Summer may technically begin on June 20, but the season officially kicks off the first time you step into a dark, cool theater to watch a movie.
This year’s slate of films is packed with must-sees, from the already-viral Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black to delightful indie pics like Cora Bora and Summer Solstice. NYLON favorites like Emma Stone, Hunter Schafer, and Mia Goth are leading films that will surely be the talk of Letterboxd. And then there’s Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice, which comes with a stacked cast, including Alia Shawkat, Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, and Simon Rex.
Ahead, see NYLON’s favorite film picks to add to your summer-movie watchlist. See you at the theater.
Tilman Singer’s horror movie Cuckoo follows17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), who’s just moved to a resort in the German Alps to live with her father and his new family. Things get weird when she realizes her father’s boss is becoming increasingly obsessed with her mute half-sister — and when she’s plagued by bloody visions and strange noises.
Blink Twice (Aug. 23)
It’s a tale as old as time: A billionaire invites a beautiful woman to his private island where she comes to find that nothing is as it seems. When Frida (Naomi Ackie) hitches a ride on Slater King’s (Channing Tatum) private jet to sip champagne poolside and party at his estate, she soon realizes that something is distinctly off about the entire experience. Between hazy memories and missing people, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut is a propulsive psychological-thriller-meets-black-comedy.
Y2K (Summer 2024)
Nicole Rivelli/A24
It’s New Year’s Eve on the brink of the new millennium, and two high-school juniors looking for a good time crash a New Year’s Eve party. Before long, they realize the night is more than they bargained for as they embark on the fight of their lives in this A24 disaster comedy starring Rachel Zegler and directed by Saturday Night Live alumnus Kyle Mooney.