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SUPERMAN 
SOVEREIGN
THE OTHER WAY AROUND (Sp)
BABY (Br)
HIDDEN MASTER: THE LEGACY OF GEORGE PLATT LYNES18 Jul: 
SMURFS I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER EDDINGTON FRIENDSHIP FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE
UNICORNS
HARVEST* 25 Jul: THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS THE BAD GUYS 2
SHOSHANA1 Aug: 
THE BAD GUYS 2 BRING HER BACK
LATE SHIFT* (Swi) THE NAKED GUN OSLO STORIES TRILOGY: DREAMS TOGETHER8 Aug: FREAKIER FRIDAY WEAPONS YOUNG HEARTS15 Aug: MATERIALISTS NOBODY 2
TOGETHER ANIMAL KINGDOM OSLO STORIES TRILOGY: LOVE WAR 222 Aug:
THE LIFE OF CHUCK
SORRY, BABY29 Aug:
BIG BOYS
YOUNG MOTHERS (Bel)5 Sep:
RIEFENSTAHL12 Sep: ISLANDS*19 Sep:
SOLO
SOVEREIGN10 Oct:
I SWEAR* RELEASE DATE TBC . . .
C O M I N G U P . . .
UNRELEASED FESTIVAL FILMS . . . 
• Raindance: BEAM ME UP SULU.
BREAKWATER. A CELL PHONE MOVIE.
FLAMINGO CAMP. IF YOU SHOULD LEAVE BEFORE ME.
THE LONELY MUSKETEER. SOMEWHERE IN LOVE.
• SXSW London: CIELO. THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE. TORO. • Flare: DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES. DRIVE BACK HOME. FATHERHOOD. A FEW FEET AWAY. MEA CULPA. MEMORABILIA. REALLY HAPPY SOMEDAY. SAD JOKES. SANDBAG DAM. SOME NIGHTS I FEEL LIKE WALKING. WE ARE FAHEEM & KARUN. WINTER KEPT US WARM. • FrightFest: THE DAEMON. DERELICT. FRIGHT. LADYBUG. SCARED SHITLESS. SCARLET BLUE. 7 KEYS. TOLL. TRAUMATIKA. SHADOWS FILM FEST |
THE FANTASTIC 4: FIRST STEPS
dir Matt Shakman; with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, John Malkovich, Ralph Ineson, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Mark Gatiss 25/UKrelease US/UK 25.July.25 Is there some rule that this franchise needs to be rebooted every 10 years (see 2005 and 2015)? No one was asking for yet another version, but at least this one takes a sidestep by creating a retro 1960s-style future, as the first comic book was published in 1961. By the trailers, it also looks like a more comical take on the characters, similar to the way veteran TV director Matt Shakman recreated vintage sitcoms in WandaVision. So it looks like fun. And these characters can now appear in other Marvel movies too. THE NAKED GUN
dir Akiva Schaffer; with Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, Michael Bisping, Busta Rhymes 25/USrelease US/UK 1.Aug.25 Aside from the astonishingly lazy title, this has been cleverly reimagined as a next-generation sequel rather than a remake. And the humour looks a bit more pointed than the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker style of manic wackiness first seen in the genius 1982 Police Squad TV series, which inspired three Naked Gun movies (1988-1994). Director-cowriter Akiva Schaffer has proven his skills with pop pastiche (see Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping), which bodes well. FREAKIER FRIDAY
dir Nisha Ganatra; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto, Chloe Fineman, Rosalind Chao, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan 25/USrelease US/UK 8.Aug.25 After more than 20 years, the cast is back for this sequel to the wacky 2003 body-swapping comedy, a remake that was a surprisingly entertaining revamp of the 1976 original (which starred a young Jodie Foster). The trailers suggest amplified wackiness this time around, with even more of an epic swap-o-rama. Curtis and Lohan have great chemistry, and have proven themselves willing to dive into this nutty premise with enjoyable abandon. So even if we remain a bit dubious, we don't want to miss this one. MATERIALISTS
dir-scr Celine Song; with Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, Marin Ireland, Eddie Cahill, Lindsey Broad, Louisa Jacobson, Sawyer Spielberg 25/USrelease US 13.Jun.25, UK 15.Aug.25 After Past Lives, Celine Song turns to a romantic comedy, an dof course it looks like a thoughtful approach to the genre, with sparky characters and a clever plot about a matchmaker in a complex love triangle. The cast looks terrific, with Dakota Johnson playing off of Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. So while the trailer looks smooth and sweet, let's hope that Song's nuanced, inventive writing and directing will elevate it. THE ROSES
dir Jay Roach; with Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Allison Janney, Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Kate McKinnon, Jamie Demetriou, Zoe Chao 25/UKrelease US 29.Aug.25, UK 5.Sep.25 This looks like a much more overtly comical adaptation of adaptation of the novel previously filmed in 1989 as a very bitter black comedy by Robert Zemeckis. The chronical of an epic marital breakdown, the casting of Cumberbatch and Colman seems perfect. As does the superbly textured supporting ensemble, which feels rather stacked with scene stealers. Jay Roach is also a promising director, adept at mining families for dynamics that are engaging, scary and very funny. DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE
dir Simon Curtis; with Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Paul Giamatti, Dominic West, Phyllis Logan, Penelope Wilton 25/UKrelease US/UK 12.Sep.25 Reuniting the sprawling ensemble for one last time, complete with a Julian Fellowes script, this Grand Finale has apparently been designed to bring this aristocratic family's story full circle after 15 years, 52 TV episodes and 2 movies. The story brings them into the 1930s as they are forced to face up to the changes around them. Whatever, we are more interested in furthering the knotty relationships amongst them. And we will definitely miss Maggie Smith's wry one-liners, which kept this ship sailing longer than expected. SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE
dir-scr Scott Cooper; with Jeremy Allen White, Stephen Graham, Gaby Hoffmann, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Marc Maron, David Krumholtz, Odessa Young, Grace Gummer 25/USrelease US 24.Oct.25, UK tbc Casting Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen feels like a stroke of genius lateral thinking, as the actor will bring his tightly wound physicality to the role in a way that's bound to be fascinating. Scott Cooper has a strong history with musical biopics (see Crazy Heart), and the eclectic cast he has assembled bodes well - that the film will take a more intriguing approach rather than abroadly crowd-pleasing one. The lack of UK release date indicates a possible London Film Festival slot. HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER II
dir Kevin Costner; with Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Abbey Lee, Luke Wilson, Dale Dickey, Georgia MacPhail 24/USrelease US/UK tbc After his enjoyable three-hour prologue ended on an extended montage of scenes to come, we're hoping some resolution to the various plot strands Kevin Costner left dangling. Chapter 2 looks just as spectacular visually, with its expansive settings and colourful ensemble, including a promising glimpse of a sneering Giovanni Ribisi. After its premiere at Venice in 2024, word was that it's more of the same. Costner has plans for two further chapters, but there's still no release date for this one. Also on my want-to-see list... 
Summer: EDDINGTON
FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE
THE PICK-UP
TOGETHER
WEAPONS
Autumn: A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY
HIM
THE LOST BUS
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
BUGONIA
GOOD FORTUNE
ROOFMAN
THE SMASHING MACHINE
TRON: ARES
FRANKENSTEIN
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T
PREDATOR: BADLANDS
THE RUNNING MAN
Winter: WAKE UP DEAD MAN
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Release dates: British film release schedules are much more fluid than American ones, so please be patient as I try to keep up with UK distributors. I'm working to keep this list up-to-date as they keep trying to outfox me. I'm sure it's personal. Embargoes: Britain's Film Distributors Association asks us to hold reviews until the week of release, and some distributors are even more restrictive. Normally, once the film is shown to a paying audience, either on release or at a festival, the full review can appear on the site. © 2025 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
