Here’s a line-up of this month’s best movies landing on Showmax.
NOPE | 22 June
Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah) and Emmy winner Keke Palmer (Scream) star as horse trainer OJ Haywood and his goofball sister, Emerald, whose lives are turned upside down by a mysterious phenomenon in the clouds above their ranch.
Nope won 28 accolades and was the 22nd highest-grossing film of 2022, with an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Daily Telegraph (UK) describing it as “a film that does for open skies what Jaws did for the beach…”
Oscar nominee Steven Yeun (Minari), three-time Emmy winner Keith David (Greenleaf), Wrenn Schmidt (For All Mankind), and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria, Unpregnant) round out the supporting cast.
THE WOMAN KING | 10 June
The Woman King is based on the incredible story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior corps who protected the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.
The Woman King recounts the epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar winner Viola Davis) as she prepares the next generation of troops in preparation for combat against colonialists eager to destroy their way of existence in South Africa and Ghana with Moonlighting.
The Woman King has received 28 international awards, including Best Actress in an Action Movie for Davis at the 2023 Critics Choice Super Awards, as well as six Black Reel awards ranging from Outstanding Film to Outstanding Breakthrough Actress for Pietermaritzburg-born Thuso Mbedu (Is’Thunzi, The Underground Railroad). Gina Prince-Blythewood (The Old Guard) was nominated for a BAFTA as well.
BAFTA winners John Boyega (sensation Wars) and Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die) are among the cast members, as are Ugandan BAFTA nominee Sheila Atim (The Underground Railroad), Benin’s five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo, and Nigerian breakout sensation Jimmy Odukoya.
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Woman King has a 94% reviewers’ approval rating, with the consensus simply saying, “All hail Viola Davis!” “The Woman King is in charge.”
THE NORTHMAN | 15 June
The Northman, written and directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse), stars Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgrd (Big Little Lies, Succession, True Blood), who was nominated for a 2023 Critics Choice Super Award for his performance as a Viking prince determined to avenge his father’s murder.
The Northman, which was not released in South African cinemas, was nominated for a reviewers Choice Super Award for Best Fantasy Movie and has a 90% reviewers’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus deems it “a breathtaking visual marvel.”
Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies), Emmy nominee Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu, The Queen’s Gambit), four-time Oscar nominees Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone) and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), award-winning Danish actor Claes Bang (Bad Sisters), and Oscar and Grammy nominee Björk round out the all-star cast.
THE FALLOUT | Stream now
Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream) plays as Vada Cavell, a survivor of a high school shooting in The Fallout. She has won a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award, and a Critics Choice Super Award.
The Fallout, which has not yet been released in South African theatres, has a Rotten Tomatoes critics rating of 93%. According to Variety, “it’s a remarkable accomplishment: a film with the confidence to pose big questions, and the humility to leave them unanswered.” According to Vox, “The Fallout is terrific, and terrifically real.” The Fallout has been dubbed “the first defining movie of Generation Z” by Silver Screen Riot.
At SXSW, the film won three awards, including the Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature for first feature writer-director Megan Park (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).
People’s Choice winner Maddie Ziegler co-stars, along with the likes of Black Reel nominee Niles Fitch (This is Us), Emmy winner Julie Bowen (Modern Family), and Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies).
THE BAD GUYS | 22 June
The Bad Guys follows a gang of known animal criminals who pose as rehabilitation seekers in order to avoid prison… only to discover that their leader sincerely wants to reform his ways.
The Bad Guys, directed by Annie Award winner Pierre Perifel (Kung Fu Panda 2), has an 88% Rotten Tomatoes reviewers’ rating, with the Guardian commenting, “This is Tarantino for ankle-biters with a dash of Ocean’s 11 thrown in: funny, energetic, and just smart enough.” It receives a 4/5 rating from Common Sense Media, which recommends it for ages 6+ and describes it as “so fun, it’s criminal.”
The Bad Guys was nominated for Favourite Animated Movie at the 2023 Kids Choice Awards and received the Annie Award for Outstanding Character Design. Zazie Beetz received a 2023 Black Reel Award nomination for Outstanding Voice Performance (as Diane Foxington aka The Crimson Paw), while Awkwafina was nominated for Favourite Voice From an Animated Movie (as Tarantula) at the 2023 Kids Choice Awards, where the film was also nominated for Favourite Animated Movie.
Oscar winner Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit), Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Emmy nominee Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Hamilton), and Critics Choice nominee Marc Maron (Super Pets, GLOW) are also on the list.
FATHER OF THE BRIDE | 19 June
In a bright Cuban-American adaptation of the iconic romcom Father of the Bride, a father must deal with his daughter’s impending wedding.
Oscar nominee Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!) plays Billy Herrera, the father of Adria Arjona’s wife, Sofia.
Gloria Estefan co-stars as Sofia’s mother, Ingrid; Diego Boneta plays groom-to-be Adan; and Teen Choice nominee Isabela Merced plays Sofia’s sister, Cora.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Father of the Bride has an 80% reviewers’ rating, with RogerEbert.com commenting, “Garcia and Estefan and all of our feelings about weddings bring so much warmth and good humour to the movie that it calls for a ‘Yes’ on the RSVP.”
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN | Stream now
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is based on an extraordinary true story and stars Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Sherlock, The Power of the Dog) as the eccentric English artist who rose to prominence at the end of the nineteenth century with surreal, playful, and even psychedelic cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain is directed and co-written by BAFTA winner Will Sharpe (who also directed Landscapers and appeared in The White Lotus and Giri/Haji) and narrated by Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Lost Daughter).
Emily Richardson, played by Emmy winner Claire Foy (The Crown, Women Talking), co-stars alongside Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Birdman), Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows), and BAFTA winner Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, The Crystal Maze), with musician Nick Cave as HG Wells.
The Mirror deems the multi-award-winning historical drama “a charming triumph,” while The Independent describes it as “completely and utterly delightful.”