By John Corrado

New releases for the week of June 23rd, 2023.

Theatrical Releases:

 Asteroid City (Wide Release): Wes Anderson’s latest (and best since The Grand Budapest Hotel) is also his most metatextual narrative. Set at a Junior Stargazing Convention in the 1950s, the film is led by one of his most star-studded ensemble casts, including wonderful work from Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson. Anderson stages a collection of delightful and bittersweet moments throughout the ingeniously layered narrative, employing his distinctive style to tell a poignant story about grief and the passage of time. I can’t wait to watch this one again. (Full Review)

No Hard Feelings (Wide Release): Jennifer Lawrence returns to the big screen in this comedy about a down-on-her-luck young woman who is hired by a couple to seduce their shy, college-age son (Andrew Barth Feldman) in exchange for a used car. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I do love a good, R-rated raunchy comedy (which this very much looks to be from the trailers), and I’m a J-Law fan, so I’m pretty pumped to check this one out!

Blue Jean (TIFF Bell Lightbox): Written and directed by Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean is a British period piece that follows Jean (Rosy McEwan), a lesbian gym teacher in Thatcher-era England circa 1988, who has to hide her identity or risk losing her job due to a proposed new law. I saw this one when it played at the Inside Out Film Festival a few weeks ago, and it works as a topical and pretty engaging working class, kitchen sink drama. The ending maybe feels a bit too sudden, but it’s carried by an intriguing tone that captures a sense of repression and fear, as well as a rock solid performance from McEwan as a woman being forced to make a series of difficult choices in order to protect herself. It’s worth checking out.

More Releases: Nimona (TIFF Bell Lightbox), Subtraction (TIFF Bell Lightbox), Polarized (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

World’s Best (Disney+): A math kid (Manny Magnus) dreams of becoming a rapper like his late father (Utkarsh Ambudkar) in this Disney Plus original. It’s all a bit corny and predictable, but World’s Best is a mostly charming film that has enough of an enjoyable rhythm to it, including a soundtrack of kid-friendly rap songs, and charismatic performances by Ambudkar and Magnus. (Full Review)

More Releases: Secret Invasion (Disney+), Jacinta (Disney+), The Perfect Find (Netflix), The Stroll (Crave), Retrograde (VOD/Digital)