Be on the lookout for these new entertainment offerings in the coming months, from theaters to music platforms.
Summer Movies
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Out now)
Tom Cruise runs, Tom Cruise hangs onto airplanes in flight, Tom Cruise fights bad guys and AI, Tom Cruise saves the world …? Yes, the latest installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise ups the impossible part.
“F1” (June 27)
Brad Pitt, really fast cars, Javier Bardem as a Formula One team leader – that’s kinda all you need to hear. And at an advance screening held in Monaco, auto racers like Lewis Hamilton (an advisor on the film), Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz waved a checkered flag.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” (July 2)
Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali find themselves on a top-secret mission that puts them toe-to-toe with giant, hungry reptiles – not where you want to be! But they’re on the hunt for the key to a potentially life-saving drug, so we get to watch Big Pharma take on Big Dinosaurs. The seventh “Jurassic Park” film is directed by Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One”), and written by David Koepp (co-writer with Michael Crichton of the very first entry in the series).
“Superman” (July 11)
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan take over the roles of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, in the latest iteration of the classic comic book hero. This time out, Supe has a super dog, too!
“The Naked Gun” (August 1)
It could be called “Son of Naked Gun,” as Liam Neeson plays Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., following in the awkward footsteps of Police Squad legend Frank Drebin (the late, great Leslie Nielsen). And don’t be confused that the star of such violent revenge films as “Taken” and “Cold Pursuit” is headlining the cast of this comic reboot – that’s kind of the point, as when he kicks butt disguised as a little schoolgirl.
“The Roses” (August 29)
Warren Adler’s novel, which was the basis of the darkly comic Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner film “The War of the Roses,” is reimagined in Jay Roach’s equally dark comedy starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as a successful couple coming apart at the seams. The cast also includes Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, and Kate McKinnon.
Summer Music
Haim: “I Quit” (June 20)
I ain’t coming back
I ain’t coming down
I was so high last night
I thought, “Burn it to the ground”
Oh, but they did come back! The rock band Haim (comprised of sisters Alana, Danielle and Este Haim) gifts us with their first studio album in five years.
Benson Boone: “American Heart” (June 20)
After leaping and bouncing onto the charts with his hits “Beautiful Things” and “Slow It Down,” Benson Boone is back with his second album.
Madison McFerrin: “Scorpio” (June 24)
Indie artist Madison McFerrin, daughter of Bobby McFerrin, releases her second studio album of sultry, jazzy vocals.
Lorde: “Virgin” (June 27)
The New Zealand singer-songwriter’s new album (her first since 2021’s “Solar Power”) is colored with the ambience of her new home, New York City – songs she described to Rolling Stone as rugged, vulnerable, and messy. The lead single, a breakup anthem called “What Was That,” she accurately calls “a banger.”
Laufey: “A Matter of Time” (August 22)
The Icelandic singer-songwriter’s third album follows her 2023 “Bewitched” (a Grammy-winner for best traditional pop vocal album).
