An Arthouse Summer

Although May to July is traditionally known as Summer blockbuster season, this year sees an unusually high number of upmarket arthouse releases.  Coming out on the same weekend as Iron Man 3 (April 26) are two all-star features with a strong comedic slant. Bernie earned a Golden Globe nomination for Jack Black’s performance and is a black comedy about a mortician who strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow. The Look Of Love reunites Steve Coogan with director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, The Trip) and tells the story of Paul Raymond who was once the richest man in the UK and known as the King of Soho.

A week later sees the return of one of Europe’s most distinctive auteurs, Pedro Almodovar, with comedy set aboard an airliner, I’m So Excited. Mud was a hit at Cannes last year and with Matthew McConaughey experiencing a career renaissance, expect a strong performance from May 10.

The end of May sees the release of two distinctive releases looking to woo the arthouse crowd. Byzantium comes from director Neil Jordan (The End Of The Affair, The Crying Game) and stars Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan as vampires in a small coastal town. Also out on the same day is charming French comedy Populaire, that has already been a huge hit across the channel.

June kicks off with The Iceman. One of America’s most underrated actors Michael Shannon stars in the true-life story of a notorious mafia hitman and is joined by James Franco, Chris Evans and Winona Ryder. June 14 and June 21 are big weekends for lovers of romance. First up is Joss Whedon’s striking black and white imagining of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and a week later one of the most anticipated arthouse films of the year is released. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy charmed audiences in the 90s and 00s with Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and Before Midnight sees them return as Jesse and Celine for the third (and final?) time.

July’s arthouse slate is still to be filled but two striking titles are already in place. Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation, Somewhere) joins forces with Emma Watson in The Bling Ring and the undisputed queen of arthouse cinema Greta Gerwig stars in Noah Baumbach’s (The Squid And The Whale) Paris-set Frances Ha. Summer 2013 promises to be a treat for lovers of films of all sizes.