Kamala Khan, a superhero-adoring Muslim teenager who develops powers of her own, became an instant breakout for Marvel Comics when she was introduced in 2013. What might have seemed like a piece of history even a few months ago now looks like it could be a vision of the future. The Janes (HBO Max, June 8)Ī freshly timely doc, this Tia Lessen- and Emma Pildes-directed documentary revisits the case of “The Janes,” five women arrested in 1972 for helping others find safe, legal abortions. Alicia Vikander stars this time out, but don’t expect a straightforward remake (especially since the original was itself pretty twisty). Given the original’s reflections on the state of filmmaking in the Ninties it’s probably fitting that this new version-also written and directed by Assayas-would take the form of a TV miniseries, a space where many creators have fled to try out their more ambitious ideas. Irma Vep (HBO Original, June 6)Īn exercise in illusion, reality, and blurred personalities, Olivier Assayas’s 1996 film Irma Vep cast Maggie Cheung as an actress starring in a remake of the French silent classic Les Vampires. That description should probably tell you if you want to be first in line or avoid the movie entirely. Set in the near future it stars Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux as performance artists who grow organs on stage. David Cronenberg returns with his first film since 2014 and it sounds like the most Cronenbergian movie imaginable.
