Top 5 movie picks for Sarasota-Bradenton: June 9-15

This year's summer movie season continues with what's likely to be one of its biggest blockbusters, "Jurassic Park" sequel "Jurassic World Dominion," premiering in theaters this week. Not many other new releases will take the challenge of competing with the film at the weekend box office, yet if you're not interested in seeing dinosaurs wreak havoc, you do have a couple of counter-programming options, including a few high-profile titles debuting on Netflix. Here are this week's highlights.

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1. 'Jurassic World Dominion'

The latest entry in the “Jurassic Park” franchise takes place in a world where dinosaurs now roam the globe, with “Jurassic World” stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and director Colin Trevorrow returning along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill from the original 1993 film. Though Steven Spielberg’s work remains the highpoint of the series, the free-range dinosaurs premise does sound fun, and hopefully all three leads of the first film signing on for this sequel is an indication of quality.

Where to watch: Theaters on Friday

2. 'Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story'

The documentary that premiered at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival tells the story of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, more commonly known as Jazz Fest, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The film features archival footage from the festival's half-century of history, as well as live performances and interviews with some of the musicians who played the 50th anniversary event, including Jimmy Buffett, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Katy Perry.

Where to watch: Limited release in theaters including AMC Bradenton 20 and Burns Court Cinemas

3. 'Hustle'

Adam Sandler and LeBron James produce this sports drama that also stars Sandler as a down-on-his-luck basketball scout who believes he's found a potential star player in Spain. It's always good to see Sandler in a dramatic role, with occasionally stellar results such as his turns in "Uncut Gems" and "Punch-Drunk Love," and a supporting cast that includes Queen Latifah, Ben Foster and Robert Duvall and talented "We the Animals" director Jeremiah Zagar behind the camera suggest this could be something worthwhile.

Where to watch: Netflix

4. 'Halftime'

Headed to Netflix shortly after premiering as the opening night film at this year's Tribeca Festival, this documentary centers on Jennifer Lopez and the second half of her career, including her co-headlining halftime show performance at the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami. Lopez has proven to be one of the better singers-actors in recent memory in movies such as "Out of Sight" and "Hustlers," so it'll be interesting to see if she's an equally magnetic screen presence in documentary format.

Where to watch: Netflix on Tuesday

5. 'Small Town Wisconsin'

Niels Mueller's first feature film in nearly two decades, since his Sean Penn-starring 2004 drama "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," is this dramedy about a dad (David Sullivan) who loses a custody battle and takes his child on a last father-son weekend. "Small Town Wisconsin" also features Oscar-winning "Sideways" director Alexander Payne as a producer and a supporting cast that includes "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" standout Bill Heck and "3rd Rock from the Sun" actress Kristen Johnston.

Where to watch: Video on demand Friday

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota-Bradenton top 5 movie picks, June 9-15