Summer releases are here! And so are screenings, fan opportunities and a lot more. Check out the summer schedule of what’s coming to Hulu and be sure to grab your tickets to the upcoming Friends Experience!
Be sure to stay up to date with the latest movie releases!
Metro Detroit Local Events
- Kansas – 50th Anniversary Tour – June 17th
- The Friends Experience (June 30th – September 24th)
- Funny Girl (September 2023)
- Chelsea Handler (December 1st)
Metro Detroit Screenings
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (6/5)
- Flamin’ Hot (6/6)
- The Blackening (6/13)
Movie and Series Reviews
Movie and Entertainment Updates:
Grandpa Was An Emperor – Now Streaming
GRANDPA WAS AN EMPEROR follows Yeshi Kassa, great-granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, as she embarks on a personal quest to discover what happened to her closest relatives during the coup of 1974. While Yeshi and her older sister were thousands of miles away in a British boarding school, her great-grandfather was deposed by a revolution, setting off a harrowing chain of events that would put her parents and siblings in grave danger. For the very first time, the royal family examines the events that led to the collapse of a 3,000-year-old dynasty and reflects on how, against all odds, they were able to survive this turbulent time in Ethiopian history.
HYPNOTIC – Now Available on Digital
Determined to find his missing daughter, Austin detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) instead finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending bank robberies where he will ultimately call into question his most basic assumptions about everything and everyone in his world. Aided by Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), an unnervingly gifted psychic, Rourke simultaneously pursues and is pursued by a lethal specter (William Fichtner) – the one man he believes holds the key to finding the missing girl – only to discover more than he ever bargained for.
Taz: Quest For Burger – Available On Digital June 6th
After an outlaw abducts her father and steals their town’s food supply, a feisty adolescent Bandicoot named Quinn recruits The Tasmanian Devil to help her find the thief. Taz may be an ill-tempered rogue with a fearsome reputation, but he and Quinn will have to work together to track the criminal through the wilds of Tasmania and save her community.
Taz: Quest For Burger features the familiar voice talents of Steve Blum as Taz, Hadley Gannaway as Quinn, Eric Bauza as Sid/Bandicoot Friend, Ian James Corlett as Dad/Bill, Ely Henry as Aristotle, Piotr Michael as Lou/Stan, Kevin Michael Richardson as Butch/Emo, Jon Luke Thomas as Ned/Sam, James Urbaniak as Rocky, and Kari Wahlgren as Melanie/Koala. The film is Directed by Ryan Kramer from a teleplay by Bryan Condon. Mark Marek serves as Producer. Sam Register serves as Executive Producer.
Lionsgate Announce: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret arrives on Digital June 6th, On Demand June 27th, and on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD July 11th
The beloved and best-selling classic that has impacted generations, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. arrives on Digital June 6, On Demand June 27, and on Blu-ray™ + DVD + Digital Combo and DVD July 11 from Lionsgate. Abby Ryder Fortson (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Forever My Girl) is joined by a remarkable all-star cast, including Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Mean Girls), Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Good Time), and Kathy Bates (TV’s “American Horror Story,” Misery). Written for the screen and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen), Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. will be available for the suggested retail prices of $39.99 for Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Combo, and $29.96 for DVD.
In this long-awaited movie adaption of Judy Blume’s classic, groundbreaking novel, eleven-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school. She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates). A timeless coming-of-age story, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret sparkles with insightful humor while candidly exploring life’s biggest questions.
Written for the Screen and Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. Based on the Book by Judy Blume. Produced by James L. Brooks, p.g.a., Julie Ansell, p.g.a., Richard Sakai, Kelly Fremon Craig, p.g.a., Judy Blume, Amy Lorraine Brooks, Aldric La’auli Porter. Executive Producer Jonathan McCoy.
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Finally That Time: Making Margaret
- Are You There Margaret? It’s Me, Judy.
- The Secret Crew Club: Margaret and Friends
- Bringing the Period to Life: Designing Margaret
- Deleted Scenes
- Roundtable Discussion
- Theatrical Trailer
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS: New Featurette & Tickets on Sale Now- In Theaters June 9th
Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformer – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023.
Turn Your Car into a Transformer
WATCH THE NEW “ON MY SOUL” MUSIC VIDEO
STARRING TOBE NWIGWE, NAS & JACOB BANKS
DIRECTED BY TOBE NWIGWE
SONG FEATURED IN THE UPCOMING FILM TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS
GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH THE “NEW SOUND” FEATURETTE!
USERS – Opens June 9th at BAM in NYC, and on June 16th at the Laemmle Glendale in LA
Icarus Films is proud to announce the much-anticipated North American theatrical release of Users, the most recent film by acclaimed director and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award Natalia Almada. Winner of the Documentary Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival—a second win for Almada in the same category after her 2009 documentary El General—Users opens Friday, June 9 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York City, and on Friday, June 16 at the Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles, before expanding to other cities in North America.
The New York theatrical run of Users at BAM will be paired with a complete retrospective of Natalia Almada’s filmography, running June 9-13 and screening her short All Water Has a Perfect Memory (2001), her documentary features Al Otro Lado (2005), El General (2009), El Velador: The Night Watchman (2011), and her debut fiction feature Everything Else (Todo lo demás, 2016).
With a score performed by Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet, Users is a timely and intimate essay on technology and its effects on our everyday lives. The film begins with a mother’s question–will my children love the perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She pushes the button, and a smart crib lulls her crying baby to sleep, flawlessly every time. This question guides her inquiry into the intimate relationship we have with technology that is increasingly driving all aspects of our society.
Users explores the unintended and often dehumanizing consequences of our society’s embedded belief that technological progress will lead to the betterment of humanity. Is technological progress inevitable? Are we all increasingly isolated? Do we really have agency to direct its course? Is technology an expression of our humanity or is technology destroying our humanity?
With impeccable cinematography by Bennett Cerf and an intricate sound design by David Cerf, Users traverses places ranging from the largest indoor vertical farm in the world to the perfect artificial wave, from an IVF embryo lab to a fiber optic cable landing. Invisible infrastructure that we all rely on is made visible. Our reliance on machines and our alienation from each other is palatable. Urgent global issues like climate change and privacy are explored from the intimate perspective of a mother thinking, worrying and loving her children.
HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS’ OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT HOW DO YOU MEASURE A YEAR? DEBUTS JUNE 14th
For 17 years, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt filmed his daughter Ella on her birthday in the same spot, asking her the same questions. In just 29 minutes, we watch her grow from a toddler to a young woman with all the beautiful and sometimes awkward stages in between. Each phase is captured fleetingly but makes an indelible mark. Her responses to her father’s questions are just a backdrop for a deeper story of parental love, acceptance, and ultimately, independence.
Elemental – In Theaters June 16th
Four fun new posters are now available for Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” which opens in theaters on June 16. Also available today is a new featurette introducing moviegoers to the film’s key characters and the voice talent helping to bring them to life. Included in the featurette are Leah Lewis, who voices the fiery Ember, Mamoudou Athie as the Water-guy Wade; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wade’s stormy Air-Ball-loving boss, Gale; and Catherine O’Hara as Wade’s funny-but-tearful mom, Brook—plus insight from director Peter Sohn. Feel free to check it out and share with your readers.
“Elemental” is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City, where Fire-, Water-, Earth- and Air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Denise Ream, p.g.a., and executive produced by Pete Docter, “Elemental” features a screenpl
Multi-Platinum Singer-Songwriter Lauv Performs, Co-Writes “Steal the Show” for “Elemental”—Original Song Now Available
Listen to the new song here:
An all-new song, “Steal the Show,” from Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” is now available across all streaming platforms. Multi-Platinum chart-topping singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lauv worked with composer Thomas Newman—who’s behind scores for Pixar films “Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E” and “Finding Dory”—and songwriter Michael Matosic on the film’s original single that can be heard in part during the film and in full during the end credits.
In the film, “Steal the Show” helps bring to life an extraordinary journey through Element City where quick-witted Fire woman Ember and go-with-the-flow Water guy Wade realize that maybe they’re not so different after all. “This was one of my favorite songs ever to write because the process was really different,” said Lauv of the creative process. “I sat down with Thomas Newman and he gave me a couple of sounds that he was working with and I asked, ‘Can I have a couple of minutes in a room, pull up a piano and turn on the microphone?’ I had melodies, chords and a couple of key lyrics totally freestyled after watching the scene. It was a very in-the-moment thing. It was really cool to go back and forth with Thomas and build the whole soundscape and then I combined it with very classic Lauv sounds.”
Director Peter Sohn actually used one of Lauv’s songs as a placeholder early in production. “I love Lauv’s music,” said Sohn, “so when we finally got the chance to work with him, I referenced his music and how we were using it. He captured the beauty [Ember and Wade] saw in each other and how it could be something more. We were so emotional when we first heard his song. It was overwhelming and we feel absolutely indebted to what he gave the film.”
“Steal the Show” is performed by Lauv with music by Ari Leff and Thomas Newman and lyrics by Ari Leff and Michael Matosic. Featuring the song plus original score composed and conducted by Thomas Newman, The Elemental Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available June 16 on all streaming platforms.
Wes Anderson’s ASTEROID CITY | Character Poster – In Theaters June 23rd
ASTEROID CITY takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. Synopsis:
The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
WORLD’S BEST – Streaming Exclusively on Disney+ Beginning June 23
The trailer and key art for the Disney+ Original Movie “World’s Best,” an all-new hip-hop musical comedy adventure, produced by the director of “Hamilton,” are available now. The film, co-written, co-executive produced and starring Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts,” “Free Guy”), who co-wrote the film’s original songs, and directed by radiation oncologist turned filmmaker Roshan Sethi (“7 Days”), will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning June 23.
Joining Ambudkar in the film are newcomer Manny Magnus, Punam Patel, Jake Choi, Max Malas, Piper Wallace, Kayla Njeri, Dorian Giordano, Kathryn Greenwood, Christopher Jackson and Doug E. Fresh. “World’s Best” was written by Jamie King & Ambudkar, with original songs by Ambudkar and Charlie Wilder. Produced by Thomas Kail, who directed the Broadway smash “Hamilton” and produced and directed the 2020 film version, and Kate Sullivan, the film reunites Kail and Ambudkar who first collaborated as director and performer, respectively, of the improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group Freestyle Love Supreme. Terry Gould and Ambudkar serve as the film’s executive producers.
In “World’s Best,” 12-year-old mathematics genius Prem Patel (Magnus), in the midst of navigating the tumultuous hardships of adolescence, discovers his recently deceased father was a famous rapper and immediately sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar. While his actions may appear reckless and the quickest way for him to lose everything, Prem, empowered by imaginative hip-hop music-fueled fantasies where he performs with his father (Ambudkar), is determined to find out if hip-hop truly is in his DNA. As his father always used to say, “the world’s best never rest.”
Ambudkar’s additional film credits include “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Blindspotting” and “Pitch Perfect.” A rapper and creative force from a young age, Ambudkar was an original member of The Beatards, a NYC-based underground hip-hop group that performed alongside acts like Santigold, Azealia Banks, G-Easy, Public Enemy, Questlove and more. His work with the Beatards eventually helped Ambudkar land “Pitch Perfect.” Originating the role of Aaron Burr in the developmental readings of “Hamilton,” Ambudkar later reunited with Lin-Manuel Miranda as part of the improvisational rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, which garnered a special Tony® Award in 2021. “Vanity,” Ambudkar’s debut album as a solo artist, dropped in 2019 and was quickly followed by “Petty.” In 2020, he released “The Misfits EP” and single “Self Respect.”
I’m A Virgo Official Trailer and Key Art Now Available – Streaming June 23rd
Prime Video released the official trailer and key art to the highly anticipated mythical coming-of-age comedy I’m A Virgo, starring Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight). The series is created, written, and executive produced by colorful-sock-wearing filmmaker Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), who directed all seven episodes. Jerome also serves as an executive producer. All seven episodes of the Amazon Original series will be available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world on June 23. I’m A Virgo will be a part of the savings, convenience, and entertainment that Prime members enjoy in a single membership.
About I’m A Virgo
I’m A Virgo is a darkly comedic fantastical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, California. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight, The Righteous Gemstones). I’m A Virgo is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey.
The bad-ass cast also includes Brett Gray (On My Block, Star Trek: Prodigy, his mother thinks he sings like the ‘90s group Hi-Five), Tony-nominated and Obie-winning actor Kara Young (The Punisher, her mother was a Belizean beauty queen), Allius Barnes (PEN15, his cousin made the song “Kung Fu Fighting”), Olivia Washington (Breaking, plays classical piano), Mike Epps (The Upshaws, Dolemite Is My Name, a damn good dancer), and Carmen Ejogo (True Detective, Fantastic Beasts, was in Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid In Full” music video).
I’m A Virgo is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Media Res Studio. Boots Riley and Tze Chun (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) are the series’ co-showrunners and serve as executive producers, alongside Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer for Media Res Studio (Pachinko, The Morning Show), Jharrel Jerome, and Rebecca Rivo. The series features original music and score by art-pop duo Tune-Yards.
EVERY BODY | New Posters – in-theaters on Friday, June 30th
EVERY BODY is a revelatory investigation of the lives of intersex people. The film tells the stories of three individuals who have moved from childhoods marked by shame, secrecy, and non-consensual surgeries to thriving adulthoods after each decided to set aside medical advice to keep their bodies a secret and instead came out as their authentic selves. Actor and screenwriter River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him) are now leaders in a fast-growing global movement advocating for greater understanding of the intersex community and an end to unnecessary surgeries. Woven into the story is a stranger-than-fiction case of medical abuse, featuring exclusive footage from the NBC News archives, which helps explain the modern-day treatment of intersex people.
PRISONER’S DAUGHTER – In Theaters June 30th
From director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen), Prisoner’s Daughter is a gritty, turbulent drama that follows Max (Brian Cox) who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and granted a compassionate release after 12 years in prison with the condition he resides with his estranged daughter, Maxine (Kate Beckinsale). As a single mom desperate for income to raise her only son, Ezra (Christopher Convery), she reluctantly agrees but has no interest in reconciliation or allowing Max to have a relationship with her son. To make matters worse, Maxine also has to contend with Ezra’s father, Tyler (Tyson Ritter), an abusive addict who wants more control of his son’s life. As Max seeks one last chance to redeem himself in her eyes, they must contend with his dark, violent past as it comes back to haunt them all.
OPPENHEIMER – Shooting For IMAX Featurette – In Theaters July 21st
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.
The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Academy Award® nominee Florence Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.
Oppenheimer also stars Oscar® winner Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar® nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh.
The cast includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises).
The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan.
Oppenheimer is filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography.
Nolan’s films, including Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations.
Hulu’s “This Fool” Season Two – Premieres July 28th
“This Fool” is an irreverent, cinematic half-hour comedy set in working class South Central Los Angeles. After Julio’s job and love life blew up at the end of last season, this season, new roommates Julio and Luis embark on finding new careers and romances with the help of Minister Payne, Chef Percy and other former Huggers.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM – New Trailer Available – August 2nd
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
