Above: Me Before You
Film buff Zena Toscani reveals her four must-see movies for July
BEST FOR… DRAMA AND INSPIRATION
ME BEFORE YOU
Release date: 3 June
A classic tale of love against the odds. Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games series) are captivating in this screen adaptation of the bestselling book of the same name. Clarke plays Louisa, an effervescent small-town girl who winds up caring for (and falling for) Claflin’s Will, a wealthy businessman struggling to come to terms with his recent paralysis. Expect a heart-warming watch with beautiful cinematography and a healthy dose of tear-jerking moments. While this film has been out a little while, it’s definitely worth a mention as Saffron Screen’s Friday 15 July screening is followed by an exclusive Q&A with author, scriptwriter and local resident, Jojo Moyes.
BEST FOR… TRUTH SEEKERS
NOTES ON BLINDNESS
Release date: 1 July
Film-makers Peter Middleton and James Spinney take a creative approach to their debut documentary feature which focuses on an intrinsically difficult to depict subject matter. Notes on Blindness recounts John Hull’s experience of losing his sight soon before the birth of his first son. In 1983 he began keeping an audio diary of his experiences in trying to understand blindness. These were later published with neurologist Oliver Sacks declaring the collection, “The most precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness I have ever read.” These audio recordings provide the backbone of this documentary, which delivers the overarching message that cognition itself is what’s beautiful.
BEST FOR… LOVE AND LAUGHS
MAGGIE’S PLAN
Release date: 8 July
This offbeat, subversive romcom from director Rebecca Miller tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a married man and then devises a plan to reunite him with his former wife. It’s getting rave critic reviews and at the time of writing it’s sitting at a comfortable 76{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46} on Metacritic.com and 84{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46} on Rotten Tomatoes, interested? Great. Now whatever you do, don’t watch the trailer unless you love a spoiler. If you’re happy to roll the dice and go in blind, take solace in the fantastic cast featuring Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight) and Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and know that Miller’s romcom style is akin to the likes of Noah Baumbach and Woody Allen in the best possible way.
BEST FOR… ALL THE FAMILY
THE BFG
Release date: 22 July
The beloved Roald Dahl tale of the Big Friendly Giant finally reaches the big screen as a live action feature this month thanks to the imaginative vision of Steven Spielberg. Outcast for refusing to eat children like his peers, the titular giant is perfectly portrayed by Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) while supporting performances come from the likes of Bill Hader (Trainwreck) and Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona). If you need any more persuading, the screenplay is penned by the late Melissa Mathison, who also wrote an 80s movie you might have heard of called E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial…
Win!
Fancy seeing all of the above for a fraction of the price? Our friends over at the Arts Picturehouse are giving away one free membership (worth £45!) to a film-loving Cambridge Edition reader. Follow us on Twitter @CambsEdition for more details on how to win.
