HEADING TO THE MULTI-PLEX THIS SUMMER? COOL OFF WITH THESE SIZZLING STAR-STUDDED PROSPECTS FOR CINEMATIC FUN!

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI

THEATER CAMP JULY (RATED PG-13)

Big names are attached to this summertime comedy starring Broadway’s Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) and Molly Gordon (The Bear) as overly dramatic camp counselors. The film, which won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award, is set at a youth theater camp in upstate New York founded by Joan (Amy Sedaris, The Mandalorian). When Joan gets unexpectedly sidelined, her bumbling son (Jimmy Tatro) must step in as all try to salvage opening night. Platt is one of the producers, along with Will Ferrell.

THE CREATOR THIS FALL (RATED PG-13)

Society’s worst fears about Artificial Intelligence are fleshed out in spectacular fashion in this sci-fi thriller set ten years after robots unleash a nuclear weapon on Los Angeles. John David Washington stars as Joshua, a former special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, who must find and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a powerful weapon. But when Joshua discovers the Creator “is a kid,” he ends up fighting to save it. Directed by Garth David Edwards

BUCKY F*CKING DENT AUGUST (UNRATED)

David Duchovny, the actor and New York Times best-selling author, wrote the2017 novel of the same name about fathers, sons, and baseball, particularly the 1978Yankees/Red Sox pennant race. The poignant black comedy is centered on an aspiring novelist who, when he learns his dad is dying, enlists his son and a group of friends to convince Dad his beloved Red Sox are winning. Duchovny plays the dad, and Logan Marshall-Green (Big Sky) is son Ted

BARBIE JULY (RATED PG-13)

The only question remaining about this much-hyped film that transforms plastic dolls into real people is whether it will live up to its press releases. Actress turned film maker Greta Gerwig co-wrote and helms the production, which allegedly caused a worldwide shortage of pink paint, and became the catalyst for a new HGTV special series chronicling the creation of an actual Barbie Dream House. Margot Robbie plays Barbie while Ryan Gosling becomes Ken, fake abs and all. A bevy of stars area board for the rollicking ride – John Cena, Helen Mirren, Rhea Perlman, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, and Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel.

OPPENHEIMER JULY (RATED R)

The sensitive subject matter underpinning this biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who had the misfortune to go down in history as “the father of the atomic bomb,” challenged the cast, headed by Irish actor Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) as Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan directed and co-wrote the screenplay. Marquee co-stars include Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Tony Goldman, Kenneth Branagh, Alden Ehrenreich, Josh Hartnett, and Gary Oldman as President Harry Truman. Shot in IMAX and based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus by Kai Bird, who also co-wrote the screenplay

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEADRECKONING PART ONEJULY (UNRATED)

Another installment in the franchise promises more extreme car chases, bigger explosions, and death-defying stunts by the seemingly ageless Tom Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. And that’s just Part One! The world is coming after Ethan as he and the IMF team hunt another deadly weapon threatening humanity even more severely than those previously vanquished. A June trailer unleashed a harrowing scene between Cruise, a motorcycle, and a scenic cli side. Captain America’s Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementie of Guardians of the Galaxy are joined by Esai Morales, Ving Rhames, Cary Elwes, and Simon Pegg. Set to play in IMAX and standard theater

BLUE BEETLEAUGUST (RATED PG-13)

Cobra Kai heartthrob Xolo Maridueña is Jaime Reyes, who becomes a superhero after he opens a box containing a shining blue scarab which quickly attaches to his face and expands into a full-body suit equipped with a Siri-like voice. Following the origin story format, we see Jaime strive to understand and control his new powers, wreaking havoc and leaving flaming wreckage in his wake, much to the consternation of his worried family. Susan Sarandon is villain Victoria Kord, hellbent on pro-curing the blue exoskeleton. Comic relief comes from the suit’s inner voice (Becky G) and George Lopez’s Uncle Rudy, who labels Batman “a fascist.” The latest from DC Comics was filmed for IMAX