Seen on Screen: Plucky Toys, Local Queer Horror and Amy Shark

As June kicks off the summer movie season in America, we’re starting to get a fresh wave of load-bearing franchises. But there’s plenty of room for smaller stories too, both on TV and in cinemas. This month there’s a thriller remake, an “anti-rom-com”, a Paul Rudd dramedy and a visceral local horror film inspired by conversion therapy. Plus, Jemaine Clement and Russell Crowe add some familiar faces. Here’s what to watch in June.

Alice and Steve

Jemaine Clement is the big hook for this six-episode British series, along with a button-pushing premise. The reliable comic actor plays the titular Steve, a single middle-aged man who betrays his best friend Alice (Nicola Walker) by sleeping with her 26-year-old daughter Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). Even worse, Steve and Izzy decide to start dating, prolonging the intense awkwardness for all involved (including Izzy’s bewildered mates). But this being a dramedy, the situation is played for painful laughs – something Clement does all too well. Alice and Steve is being billed as an “anti-romantic comedy”, and it will be nice to see Walker in comedy mode after being best known for her long run on the tense spy drama Spooks. On Disney+ June 8.

Power Ballad

Wedding singer Rick Power (Rudd) meets washed-up boy band singer Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas). They have a spontaneous jam. Wilson takes the song Power wrote on the fly and releases it to massive success – giving zero credit to its actual creator. That’s the basic set-up for this music-driven, Dublin-set dramedy from John Carney, the Irish director of beloved musical films Once and Sing Street. But given Rudd is the star, expect cringy, overly earnest comic moments that recall his roles in Friendship and I Love You, Man. At the same time, Carney’s involvement means some heartwarming elements too. In cinemas May 28.

Beast

Russell Crowe is pulling double duty here, playing a hard-bitten trainer in a Stan Original movie that he co-wrote. The familiar story sees former MMA fighter Patton James (Daniel MacPherson) lured back into the octagon to pay off his hospitalised brother’s crime-related debts. Sporting a deep Australian cast that includes singer-songwriter Amy Shark in her acting debut, Beast was shot in Sydney and Port Kembla, along with one particularly impactful trip to Bangkok to film the championship event. Shark plays Patton’s supportive but concerned girlfriend, while Crowe’s character is the driving force behind getting Patton back in shape for his big showdown. And there may just be enough other local aspects to transcend the usual fight-movie formula. On Stan June 4.

Cape Fear

After adapting the movie Presumed Innocent into a twisty hit series, Apple TV has turned to another classic early ’90s thriller in Cape Fear. The 10-episode show is executive produced by Martin Scorsese (who directed the 1991 version) and Steven Spielberg, and sees Javier Bardem step into the role of Max Cady, a ruthless ex-con hellbent on exacting revenge on the lawyer who unjustly put him away. Robert De Niro and Robert Mitchum have famously played the part before, but Bardem has more than proven his villainous chops in movies like No Country For Old Men and Skyfall. Amy Adams plays a lawyer who’s desperate to protect her family. Consider this prestige TV with a sordid true-crime vibe. On Apple TV from June 5.

Leviticus

Between Obsession and Backrooms, horror is having a bit of a moment. But isn’t it always? Throwing its hat into that crowded ring is Leviticus, a Sundance favourite from Sydney-raised, Melbourne-based writer-director Adrian Chiarella. Set in regional Victoria, the movie follows mutually attracted teenage boys Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), who are subjected to conversion therapy by their strict Christian community. Suddenly there’s a terrifying, violent entity bonded to them, taking the shape of each boy in turn. Mia Wasikowska plays Naim’s mother, bolstering the film’s pedigree for non-horror fans. And the trailer is giving major It Follows and The Babadook vibes, which makes it very promising indeed. In cinemas June 18.

Voicemails for Isabelle

Sometimes we all need a romantic tearjerker, and Voicemails for Isabelle definitely fits the bill this month. It’s about a young guy named Wes (Nick Robinson) who starts getting errant voicemails on his mobile from Jill (Zoey Deutch), complaining at length about her miserable dating travails. Once Wes realises that the voicemails are intended for Jill’s recently deceased sister, the stakes rise even as he knows he is falling for her – and soon contrives to meet her in person. Written and directed by actress Leah McKendrick, the film includes some knowing pokes at other wonky rom-com premises (namely You Got Mail), while playing right along with many of the genre’s most well-trodden tropes. On Netflix June 19.

Toy Story 5

Any parent will tell you how fitting it is that Toy Story 5’s villain is a tablet. Yes, tech is the existential threat for Woody and the gang this time around, and everyone must unite to beat back the seemingly omnipotent Lily Pad (voiced by Greta Lee), which features a starter version of social media. Disney has been on a roll with animated sequels in recent years, and this one seems like a surefire hit. With so much uncertainty over what to watch these days, it’s comforting to have such a safe bet with a kid-friendly franchise that’s been going strong for three decades. In cinemas June 18.

Spider-Noir

Nicolas Cage channelling Humphrey Bogart in a homemade Spidey suit? Yes please. Introduced to screen audiences in the first Spider-Verse movie, Spider-Noir is a winking version of the webslinger centred on private eye Ben Rielley (formerly the superhero The Spider) in 1930s New York City. Hence the dramatically tilted camera angles and other hallmarks of film noir – and there’s even an option to watch it in black and white. Lots of villains are ported in from the comics, including Sandman, Tombstone and Blackcat. Cage gets a couple of fun sidekicks too, played by Lamorne Morris (Fargo) and Li Jun Li (Sinners). The eight-episode first season drops all at once, with binging firmly in mind. On Prime Video May 27.