Summer Movie Preview: 10 Most Anticipated Movies: ‘The Sparks Brothers,’ ‘Candyman,’ ‘Respect’ and More

The Sparks Brothers, June 18

Edgar Wright’s documentary about the wildly ahead-of-their-time Sparks has been earning buzzing steadily since its premiere at Sundance earlier this year. It’s difficult to explain Sparks to those who’ve never heard them, but Wright seems to have done a more than admirable job in parsing through the complexities of their remarkable five-decade long career.

Zola, June 30

It is a sign of the times that one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer of 2021 is based on a Twitter thread from 2015, but the Twitter thread in question is so wild, so outrageous, so absurd that I’m not even mad about it. I can’t even begin to summarize the insanity of this thread in the space I have, so you should definitely take the time to brush up on this wild story before hitting theaters to see Taylor Paige and Riley Keough bring this jaw-dropping tale to the big screen.

Black Widow, July 9

A movie Marvel should have made years ago, before the titular character was killed off, and was supposed to come out last year, before COVID restrictions wreaked havoc on the industry, is finally coming out. No really. They mean it. Promise.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, July 16

Three years after the shocking suicide of celebrity chef, brilliant writer, and all around man of the world Anthony Bourdain comes this documentary that explores the life and tribulations of one of the greatest voices to come along in a generation. From director Morgan Neville, who’s Mr. Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be Might Neighbor?­, made massive critical waves in 2018, Roadrunner promises to be an insightful and emotional celebration of the man behind Kitchen Confidential, No Reservations, and Parts Unknown.

The Green Knight, July 30

Another holdover from last year’s COVID disruption, The Green Knight looks to be another work of visionary weirdness from director David Lowery. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how an adaptation of this Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is going to translate to the screen—it almost certainly won’t be anything like what anyone is expecting—but if anyone can pull this off, it’s Lowery, who once made a brilliant movie about Casey Affleck in a sheet and turned pie eating into a shockingly emotional moment of poetry.

The Suicide Squad, August 6

It’s no secret that David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad was a massive failure of superhero storytelling (lots of blame to go around on this one, but WB’s insistence on tonal reshoots and failure to commit to their filmmaker surely played a part) but now we’ve got James Gunn. The man who turned Guardians of the Galaxy from obscure Marvel Comics B-team to cinematic powerhouse now turns his eye to doing justice to this league of antiheros and villains.

Respect, August 13

Director Lisel Tommy makes the jump from television to movies in a big, big way in this Jennifer Hudson led biopic about Aretha Franklin. Long live the queen.

The Night House, August 20

Look, you could put Rebecca Hall in literally anything and I’d be there with goddamn bells on. Put her in an intensely creepy and atmospheric haunted house film and, well, you’ve made my horror-loving heart race in delight.

Candyman, August 27

Almost thirty years after the original Candyman made me eternally terrified to pass a mirror in the dark comes this Nia DaCosta directed “spiritual sequel” co-written by DaCosta and Jordan Peele. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony McCoy (the baby from the original movie), an artist who is trying to capture the myths surrounding the now torn down Cabrini Green projects. Along the way, he unwittingly opens the door for the return of Candyman.

The Beatles: Get Back, August 27

After Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson never has to direct another movie again. Fortunately for us, he’s not satisfied to rest his laurels. The director has turned his attention to documentary filmmaking these days, giving us the stellar They Shall Not Grow Old. Now, he turns his sights on the Beatles. Using unused footage shot for Let It Be, Jackson takes inside the creative process of the most influential band in history in order to present new insights into the legacy and continuing influence.