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The big name summer movie season takes off in June, but you don’t have to rush to the big screen to see some awesome movies. The June home entertainment movie releases offer plenty of options. You get your choice of franchise favorites to under-the-radar inde hits. Take a look at the best of what June offers:
Do you believe in miracles? You just might after you see Father Stu. This is one of the better performances in Mark Wahlberg’s esteemed career, which is saying a lot. Wahlberg plays a bad boy boxer inspired to become a man of faith and turns to priesthood after a near death experience. To see the evolution of Wahlberg and Stu is impressive. The film is touching on many levels and it’s just an unbelievable true story that you must see to believe. FATHER STU is out now Blu-ray, Digital and DVD When you get Blumhouse and a Stephen King classic together you get something pretty awesome. Firestarter is pretty damn cool. Zac Efron plays a dad of a young girl, I repeat Zac Efron plays a dad. Wow do I feel old! It’s actually a fitting role for him in this film. The focus is on a 11-year-old girl who has very special and dangerous powers of pyrokinetics at her disposal. Evil forces are trying to get her, but will she be able to control her powers or will she unleash them on everyone and everything?! Firestarter is an entertaining horror/thriller. If you are a fan of the novel, this should be a good viewing experience, if you’re seeing this story for the first time, prepare for a wild fiery adventure. FIRESTARTER is out now on Digital, on Blu-ray and DVD on June 28 A new modern take on the Cinderella story. It stars Camila Cabello as Cinderella, with supporting appearances from the likes of Billy Porter, Pierce Brosnan and Idina Menzel to name a few. This is very much a musically driven film. I mean when you have Idina and Camila how could they not put that musical spin on this age old fairytale. It’s fun and different and unlike other Cinderella films. CINDERELLA is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital This action-thriller sees Lena Headey and Sam Worthington unite to save a boy after his family is tragically murdered. I’m a fan of both actors so it’s cool to see them share the screen in a film. With a title like ‘9 Bullets’ you know you’re in for some shoot em-up action scenes. Solid all-around and worth a look. 9 BULLETS is out now on Blu-ray and DVD Are the secrets of dumbledore going to be revealed? What is quickly made known is that Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is attempting to take control of the wizarding world. Leave it up to Professor Dumbledore and Newt Scamander to lead the team of wizards and witches against Grindelwald’s legion of baddies. When the formula works, don’t mess with it. That’s what you get with Secretes of Dumbledore, a winning formula that’s familiar. I enjoyed it, even prefered it to the previous film. As long as the main stars are still part of it, I’m there for it. P.S. Secrets ARE revealed! FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE is out now on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and HBO Max One of the more underrated all-time classics is The Bridge on the River Kwai. It only won seven Oscars including Best Picture in 1957, yet, you don’t hear about it often enough mentioned with the best movies ever. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and see the 4K UHD version, releasing for the first time in 4K. It’s oone of the best WWII epics ever made, so if you’re into war movies this is a must-see classic. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is out in special steelbook limited edition 4K Ultra HD on June 7th Celebrating its 60th anniversary release is the all-time great Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O’Toole amazes in a career performance T.E. Lawrence. This classic comes from director David Lean (also directed The Bridge on the River Kwai), who garnered a Best Picture win in 1962 for the film, and took home seven Oscars for it that year. Unlike The Bridge on the River Kwai which depicts WWII, Lawrence of Arabia is set during the time of WWI. If you want a special movie experience see these movies back-to-back. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is out in special steelbook limited edition 4K Ultra HD on June 7th We have made it to season six of the highly entertaining Billions. Things settle down (imagine that) when season six opens. Michael Prince has taken over Axe. Chuck is tasked with new methods of strategy. The rest are looking to survive and form new alliances. Everything starts new, with new leadership and rules, while new battles emerge. This show is not close to stopping, it just keeps outdoing itself. Usually any show by season six loses its luster, but not Billions. As long as the key players, such as Paul Giamatti and Corey Stoll remain, I don’t see anything slowing down with Billions, so check it out! BILLIONS: SEASON SIX is out on DVD on June 14 If you’re looking for a safe-bet entertaining comedy, Kevin Hart is you man. He doesn’t disappoint. This film is a little different than most Kevin Hart films. It’s based on a true story and it’s an endearing one. Hart plays a widowed dad who has to raise his young daughter all while going through the trials and tribulations of doing it on his own #GirlDad. I liked seeing Hart in this sort of role, shows he can do more than just pure comedy and action. This film had a lot of heart to it. FATHERHOOD is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Season five of The Good Fight sees Diane (Christine Baranski) attempt to work alongside Liz (Audra McDonald), while two of prominent lawyers exit the law firm and leaving things in chaos. There is also major side drama with Marissa and Hal Wackner. The show is just as good as it started. It has really good actors and court law drama never gets old. The entertainment and storylines are getting even better than in previous seasons, so if you’re not watching, catch up and check out season five. THE GOOD FIGHT: SEASON FIVE is out now on DVD If you haven’t been paying attention, Zac Efron has had one of the biggest career transformations of any actors over the last few years. Efron long known for Disney’s “High School Musical” and for playing “pretty boy” roles has become anything but that with some of his recent roles. If you want evidence of this transformation, look no further than Gold. It’s a fascinating and uncomfortable watch. Efron is hardly recognizable at times, he looks painfully rugged disheveled. His character is stuck on a desert in a fight for survival. Fantastic performance from Efron in this primarily one-man-show act. GOLD is out now on DVD Sometimes the bad guys aren’t so bad. This would be the case. A group of baddies, a wolf, snake, piranha, tarantula and a shark are the world’s most wanted criminals and heist experts. It’s when they get caught and taken to embark on an anti-heist to clear their names. Will they succeed or be baddies for life? I enjoyed the humor and story of the film. It has a lot of action and entertainment. DreamWorks animation always seems to hit home runs, as they do with The Bad Guys, yet again. THE BAD GUYS is out now on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital What lengths would you go to help a brother? You’re about to find out what the characters in Ambulance do. A high-octane Michael Bay heist thriller. You know you’re getting a lot of action and explosions. Add a talented trio of Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez to the mix and you got yourself a real solid movie. It’s a heist of all-heists. The streets of LA haven’t faced this sort of ambulance danger yet. Fun, explosive, thrilling and non-stop action. Who knew an ambulance could produce all that excitement? AMBULANCE is out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital The ultimate Marvel mind-bender. Multiverse of Madness is truly mad, as in mad crazy, fun and exciting. Benedict Cumberbatch is the star of the film undoubtedly, but expect to see some familiar faces from the Marvel Universe. Better be paying attention to this one as Dr. Strange descends on several multiverses and alternate realities. The film is the best showcase of the Dr. Strange character and his abundance of superpowers. It’s a really fun and trippy ride. It’s only fitting that Sam Raimi directs. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is out now on Digital, on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on July 26
Be sure to check all these titles out on digital, Blu-ray and DVD.
About Post Author
Jim Alexander
Jim Alexander hails from Chicago where he started his journalism career as a film critic and founder of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC). He's a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. Jim founded Reel Talker as a platform to share his love of movies and entertainment. Jim's favorite part of being a journalist is getting to meet and interview actors, filmmakers and entertainers. Jim is a host and on-camera personality for AfterBuzz TV. Aside from his work with Reel Talker, he's the site owner of the Bachelor Universe website, where he recaps and talks about all this ABC's 'The Bachelor'. He also runs the Reel Talker Podcast that can be found on iTunes. In his free time he enjoys attending sports events and playing in recreational leagues.