It’s finally here!. After days of rushing through the frigid streets, layering up, and canceling plans to stay inside where it was warm, summer has finally blessed us with its presence. Of course, this means a ton of films are headed to the box office. Female-led 2019 summer movies make up a pretty big chunk of the releases this year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. With the #MeToo and the TIME’s Up Movements shaking things up in Hollywood, it’s nice to know that even though we have a long way to go when it comes to gender equality, we are at least moving in the right direction.
With feature debuts like Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and reboots like the Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth-led, Men In Black: International, as always, cinema is ready to take us to magical never before seen places to experience new adventures. But this time, the ladies are leading the way. There will be superheroes (of course), some thrillers, a bit of comedy and some ’90s nostalgia from our childhoods. Two of our favorite ladies from Game of Thrones will be soaring in another beloved franchize and of course, if nothing else entices you–2019 is the summer of Beyoncé.
Image: Francois Duhamel/ Annapurna Pictures.
Check out our illustrious list of summer movies with some boss ass ladies in them.
Booksmart (May 24)
Jumping right into the summer we’ll begin with Olivia Wilde’s feature debut, Booksmart. The movie follows Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein), besties and academic over-achievers who decide to use their final night as high schoolers to make up for lost time. Together, the pair embark on a no-holds-bar night out full of epic laughs and a bit of foolishness.
Rocketman (May 31)
So, Rocketman isn’t exactly female-led, but we felt we needed to make an exception for the legend that is Elton John. Taron Egerton stars as the iconic entertainer in this biopic about the beginning of John’s monumental career. We also heard that Egerton is delivering raw vocals in the film instead of lip-syncing and apparently he sells the f*ck out of it.
Ma (May 31)
What’s summer without a bit of horror? Octavia Spencer stands at the center of Ma as Sue Ellen, a lonely middle age woman who befriends a group of high school students. She even agrees to let the teens party in her basement. However, Ms. Sue Ellen has several rules. One of the kids has to stay sober, don’t curse, and never go upstairs.
We all know that teenagers are habitual line-steppers, and they can’t be trusted to follow the rules. Unfortunately, for them, breaking the rules just might bring out the monster in Ma.
Dark Phoenix (June 7)
Though she’s put Sansa behind her, that hasn’t stopped Sophie Turner’s meteoric rise on the big screen. Up next, the former Queen of the North is headed back to the X-Men franchise in Dark Phenoix. She will be reprising her role as the telekinetic Jean Grey–for the most beloved X-Men plot of all time.
We’re not sure about anyone else, but in Sophie we trust.
Late Night (June 7)
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson together, what’s not to like? Written by Kaling and directed by Nisha Ganatra, Late Night follows Molly Patel (Kaling), a “diversity hire” who becomes the first and only female staff writer on the sole female hosted late night show. Thompson plays late-night host Katherine Newberry who is being pushed out by the network becuase of ageism.
The Dead Don’t Die (June 14)
Is it really summer without a zombie horror film? We think not. The Dead Don’t Die has a massive ensemble cast including Selena Gomez, Chloë Sevigny, and Tilda Swinton. The movie follows the town of Centerville where things begin to go awry.
As zombies begin to rise from their graves, the tiny town’s ill-equipt police force ban together to stay alive.
Men In Black: International (June 14)
We’re not sure how we feel about Men In Black without WIll Smith, but we’re certainly willing to watch Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth team up. We all know that the Men In Black agency was set up to regulate alien life. Now, Thompson and Hemsworth are new agents on the scene. According to the film’s synopsis, Thompson’s character is so obsessed with becoming an agent that she infiltrates the super secret headquarters
However, things go down, we’re excited to see these Thor: Ragnarok actors again together on the big screen.
American Woman (June 14)
In what is being called the greatest role of Sienna Miller’s career, the British actress stars as a Deb Callahan, a rural Pennsylvania native whose life begins to spiral out of control when her teenage daughter mysteriously goes missing. Left to raise her young grandson, Deb tries the face her new normal until the truth comes barreling towards her. Honestly, the American Woman trailer alone is giving us so much life.
Toy Story 4 (June 21)
And just like that, it’s time to say goodbye to a beloved Disney classic (until they bring back a creepy live-action version of course). In their final adventure, Toy Story 4, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the gang embark on a road trip with their new owner, Bonnie. Though Forky–a spork that Bonnie has made into a toy–terrorizes them, the guys reminisce on the good old days and everything that’s led them here.
We’ll probably start weeping as soon as the film starts if we’re binging honest.
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (June 21)
When we consider the life of Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison, we don’t see her complete journey. It began in the 1930s in Lorainne, Ohio, and landed her in NYC as a beloved editor before she started writing novels that spoke to women and the Black community. In Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, the novelist reflects on her life, her joys, and trials. We also hear from those closest to the novelist including her dear friends Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Sonchia Sanchez.
It’s not often we can watch such a transformative figure tell their own story.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2)
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man returns in the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming—Spider-Man: Far From Home. This time, Peter Parker and his rag-tag group of friends are headed overseas on a European vaca (hence the whole far from home bit.) We enjoy Marvel just like everyone else, but mostly we’re just here for Zendaya and Jake Gyllenhaal as the villainous Mysterio.
Maiden (July 5)
We love a good doc, and this summer, there is Maiden. The film is about 24-year-old Tracy Edwards– a charter boat cook, who in 1989 became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race. It’s a film about courage, endurance, and general badassness.
The Farewell (July 12)
We all know rapper/actress Awkwafina for giving us laughs. However, in The Farewell, The Crazy Rich Asians star takes a dramatic turn. In the film, she stars as Billi, a woman who travels home with her family to their native China. However, upon discovering that the family has decided not to tell their beloved matriarch, Nai Nai, that she’s dying of lung cancer, Billi becomes indignant.
The film is a story from writer-director Lulu Wang’s own life which she shared on a This American Life episode.
The Lion King (July 19)
Have you packed your bag? We’re about to return to Pride Rock for Disney’s live-action version of The Lion King. Since the cast was announced and the first trailer dropped, we’ve been desperate to see more. Thankfully, James Earl Jones is reprising his role from the original as Mufasa, so that sold us right away.
Also Beyoncé!!
Apparently, there is a duet between the Queen and Donald Glover and we can barely contain our delight.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26)
Tarantino is back with his ninth film, and since it premiered at Cannes Film Festival, 25 years after Pulp Fiction, we’d say that we’re in for a wild ride at the theaters this summer. Set in 1969, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood follows a faded television actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) who are desperate to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
This is Tarantino, so he obviously going to bend and shift history. Therefore–the film will intersect with the Manson Clan and give us a peek into the final days of actress Sharon Tate–portrayed by the transformative Margot Robbie.
The New Mutants (August 2)
It looks like Fox-Disney is returning to the drawing board with the X-Men, and thankfully Game of Thrones alum Maisie Williams will be in the center of it all. The New Mutants follows five young mutants, just discovering their abilities. Unfortunately, they are being held in a secret facility against their will.
Williams plays a Scottish mutant who is “struggling to reconcile her religious beliefs with her power to turn into a wolf.” So it’s not quite Arya Stark levels of epicness, but we’ll take what we can get.
The Kitchen (Aug. 9)
Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elizabeth Olsen? Yes, please. Set in the 1970s and based on a comic book series, The Kitchen follows a group of mobster wives who take over their husbands’ territory when the men go to jail. Of course, these women are more ruthless and iconic then they’re husbands could have ever hoped to be.
Here’s to hoping that the movie will do the comics justice.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Aug. 16)
We would legit watch Cate Blanchett if she was just breathing. So of course, we’re going to run to see her in Boyhood director’adaptation of Maria Semple’s 2012 novel, Where’d You Go, Bernadette? In the movie, Blanchett stars as the titular character, a wife and mother who suddenly vanishes just before a planned family trip.
Honestly, as soon as we saw Blanchett’s bob in the film we lived. Kristen Wiig and Judy Greer also star in the film.
The Nightingale (Aug. 30)
Period pieces + thrillers= summer delights. The Nightingale is the brainchild of The Babadook director Jennifer Kent, and it has all of the elements that we love and that terrifies us. Set in 1825 in Tasmania (an island of off the Australian coast), The Nightingale follows a 21-year-old Irish female convict who witnesses the brutal murders of her husband and baby. Taking justice into her own hands, she enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker to get her revenge.
Source: Stylecaster.com
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