12 New Movies This Week: ‘Lightyear’, ‘Father of the Bride’, and More!

Curious what the new releases are this week? There are a ton of films hitting theaters – 12 to be exact!

New movies this week include a blast from the past with Buzz in Lightyear, Andy Garcia as the ‘Father of the Bride’, and more! Below is the full rundown of all the new movies this week, from what’s coming out in theaters, as well as those releasing on the major streaming platforms.

New Movies This Week June 13 – June 19, 2022

Lightyear   (2022)

Rating: PG

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: In Lightyear, we get to see the movie that made Andy fall in love with Buzz. Buzz and his group of explorers are marooned on a hostile planet. It’s up to Buzz to find a way back into space, but an army of robots commanded by a giant robot named Zurg are attempting to steal Buzz’s fuel source.

What to Watch For: Chris Evans (Captain America: The First Avenger) replaces Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz, who did the voice in all the Toy Story franchise films.

Word on the Street: The film has unique scenes that were explicitly made to be released in the IMAX format. Lightyear is the first animated film to do this.

My Take: I love the Toy Story films, so I am excited to see Buzz Lightyear in action.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande   (2022)

Rating: R

Release Date: Premiering on the Hulu platform on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is about Nancy (Emma Thompson), a fifty-five-year-old retired widow who was in a dull marriage and has never had an orgasm. Consequently, Nancy hires Leo (Daryl McCormack, a good-looking sex worker, to help her experience the world of sex. It’s an encounter that will change their outlook on love and life.

What to Watch For: The film was shot in order, something that rarely happens, to allow the two actors to progress in their relationship just as their two characters do in the movie.

Word on the Street: The film is currently at an outstanding 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with over 70 critics reviewing the film.

My Take: Emma Thompson always delivers an outstanding performance, and I have already heard from fellow film critics that this is one of her best ever.

Spiderhead    (2022)

Rating: R

Release Date: Premiering on the Netflix platform on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: Spiderhead is set in the near future, wherein a remote location, convicts are offered to become medical subjects in exchange for shortening their sentences. Jeff (Miles Teller) is one such convict who encounters Steve (Chris Hemsworth), the man in charge of testing a new drug capable of generating feelings of love. Jeff is about to go on an experience that will have him questioning the reality of his emotions.

What to Watch For: The film is directed by filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, whose film Top Gun: Maverick is currently breaking box office records.

Word on the Street: This is the third film that Miles Teller has starred in that was directed by Joseph Kosinski. Besides Top Gun: Maverick, the two also worked together on the 2017 film Only the Brave.

My Take: I have been a big fan of Miles Teller since he burst on the scene as Sutter in James Ponsoldt’s 2013 film The Spectacular Now.

Cha Cha Real Smooth   (2022)

Rating: R

Release Date: In select theatres and on the Apple+ platform on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: Cha Cha Real Smooth is about Andrew (Cooper Raiff), who, after graduating college, is slowly floundering in life. Andrew works at a fast-food restaurant and also is a ‘party starter,’ a Bar Mitzvah party host. At a Bar Mitzvah, he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). It’s a meeting that will change all their lives.

What to Watch For: Besides starring in the film, Cooper Raiff wrote and directed the movie. This is the second feature film that he has directed and starred in.

Word on the Street: The film won the Audience Award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

My Take: Dakota Johnson, after a shaky start with the Fifty Shades films, has become one of my favorite actors, doing some incredible work on the screen.

Halftime   (2022)

Rating: TV-MA

Release Date: Premiering on the Netflix platform on Wednesday, June 14, 2022.

Summary: Halftime is a documentary that gives us an intimate look at Jennifer Lopez as she reflects on her career, both the good and the bad.

What to Watch For: The film is directed by Amanda Micheli, who was nominated for an Oscar for her documentary short subject, La corona (2008).

Word on the Street: The film centers on Lopez’s performances at the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime show and the 2021 presidential inauguration.

My Take: It will be interesting to see how much we get to see of her life that we haven’t already experienced with all the coverage she gets in the tabloids.

The Phantom of the Open   (2021)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: Now playing in select theatres.

Summary: The Phantom of the Open is about Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), who has always dreamed big, but life with a wife (Sally Hawkins) and kids has always gotten in the way. Always the optimist, he decides to take up golf to gain entry into The British Open. He may fail, but he will before a folk hero to many in the process.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story of a golfer who managed to gain entry into the 1976 British Open and then subsequently shoot the worst round in Open history.

Word on the Street: The film is based on a book of the same name by Scott Murray.

My Take: You can’t go wrong with a film that stars Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins.

Father of the Bride   (2022)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: Premiering on the HBO Max platform on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

Summary: Father of the Bride is about Billy (Andy Garcia) and Ingrid (Gloria Estefan), a long-time married couple who are about to tell their large, sprawling Cuban-American family they are going to get divorced. However, before they can announce their split, their daughter, Sofia (Adria Arjona), announces that she is getting married. Can Billy and Ingrid get along long enough for the precious daughter to get married?

What to Watch For: This is the third film version of the story. The original was back in 1950, and then you have the 1991 remake that starred Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.

Word on the Street: Adria Arjona is best known for her roles as Emily on the TV series True Detective and Dorothy Gale in Emerald City.

My Take: While not a huge fan of the 1991 film, I do love the 1950 film that starred Spencer Tracy as the father and Elizabeth Taylor as the bride-to-be.

Brian and Charles   (2022)

Rating: PG

Release Date: In select theatres on Friday, June 17, 2022

Summary: Brian and Charles is about a lonely man, Brian (David Earl), who, after a long and depressing winter, builds a robot that he names Charles (Chris Hayward). Charles and Brian are about to become best friends and maybe, just maybe, learn a bit about life, family, and love.

What to Watch For: The feature film was developed from a short also named Brian and Charles that was screened at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

My Take: I love that stars of the film, David Earl and Chris Hayward, also wrote the script.

Abandoned    (2022)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: Abandoned is about a young couple (Emma Roberts, John Gallagher Jr.) who move into an isolated farmhouse with their infant son. Soon the young woman’s struggles with postpartum depression begin to intensify as the couple learn about the house’s past. The house has secrets that the couple will soon find out about.

What to Watch For: This is the first feature film for director Spencer Squire. Squire appeared as Rosenblum in last year’s A Journal for Jordan, which Denzel Washington directed.

Word on the Street: John Gallagher Jr. was recently on the TV series Westworld playing the part of Liam Dempsey.

My Take: One of my favorite actors, Michael Shannon, plays a local who seems to know a lot about the house and its mysterious and deadly past.

Bitterbrush   (2021)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: In select theatres on Friday, June 17, 2022, and On-Demand on June 24, 2022.

Summary: Bitterbrush is a documentary that centers on two young women working on a ranch in the remote and harsh mountains of the American West.

What to Watch For: This is the second feature film documentary from Emelie Mahdavian. Her first was the 2016 film After the Curtain, about four female dancers trying to survive in the Post-Soviet Muslim nation of Tajikistan.

Word on the Street: The film made its world premiere at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival.

My Take: I loved the award-winning documentary Midnight Traveler that Mahdavian wrote and produced.

Jerry and Marge Go Large    (2022)

Rating: PG-14

Release Date: Premieres on the Paramount+ Platform on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: In Jerry and Marge Go Large, Jerry (Bryan Cranston) has just been forced to retire from a job he has had for 42 years. Bored and frustrated in his retirement, Jerry discovers a mathematical flaw in the lottery that almost guarantees he will win money. With the help of his long-time wife, Marge (Annette Bening), they decide to help other people in their town share in the winnings. It all is going great until the Feds, and another group of individuals become aware of Jerry’s plan.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story.

Word on the Street: The outstanding cast includes Anna Camp, Micheal McKean, Rainn Wilson, and Jake McDorman.

My Take: The film is from the Oscar (Dear Diary) and Emmy (Band of Brothers) winning filmmaker David Frankel.

Official Competition   (2021)

Rating: R

Release Date: In select theatres on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Summary: Official Competition is about a famous filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz), who is given a load of money by a wealthy businessman who wants to get into the film business. She hires two well-known actors whose enormous talent matches their ego; Hollywood star Felix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and theatre legend Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez). Will the two stars get along enough to make a film that can win an Oscar or two?

What to Watch For: The film was a big hit on the film festival circuit, including three nominations at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The film is from the Argentinean directors Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat. Their 2016 film The Distinguished Citizen won 30 awards, including three at the 2016 Venice Film Festival.

My Take: I will see anything that Penelope Cruz is in.

What New Movies This Week Are You Planning to Watch?

And that’s your new releases for the week of June 13 – June 19, 2022.

In our comment section below, let us know what new movies this week you are excited to see!