It’s summertime, which means it’s blockbuster season. But even if you’re not in the mood for another superhero flick, this summer has got something for you as well. Here are four new films this summer that aren’t major franchise flicks.
Baby Driver
In theaters now, “Baby Driver” is Edgar Wright’s latest film and his biggest financial success to date. The film follows Baby, a highly skilled getaway driver for an Atlanta kingpin named Doc, as he tries to pay the man back for stealing and wrecking one of Doc’s cars. After he finally does pay his debt, Doc calls and tells him he needs Baby for one more robbery. As everything spirals out of his control, Baby begins to fall in love with a waitress named Deborah who he tries to keep in the dark about his criminal work. A car accident when he was a child left Baby with tinnitus, and in order to drown out the sound, he plays music constantly. The soundtrack is woven through the film through him as he finds a song for every heist, car chase and other moment of his life.
Dunkirk
Directed by Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk” follows the story of Operation Dynamo during WWII when allied troops were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France by the German army. To rescue them, the British called into service civilian boats like merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure crafts and lifeboats. Nolan’s film follows the story from the point of view of three fictional characters: a civilian boat captain, a pilot in the Royal Air Force and a soldier trapped on the beach. The film was released July 13.
The Big Sick
A semi-autobiographical romantic comedy, “The Big Sick” is loosely based on the real life romance between its writers, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani also stars in the the film as himself. A comedian living in Chicago, trying to make it and driving for Uber, Kumail gets heckled by Emily (played by Zoe Kazan) at one of his shows. After the show they meet and soon start dating. After some ups and downs and family drama, Emily ends up the hospital with a serious lung infection and has to be put into a medically induced coma. The film, which is in theaters now, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and was acquired by Amazon Studios for $12 million, the second largest acquisition deal at the festival.
Logan Lucky
Set for release on August 18, “Logan Lucky” follows three siblings as they try to break a family curse by successfully pulling off an elaborate robbery during a NASCAR race. The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh who had previously said that 2013’s “Behind the Candelabra” would be his final film. However, he told Entertainment Weekly in April that when he was given the script to help find a director, he loved it so much he wanted to direct it himself. The film stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Riley Keough as the Logan siblings, along with Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes and Katherine Waterston.
