June Movies You Can't Afford To Miss

by Helen Earnshaw | 1 June 2016

It doesn't seem five minutes since we were kicking off 2016 and now we are about to start the sixth month of the year.

When Marnie Was There

2016 has already been a terrific year and June is going to be another great month as the summer blockbuster season is well under way.

Having said that, June is going to be a great mix of movies from blockbusters to horror, animation and comedy. We take a look at some of the films that you cannot afford to miss.

- The Nice Guys - released 3rd June

The Nice Guys is set to be one of the early June movies that's not to be missed as Shane Black returns to the director's chair. This is the third of Black's films and follows on from the success of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3.

As well as being in the director's chair, Black has also teamed up with Anthony Bagarozzi to pen the film's screenplay, which sees him return to the buddy comedy.

The film sees Russell Crowe team up with Ryan Gosling for the first time; both actors are working with Black for the first time as well. The director has brought together an impressive cast list as Kim Basinger, Keith David and Matt Bomer are some of the other names that are on board.

The Nice Guys is a movie that has already been winning over critics and audiences in the U.S. and it is set to light up the box office in the UK this weekend.

It really is promising to be a funny ride and I cannot wait to see both Crowe and Gosling - both of whom are fantastic actors - in action as they really do look set to be a great film duo.

The Nice Guys takes place in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star.

During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.

- Me Before You - released 3rd June

If you are looking for a bit of romance on the big screen this month, look no further than Me Before You... which promises to pull at the heartstrings and have you sobbing into a tissue.

Me Before You is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes and she had adapted her own book into a screenplay. The movie also sees Thea Sharrock in the director's chair making her feature film debut.

Sharrock is no stranger to directing with TV projects The Hollow Crowe and Call the Midwife already under her belt - I am looking forward to seeing her make the transition into features for the very first time.

The movie also sees the return of Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin to the big screen as they take on the central roles of Lou Clark and Will Traynor. Brendan Coyle, Charles Dance, Janet McTeer, and Jenna Coleman make up the terrific cast list.

Louisa 'Lou' Clark (Clarke) lives in a quaint town in the English countryside. With no clear direction in her life, the quirky and creative 26-year-old goes from one job to the next in order to help her tight-knit family make ends meet. Her normally cheery outlook is put to the test, however, when she faces her newest career challenge. Taking a job at the local 'castle,' she becomes caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Claflin), a wealthy young banker who became wheelchair-bound in an accident two years prior, and whose whole world changed dramatically in the blink of an eye.

No longer the adventurous soul he once was, the now cynical Will has all but given up. That is until Lou determines to show him that life is worth living. Embarking together on a series of adventures, both Lou and Will get more than they bargained for, and find their lives - and hearts - changing in ways neither one could have imagined.

It is always interesting when an author adapts their own novel into a screenplay and it will be interesting to see if Moyes makes any big changes.

- When Marnie Was There - released 10th June

If there is one movie that I am looking forward to this month... then it is When Marnie Was There, which is the latest animation offering from Studio Ghibli.

Studio Ghibli has brought us wonderful films such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle and When Marnie Was There is the studio's first movie since The Tale of the Princess Kaguya at the beginning of last year.

When Marnie Was There is based on the novel by Joan G. Robinson and sees Hiromasa Yonebayashi in the director's chair for his second Studio Ghibli film; his first came in the form of Arrietty.

Studio Ghibli films are always beautifully crafted movies with some interesting and usually very strong female characters - When Marnie Was There is promising to continue that fine tradition.

Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, Catherine O'Hara, Geena Davis, and John C. Reilly are just some of the names who have lent their voices to the film.

Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside; an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there; a girl who may or may not be real.

We have already been treated to a whole host of fantastic animation movies this year, but When Marnie Was There is set to be a welcome break from the CGI-driven films in this genre.

- The Conjuring 2 - released 13th June

The Conjuring is one of my favourite horror movies of recent years and I am personally thrilled that a sequel was given the go-ahead - not surprising really when you consider just how successful the first film was.

The Conjuring 2 sees James Wan back in the director's chair as he reunites with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who are back as paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren.

The Conjuring 2 is the first horror film for Wan since Insidious: Chapter 2 back in 2013 and his first feature film since the success of Fast & Furious 7 last year.

Farmiga and Wilson are joined on the cast list by David Thewlis, Franka Potente, Frances O'Connor, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Sterling Jerins.

This is set to be one of the most terrifying paranormal investigations for Lorraine and Ed as they travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

The Conjuring went on to gross $318 million by the end of its theatrical run and remains the second-highest-grossing horror film behind The Exorcist. Will the sequel be even more successful? I guess we are going to have to wait and see.

- Independence Day: Resurgence - released 23rd June

It is hard to believe that Independence Day is twenty years old this year... and this summer we are going to see the long awaited sequel finally hit the big screen.

Independence Day: Resurgence is a movie that has been in the pipeline for quite some time and - at one point - it did look like it might nog happen. However Roland Emmerich is back in the director's chair and it looks like he will deliver a film that is even bigger than the first.

There are plenty of familiar faces on the cast list as Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, and Brent Spiner will reprise their roles as David Levinson, Julius Levinson, President Whitmore, Jasmine, and Dr. Brakish Okun.

There are also some big new additions to the cast list as Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie T. Usher and Sela Ward are all on board.

We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defence program to protect the planet.

But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

Independence Day is one of the biggest sci-fi films of the last twenty years and it will be interesting to see just how well this sequel performs at the box office this summer.

- The Secret Life of Pets - released 24th June

If you like your CGI animation movies then The Secret Life of Pets will be heading our way in the next few weeks... and looks set to be another big hit.

The Secret Life of Pets is the fifth fully-animated feature film collaboration between Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures - who brought us the Despicable Me franchise in recent years.

The movie sees Chris Renaud - who has directed Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and The Lorax in recent years - back in the director's chair. The Secret Life of Pets sees him team up with Yarrow Cheney, who is making his feature film directorial debut.

Louis C.K.is set to voice the central character of Max and is joined on the cast list by Lake Bell, Ellie Kempter, Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks, Eric Stonestreet, and Bobby Moynihan.

The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. It really is promising to be a lot of fun and I am excited to see what the studio delivers this time around.

We have already seen a series of animation movies perform well this year and The Secret Life of Pets is one of the big releases in this genre this summer.