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Best new films to watch this July

Eva Mackevic

BY Eva Mackevic

1st Jan 2015 Film & TV

Best new films to watch this July

From smouldering psychosexual dramas, through peculiar director biopics to hair-raising WW2 epics, there are plenty of reasons to take a trip to the cinema this month. 

David Lynch: The Art Life

Known for his surrealism and nightmarish narratives, David Lynch is the mastermind behind such cult hits as Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, and one of the most original filmmakers working today. Yet this intimate look at his upbringing offers a completely different version of the director—one that might surprise many.

A happy kid from a small suburban town who loved to hang out with friends, got along with his parents and, well... just couldn’t be more normal­. In a curious paradox, this workaday portrayal of his youth is the secret weapon behind The Art Life, as it will leave you obsessively guessing where Lynch’s mad creative genius came from.

 

Dunkirk 

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Triple-Oscar-nominated “blockbuster auteur” Christopher Nolan returns with an intense, star-studded war movie about the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces took hold.

Starring Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh, and featuring a stunning score by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

 

The Beguiled 

In the midst of the Civil War, a wounded Union soldier turns up at an isolated girls’ school. The women take him in and tend to his wounds but, as they become smitten with the man, rivalry and sexual tension rise to dangerous levels.

It’s a smouldering, seductive take on the rough-edged 1970s original, with an added layer of Sophia Coppola’s dream-like aesthetic. Virtuosos Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell are at the top of their game.

 

The House

How far would you go to ensure your child gets a good education? Parents Scott and Kate (played by comedy giants Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) will stop at nothing. So much so that after losing their college fund, they open an illegal casino in the basement of their house to earn some money so their daughter can go to school.

If the story sounds superficial, that’s because it is—but you can expect some great gags and zany characters.

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

The epic third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, starring Woody Harrelson and Andy Serkis. Following the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar and the apes are in the middle of a savage war with the humans.

When the apes suffer heavy losses, Caesar resolves to avenge his kind and goes head to head against the cold-blooded human leader, Colonel. The brutal battle will decide the fate of both species—and the future of the planet.

 

The Midwife 

Claire is a tense, no-nonsense midwife who has issues with intimacy and letting her guard down. Béatrice is a larger-than-life, uninhibited free spirit who loves food, wine and men. The air gets thick with hostility and sorrow when their paths cross again after many years, but soon the women realise that they need each more than they think.

French screen legends Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot portray this duo of polar opposites, giving us rich, flavoursome performances to indulge in, while dissecting the complicated process of forgiveness and the slippery notion of family. 

 

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