July 2017: Entertainment

Film.

–Spider-Man: Homecoming reboots the franchise (again), with Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker, Marisa Tomei as his Aunt May and Robert Downey Jr. as his pal Ironman – July 7

–A Ghost Story, starring Casey Affleck, is the story of a young husband who is killed and returns from the afterlife to visit his wife, played by Rooney Mara – it’s set in a rustic Texas town where ghosts come to life in a traditional form: as gliding white sheets with eyeholes; it premiered to strong reviews at Sundance earlier this year – July 7

–Patti Cake$ also debuted at Sundance and generated strong buzz with a star-making turn from newcomer Danielle Macdonald – it’s about a middle-class white aspiring rapper in New Jersey trying to make it big – July 7

–Bronx Gothic, directed by Andrew Rossi, is the cinematic version of Okwui Okpokwasili’s acclaimed one-woman show of the same name; rooted in memories of her childhood, Okwui tells the tale of two 12-year old black girls coming of age in the ‘80s via dance, song, drama and comedy – July 12

–War for the Planet of the Apes, the third installment in the re-booted franchise, introduces Woody Harrelson as a mad military figure – July 14

–Lady Macbeth is a thriller adapted from a Russian novella set in the 19^th century starring Florence Pugh; she plays a married woman who begins an affair with a stable hand – early buzz is that it’s “stark and sexy” – July 14

–Chasing Coral is a documentary that captures the outbreak of coral bleaching – a symptom of global climate change – and the potential consequences for the planet – July 14

–Dunkirk, directed by Christopher Nolan with a star-studded cast (Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy) recounts the evacuation of over 300,000 Allied forces from France in 1940 with the Nazis in hot pursuit – opens July 21

–Girls Trip is the perfect summer chick flick: four old friends– Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Tiffany Haddish in a buzzed-about break-out role – embark on a road trip to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, and adventure ensues – July 21

–Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a sci-fi film set in 2740 featuring Cara Delevigne as a special agent, and Rihanna as a showgirl – this you gotta see – July 21

–In Landline, written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, a mother and her two daughters in mid-90s Manhattan must lean on one another as they deal with issues of infidelity and divorce; Jenny Slate, John Turturro and Edie Falco star – July 21

–An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is a decade-on further examination of global warming and its consequences made by former Vice President Al Gore – July 28

–Atomic Blonde features Charlize Theron as a martial-arts heroine working undercover for MI6 in Berlin at the end of the Cold War – July 28

–For the equivalent of a beach read, catch The Emoji Movie, an animated film voiced by James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph and Patrick Stewart – July 28

Television.

–Netflix’s original 10-episode series Gypsy stars Naomi Watts as a well-to-do Manhattan therapist who gets dangerously entangled in the lives of her patients; Billy Crudup plays her husband – July 1

–Snowfall on FX is the latest from Oscar-nominee John Singleton, the co-creator and executive producer of this drama about the crack cocaine epidemic in LA in the ‘80s– July 5

–Castlevania is a Netflix series inspired by the dark medieval fantasy video game — July 7

–The Defiant Ones is a four-part documentary on HBO about the legendary partnership between Dr. Dre and record producer Jimmy Iovine; Bono, Eminem, Nas, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, and Trent Reznor are all interviewed – July 9

–Will on TNT is a period drama about a young William Shakespeare starring Laurie Davidson and Olivia DeJonge – July 10

–The Bold Type is a new Freeform show based on the behind-the-scenes exploits at a fashion/lifestyle magazine (loosely based on Cosmo) in the New York – July 11

–Adam Ruins Everything is a clever reality show on truTV that debunks some common misconceptions about big topics like football, weddings, immigration and voting – July 11

–I’m Sorry on truTV is Andrea Savage’s comedy about family, showbiz, and L.A. – July 12

–Ozark, starring Justin Bateman and Laura Linney as parents who move their family to an Ozarks resort community and get involved in a world of dirty money, debuts on Netflix — July 14

–Also on Netflix, To the Bone, Marti Noxon’s first film (she wrote and directed) tackles living with anorexia; Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, and Lily Taylor star – July 14

–Game of Thrones season seven premieres on HBO – July 16

–Netflix’s Friends from College is an eight-episode comedy series featuring Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, Fred Savage and Jae Suh Park as a group of Harvard alums reconnecting in New York in their 40s – July 14

–Loaded on AMC is the tale of four British tech engineers who sell their startup video game company and become millionaires overnight; the only catch is that they have a real boss for the first time in their lives, and it’s a woman – July 17

–Ballers Season 3 is on HBO – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns as Spencer – July 23

–Insecure returns to HBO with Yvonne Orji and Issa Rae playing BFFs in LA – July 23

–Midnight, Texas launches on NBC; it’s a supernatural adventure, set in the tiny town of Midnight, where everyone is some sort of outcast or runaway – July 24

–Somewhere Between on ABC is about a woman (Paula Patton) with the ability to go back in time by two weeks, which could be just the amount of time she needs to prevent her daughter’s death – July 24

–The Last Tycoon is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last work, which was inspired by the life of legendary film mogul Irving Thalberg; starring Kelsey Grammer and Matt Bomer, it debuts on Amazon – July 28

–Room 104 on HBO is an anthology series made up of different stories and actors that all take place in one hotel room; the room in question is a place where “weird, crazy, magical things happen,” according to the show’s producer – July 28

Podcasts.

–36 Questions, written by Brooklyn-based duo Ellen Winters and Christopher Little, is a full-length musical about a couple trying to save their marriage by answering the series of 36 romance-inducing questions that went viral a couple of years ago.

–Stretch and Bobbito on NPR features the two New York DJs, Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia, whose late-night radio show in the 1990s was the gatekeeper for up-and-coming hip-hop artists. They’re back for a new era.

–The Nod, on Gimlet, is co-hosted by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, best known for their previous work on For Colored Nerds, their twice-monthly conversational podcast on black art, media, and culture.

–Homecoming, also on Gimlet, is a character-driven mystery returning for its second season with Michael Cera, Mercedes Ruehl, Chris Gethard and Spike Jonze.

Theater.

–Stars from Broadway shows celebrate Independence Day at the 4^th annual theatrical staging of songs from the musical 1776 at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York – July 3-4

–The Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York will stage Intimate Apparel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Lynn Nottage; set in 1905, it tells the story of Esther Mills, a skilled African American seamstress who makes lingerie for both society women and “ladies of the night;” Esther will be played by Kelly McCreary, who currently stars in Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Maggie Pierce – July 4

–The Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia is mounting new plays about liberalism, the rise of the Nazis, and the Bronx in 1977 – July 7-30

–The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park stages A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Delacorte with Annaleigh Ashford (Helena) and Kristine Nielsen (Puck) – July 11 – Aug 13

–Sienna Miller returns to the West End in London in a new production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, co-starring Jack O’Connell at the Apollo Theatre – July 13

–The Public Theater’s Hamlet, starring Oscar Isaac in the title role, officially opens – July 13

–City Center’s Encores! Off-Center series in Manhattan, which revives Off Broadway musicals for short runs, mounts Assassins (July 12-15), Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s 1990 revue of Presidential predators, and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (July 26-27), Kirsten Childs’s 2000 portrait of a young dancer trying to make it on Broadway

–In The Terms of My Surrender, provocateur/satirist Michael Moore stages a one-man show about current affairs at the Belasco Theatre – previews begin July 28, opens Aug 10

Popular Music.

–The Monte-Carlo Sporting Summer Festival features Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (July 15),
Joss Stone (July 24), and George Benson (July 29) among many others — July 3-Aug 15

–James Taylor and opening act Bonnie Raitt begin a 13-city American tour in Newark’s Prudential Center – stops include Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and DC – July 6 – Aug 9

–Haim, the trio of Californian sisters, release their second album, Something to Tell You; lead single “Want You Back” is already getting high marks – July 7

–Canadian indie-rock bank Broken Social Scene releases its new album, Hug of Thunder, and starts its tour – July 7

–The Full Moon Festival is on Governor’s Island, with rapper Vic Mensa headlining – July 8

–Pitchfork Music Festival features PJ Harvey performing in Union Park, Chicago – July 14-16

–The Nice Jazz Festival takes place July 17-21

–Tomorrowland Music Festival, in Boon, Belgium, features David Guetta – July 21-23 and 28-29

–FYF Fest in LA is headlined by Missy Elliott, Frank Ocean, and Nine Inch Nails – July 21-23

–Splendour in the Grass with headliner The XX runs in North Byron Parklands, Australia – July 21-23

–Hot online news site OZY hosts its third annual OZYfest (described by the Times as “TED meets Coachella”) at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park; Jason Derulo, Samantha Bee, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Issa Rae are among the headliners – July 22

–Fuji Rock at the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture, Japan with headliners Bjork and LCD Soundsystem – July 28-30

–The Panorama Festival at Randall’s Island, NYC features Frank Ocean, A Tribe Called Quest, Alt-J and Solange – July 28-30

–The Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island features Wilco, The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Drive-By Truckers, Angel Olsen, Nikki Lane, Joseph, Chicano Batman, songwriter John Prine and Fleet Foxes (performing new work from their latest album, Crack-Up), among many others – July 28-30

–Classic East music festival in NYC will feature 70s legends The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Earth, Wind & Fire, Journey and Steely Dan at Citi Field – July 29-30

Books.

–We Shall Not All Sleep is a debut novel from Estep Nagy that takes place over the course of 3 days in 1964; the Hillsingers and the Quicks share a family rivalry that explodes – July 3

–To The New Owners: A Martha’s Vineyard Memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Madeleine Blais is an affectionate look at the iconic vacation resort – July 4

–Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan by Elaine M. Hayes is an illuminating biography of the singer, who grew up poor and became a star – July 4

–Made for Love is Alissa Nutting’s sophomore novel about modern love; to escape a bad marriage to a tech mogul, protagonist Hazel moves into a trailer park full of senior citizens with her father and Diane (his extremely lifelike sex doll) as her roommates – July 4

–Final Girls by Riley Sager has been praised by no less a personage than Stephen King as “the first great thriller of 2017” – it’s the story of the sole survivor of a massacre – July 11

–A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma is a collection of eight short stories that focus on Indian protagonists at home and abroad and examine the unpredictable workings of the heart – July 11

–Hello, Sunshine is the follow-up to the successful Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave; Sunshine Mackenzie is living the dream—she’s a culinary star with millions of fans, a line of #1 bestselling cookbooks, and a devoted husband – until she gets hacked – June 11

–Domina is the sequel to the bestselling Maestra; femme fatale Judith Rashleigh once again enters the underworld of Europe’s glamorous elite in Venice, Ibiza and St. Moritz – July 11

–What We Lose is Zinzi Clemmons’ first novel, the story of a young biracial woman struggling with issues of grief, romance and racial identity after her mother’s death – July 11

–Rachel Khong’s first novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, features jilted bride Ruth, a 30-something who quits her Manhattan job and moves back in with her parents, who have issues of their own – Miranda July gives it the thumbs up, so it must be good – July 11

–Laurapalooza will commemorate the 150th birthday of “Little House on the Prairie” author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Scholars and writers will make presentations on her life and legacy in Springfield, Missouri – July 12-14

–Henry David Thoreau: A Life by Laura Dassow Walls is timed to coincide with Thoreau’s bicentennial – July 12

–Equipment for Living: On Poetry and Pop Music by poet Michael Robbins is a series of essays on how works of art, specifically poetry and popular music, can serve as essential tools for living – July 18

–The Dark Dark is the first collection of short stories from the acclaimed author of Splitfoot, Samantha Hunt – July 18

–The Lying Game is Ruth Ware’s latest, about four childhood friends who once pledged that they would lie to anyone—except each other – July 25

–Madame Zero: 9 Stories is the latest from Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Wolf Border, Sarah Hall – early reviews are ecstatic – July 25

–Beautiful Bodies is an examination of how and why we try to control our bodies with food by Kimberly Rae Miller – July 25

–The Goddesses is the sophomore novel by Swan Huntley, about a woman who moves her family to Hawaii, only to find herself wrapped up in a dangerous friendship – July 25

–What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories by culinary historian Laura Shapiro is comprised of short takes on six famous women (including Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Gurley Brown) through the lens of food and cooking – July 25

See other July 2017 events:
Travel
Food & Drink
Planes, Yachts & Autos
Fitness & Sports
Fashion & Design
The Arts

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