Summer catch-up: Best films of the year so far and where to watch them
Clockwise from top left: A Complete Unknown; Flow; A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg and (Oscar winner) Kieran Culkin deliver star turns in this comedy-drama, written and directed by Eisenberg. They play two close but mismatched US cousins, reunited on a road trip to Poland, to remember the heritage of their late grandmother. Chaos, wackiness and emotional rollercoasters ensue in this layered, funny and moving drama.
Now in his 100th year, the passionate documentarian brings one of his most ambitious projects to date. Ocean is a rallying cry for action, a story of righteous anger in some of its details, but primarily a tale of hope in the power of nature. It features some of the most dramatic, groundbreaking - and at times shocking - ocean footage ever brought to the screen.
From the moment The Country Girls was published in 1960, Irish writer Edna O’Brien was on a potential collision course with the powers that be, both socially and at the pulpit. Filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea (Pray For Our Sinners) does a fine job of telling O’Brien’s story, through context and legacy, in a richly detailed documentary using archive footage. It includes narration from Killarney actress Jessie Buckley, and moving contributions from O’Brien herself in the months before her passing.
Bridget Jones is nudging towards middle age, her heart shattered by grief, but still Bridget, in a tender and touching fourth outing for Renée Zellweger. A lively summer beckons as Bridget aims to navigate the challenge of moving through life while treasuring Mark Darcy’s memory with their young children, in a series that continues to deliver.
From Traffic to Magic Mike and Contagion, maverick US filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has always loved to mix up his genres. With Presence, he takes the haunted house story we all think we know and subverts it in what is a clever ghost story, with shocking elements. Audiences see the movie from the perspective of the ghost, in which we see what the spirit is seeing, through a series of dramatic events in a family home.
The winner of Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars, this stunning film, which unfolds without the use of dialogue - is on the art-house side of storytelling, but its story is universal. It follows the adventures of a brave and endearing cat as it fights for survival following a devastating flood that has destroyed its home.
The Brazilian film that drew worldwide audiences - including in Ireland - is a powerful return for one of its finest filmmakers, Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries). Based on true events, it’s told through the eyes of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), who lives with politician husband Rubens and their family in 1970s Rio de Janeiro. As Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, they experience a violent act that will forever change their lives.
Steven Soderbergh’s highly entertaining spy drama - his second film this year following the ghostly Presence - brings marriage into espionage. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play married intelligence agents forced to employ their skills when one of them is suspected of betrayal.
Music takes centre stage in director James Mangold’s (Walk the Line) thoughtful portrait of an artist as a young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) looks at his musical legacy in a movie that avoids the usual biopic cliches. It focuses on the young Robert Zimmerman’s move to New York - and his determination to follow his own path amid the pressures that fame brings. Chalamet’s Dylan, moody, enigmatic and difficult to pin down, feel true to the musician himself and got the actor an Oscar nomination.
Gillian Anderson and her co-star Jason Issacs bring Raynor Winn’s much-loved novel to the screen in the story of how a couple bond with nature and each other as they face some of the worst times in their marriage. Shaken by financial and personal difficulties, they embark upon The Salt Path, a 630-mile trek along England’s beautiful but challenging Cornish, Devon and Dorset countryside.
Irish filmmaker Darren Thornton’s (A Date for Mad Mary) charming, funny and bittersweet drama centres on Edward, played by Scottish actor James McArdle, nailing an Irish accent. An aspiring novelist and gay man who’s juggling his literary aspirations with the challenges of caring for his elderly mother (Fionnuala Flanagan), having a stroke has increased her needs but not thwarted her droll sense of humour. When her mother’s peers come to stay, the stage is set for a memorable and revealing weekend.
Aardman’s latest slice of genius comes to Netflix this week following its BBC debut at Christmas. A smart gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own features in this lively and witty animation, regarded as a triumphant return from the much-loved characters created by the legendary British animation studios.
A young Hawaiian girl adopts a mischievous alien in Disney’s familiar but very likeable live-action take on the 2002 animated smash. The onscreen creation of Stitch is colourful and convincing and as his human best pal, newcomer Maia Kealoha is cuteness personified in the leading role. The story centres around a young girl who adopts a ‘dog’ she names Stitch. In reality, he’s a bold extraterrestrial far from home and seeking new adventures. There’s a tenderness, too, in the bond between the girl and the alien and between two sisters navigating huge life changes.
Inspired by the real-life Voyager which sent messages from the world into outer space, a young space-obsessed boy starts sending messages of his own - putting him on the radar of a group of aliens seeking human interaction. Elio is beamed up into the world of The Communiverse - a group of alien planets geared towards keeping peace and supporting each other. But there’s a baddie to contend with in the latest and likeable from the animation giants at Pixar.
