Best new movies to chill out to this summer

Summer is here and there’s nothing better than spending an afternoon blissed-out on the couch with air-conditioning and ice cream. Here are our top picks.

Mama Mia

Summer is here in all its glory, and there’s really no better way to spend a sweltering afternoon than under the air-conditioning with ice cream and a good movie.

Maybe the beach isn’t your thing. Maybe you’ve cooked enough backyard barbeques to last a lifetime. Maybe you’ve finally got home from a long day working outside in the baking heat and put the kids to bed, or maybe you’ve somehow scored the holy grail and wrangled an entire weekend free of activities.

Perhaps it’s just 40 degrees and you simply want to opt out of breathing the oven-dry air, melting your shoes on the piping-hot bitumen, or branding yourself on the seatbelt of your car. Honestly, we can’t blame you.

The good news is that a whole host of fresh movies are about to drop, so there’s no better way to chill out and enjoy this summer than from the comfort of your home. Here are our top picks.

A QUIET PLACE

A Quiet Place is a post-apocalyptic horror film about a family of four living in a secluded cabin in the woods in near total silence. The reason? They’re petrified of being killed by mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. The premise is basically, “If they hear you, they hunt you” and it proves a masterstroke of suspense. Sneeze or drop a spoon and you risk being torn to shreds.

The film was directed and co-written by John Krasinski, who stars in the flick alongside his real-life wife Emily Blunt. It somehow keeps your attention with a combination of thrills and storytelling — even though there’s hardly any dialogue. Make sure you pay attention to the exceptional sound design.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WARS

Avengers: Infinity Wars was nine years and 17 months in the making, so it was always going to be epic. It’s Marvel’s most anticipated superhero team-up to date, featuring all the fan favourites: Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Hulk and Loki. Basically, the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet, Thanos, who is on a mission to collect all six infinity stones and wreak havoc on the universe. It’s a humongous film, packed with quips, CGI gimmicks and more. Best enjoyed with cold beers and mates (or by yourself, we won’t judge).

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the latest instalment in the dinosaur flick’s 25-year legacy. It’s set a few years after Jurassic World — the doomed theme park has been abandoned, and the dinosaurs are left to roam the island. However, their presence is threatened when the island’s volcano threatens to blow. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to their respective roles as trainer Owen Grady and former park manager Claire Dearing. However, their chemistry is not the best part of this film. How could it be, when there’s a cameo from Jeff Goldblum?

SKYSCRAPER

With Skyscraper, what you see is what you get. It’s Dwayne Johnson at his best, playing a security expert who conquers all manner of jaw-dropping, gravity-defying stunts set around a skyscraper — even though his character is a war veteran who has a prosthetic leg. On a stinking hot day, it’s an hour and 49 minutes of action, drama and excitement that combine to make it a rollicking good time.

DEADPOOL 2

If you loved Ryan Reynolds’ snarky, irreverent Deadpool, you’ll love the sequel. There’s something irresistible about the wise-cracking anti-hero, especially when he appears alongside New Zealand’s Julian Dennison (of Hunt for the Wilderpeople fame), who plays a young mutant with flaming fists and serious anger management issues. OK yes, the violence is intense, and yes, the language is profane, but if you’re not easily offended you’ll find yourself laughing uncontrollably.

I FEEL PRETTY

Amy Schumer’s latest flick is somehow a little bit My Fair Lady and a little bit Shallow Hal with a hearty dose of “you go, girl”. Basically, Schumer’s character Renee is an average-looking but deeply insecure woman who wakes up from a head injury thinking she’s a supermodel. Suddenly she’s dressing better, flirting harder and dreaming bigger — but of course, the only thing that’s really changed is her attitude. It’s undeniably cheesy, but try to watch this without smiling. We dare you.

BLACKKKLANSMAN

BlacKkKlansman is not a comedy but it’s funny. It’s not a horror but it’s horrifying. It’s set in the past but chillingly relevant today. It’s a thoroughly excellent movie, starring John David Washington and directed by Spike Lee. The film focuses on an African-American police officer who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs in 1972 after reading a recruitment ad in the newspaper. It’s clever, tense, thrilling and distressing and is careful to expose the full spectrum of racism. A must-watch.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT

No-one has a screen presence like Tom Cruise. He’s been playing Ethan Hunt for 22 years, but just seems to get better over time. This movie is packed with mad stunts, heart-pumping action scenes and a fabulous cast. It’s not like other franchises — there’s a lot of time devoted to the story and the characters — and the twists that you sometimes see coming and sometimes don’t. Cruise put his body on the line for this movie, and it shows. The commitment to real-life effects over CGI makes it visually stunning.

THE PREDATOR

This movie is perhaps different than what you might expect. For starters, it’s kind of goofy. It’s funny and full of quips and feels a bit more like an adventure movie than an action thriller. It starts when a predator crash lands in the middle of an American law enforcement operation against a Mexican drug cartel and it goes from there. This film takes a lot of cues from the 1987 original and is just as captivating.

BOY ERASED

Boy Erased is a haunting movie, featuring stunning performances from Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Joel Edgerton (who also directed the film). It tackles the topic of gay conversion therapy, based on the memoirs of an American called Garrard Conley, featuring a young man who grew up in a Baptist household and is secretly gay. His parents love him, but they believe that in order to help him they have to hurt him. It’s confronting, compelling, and undoubtedly a movie that will stay with you.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

The first Mamma Mia movie was basic but irresistibly charming (let’s face it, it’s hard not to get the endorphins pumping when you’re singing along at full volume). The second instalment is just the same. Colin Firth is fabulous, Christine Baranski is amazing, and Lily James — who stars as the young Donna — gives a charming performance that pops off the screen. It’s a trip back in time as the filmmakers fill in her story, explaining how she came to live in the beautiful Greek islands and meet each of her three lovers. Keep an ear out for Cher’s fabulous rendition of Fernando.

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Who doesn’t love an origin story? This flick tells the tale of Han Solo, the Star Wars universe’s most charming rogue. It follows his first mission as he and a group of thieves (featuring the likes of Woody Harrelson and Thandie Newton) seek to clear their debt to a dangerous criminal group. There are two excellent escape sequences and some heartwarming moments as the relationship between Han and his sidekick Chewbacca is born, but truly it’s Donald Glover who steals the show.