So, What Can You Actually See at the Movies Right Now?
As theatres start reopening, it's time to start planning your next movie date. As for what's showing, it's a bit of a mixed bag, with a combination of new releases and older classics making a one-off return.
Some of the independent operators, such as Palace Cinemas, are screening flashback films during the week, offering movie lovers the chance to see Clueless or Goodfellas on the big screen. Some of the most loved movies of recent years – think Jojo Rabbit and Bohemian Rhapsody – are also back for a limited time only. There's also some brand new releases heading to cinemas for the first time. Here are our picks of the best new release and classic films showing in cinemas this July.
The Personal History Of David Copperfield
In cinemas now
Directed by Armando Iannucci (creator of Veep and The Thick Of It), this is a period drama unlike any you've ever seen before. It's deliriously eccentric, fizzing with energy and a cast bursting with some of the best Britain: Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Gwendoline Christie and, in a star-is-born performance as the eponymous lead character, the one and only Dev Patel. The costumes are gorgeous, the comedic hijinks are on point, and the message at its heart – love, family and finding your people – is timeless.
Shirley
In cinemas now
Shirley Jackson is the late horror author of classics like The Haunting Of Hill House – maybe you've seen the terrifying miniseries adaptation on Netflix? Well, her fictional stories have nothing on her real-life story, as told in this film starring Elisabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg, of Call Me By Your Name fame. The pair play the author and her husband, who together take on a newlywed couple to live in their house (Australian actor Odessa Young and cinema's Percy Jackson himself, Logan Lerman). Tensions between the couples bubble to the surface as Shirley goes through the motions of finishing off her latest novel.
Waves
In cinemas now
This Is Us fans: assemble. Sterling K Brown, the Emmy award-winning star of the beloved television series, heads up an incredible cast (including Hamilton's Renée Elise Goldsberry) in Waves, a family drama about fatherhood, young love, and the ties that bind. The film is beautifully shot against the technicolour backdrop of South Florida and focuses on the Williams family, in particular the relationship of the teenage son and daughter with their father, played by Brown.
The King Of Staten Island
In cinemas 16 July
Ah, Pete Davidson. You know him best as the man who broke Ariana Grande's heart and inspired the break up anthem to end all break up anthems (that's "Thank U Next", in case you've been living in a remote internet-free community for the past two years). He's also an actor and comedian, breaking into the world of film in a big way with this Judd Apatow-directed comedy. The plot is wafer thin: Davidson plays a weed-smoking tattoo artist still reeling from the death of his firefighter dad. But you're really here for the jokes, and the movie has plenty of them, courtesy of director Apatow (he made Knocked Up and Trainwreck, among many others) and Davidson.
Babyteeth
In cinemas 23 July
There's a whole heap of Australian talent in Babyteeth, one of the most exciting local films this year. Directed by Shannon Murphy, who just made two of the best episodes of the recent season of Killing Eve, and starring Australian actors Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Essie Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries) and Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom, Bloodline), it's a coming-of-age story, gently and generously told. You'll fall in love with these characters, and all of their closeness as a family.
The Burnt Orange Heresy
In cinemas 23 July
Two words: Mick Jagger. If you need a reason to see this art heist indie film, then just know that Mick Jagger – Mick Jagger!!! – of The Rolling Stones fame stars as a reclusive art collector who becomes the unwitting target of a high stakes theft, presided over by a critic called James Figueras (Danish actor Claes Bang) and his enigmatic student Berenice (Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki). Nothing is what it seems in this haunting, thrilling film, which was shot on location in the beautiful surrounds of Lake Como and will make you long for an Italian holiday. Let that serve as a warning.
