What to Watch in June 2017

Edgar Wright might be one of the most innovative directors working the studio system today. His films have pure popcorn running through their veins, yet are channeled through a will to experiment worthy of Godard. For anyone tired of yet another Marvel movie or the seemingly endless sequels infesting the cineplex throughout June, but still yearning for a shot of adrenaline, Wright has one of his signature action-comedy extravaganzas on offer. Baby Driver generated rave reviews out of South by Southwest for its spirit of pure anarchic joy with a story about a heist driver (Ansel Elgort) who must put love on hold while he pulls one last job. In theaters June 28; babydriver-movie.com.

Amid the fluttering capes and digital apocalypses you’ll undoubtedly pony up for, it’s nice to cleanse the palate with a period piece now and then. Those are rare in June, but fortunately, esteemed British-South African director Roger Michell—the man who gave us Notting Hill—brings yet another of Daphne du Maurier’s classic novels to the screen. Previously adapted in 1952 with the formidable Richard Burton and Olivia de Havilland in the title roles, Michell’s new take stars Rachel Weisz as the eponymous lovely and possibly lethal Rachel who captures the heart of her cousin, played by Sam Claflin, in a dark romance set against the crashing seas of the Cornish coast.  In select theaters June 9; foxsearchlight.com.

And when the Dolby Atmos surround sound starts making you deaf, you can always count on Sony Pictures Classics to provide a nice quiet movie whose fireworks come from its powerhouse performances. In this case, those powerhouses are Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke playing Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis and her gruff, fish-peddling husband Everett who fall in love after Everett puts out an ad looking for someone to help clean his tidy 10 x 12 cabin in the Nova Scotian hinterland. Coming out of last year’s Telluride and Toronto film festivals, Hawkins in particular has been lauded for an Academy-caliber performance. In select theaters June 6; sonyclassics.com.

Oliver Stone, the king of macho filmmaking, versus Vladimir Putin, the tsar of macho politics: it’s a compelling match-up, even if it makes you a little morally queasy. But that’s never bothered iconoclast director Stone, who’s interviewed all of America’s most relentless, unapologetic enemies, from Fidel Castro to Hugo Chavez. The series trailer promises Stone asking about the 2016 U.S. presidential election upfront, though knowing Putin’s ways, it’ll take all four installments of the documentary series before he gives anything away. But if only to watch Putin dance around Stone, this series might be worth it. Premieres June 12 on Showtime; sho.com.

There’s nothing funny about trying to make it as a stand-up: long hours, booze-soaked rooms of recalcitrant crowds, and the knowledge that no matter how good you think you are, some day soon you will bomb. It’s the stuff that prestige dramas are made of. Or at least Jim Carrey thinks so: he’s producing this look at the unforgiving grind of the L.A. stand-up scene in the ‘70s, created by Masters of Sex writer David Flebotte. It’s always a risk finding the drama in the funny, just ask Aaron Sorkin about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. But with an ensemble like this—Melissa Leo, Michael Angarano, and real-life comics Clark Duke and Al Madrigal—maybe Flebotte won’t totally bomb. Premieres June 4 on Showtime; sho.com.

For all of us who have been meaning to check out Orphan Black, especially after Tatiana Maslany won her long-sought Emmy last year, now is most definitely the time. The fifth and final season of the acclaimed Canadian science fiction series airs on BBC America this June. As the initiated know all too well, Maslany plays a small-time grifter who witnessed her doppelganger commit suicide only to realize that she’s one of several clones across the world, drawing her into a dizzying mythology and conspiracy. In other words, get binging now. Premieres June 10 on BBC America; bbcamerica.com.

Among the more gonzo series these days, this new show from executive producer Rashida Jones and showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois centers around a South Florida nail salon owner and the peanut gallery of disaffected ladies she employs. Claws started out as a half-hour comedy on HBO before TNT turned it into an hour-long genre-smashing escapade worthy of Hunter S. Thompson. Drugs, gangsters, press-ons: the trailer seems determined to upend every preconception you have about prestige dramas and even throws in Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris as a hot-headed gangster for good measure. Premieres June 11 on TNT; tntdrama.com.

Yes, we know Orange Is the New Black’s new season premieres this month as well—that is, if you haven’t already watched it illegally on the internet. If the Netflix hack ruined your Jenji Kohan buzz last month, we suggest you try out this new series from Kohan disciples Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. The viciously talented Alison Brie stars as an out-of-work actress who gets sucked up into the gritty neon glamor of a woman’s wrestling league in ‘80s L.A., run by none other than L.A.’s own crotchety podcaster laureate Marc Maron. Expect cocaine, kvetching, and unapologetic pastel full-body workout suits. Available on Netflix June 23; netflix.com.

One benefit of peak TV is that fresh voices get big chances with star talent. Case in point: this erotic, psychological thriller from newcomer Lisa Rubin follows a therapist who gets dangerously entangled in the lives of her patients. Rubin is blessed in that the therapist and her husband are played by Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup and the series’ first two episodes are directed by Sam Taylor Johnson of Nowhere Boy fame. She also directed a little blockbuster called Fifty Shades of Grey, so if anyone knows her way around illicit cinematic transgressions, it’s Johnson. Available on Netflix June 30; netflix.com.

Yearning for that Cannes glamour but no yachts in sight? Netflix has you covered with Bong Joon Ho’s my-pet-monster fable. The Korean director behind The Host and Snowpiercer caused a stir on the Croisette (and some predictable booing) when his film got a competition spot, even though Netflix had no plans to release it theatrically in France. (The French weren’t having it, and they’ve since changed the rules to avoid this.) But it’s we couch potatoes who reap the benefits as we get to watch a young girl fight to save her genetically modified super pig from the predations of modern capitalism. Available on Netflix June 28; netflix.com.