FOUR FAVORITES: July 2025

July was a monumental release month for theaters and streaming services. Although there were many misses, a lot of the releases were very well received. The most notable genre this month was easily the superhero genre with both Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps bringing record-breaking theater attendance. As an avid theater fan, I could not be more pleased with the turnout in theatres that July brought, and hope to see that August keeps that momentum going.

Four Favorites of July (+1 Anticipated Release)

Jaws @ 50 (NR)

This release feels crucial to accompany the rerelease of Jaws in theaters in late August. To get an official behind-the-scenes look at one of the best films ever released feels like a privilege. This was such a great reminder of the joy that comes from filmmaking, but also the dedication that it takes to make a film at all. This not only reignited my hope for the film industry, but also for society and our love of art in general.

Superman (PG13)

There is not one person that doesn’t have an opinion on this film. I think that this completely raised the bar for what the comic book genre will be in the future. You could feel the care put into the project to preserve the genre itself. This is one of the first films of the year that felt like a true event. The cinematography and score were both on another level as well as the performances throughout. There is an entire think-piece on this that I wrote on the Blog portion of the website that I would love for you to check out (as well as the movie itself if you haven’t seen it).

Eddington (R)

Although this film has some backlash, rightfully so in some instances, I think revisiting Covid-19 riddled America gives a great look at how much it truly did affect how we function now as a society. That time feels very recent but also very foreign to our current happenings. Through this film, which presents a rather centrist view at first glance that feels almost surreal, both sides of the political coin get presented with their actions. Even though we lived through it, this film presents the reality to us in a way that makes us question: did we really act like that?

Oh, Hi (R)

Any way that we can revisit and change the rom-com genre is great to me - this release is no different. Being compared thematically to all-time greats like Misery, this is a must see from this month. I love the cast involved in this, Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, and Geraldine Viswanathan are all standouts to me that aren’t always showcased enough in projects, so to see them really shine here is refreshing.

Together (R) - (Anticipated Release)

This is one of the most interesting horror releases this year and it has completely caught my attention. Although I don’t really love Dave Franco, I do believe completely in his ability to freak-out and be a weird spouse. Allison Brie I have complete faith in. Although the director is fairly new, the concept and the promo has been better than most this year in any genre, let alone horror.

Additional Releases from July of Note:

I Know What You Did Last Summer ® (Theaters)

Smurfs (PG) (Theaters)

Jurassic World: Rebirth (PG13) (Theaters)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (PG13) (Theaters)

Happy Gilmore 2 (PG13) (Streaming on Netflix)

Heads of State (PG13) (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)