Culture

NYLON’s Big Summer Movie Guide

Murder-y Mia Goth? An Emma Stone/Yorgos Lanthimos project? We have it all.

Summer may technically begin on June 20, but the season officially kicks off the first time you step into a dark, cool theater to watch a movie.

This year’s slate of films is packed with must-sees, from the already-viral Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black to delightful indie pics like Cora Bora and Summer Solstice. NYLON favorites like Emma Stone, Hunter Schafer, and Mia Goth are leading films that will surely be the talk of Letterboxd. And then there’s Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice, which comes with a stacked cast, including Alia Shawkat, Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, and Simon Rex.

Ahead, see NYLON’s favorite film picks to add to your summer-movie watchlist. See you at the theater.

Back to Black (May 17)

The highly anticipated Amy Winehouse biopic starring Marisa Abela takes audiences through the singer’s groundbreaking rise from Camden jazz clubs to global fame — and her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil that inspired the historic record Back to Black.

I Used to Be Funny (June 7)

Shiva Baby and Bottoms star Rachel Sennott is back on our screens in Ally Pankiw’s new dramedy. In I Used to Be Funny, Sennott plays a stand-up comedian struggling with PTSD who’s hit with a moral crisis when a girl she used to nanny vanishes without a trace.

Cora Bora (June 14)

Meg Stalter stars as Cora, a lovable f*ck-up who fears that her open relationship with her girlfriend may just be too open for her own liking — prompting a surprise visit back home and a realization that much more than her love life is in shambles. The movie also features an original score by indie rock musician Miya Folick.

Summer Solstice (June 14)

In Noah Schamus’ queer buddy comedy, longtime friends Leo and Eleanor embark on an impromptu weekend getaway for the first time since Leo began his transition. In the quiet of upstate New York, the two have space to reconsider their old feelings for each other, which makes for a sweet and stirring examination of evolving friendships and sexual identity.

Kinds of Kindness (June 24)

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone link up post-Poor Things for a freaky anthology film that follows three distinct storylines: a man left with no choice but to take control of his life; a policeman who can’t shake the feeling that his wife who went missing at sea has returned as a different person; and, finally, a woman who’s on the hunt to find a specific person destined to become a spiritual leader.

MaXXXine (July 5)

The final installment of Ti West’s bloody trilogy is set in ‘80s Hollywood, where adult-film star and aspiring actor Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) is ready for her big break. The only thing standing in her way now is a mysterious string of murders that threaten to reveal her past — which includes hurting farm animals, erratic behavior, multiple homicides, and dismembering a body and feeding it to an alligator on her farm.

My Old Ass (Aug. 2)

When a mushroom trip summons her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), 18-year-old Elliot can’t believe how lame her future self turned out to be. But soon, Elliot realizes her older self may have some insight on how she should spend her final summer at home before college, pursuing more quality time with her younger brother, having deeper chats with her mom, and, curiously, avoiding the seemingly innocuous Chad, a summer worker on her father’s cranberry farm. Pack tissues — My Old Ass’ sweeping, heartfelt moments will sneak up on you to trigger ugly tears.

Cuckoo (Aug. 9)

Tilman Singer’s horror movie Cuckoo follows 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), who’s just moved to a resort in the German Alps to live with her father and his new family. Things get weird when she realizes her father’s boss is becoming increasingly obsessed with her mute half-sister — and when she’s plagued by bloody visions and strange noises.

Blink Twice (Aug. 23)

It’s a tale as old as time: A billionaire invites a beautiful woman to his private island where she comes to find that nothing is as it seems. When Frida (Naomi Ackie) hitches a ride on Slater King’s (Channing Tatum) private jet to sip champagne poolside and party at his estate, she soon realizes that something is distinctly off about the entire experience. Between hazy memories and missing people, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut is a propulsive psychological-thriller-meets-black-comedy.

Y2K (Summer 2024)

Nicole Rivelli/A24

It’s New Year’s Eve on the brink of the new millennium, and two high-school juniors looking for a good time crash a New Year’s Eve party. Before long, they realize the night is more than they bargained for as they embark on the fight of their lives in this A24 disaster comedy starring Rachel Zegler and directed by Saturday Night Live alumnus Kyle Mooney.