Oh no, it’s July in Oklahoma! That means it is currently ten billion degrees outside all the time, so it makes sense to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, right? Luckily, this month is packed with some exciting picks from multiple genres.
First up, the Marvel film Black Widow gets its long overdue release. The beginning of Phase Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie takes place several spots back in the timeline, following Captain America: Civil War. This one welcomes back Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff in the character’s first solo outing. The plot centers on Romanoff dealing with her past and coming into contact with her quasi-family members, played by Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz. The trailer has all the hallmark Marvel action set pieces: explosions, fights and occasional attempts at humor. After multiple delays, it releases on July 9.
Next up, a new thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, titled Old. The film follows a family on a vacation at a secluded beach. They quickly discover that being there appears to be making them all age … very rapidly. The trailer has some bizarre looking moments of confusion as children change to adults and someone becomes pregnant seemingly in seconds. Shyamalan has a checkered past when it comes to his last decade of film outings, but this one could shape up to be genuinely gripping, as long as the inevitable twist isn’t something unintentionally comedic. It releases July 23.
Another film with Oklahoma roots plays this month. Titled Stillwater, the crime drama stars Matt Damon as Bill Baker, an oil-rig roughneck who travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin). There, he helps exonerate her for a murder she claims she did not commit. Shot on location in both Oklahoma and France, the story should have a strong family element and a mystery to unravel. Directed by Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), the film releases July 30.
Lastly, and the one I am most excited for, July goes hard and ends the month with The Green Knight. Based on the Arthurian legend, the film will tell the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) and his headstrong notion to seek out the titular Green Knight, a massive, imposing, green-skinned outsider. With a supporting cast including Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris and Kate Dickey, the film is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorites of the year. Distributed by A24, who released films like Uncut Gems, The Lighthouse and Midsommar, the studio is known for taking chances on interesting and unique standalone stories in an unfortunately sequel and reboot heavy system. I can’t wait to be taken somewhere new and exciting when it releases on July 30.
