Clockwise from top: Furious, The Samurai and the Prisoner, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and I Want Your Sex.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Everett Collection (Marvel/Columbia Pictures, Lacey Terrell/Magnolia Pictures, Disney, Janus Films)
It’s a blockbuster month for Tom Holland and Zendaya. From Ithaca to Queens, New York, the pair are now dropping their fourth Spider-Man film together. But beyond Brand New Day, there’s a brand-new Gregg Araki comedy with Olivia Wilde starring as Cooper Hoffman’s dominatrix, a new television series from Liz Meriwether, and a prequel episode of Adults (not titled “Teens”).
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After Doctor Strange so kindly wiped everyone’s memory of Peter Parker in No Way Home, Spider-Man is back to street-level crime fighting in Brand New Day. And director Destin Daniel Cretton seems to be having incredible fun re-creating iconic Spider-Man splash pages as this film follows Peter Parker shedding his personal life — but still checking in on Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) — and committing himself to his work until he faces a mysterious figure (Sadie Sink) attacking the Department of Damage Control.
➽ Is he strong? Listen, bud, he’s got radioactive blood.
Liz Meriwether created a millennial-defining sitcom (New Girl), a life-affirming death comedy (Dying for Sex), and a biotech-eviscerating limited series (The Dropout). Next up, a drama about an FBI agent (Emmy Rossum) chasing a female serial killer (Lola Petticrew); of course, the two have more in common than they think. In nearly every other way, the exceptionally written and acted show will keep you guessing. —Roxana Hadadi
➽ In theaters; read the full review.
It won’t propel director Kiyoshi Kurosawa back to the level of renown he enjoyed in his J-horror heyday, but this film, set in a 16th-century castle under siege, takes a pleasantly unexpected turn into a series of murder mysteries that rebel lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) has to solve to keep the peace. —Alison Willmore
Now this isn’t the entirety of season two just yet. Ahead of its release, Hulu is dropping a special episode, “Marathon Day,” a prequel entry and origin story focused on Paul Baker (Jack Innanen). Showrunners Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw said they “can’t wait for you to see where the radioactive spider bit Paul Baker.”
This crime comedy follows the titular schoolteacher–slash–amateur detective (Diarra Kilpatrick) as she investigates another case that turns to be far more dangerous than anticipated. Kilpatrick also created and writes the series, which walks the line between Veronica Mars, Deli Boys, and Rap Sh!t in a satisfying way. —R.H.
If You Live in New York or Los Angeles …
➽ Jimmy: In honor of James Baldwin’s 102nd birthday, Oscar winner Barry Jenkins will join director Yashaddai Owens in a conversation at IFC Center August 2 after a screening of Owens’s directorial debut, a drama set around the time the 24-year-old Baldwin (played by Benny O. Arthur) left New York for Paris. —A.W.
No TV Batman will ever top the ’90s animated series, but this comes close. It shares a visionary in Bruce Timm, who focuses here on the superhero (voiced by Hamish Linklater) as a detective in a noir world. —R.H.
“Reviving a role after a 20-year absence is no easy task, especially when you’re playing the non-eccentric opposite bigger personalities, as Anne Hathaway does in both Devil Wears Prada films. In the second installment, Andy Sachs is more accomplished but just as stricken, and her performance feels more like an evolution of a beloved character rather than empty fan service. Time hasn’t diminished her flinty chemistry with Meryl Streep or Emily Blunt, thank God.” —Chris Feil on this film’s place in the Anne Hathaway canon
➽ Plus Zendaya and noted liar Robert Pattinson’s The Drama says yes to HBO Max, while the girls (Supergirl and Maddie’s Secret) are on demand.
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I know what you’re thinking: One hundred and sixty whole dollars to own a streaming show? But for Stranger Things die-hards, this is both a statement piece and an ideal way to re-experience Netflix’s biggest action-adventure hit. For one, the episodes look and sound far better when played off of the physical 4K discs than they do streamed. The collector-friendly boxed-set slingers at Arrow Video did a tremendous job on both the video and audio transfers for the series’ five seasons. In addition to the premium presentation, the episodes come packaged with a 148-page book with design sketches and concept art, posters, and a map of Hawkins, among other goodies. —Eric Vilas-Boas
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