Writer-director Celine Song follows up her double-Oscar-nominated sensation Past Lives (which enjoys an astonishing 4.2 average rating with us) by re-teaming with A24 for Materialists, gathering together the kind of white-hot cast you get access to when your debut film is a double-Oscar-nominated sensation with a 4.2 average rating on Letterboxd. Dakota Johnson stars as a New York matchmaker (those are still a thing?) torn between rich Pedro Pascal and former beau Chris Evans. “Once again Celine Song crushes my soul (in the best way),” lauds Tiff. Mike says it “could easily be a hollow gender-swapped Hitch rip-off with pretty actors, but it’s actually a really intellectually compelling deconstruction of love in a post-capitalist society.” It’s “perfect,” according to Landry. “So romantic and lovely and sweet.” Now in theaters in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

There have been recent highs and lows in the contentious world of the live-action remake, but How to Train Your Dragon is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s the first of these not derived from a Disney animated movie, and secondly, it’s being helmed by the (co-)director of the original, Dean DeBlois. The Black Phone star Mason Thames is your live-action Hiccup, while Gerard Butler reprises his previously only heard role as Viking chief Stoick. Isaac appreciates the film’s fidelity to its first incarnation: “Now that’s how you make a live-action remake: you bring in the same director—same vision.” Meanwhile, Tim counters that “they really hit that Ctrl+C Ctrl+V”, and Rachel says she “prefers remakes that take some risk but that’s just me”. “Every single big moment from the animated movie hits even harder and the cast is perfect,” hails Jenks. Now in theaters the world over.

Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz’s documentary Prime Minister follows Jacinda Ardern, who led New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, and gained international attention for a variety of feats, including an aggressive Covid approach and having a baby while in office. Selected by Ella Kemp as one of the best of this year’s Sundance line-up, the film’s being hailed for platforming a comion-forward politician. Can’t imagine why. “An incredible depiction of such an empathetic leader who rose to the occasion of the unprecedented events during her leadership,” lauds Kenzie. Shane calls it a “poignant and empathetic experience.” Trevor says it’s a “simple political puff piece, but a good political puff piece”, and that he “loved the earnest examination of imposter syndrome and the anxieties of leadership”. “I’ve never been more jealous of a country,” its Eric. “I mean she owns a f*cking Portishead t-shirt for Christ’s sake!” Now in select US theaters.

Dag Johan Haugerud’s Three Colors films. This movie follows two hetero chimney sweeps (who apparently dress like Navy SEALs these days—see above) who find themselves questioning their own ideas about chimneys. Uh, I mean, sex. Adrian cautions anyone with preconceived ideas about European movies that there are “no actual sex scenes present; it’s more of a dialogue-driven film about the topic.” Nicolò enjoyed the ruminations on “masculinity, intimacy, desire, gender and love”, in what he describes as “a beautifully moving and deeply funny Norwegian comedy”. “A talk-fest so beguilingly inhabiting its own only superficially placid surfaces, the effect is something like an IKEA commercial on the verge of having a spiritual breakdown,” summarizes Jrhovind. Now in select US theaters.

Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi’s Tatami follows Leila (Arienne Mandi), a favored Iranian competitor at the world Judo championships who is told to fake an injury and drop out of the tournament rather than face an Israeli competitor, which the Islamic Republic forbids. “Female rage has rarely felt this raw, this heartbreaking or this powerful,” says Pauline. “The minute you think it’s a sports movie, it turns into a political drama. When you acknowledge that it’s a political drama, it turns back to a sports movie,” says Gabriele. Taylor argues that it “isn’t afraid to cash in on a few genre tropes, but delivers some excellent sports cinematography on top of its anti-theocratic message.” Anas calls it “a potent blend of sports drama and political thriller that captivates with its intense narrative and emotional depth.” Now in select US theaters.

Alongside Zack Snyder with his Dawn of the Dead remake and Edgar Wright with Shaun of the Dead, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland helped instigate a modern zombie boom that hasn’t really abated, with 2002’s 28 Days Later. 23 years later, Boyle and Garland return to the franchise—they weren’t creatively involved in the now apparently non-canonical 2007 sequel—with 28 Years Later. The first in a planned trilogy (28 Years Later Part 2: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, has already been shot), it enters a much more zombie-friendly marketplace than the original film, and has a heavyweight cast to reflect that: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell from Sinners and Ralph Fiennes. In a video interview for Letterboxd, Boyle reflects on the journey taken to get here. In theaters the world over June 20.

With landmark titles such as Cannibal Holocaust, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, the found-footage subgenre has a long and glorious tradition—with more than 2,000 examples included to this list. But it all arguably started with 1967’s Patterson-Gimlin film, one minute of (unloggable!) footage that purported to show Bigfoot. Clearly faked from a modern perspective, it’s frankly embarrassing for our species that we ever took it seriously. I just hope Sasquatch wasn’t watching and judging. In what feels like a nicely layered meta gag, Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project is a new mockumentary that follows the people staging that original footage. In select US theaters June 20, on VOD from June 24.

Following several wobbly years, computer-animation pioneer Pixar re-asserted its dominance of the animation genre in a major way last year with Inside Out 2, which became the highest-grossing movie the studio has ever produced. And the highest-grossing (English language—China’s Ne Zha 2 pipped it) animated movie of all time. That would seem to bode well for its new one, Elio, which follows the epony­mous young boy who inadvertently becomes Earth’s representative in an inter­galactic adventure. It may have had an extremely protracted production with numerous delays, but so have many of Pixar’s most beloved films. Domee Shi (Turning Red) shares directing duties with Coco co-writer/co-director Adrian Molina and Pixar newbie Madeline Sharafian. In theaters in most territories June 20.