July film preview: The Minions are coming, the Minions are coming

July is a huge month for sequels and bananas, with Despicable Me 4, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and Wolverine's banana-colored costume hitting screens

By Matt Schimkowitz | June 26, 2024 | 12:00pm

Film News Minions

July film preview: The Minions are coming, the Minions are coming

Clockwise from top left: Deadpool & Wolverine, Fly Me To The Moon, Twisters, Despicable Me 4, and DIDI Photo: Focus Features

Continuing this year’s running theme, July is light on tentpoles and new releases. It’s still a byproduct of last year’s shutdowns and Hollywood’s molasses-paced COVID recovery. Also not helping things: Potential blockbusters like Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F going straight to streaming. But it’s the movies. They will not go quietly into the night. They will not vanish without a fight. They’re going to live on. They’re going to survive. Today, we celebrate our July movie calendar.

Theater owners do have some hope in sight. Despicable Me 4 and Deadpool & Wolverine hope to bring back repeat customers, while Twisters hope people remember the original. More interestingly, it’s a big month for independent film. Ti West and Mia Goth’s latest slasher, MaXXXine, finally hits Hollywood, Sundance breakout DÌDI expands nationally, and Levan Akin, the director of And Then We Danced, returns with Crossing.

So grab a Firecracker pop and a tall glass of lemonade because, to paraphrase Rob Thomas, baby, July’s a hot one, like seven inches from the midday sun. Why not go to the movies?

Despicable Me 4 (July 3)

Despicable Me 4 | Official Trailer 2

Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Sofía Vergara, Miranda Cosgrove, and Steve CooganDirector: Chris Renaud and Patrick DelageThey’re b-a-a-nana. Yes, Gru and his loveable minions are returning for another 90 minutes of child-placating, parent-dissociating supervillain comedy courtesy of Steve Carell, Stuart, Bob, and Kevin. It’s always a good sign when a long-running series introduces a baby, right? This time, Will Ferrell voices Gru’s nemesis, Maxime Le Mal, as Gru deals with raising a toddler with supervillain tendencies. Chris Renaud returns to direct after sitting out Minions: The Rise Of Gru, giving his partner Kyle Balda the movie off. It was written by Ken Daurio and the Emmy-winning creator Mike White, who moonlights as the writer of Migration and .

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3)

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | Official Trailer | Netflix

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Kevin BaconDirector: Mark MolloyBetween the minions and Axel Foley, July is a big month for bananas. Named after Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic theme song, Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F has a terrible title for a legacy sequel. It looks, reads, and sounds weird. Nevertheless, the latest role reprisal for Eddie Murphy looks reasonably fun. The gang’s back together, Faltermeyer’s score is bumping, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is doing his classic bits. The movie had a heck of a time coming together, with first-time film director and Quibi veteran Mark Molloy stepping in for directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who left to make two Bad Boys sequels.

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Space Cadet (July 4)

Space Cadet - Official Trailer | Prime Video

Cast: Emma Roberts, Tom Hopper, Poppy Liu, Gabrielle Union, Kuhoo Verma, Dave Foley, and Desi LydicDirector: Liz W. GarciaYeesh, Emma Roberts looks like she’s back in Little Italy mode. We don’t have high hopes for this high-concept, straight-to-Prime-Video Emma Roberts vehicle. The premise has a kind of charm, though. Rex Simpson (Emma Roberts with an incredible character name) is a Floridian party girl who writes a letter to NASA and lands a seat on the next space shuttle. The cast has some ringers, including Dave Foley and Desi Lydic, but the production looks sub-Lifetime-level.

Kill (July 4)

Kill (2024) Official Trailer - Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Tanya Maniktala

Cast: Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, and Tanya ManiktalaDirector: Nikhil Nagesh BhatUnless we’re mistaken, they light a dude’s head on fire in the trailer. So, yes, we’re excited for Kill, the Hindi action thriller that looks a bit like The Raid on a train, and they didn’t skimp on the gore. This is why “red band” exists. One neck movement rivals for the most disturbing spine injury of the year. It’s about an army commando fighting a gang of bandits on a train. Need we say more?

MaXXXine (July 5)

MaXXXine | Official Trailer 2 HD | A24

Cast: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin BaconDirector: Ti WestTi West and Mia Goth’s third romp around the X timeline is a Satanic Panic satire set in the splatter movie and porno video milieu of early ’80s Hollywood. Returning to the role of Maxine, Goth ditches the old lady makeup and West’s technicolor wonderland for a neon-soaked slasher that continues the ever-expanding universe of X. Pearl promised to be a star. We’ll see if Maxine can make good on her word. Who are we kidding? The whole world’s going to know her name.

Sing Sing (July 12)

Sing Sing | Official Trailer HD | A24

Cast: Coleman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San José, and Paul RaciDirector: Greg KwedarBased on a true story, the A24 drama Sing Sing looks appropriately, well, dramatic. Colman Domingo plays a wrongfully incarcerated man who forms a theater group while serving time in New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Together, the men rehabilitate through the transformative power of theater, so appropriately, Sing Sing aims for the tear ducts. We don’t think they’ll have trouble getting there with Oscar nominees Domingo and Paul Raci leading a troupe of real-life formerly incarcerated alumni from Sing Sing’s actual Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. The movie opens limited in July and nationally on August 2.

Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger (July 12)

MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER | OFFICIAL TRAILER | Altitude Films

Cast: Martin Scorsese (narrator)Director: David HintonA documentary about Archers: the Archers, that is. Narrated by Martin Scorsese, Made In England looks at one of film history’s most incredible partnerships: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Basically responsible for reinventing color as we know it, Powell and Pressburger’s storied career finally gets the two-hour retrospective it deserves, with friend and collaborator Scorsese walking us through their films, including The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. For Colonel Blimp-heads out there, this is the summer’s biggest movie.

Longlegs (July 12)

LONGLEGS | Official Trailer | In Theaters July 12

Cast: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Kiernan ShipkaDirector: Oz PerkinsNeon’s entry into the Halloween in July genre, Longlegs is the rare Nicolas Cage movie not sold on his meme-inspiring outbursts. He’s not even in the trailer. Instead, Neon wants to sell us on Oz Perkins’ angular compositions and Maika Monroe’s FBI agent. Longlegs’ trailer, emphasizing process, evidence boards, and clean lines, gives distinct Zodiac vibes as the trailer hints at its mystery surrounding some occult serial killer stuff. Honestly, Longlegs gets extra points for having the gall to withhold Cage.

Sorry/Not Sorry (July 12)

Sorry/Not Sorry | Official Trailer

Cast: Louis C.K.Director: Caroline Suh and Cara Mones Sorry/Not Sorry is the long-overdue rebuttal to the cynically-titled 2021 Louis C.K. comedy special, Sorry. He might not be on TV these days, but in the seven years since he publicly admitted to sexual misconduct in The New York Times and vowing to “step back and take a long time to listen,” C.K. has released four albums, won a Grammy, and sold out Madison Square Garden. Sorry/Not Sorry looks at the scandal, cancel culture, and why some public figures are welcomed back without doing anything to make amends.

Skywalkers: A Love Story (July 12)

Skywalkers: A Love Story | Official Trailer | Experience It In IMAX®

Cast: Angela Nikolau and Ivan BeerkusDirectors: Jeff Zimbalist and Maria BukhoninaSkywalkers, a documentary about some of Instagram’s most celebrated urban climbers, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, follows their acesent to the top of the social media landscape and the world’s largest skyscrapers. Filled with death-defying imagery shot on GoPro and shown in IMAX, the movie’s vertigo-inducing photography threatens every stomach in the theater. Perhaps a romance about two influencer daredevils who climb buildings as performance art can help ease churning stomachs. No? The trailer doesn’t do the romance any favors, but hey, it’s nice to have a story.

Fly Me To The Moon (July 12)

Fly Me to the Moon — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

Cast: Scarlett Johannson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Greg Kriek, and Jim RashDirector: Greg BerlantiIs it a pre-requisite for every romantic comedy to be a genre mashup? Does a perfectly sweet workplace period comedy about a couple of bickering NASA employees also have to be a weird alternate history about faking the moon landing? Apparently. We hope Scarlett Johannson and Channing Tatum can charm past the abundance of plot and make something magical. Directed by Love, Simon director and CW super-producer Greg Berlanti, this Apple TV+ movie is looking to be all things to all people. We just hope it’s pretty good.

Twisters (July 19)

Twisters | Official Trailer 2

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, Kiernan Shipka, Paul Scheer, Katy O’Brian, and David CorenswetDirector: Lee Isaac ChungThe overdue sequel to Twister is more of the next test in the Glen Powell experiment. Can he open a blockbuster without the help of a cape? Does existing weather-based I.P. have the same kind of box office power as superheroes? The formula (cowboy storm chasers trying to drop some ping-pong balls in some major tornadoes) will probably still work. Maybe people were so taken by Hit Man that they’ll come out to watch their charming leading man crack wise at a tornado. If not, we can say goodbye to the Twister prequel series, tying the two films together.

Crossing (July 19)

CROSSING by Levan Akin - Trailer

Cast: Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava and Deniz DumanliDirector Levan AkinThe latest from And Then We Danced director Levan Akin, Crossing follows a retired schoolteacher, Lia (Arabuli), as she travels from Batumi, Georgia, to Istanbul in search of her missing trans niece, Tekla. Along for the ride in this drama of self-discovery and acceptance is Achi (Lucas Kankava), a savvy Zoomer who learns from Lia and vice versa. Throwing off the balance is Evrim (Deniz Dumanli), a trans rights lawyer, who just might be the person Lia’s looking for. And Then We Danced made a significant impact in 2019. This one promises to have the best dancer in the village, so we’re expecting the same outcome.

Starve Acre (July 26)

Starve Acre - Official Trailer

Cast: Matt Smith and Morfydd ClarkDirector: Daniel KokotajloThe sinister and stylish folk horror movie Starve Acre looks creepy enough before we get to Matt Smith. The trailer has everything we could want from this type of movie: A secluded farm, grainy photography, and plucky, off-kilter violins on the soundtrack. We have nothing but sympathy for Morfydd Clark, who plays the mother of one of those creepy children connected to an ancient and, unfortunately, Matt Smith’s wife. None of this looks particularly pleasant, but a folk horror riff on The Shining sounds fun in a terrifying kind of way.

Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26)

Deadpool & Wolverine | Official Trailer | In Theaters July 26

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew MacfadyenDirector: Shawn LevyThe MCU’s only entry in 2024 stars two of Fox’s most successful characters. Thanks to Disney buying Fox all those years ago, the Merc With the Mouth and Weapon-X can join the varsity team. Deadpool & Wolverine fully integrates the X-Men into the MCU, but even more surprisingly, Ryan Reynolds pried Hugh Jackman out of retirement and squeezed him into Wolverine’s canonical yellow costume. We can only imagine how hard the film’s five screenwriters, let alone Reynold’s ad-libbing, go on jackoff with claws jokes. What more could an X-Men fan want?

DÌDI (July 26)

DÌDI (弟弟) - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters July 26

Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Zhang Li Hua, and Mahaela ParkDirector: Sean WangIn millennial parlance, Sundance breakout DÌDI is coming to hit you in the “feels,” all the feels. A coming-of-age story of a sk8r boi, ‌DÌDI spends the dog days of summer 2008 with Chris (Izaac Wang), a 13-year-old Taiwanese American with a working knowledge of early YouTube. DÌDI’s trailer harnasses some of the awkward teen realism of without ’ bad vibes. Joan Chen plays Chris’ mother Chungsing, so there’s always that to look forward to.