What's on the Menu: July Edition
John Cena as President, Maggie Q as Ballard, Bambi as a killer, and more July premieres.
Happy July 1 and happy three-month anniversary to Meet Me at Crafty! Can you believe I’ve been storming your inboxes for three months already? There’s so much more to come, too, including movies!
In the meantime, take a gander at what’s coming up this month, both on screens and in theaters. And if you see something, say something! Hit me up in the comments, post Crafty on your socials, forward it to someone who might like it (or gets mentioned in it).
And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Prime Video
July 2: Heads of State
As it happens, I’m a fan of Amazon MGM Prime action movies (Jackpot! is vastly underrated), and this one starring John Cena as the president and Idris Elba as the U.K. Prime Minister promises to be raucous summer fun. Adding some gravitas are Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price (Gravity), The Banshees of Inisherin cinematographer Ben Davis, and three-time CDG Award winner Jany Temime (House of the Dragons). Plus No Time to Die stunt coordinator Lee Morrison!
July 9: Ballard
Maggie Q is back on TV in action mode in this LA-based Bosch spinoff, as the head of a cold case unit (shades of Dept Q) and a bad history with the LAPD. Caroline B. Marx (In Living Color, 13 Reasons Why) designed the deceptively simple costumes; Ray Donovan production designer Ray Yamagata brings the world to life.
July 11: One Night in Idaho: The College Murders
Directed by Liz Garbus (What Happened Miss Simone?) and Matthew Galkin (Kevorkian), this four-part docuseries retells the twisty saga of the murder of four college students in 2022, with cinematography from Jeff Hutchens, an Emmy winner for Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.
Netflix
July 10: Too Much
The Lena Dunham-written and directed comedy series starring Meg Stalter is gonna be a “The kind of thing you’ll love if you love that kind of thing” situation tbqh, though the high-caliber guest stars (Naomi Watts, Andrew Scott) help. The costumes are by Arielle Cooper-Lethe, and this will not be the last time you hear about them this summer.
July 17: Untamed
Eric Bana stars in Mark L. Smith’s (American Primeval) second Netflix series this year, about the raw power of the outdoors in this murder mystery set in Yosemite. Cinematography is by Brendan Uegama (Riverside) and Michael McDonough (Winter’s Bone, The Decameron), capturing the beauty and the terror of one of the last remaining chunks of American wilderness.
July 21: The Hunting Wives
A last-minute save from Starz, this soapy drama about East Texas socialites stars Malin Akerman, Jaime Ray Newman, and Brittany Snow. It marks costume designer Heidi Higginbotham’s (Cougar Town) second Netflix series of the summer, after The Waterfront.
July 25: Happy Gilmore 2
Adam Sandler and his longtime editor Brian Robinson reunite for this long-gestating sequel to Sandler’s beloved comedy—another situation of “You’ll love this if this is the kind of thing you’ll love.” But if your likes include Hubie Halloween, you’re likely already seated for this. Fun fact: OG Happy Gilmore production designer Perry Andelin Blake returns, too.
July 31: Leanne
Beloved Tennessee standup comedian Leanne Morgan gets her own Chuck Lorre sitcom, co-starring Kristen Johnston. The premise is basically Reba (married mom gets left by her husband after decades, has to reassemble her life, but with Morgan’s inimitable comedic sensibility. Morgan is aided by sitcom masters, including production designer Francoise Cherry-Cohen (The Big Bang Theory) and costume designer Karla Stevens Flanigan (Mom).
Hulu
July 23: Washington Black
This period drama, based on the novel, follows young Wash Black on a Barbados sugar plantation in the 19th century as he becomes a scientist’s servant and attempts a hot air balloon escape. The Old Man and 9-1-1 (and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves!) production designer Giles Masters recreates the era.
Magnolia / HBO Max
July 4: Sinners
The Ryan Coogler hit starts streaming this weekend—and in a first for the streamer, it’s available in a Black American Sign Language translation. According to the press release I got, BASL is a “distinct dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) with its own dynamic history and unique grammar, signing space, rhythm, facial expressions, and cultural nuances.”
July 10: Back to the Frontier
Three families go off to live like 1800s pioneers, which is to say that we can see how trad wives do it when they’re not in charge of the editing on IG.
Showtime
July 11: Dexter: Resurrection
He lives! Again. Michael C. Hall returns as America’s favorite fictional serial killer, along with Original Sin and New Blood editor Katie Ennis (Crafty fave Sister Aimee) and production designer Eric Weiler.
MGM+
July 13: The Institute
In this household, we watch a lot of MGM+. Color us intrigued by this new Stephen King adaptation, starring Mary-Louise Parker, about a mysterious place filled with children who possess strange powers. MGM+’s From production designer Matt Likely does set duty, while costume designer Hannah Owens-Bender adds another King project to her résumé, after Mr. Mercedes. Casting by Crafty friend Seth Yanklewitz!
Sundance TV
July 17: The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster
I cannot begin to tell you about this docuseries, which is a little bit like Don’t Fuck With Cats crossed with Happytime Murders. The noirish cinematography by Rasa Partin is particularly choice.
Acorn TV
July 24: Code of Silence
Nolly cinematographer Sam Care handles DP duties on this mystery, about a deaf woman called in to lip-read potential suspects during an investigation. Kinda like High Potential but more dangerous.
Peacock
July 11: Drop
The best movie of 2025 finally streams, introducing even more audiences to the greatest pantsuit of all time, designed by Gwen Jeffares Hourie.
Movies
July 11: Superman
Director James Gunn kicks off a new Man of Steel era with star David Corenswet, alongside longtime DP Henry Braham, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 production designer Beth Mickle (who also did Drive and Only God Forgives), and legendary costume designer Judianna Makovsky (GotG3, Practical Magic, Hunger Games, Pleasantville).
July 18: Eddington
Ari Aster’s Western, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Pedro Pascal, includes production design from Elliott Hostetter (The Neon Demon), editing from longtime collaborator Lucian Johnson (Hereditary, Midsommar), and cinematography from Delicatessen and Se7en DP Darius Khondji.
July 18: I Know What You Did Last Summer
Another day, another ‘90s reboot. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. return to help out terrorized manslaughter perpetrators, but this installment boasts promising cinematography from Immaculate DP Elisha Christian, I’m a Virgo production designer Saira Haider, and costumes from horror reboot pro Marie-An Ceo (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street).
July 25: Bambi: The Reckoning
Attack of the copyright expiration continues apace with this new bloody take on Bambi, with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey DP Vince Knight and special effects artist Rebecca Wheeler.