CityMag’s 2025 Summer Film Club
Overwhelmed by choice paralysis? Don’t know which flick to pick from the 15 streaming subscriptions you’ve signed up to? Want to cool off in the cinema? Fear not, CityMag’s got your back with our Summer Film Club – our favourite releases of the year (both high and lowbrow) that’ll give meaning to those liminal days between Christmas and NYE.
KPop Demon Hunters
Recommended by Zoe Rice, Editor | SALIFE
If you’ve scrolled on social media at all this year, you’ve probably had an earful of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. The hype has been overwhelming, but it’s truly warranted. If you’re a sceptic, I urge you to give up an hour and 39 minutes of your time. The story follows girl group, Huntrix, and boy band, the Saja Boys, as they duel it out to save or condemn human souls – pick your team. It’s a fun look at the country’s culture and music, with plenty of praise for its authenticity. A highlight is the Saja Boys’ rendition of Soda Pop, complete with viral dance moves. Creator Maggie Kang took seven years to perfect the project and it was recently named TIME Magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year. The film’s storyline delivers viewers a beautiful message, wrapped up in pop songs you might find yourself adding to your playlist.
Available on Netflix
Frankenstein
Recommended by Anna Mobley, Advertising Graphic Design Coordinator | SALIFE
This movie is one that will stay in your memory and is a visual feast with sets and stunning costumes that are out of this world, particularly the insect-themed dresses worn by Mia Goth (which should win best costume at the Oscars). It’s a gripping story told with some changes to the original novel but somehow still works as an adaptation under Guillermo del Toros’ direction. Featuring the sexiest Frankenstein’s monster to have been depicted thus far by the amazing Jacob Elordi, who is riveting in his characterisation of The Creature – try taking your eyes off him… It’s an enjoyable two-and-a-half-hour visual feast for gothic horror aficionados after a day at the beach.
Available on Netflix
Freakier Friday
Recommended by Jasmine Disalvatore, Event and Sales Coordinator
Freakier Friday was a joyful hit of nostalgia that instantly brought me back to my younger days, particularly when I would often rent the original from Video Ezy on a Friday night. From the beginning, it captured the same playful energy and heartfelt humour that made the original so memorable, while still feeling fresh enough for a new generation. The film cleverly follows a similar storyline to the original body-swap chaos, but repurposes it in a way that reflects how relationships and responsibilities evolve with age. I also loved that the film brought back the original actors rather than opting for a full remake with new faces. Seeing Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return made it feel like a true continuation, not just another retelling of the same concept. It knows exactly what fans loved the first time around and leans into it without feeling lazy. Overall, it’s funny, comforting and surprisingly touching — the kind of film that makes you laugh, reminisce, and leave the lounge room with a smile.
Available on Disney Plus
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Recommended by James Taylor, Senior Digital Designer
Wake Up Dead Man is another killer entry in the ‘Knives Out’ series. It follows a young priest trying to follow his moral compass after arriving in an unwelcoming new parish. The standout for me was the cast of compelling characters – they were as fascinating as they were unhinged, and I found it quite satisfying to trawl through their problematic lives. Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc was as entertaining and unpredictable as ever, stirring up trouble within the insular community while he investigates the mystery. He and the protagonist were an excellent pairing – challenging each other’s beliefs and pushing each other to be better people amongst the tangled web of terrible behaviour from the townsfolk. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the other ‘Knives Out’ movies. It hits the same high notes of entertainment and brings some extra emotion and self-reflection to the series.
Available on Netflix and now showing in cinemas
Rental Family
Recommended by Chelsea McLaughlin, Office Manager
Rental Family is the best movie I’ve watched all year. I’m a huge Brendan Fraser fan, so I jumped at the chance to see a preview screening of his new movie. Rental Family follows Fraser’s character, Phillip, a struggling American actor living in Tokyo, who gets a call from his agent about a job. He shows up to be adorably baffled, and his life changes. What follows is a chaotic but heart-warming, and occasionally heartbreaking, turn of events. Rental Family perfectly encapsulates the importance of all the kinds of relationships in our lives and how we impact the people we cross paths with every day, no matter how small. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and the performances from each of the actors was phenomenal. This is definitely one to watch!
Rental Family will be out in cinemas from Boxing Day
Jimpa
Recommended by Em Grzeskowiak, Account Manager
Jimpa is a warm and emotional film about family, identity and the stories that shape who we become. It follows Hannah as she travels from Adelaide to Amsterdam with her teenage child, Frances, to reconnect with her lively and openly gay father – affectionately known as Jimpa. Set in both Adelaide and Amsterdam, the film shows a strong sense of freedom and community, exploring Jimpa’s charismatic way of living in contrast to that of his daughter and grandchild. Frances is drawn to Jimpa’s world and decides they want to stay with him for a year. As a viewer, I felt connected to this desire, of wanting to stay in Amsterdam through my own travels for as long as possible, as it immerses one in culture and charm, beauty and energy in every aspect. The film shows quiet moments of listening, sharing, and confrontation, and how each generation expresses love in different ways. Jimpa feels warm, funny and vulnerable, reminding us that families are never simple and that real connection often comes from difficult moments. It is a beautiful and honest film and one I recommend adding to your summer watchlist.
Jimpa premiered at the 2025 Adelaide Film Festival and releases in cinemas in 2026
The Naked Gun
Recommended by David Simmons, Deputy Editor | InDaily, CityMag
While not my favourite flick of 2025 (that’d go to either One Battle After Another or the yet-to-exit-the-film-festival-circuit Sirat), I couldn’t go past recommending The Naked Gun as my pick for a lazy afternoon summer movie. When I saw this in September, I went with my father, notoriously an obnoxious laugher who’ll crack up at anything. I felt the eyes of everyone else in the cinema on us the entire duration of this reboot, starring Liam Neeson instead of Leslie Nielsen. The gag-a-second romp was never not hilarious. A true popcorn flick if there ever was one. Best seen in a delightfully air-conditioned living room with a fresh box of Cheezels.
Available to buy or rent on Apple TV
Zootopia 2
Recommended by Ella Wagner, Sales Coordinator and Social Media Producer
Everyone’s favourite partners Hopps and Wilde are back for another suspense-filled adventure on the hunt for a mysterious snake that has stolen an important artefact. Even though I don’t exactly fit the average demographic (kids under 5), and did encounter screaming toddlers behind me throughout most of the film, this movie was my favourite new release of the year, and I can guarantee it will be the most fun film you watch all summer. It will put you through all the emotions and absolutely delivers with funny references, plus Shakira is back with an absolute banger!
Zootopia 2 is in cinemas now
One Battle After Another
Recommended by Charlie Gilchrist, Journalist | InDaily, CityMag
It’s a big call given his distinguished body of work, but I would venture to suggest that One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s best movie to date. Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, One Battle After Another transforms the 1990s satire into a not-so-subtle reference to Trump’s immigration crackdown. The thriller film follows a group of left-wing militants, including protagonists Bob Fergusson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his one-time lover Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). Following a failed bank heist, Bob and his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), hide out in the wilderness, while Perfidia starts a new, mundane suburban life. However, antagonist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw – clearly based on a high-ranking ICE agent – makes it his mission to hunt down Bob, with some rather interesting motives. Don’t be put off by the 2-hour 42-minute runtime (yes, you heard me correctly), because this film never had a dull moment. Be warned, however, that the movie is not for the faint-hearted and will have you on the edge of your seat!
One Battle After Another can be rented on Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV and Amazon Prime.
Kangaroo Island
Recommended by Ben Kelly, Senior Journalist | SALIFE
Kangaroo Island is produced by husband-and-wife team Timothy David and Sally Gifford, using the picturesque island as a backdrop to this family drama, carried by Erik Thomson and Rebecca Breeds. My main criticism of the entire film is the cringey use of the word “Strewth” (really? Come on, guys…), but once I got past that, I was able to enjoy Timothy’s refreshing photographic storytelling and the film’s emotional highs and lows. The plot seems to try and shotgun a wide gamut of emotional plotlines at the audience so that anyone will feel a pull on the heartstrings – whether you’ve gone through the loss of a parent, a breakup, rejection, or even a family feud over money – but it is all balanced by the brevity through some fun and heartwarming moments.
Kangaroo Island is available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Amazon Video and Fetch TV.
Materialists
Recommended by Helen Karakulak, Journalist | InDaily, CityMag
I am mostly recommending Materialists to vindicate anyone who felt shamed by the internet for liking this film when it came out in June. Materialists’ biggest crime was its marketing, with polished press shots of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal spurring on rhetoric that the rom-com was back. If you want to be reminded of the glory days of the rom-com with a contemporary feel, I recommend 2023’s Rye Lane or even the 2022 clichéd-but-cute Wedding Season. But Materialists is a romantic drama (emphasis on drama) with witty dialogue and, of course, a gorgeous cast. Directed by Celine Song, it follows Lucy, a young New York City matchmaker played by Dakota Johnson. Lucy is made to choose between the perfect on paper, financially secure suitor Harry, played by Pedro Pascal, and her ex-boyfriend John, the lovably scruffy struggling actor played by Chris Evans. Love triangle aside, the film strikes a solemn chord when Lucy is faced with the harsh truth that sending women out on matches with “perfect” men isn’t all romantic fantasy. The film balances the shade of “known risks” of sexual assault in the matchmaking industry with the light of height jokes. It’s a worthwhile watch, but definitely not a rom-com.
Available to stream on Prime
Nosterafu
Recommended by Suzie Keen, Senior Producer
Any horror film that makes you jump out of your seat in the first five minutes has hit its mark. American director Robert Eggers’ ultra-creepy take on the vampire story – inspired by the 2022 silent film Nosferatu, which was based in turn on Bram Stoker’s Dracula – does that and more. Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen, a young woman in a fictional German town who is both haunted and enraptured by her psychic connection to Nosferatu, with Bill Skarsgård perfectly cast as the sinister and mysterious nobleman Count Orlok. The action moves from Germany to Transylvania (of course) as Ellen’s realtor husband (Nicholas Hoult) embarks on a fool’s mission to the towering gothic castle owned by Orlok/Nosferatu, and events thereafter just get more and more disturbing. Nosferatu is beautifully filmed, earning Oscar nods for cinematography, costuming, design and make-up. It certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, and the rats alone will give you nightmares – but it’s ideal holiday viewing for fans of slick, stylish contemporary horror.
Available to stream on Netflix, Binge and Apple TV.
