June Movies You Cannot Miss

by Helen Earnshaw | 1 June 2015

Hard to believe that we are half way through the movie year already, and we have been treated to some terrific film so far.

Spy

June is set to be another exciting month with a wide range of movies set to hit the big screen - we have action, comedy, blockbuster, drama and animation; there really is something for everyone.

There are a whole host of movies that we are excited to see over the next few weeks and we take a look at some of the films that you really cannot miss.

- Spy - released 5th June

Spy is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time as Paul Feig returns to the director's chair and writing duties.

Spy sees Feig reunite with Melissa McCarthy for their third project together - they have already enjoyed huge success with Bridesmaids and The Heat in recent years.

McCarthy takes on the central role of Susan Cooper in the film, and is joined on the cast list by Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Allison Janney, and Miranda Hart.

Feig showed that he could mix action and comedy with The Heat and I cannot wait to see the filmmaker take it up a notch with Spy - it really does promise to be a laugh out loud and action packed ride.

Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung hero behind the Agency's most dangerous missions. But when her partner (Law) falls off the grid and another top agent (Statham) is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster.

- Insidious: Chapter 3 - released 5th June

If horror movies are your thing then Insidious: Chapter 3 is a movie not to miss this June, as this is a prequel to the movies that have come before.

Leigh Whannell who has starred in and written the first two Insidious movies takes over the director's chair; he has also penned the screenplay and will be returning as Specs. This will be the directorial debut for the actor and writer.

It is great to see the franchise bring on a director that knows the project so well and I cannot wait to see him make the leap into filmmaking and put his own stamp on the franchise.

Whannell is not the only familiar face on the cast list as Angus Sampson and Lin Shaye will be reprising the roles of Tucker and Elise Rainier. However, there are a couple of new faces to watch out for as Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott will take on the central roles of Sean and Quinn Brenner.

This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

- Jurassic World - released 11th June

If there is one blockbuster you have to see this month then it is Jurassic World... it really is set to be one of the biggest movies of the summer and of 2015 as a whole.

The more I see of Jurassic World the more I cannot wait to settle back and watch the rest as this is a film the promises to get the franchise back on track.

It was back in 2001 when Jurassic Park III hit the big screen, but this time around, Colin Trevorrow is in the director's chair for his first film since Safety Not Guaranteed back in 2012. Steven Spielberg is also on board as executive producer.

Chris Pratt is set to lead another great cast list as he takes on the central role of Owen. Last summer Pratt enjoyed critical and commercial success with Guardians of the Galaxy and his star is set to rocket even further with Jurassic World.

A great cast has been assembled around him, as Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Ty Simpkins, and Nick Robinson are some of the other names on board.

Jurassic World is set twenty-two years after the first and the theme park is up and running. However, visitor numbers are down and a new attraction is introduced... the first genetically engineered dinosaur. But when the creature escapes, everyone on the island is in danger.

- Mr. Holmes - released 19th June

While there are some great blockbusters to enjoy this summer, drama Mr Holmes is one of the movies that I am looking forward to the most. We have seen many interpretations of Sherlock Holmes in recent years, but I cannot wait to see what Ian McKellen delivers.

McKellen takes on the role of Holmes for the first time in a movie that explores the later life of the iconic character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Forget the energy of Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch - this movie explores an aging Holmes who is looking back at his life as well as asking questions about his own mortality.

Mr Holmes sees McKellen reunite with filmmaker Bill Condon, who returns to the director's chair for the first time since The Fifth Estate almost two years ago. McKellen and Condon first worked together on Gods and Monsters back in 1999 and I can't wait to see them working together again.

Mr Holmes is also going to introduce us to the acting talents of youngster Milo Parker, the son of Holmes' housekeeper. Parker made his big screen debut earlier this year with Robot Overlords and is an acting talent to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.

Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Roger Allam, and Philip Davis join McKellen and Parker on a very exciting cast list.

In 1947, the world famous sleuth has retired to a remote Sussex farmhouse, living in relative anonymity with only his housekeeper Mrs Munro and her young son Roger for company.

Cantankerous, demanding, and frustrated with the mis-representation of him in Watson's best-selling novels, he diverts his attention to an unsolved case. As the mystery deepens, Sherlock tries desperately to recall the events of 30 years ago, that ultimately led to his retirement.

Mr Holmes is not the kind of movie that we are use to seeing in the summer months but it looks set to be a welcome change from all of the blockbusters that will be coming our way. I really cannot wait to see this one.

- Slow West - released 26th June

We have had some great Westerns hit the big screen so far this year and Slow West is another to look forward to. The movie has already enjoyed success on the festival circuit and it marks the return of Michael Fassbender.

We haven't seen the actor in a movie since X-Men: Days of Future Past last summer as he reunites with director and writer John Maclean. The actor and director have worked together on a couple of short projects and Slow West will mark Maclean's feature film directorial debut.

Fassbender will take on the role of Silas Selleck in the film, and is joined on the cast list by Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jay Cavendish. Smit-McPhee grabbed everyone's attention back in 2009 with The Road and has since been making a name for himself with roles in the liked of Let Me In, The Congress, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Fassbender and Smit-McPhee are joined on the cast list by Ben Mendelsohn, Rory McCann, and Alex Macqueen.

Slow West premiered at the beginning of 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was not only well received, but it went on to be awarded the Sundance Institute's World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic Winner.

At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Fassbender), a mysterious traveller, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way.

- Minions - released 26th June

If animation and family films are what you are looking for this summer then look no further than Minions.

We were introduced to the Minions for the first time back in 2010 in Despicable Me, before returning three years later in Despicable Me 2. Minions will be the first solo film for the popular characters.

Despicable Me filmmaker Pierre Coffin is back in the director's chair and has teamed up with Kyle Balda for this new movie project. Balda is no stranger to animation with The Lorax under his belt - this is his first feature film since The Lorax back in 2012.

Sandra Bullock is set to lead an all-star voice cast as she brings the character of Scarlett Overkill to life. She is joined by Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Geoffrey Rush, and Jennifer Saunders.

Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters - from T. rex to Napoleon - the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.

But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he - alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob - ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Bullock), the world's first-ever female super-villain.

They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind...from annihilation.