley, who plays a billionaire with cancer. His consciousness is transferred into Reynolds for prolonged life. Lucky bastard.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

A remake of the television show from 1964, Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer play a CIA Agent and KGB operative, respectively. The former enemies must work together to save the world. Or something. All we know is that the trailer looks ridiculously stylish. Prepare yourself for suit envy.

August 28: We Are Your Friends

This movie has the same lure of Entourage: luxe scenery, hot women and fun music. Plus, your lady will be so happy to see Zac Efron that she won’t even notice how happy YOU are to see Emily Ratajkowski.