Watchlist: What we're viewing in June

Yahoo

2 days ago

We're in summer movie season and there are plenty of options out there.
An early release this month is "Ballerina," out June 6.
Billed "From the World of John Wick" and set after the events of "Chapter 3: Parabellum," the film centers on Eve (Ana de Armas), a woman being trained by the Ruska Roma as an assassin. She plans to take revenge on those who killed her family and left her an orphan but her path of destruction draws the ire of bigger players.
Not surprisingly — because it's revealed in the trailers — John Wick (Keanu Reeves) steps in to de-escalate, or possibly escalate, the situation.
With another OG installment on the way, as well as an untitled prequel, a spinoff focused on blind assassin Caine and an animated series, it's clear interest is high in the franchise.
I'm interested to see a woman leading one of these films and hope that bodes well for similar films in the future.
For those looking for something a bit more lighthearted, consider the rom-com "Materialists," out June 13.
Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a New York matchmaker who finds a "unicorn," aka a very wealthy and attractive bachelor, played by Pedro Pascal.
His interest in her and budding romance is complicated by the return of her ex John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor whose love for her may not be enough to overcome her misgivings.
The film is the latest from Celine Song, who made her directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated wistful romance "Past Lives," which she also wrote.
The whole family can enjoy "How to Train Your Dragon," which is also out June 13.
I was able to see an advanced screening of this live-animation remake of the 2010 animated film of the same name last month at CinemaCon.
Mason Thames takes on the lead role of Hiccup, the awkward son of Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his role from the animated film). Despite being raised in a dragon-fighting community, he befriends Toothless, a mysterious Night Fury dragon.
Their connection leads to discoveries about the true nature of the dragons, an insight that challenges the foundations of Viking society.
Sometimes family-friendly films don't necessarily have as much appeal for adult viewers but this one was delightful. The sequel has already been green-lit.
Finally, we're heading back into the kitchen with "The Bear," which returns for its fourth season June 25 on Hulu.
This season was filmed back to back with the third, which aired last year. The cast has done a good job keeping quiet about any potential spoilers.
We will be able to find out if Chicago Tribune's review was a rave or will spell ruin for the restaurant and chef de cuisine Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). It's likely that it will be overall good, convincing sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) to pass on the other job she seemed interested in taking in the season three finale.
It will also be a high-profile summer for Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who, along with playing firecracker manager Richie, will also star in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.