In between your barbeque duties and watching fireworks light up the night sky, wouldn't it be nice to cool off with a hot flick? Up to Date's indie, foreign and documentary film critics have some recommendations for what to watch between your Fourth of July festivities. Give one or more of them a crack — it's sure to be a blast!
Cynthia Haines
The Exception, R
- A German soldier, played by Jai Courtney, falls in love with a Jewish maid while investigating the manse of exiled monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The romance confronts him with a choice: follow his country or his heart.
Okja, Not rated
- A classic tale of a young girl and her pet, a one-of-a-kind animal being hunted down by a multi million-dollar corporation.
Megan Leavey, PG-13
- The true story of a young Marine and her military combat dog, Rex. While deployed in Iraq, an IED explosion injures them both, leading to a heart-wrenching turn of fate.
Steve Walker
The Beguiled, R
- Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, this unsettling, libidinous psycho-drama pits Colin Farrell's smoldering yet wounded Civil War mercenary against Nicole Kidman's chilly and pious boarding school headmistress who becomes unhinged over his effect on her young charges.
The Hero, R
- Sam Elliott is perfectly cast as a faded B-movie actor grappling with a a sassy stand-up comic, played by Laura Prepon, who’s very fond of him despite their age difference, an estranged daughter and his own mortality.
Okja, Not rated
- Streaming on Netflix following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Bong Joon Ho’s fantasy about a Korean teenager’s bond with the eponymous “super-pig” that a heartless corporation entrusted her to raise (for slaughter, unbeknownst to her) is an exhilarating cinematic achievement.
Bob Butler
Baby Driver, R
- A young getaway driver finds himself in a precarious situation, caught between the crime boss he works for and a mission doomed to fail.
It Comes at Night, R
- In this psychological horror film, a highly infectious disease prevails over a post-apocalyptic world. When two families take shelter together, their mutual trust and survival aren't guaranteed.
The Exception, R
- In this World War II thriller, a German soldier investigates exiled German monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II, and finds himself torn between his mission and a newfound love, who happens to be Jewish.
