The SLMan Culture List: July
THE EPIC: The Odyssey
Following his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan now delivers The Odyssey, Homer's epic poem, to the big screen. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus (Matt Damon) embarks on an epic return journey to his homeland. Faced with foes from myth and legend, he will need to overcome impossible odds to return to the life he once knew – his kingdom, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Also stars Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron. This one arrives on an unmissable scale, so if you’re like us, you’ll be booking into an IMAX.
Out 17th July
Visit Odeon.co.uk
THE CRIME SERIES: The Westies
The Westies stars JK Simmons – which is enough to get us to watch. The eight-episode series will premiere with two episodes on 12th July, followed by a weekly release on MGM+. The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centring on New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered 50 to one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
Out 12th July
Visit PrimeVideo.com
THE DRAMA: Lucky
Lucky is a pulse-pounding limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy. Featuring an ensemble cast that also includes Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins, Jr. and William Fichtner, Lucky is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. When a multi-million-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky (Taylor-Joy) is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life – and a way out.
Out 15th July
Visit TV.Apple.com
THE MUSIC DOC: Wham! 10 Days in China
The first Western pop group to perform in China, WHAM!’s concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou introduced live pop music to audiences under strict guidelines. The tour marked a pivotal cultural moment for WHAM!, expanding the band’s international profile and cementing their global reach. Drawing on meticulously restored, newly digitised and never-before-seen archive footage, alongside interviews with those who experienced the tour firsthand, the film revisits this historic moment through the eyes of the band, their team and Chinese audiences encountering Western pop culture for the first time. The film offers a fresh perspective on China at a moment of transformation, told through the band’s journey and the voices of fans experiencing pop culture in a new way.
Out 28th July
Visit Odeon.co.uk
THE COMEDY: The Invite
The Invite stars Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde (who also directs), Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton. The film centres on one couple as they invite the neighbours over for cocktails – igniting an evening full of unexpected twists and turns, revealing deeply repressed emotions and unexplored sexuality.
Out 3rd July
Visit Odeon.co.uk
THE SPORTS DOC: Quarterback – Series 3
The hit Netflix series Quarterback returns for season three to give viewers exclusive access to four quarterbacks across the 2025 NFL season, pulling back the curtain on the grind, glory and grit that define one of the game's toughest jobs. Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2024. Now, he enters year two with the pressure, attention and momentum dialled up. Former top draft pick Baker Mayfield bounced around the league a bit early in his career, but has found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Entering his third season with the Bucs in 2025, expectations are high. The NFL’s most recent number-one draft pick, Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans, makes his professional debut with Netflix cameras watching his every move. And finally, veteran slinger Joe Flacco finds his way from the Cleveland Browns to a divisional rival, the Cincinnati Bengals, where he must learn a fresh playbook and build relationships with new teammates, all while balancing fatherhood.
Out 14th July
Visit Netflix.com
THE FINAL SEASON: The Bear – Series 5
The final series of the Disney+ smash picks up right after Sydney, Richie and Natalie learn that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. The new partners must come together for a service that, they hope, earns them a Michelin star. The main crew are all back, led by Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto. Together, they’re at the heart of the heat, humour and high-pressure of a restaurant where triumph and failure are balanced on a knife-edge.
Out now
Visit DisneyPlus.com
THE TRUE-LIFE DRAMA: The Bombing of Pan Am 103
On 21st December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people. What followed was the largest murder investigation in the history of Scottish policing – into the deadliest act of terrorism on British soil. Based on the testimony of those who were there, this Netflix drama tells the story of the collaboration between Scottish police and US law enforcement, and the families’ quest for justice. The cast includes Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes), Patrick J. Adams (Suits), Merritt Wever (Severance) and Peter Mullan (Ozark).
Out 30th July
Visit Netflix.com
THE SPORTS COMEDY: The Dink
Washed up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson) has been reduced to coaching unruly children at his father Chuck’s (Ed Harris) suburban country club. Desperate for his dad’s approval, Dusty blindly supports Chuck’s vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball. But when Dusty reaggravates an old injury, taking away his ability to play tennis, he resorts to the unthinkable in the name of rehab. He not only tries pickleball but, thanks in part to his enchanting new partner Candace (Mary Steenburgen), he finds himself enjoying it. Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis Andy Roddick (played by Roddick himself). The cast also includes Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell and Ben Stiller.
Out 24th July
Visit TV.Apple.com
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