This month’s streaming movie premieres include an action-comedy reboot, a documentary about Faye Dunaway, and Emma Roberts headed to space.
ON NETFLIX
Now streaming:
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
I didn’t have a “Beverly Hills Cop” reboot on my movie bingo card this year, but that’s my oversight: In a media environment saturated with nostalgia, resurrecting one of the ‘80s most beloved action-comedy franchises seems inevitable. Forty years after the events of the debut film’s release, the ageless Eddie Murphy returns as the title character, a Detroit police officer whose rough-and-tumble approach to law enforcement contrasts with the posh elitism of his adopted city. This time, he’s teaming up with a new partner, in Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to solve a case involving his daughter (Taylour Paige) and a conspiracy. If the trailer—which sees Axel piloting a motorcycle and driving a snowplow and having no knowledge of either—is any indication, this fourth “BHC” should be a fun and self-referential ride.
Starts July 5:
The Imaginary
Imaginary friends are great for a spell, but most have a sell-by date: If we, say, are soon to enter our teenage years and ultimately adulthood, and we’re still talking to imaginary friends, it’s probably going to be cause for concern. So what happens to those “invented” people and creatures and avatars once they’ve outlasted their utility? “The Imaginary” centers on Rudger, invisible companion to real-life Amanda. After Amanda outgrows Rudger, he finds himself in the Town of Imaginaries with his fellow discarded beings, where they face an existential threat. Released by Studio Ponoc and in the storied tradition of Japanese animation, “The Imaginary” appears to be in visionary hands; its director, Yoshiyuki Momose, animated the seminal Hayao Miyazaki film “Spirited Away.”
ON PARAMOUNT+
Now streaming:
Memory
Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard have received widespread praise for their roles in this intimate drama from writer-director Michel Franco. Chastain’s Sylvia is a single mother, social worker and recovering alcoholic who suffered a traumatic event in high school. When she reluctantly attends her high school reunion decades later, she meets a man, in Sarsgaard’s Saul, who may have been involved in said trauma, but who now suffers from early onset dementia. Saul seems drawn to Sylvia in stalkerish, unhealthy ways, but is it just a diseased mind desperate for companionship? The two grow closer than anticipated in this strikingly mature and wrenching story, which also stars Merritt Weaver, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper and Josh Charles.
ON AMAZON PRIME
Starts July 4:
Space Cadet
Take “Legally Blonde” and swap out the legal profession with space exploration, and you’re getting at the fish-out-of-water appeal of “Space Cadet.” Like many starry-eyed tykes, Emma Roberts’ Rex Simpson had the childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. Instead, she became a bartender in Florida and a general party girl. Hoping to transform her life, she fabricates an immaculate scientific resume and somehow makes it into a rigorous cadet training program at NASA. “Space Cadet” looks like it has charm to spare, if you can get past the abject absurdity of the premise. The supporting cast includes Tom Hooper, Poppy Liu, Gabrielle Union and Dave Foley.
ON MAX
Starts July 13:
Faye
Famously protective of her personal life, Faye Dunaway grants interviews, which makes this documentary all the more notable. Now 83, the living legend sat for extensive conversations with director Laurent Bouzereau, who also interviewed the actress’ friends, family members, critics and colleagues, among them Sharon Stone and Mickey Rourke. A portrait emerges of a consummate actor, the sort of invisible talent who disappears into her roles—in “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Network,” “Chinatown,” “The Eyes of Laura Mars,” “Mommie Dearest” and countless others. But in excavating the psychology, life and career of a reclusive star, Bouzereau also sheds light on the darker corners of Dunaway’s past, including battles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder.
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