Hot and fresh on the big screen (July 17 – 23)

17 July, 2023

This week brings much-awaited blockbusters that promise memorable cinematic experiences. Whatever you’re looking for – hardcore action, espionage, adventure, explosions, drama, life-and-death chases, or a trip to the pink Barbie world – we got you covered. Just get comfy in your seat and enjoy the ride!

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One (dir.  Christopher McQuarrie)

The seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible film series brings 2 hours and 40 minutes of adrenaline and stunts that only Tom Cruise knows how to do. Ethan Hunt and his team must find a weapon that, should it fall into the wrong hands, could lead to the annihilation of all mankind.

The film delves deep into Ethan’s past, and he will have to decide if he is ready to sacrifice everything for the success of the mission. There is hardly any time to think as the action takes him from one car chase to another, from motorcycle jumps to acrobatics on train cars.

As the title suggests, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is only the first part of the story, so the ending does not bring a conclusion but opens the door to continuing the adventure, which seems to get more and more complicated.

The film is playing in cinemas across the country.

Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan)

After a long wait and teasers that managed to arouse curiosity without revealing too much, Nolan’s Oppenheimer arrives in cinemas. The film has generated a lot of interest, firstly due to its subject, the history of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb, and secondly due to its cinematography and shooting process.

It is the first movie to shoot on IMAX black and white photographic film, which was developed by Kodak specifically for this project. Nolan even stated that all explosions were real, that they were captured without using any CGI.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as the title character, with a supporting ensemble cast including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, and Rami Malek.

Oppenheimer premieres on July 21.

Barbie (dir. Greta Gerwig)

It is up to you which movie you will go to see first, but the internet has decided one thing: if you see Oppenheimer, you must see Barbie, and vice versa. In the information age, where promo campaigns overlap and get mixed up on phone screens, and in people’s minds, the two films are linked precisely by the fact that they are so different.

When Barbie suffers an identity crisis, she begins to question her entire existence. That’s how she and Ken find themselves expelled from Barbie Land and forced to make their way into the real world.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling may play the lead roles, but they are not the only Barbie and Ken in the movie. There are different variations of the two characters played by actors such as Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, John Cena, Nicola Coughlan, Simu Liu, and Dua Lipa.

The film hits theaters on July 21.

Kompromat (dir. Jérôme Salle)

Gilles Lellouche stars as Mathieu Roussel, a French diplomat in Siberia who finds himself in conflict with the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia, the main successor agency to the Soviet Union’s KGB). He accepts a new position at work, hoping to help his family, but unintentionally draws unwanted attention from the security agency.

He is framed and imprisoned for a horrific crime, the French authorities cannot help him, and he has no way to defend himself. He can do only one thing: try to escape.

Kompromat enters theaters on July 28 and will have a preview screening at the Elvire Popesco Cinema on July 18. Find out more about the film from the Films in Frame interview with director Jérôme Salle.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (dir. Kirk De Micco, Faryn Pearl)

What happens if you’re a shy teenager who discovers she is a mythical sea monster? Ruby accidentally learns that she comes from a royal family of legendary sea krakens, a race sworn to protect the world’s oceans.

It’s hard enough trying to fit in as a teenager, but it’s even harder when you’re the heir to the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas and the safety of the world is in your hands, and your new friend turns out to be a mermaid, the main enemy of your kind.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken can be seen in cinemas across the country.



Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.