Summer officially begins today, and the entertainment industry has been hard at work to produce summertime entertainment both at the movies and on TV. With blockbuster “Free State of Jones” opening this week, the second season of “Bloodline” and a new supernatural series starring Winona Ryder on Netflix, plus the return of Richard Linklater, we see plenty of viewing — and binge watching — opportunities in store for the season.
Preacher
On AMC now
Created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin
Starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun and Ruth Negga
Based on the comic book series of the same name, “Preacher” features a search to find God after an encounter with a destructive supernatural entity. A preacher from the fictional town of Annville, Texas, his former girlfriend and an Irish vampire band together on this journey in a series that’s been praised for its dark humor and the Easter eggs trickled throughout for the comic book fans.
Bloodline, Season 2
On Netflix now
Starring Ben Mendelsohn, Kyle Chandler, Sissy Spacek, John Leguizamo and Andrea Riseborough
After its wild first season finale, Netflix’s hit family drama is back with a second season, which revolves around the Rayburn siblings working to conceal their crime. John Leguizamo and Andrea Riseborough have joined the cast as series regulars, and Danny’s ghost is still lurking around, adding to the chaos of this thriller filmed in the Florida Keys.
Outcast
On Cinemax now
Created by Robert Kirkman
Starring Patrick Fugit and Philip Glenister
From the creator of “The Walking Dead” and based on the Outcast comic book series, Cinemax introduces a horror series about a young man in West Virginia searching for answers on why he’s spent his whole life suffering from supernatural possessions. Staying true to its source material and its genre, this character-driven drama filmed in South Carolina brings horror television to a brand new level.
Stranger Things
On Netflix July 15
Starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour and Finn Wolfhard
Described as an homage to supernatural movies of the 1980s (think “ET”), “Stranger Things” revolves around a mother (Winona Ryder) on a search for her son who vanishes into thin air under suspicious circumstances, all the while running into top secret government experiments and supernatural forces. Filmed in Jackson, Georgia, this Netflix original is a coming-of-age story for three boys — friends of the boy that disappeared — and lands a small community into a state of panic.
ON FILM
Genius
In theaters now
Starring Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney
This film is a chronicle of Max Perkins’ (Colin Firth) time as book editor of Scribner and his connection with literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) and other famous names, such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who both owe the success of their writing to Perkins. Based on the biography Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg.
Everybody Wants Some!!
Available June 21
Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch and Will Brittain
In the fall of 1980, freshman Jake moves into the house he’ll be sharing with a group of college baseball players, and they begin to navigate their way through unsupervised adulthood all in the last weekend before school begins. Being called a “spiritual sequel” to Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused,” this sports comedy was shot in San Antonio, Austin and Weimar, Texas.
Midnight Special
Available June 21
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver
A father and son go on the run when a religious cult and the government are drawn to a child’s supernatural powers. Filmed in New Orleans, “Midnight Special” takes place in a rural Texas town and won the Audience Award at the 2016 Sarasota Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
Free State of Jones
In theaters June 24
Directed by Gary Ross
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Keri Russell
Set in Jones County, Mississippi, and filmed in Mississippi and Louisiana, “Free State of Jones“ is a war film that tells the story of one Mississippi farmer’s (Matthew McConaughey) role in leading a rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. If you only see one summer blockbuster, this should be it!
