Half the year has already passed, but the slate of quality movies keeps coming! June has a smattering of genres to choose from so hopefully you’ll find something on this list that can get you out of the summer heat for a few hours of cinematic bliss.
Start the month off with romance, action and comedy by setting your sights on Hit Man. Starring Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) and Adria Arjonas (Good Omens), the story follows an undercover police officer who poses as a hitman in order to arrest anyone who tries to hire him. Things take a turn when he attempts to save a woman in need. The teaser shows Powell in a variety of costumes, a winning smile paired with each. Directed by Richard Linklater (Before trilogy), it looks to have ample charm and likable leads to boot. It releases to Netflix on June 7.
For a supernatural horror, check out The Watchers. Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of lauded (and sometimes panned) director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense), this will be Ishana’s writing and directorial debut. Starring Dakota Fanning, the movie sees our protagonist stranded in a vast forest somewhere in Ireland. She becomes trapped with three others inside a shelter, where they are watched by mysterious creatures. Being that it’s directed by another Shyamalan, one can expect a big twist somewhere, but hopefully she doesn’t lean too heavily on the influences of her father when it releases on June 14.
For your drama film of the month, don’t miss The Bikeriders. Following a fictional Chicago outlaw motorcycle club in the 1960s, the plot takes place over a decade and watches the evolution of the club and its members. The cast includes Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Austin Butler (Elvis), Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), and looks to show a gritty and authentic side of motorcycle life. Originally scheduled for a release in December of 2023, it was delayed by the SAG-AFTRA Strike and will now open on June 21.
If you want a bizarre anthology film, check out Kinds of Kindness. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), the set up seems to follow three unrelated characters, all dealing with their own issues. Once their stories are combined together, it forms a complete and strange narrative. Lanthimos is well known for his unconventional stories, and this looks to follow in that path directly. Emma Stone (La La Land), Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog), and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse) all star in what will surely be a sight to behold when it releases on June 21.
Lastly, an epic two-part western film should satisfy anyone looking for a grand tale. Titled Horizon: An American Saga, the movie sees Kevin Costner returning to the director’s chair for the first time in twenty years, helming a giant piece on American history. Set during the American Civil War, the story depicts the expansion of the American West and includes a frankly gigantic cast with Costner, Sienna Miller (American Sniper), Sam Worthington (Avatar) and Giovanni Ribisi (Sneaky Pete) to name only a few. Chapter 1 releases on June 18, with Chapter 2 coming August 16.
