A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2017 - Episode VII

As the old smuggler once said, this is where the fun begins…as the 2017 Summer Movie Season hits its peak. Here are the notable releases for the month of July.

It all swings in with…

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING – After a decade of shitty Spider-Man movies by Sony Pictures, the beloved neighborhood web-slinger comes home to Marvel Studios where he can rightfully take his place next to his Avengers brethren. Tom Holland, who debuted this new version of the character in 2016 in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR in an extended cameo, returns to the role, and he is joined by Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Donald Glover, and a few other surprises. Robert Downey Jr. also returns as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES – The ninth film in the PLANET OF THE APES franchise since 1968 is the second sequel to the 2014 reboot/restart, where the fate of both apes and humans will finally be determined. Andy Serkis returns as ape-leader Caesar, and he is joined by Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, and Woody Harrelson. Matt Reeves, who directed the last two APES films, returns to direct.

DUNKIRK – Director Christopher Nolan (THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, THE PRESTIGE), jumps into WWII with this true story about one of the biggest military disasters in history. The cast includes Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, James D’Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, and Cillian Murphy.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS – Director Luc Besson, who brought us the sci-fi cult favorite THE FIFTH ELEMENT in 1997, returns to the genre with this adaptation of the French comic series in which two young operatives are charged with protecting a metropolis. It stars Dane DeHaan (THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES), Cara Delevingne (SUICIDE SQUAD), and Clive Owen.

ATOMIC BLONDE – In this action thriller, adapted from a graphic novel, Charlize Theron plays a spy charged with finding a list of double agents. James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, and Toby Jones co-star. It is helmed by David Leitch, who co-directed the shoot-em-up drama JOHN WICK in 2014.

THE EMOJI MOVIE – This animated film centers on an emoji who lives in a phone who sets out on a journey to discover himself. Stars the voice-talents of TJ Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Sofia Vergara, Christina Aguilera, and Sir Patrick Stewart.

LADY MACBETH – If a break is needed from all of the bangs and whizzes and exploding colors, this British indie films arrives just in time. Based on the novel by Nikolai Leskov, a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage to an older man begins an affair. Stars Florence Pugh and Cosmo Jarvis.

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the final month of the 2017 Summer Movie Season.