10 Lesbian-Approved Movies We Can't Wait to See This Summer - Part 2

Summer popcorn flicks and thoughtful LGBT-themed cinema don't typically collide, and that is certainly true of this season’s crop of films. When it comes to queer women seeking representation on the big screen — or women in general for that matter — the summer blockbuster season is fairly slim pickings next to the testosterone-laden superhero scenario on endless redux, or the paean to the poor shlubby guys who alway gets the hot girl comedies that apparently never get old in Hollywood. 

Now that summer is officially here, we've planned an escape from 90-degree days. Curated below is a list of summer movies that feature strong female characters, well-loved actresses, and also films about or directed by women. Be sure to look for separate coverage of LGBT film festivals. 

Get your Swedish Fish and tub o' corn and settle in with these 10 films approved by this lesbian who likes to see women on the big screen. 

July 1 

Terminator Genisys 

Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke takes on the role of tough-as-nails Sarah Connor -- made iconic by Linda Hamilton in the '80s--in the 5th installment of the Terminator series. This time around Sarah's son John, the leader of the resistance movement who's destined to save civilization, sends his lieutenant back to 1984 to save his mother, only to discover an alternate past in which everything has changed.  Time travel, explosions, robots, and the ultimate terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger are back. 

July 17 

Trainwreck 

Hilarious button-pusher and feminist for our time, Amy Schumer, stars as a single woman who refuses to commit, that is until she meets Bill Hader's character. Amy wrote the script that turns the guy who can't settle down trope on its head. Raunchy comedy director king Judd Apatow is at the helm, which actually feels like just the right fit for Amy's brand of down-and-dirty. Tilda Swinton and Brie Larson costar. 

July 24 

Mad Women 

In this female-driven dark comedy a mother of three daughters commits a crime of conscience only to become even more radicalized while in prison for her crime. The women attempt to come to terms with the youngest daughter's death from cancer. Kelsey Lynn Stokes, and Christina Starbuck star. 

Paper Towns 

Out model Cara Delevingne is just about everywhere these days, and she's about to prove her acting prowess as the enigmatic young woman at the heart of this teen roadtrip movie from the writer of The Fault in Our Stars. Cara plays Margo, the wild child neighbor to Nat Wolff's Quentin, whose disappearance leads the kids in her town on a trip to 'Paper Towns.' 

Unexpected 

Three words: Cobie Smulders stars. The How I Met Your Mother/Avengers star plays a teacher dealing with an unexpected pregnancy at the same time one of her most promising student's (Gail Bean) at her Chicago school also discovers she's pregnant. Kris Swanberg (whose husband is mumblecore king Joe Swanberg) directs, while Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey) plays Cobie's character's mom. 

July 31 

Lila and Eve 

Likely Emmy contender for How to Get Away with Murder, Viola Davis, and The Fosters executive producer Jennifer Lopez team up as grieving mothers who join a support group and later band together to seek justice/revenge for their kids' deaths. If anyone can mete out justice, it's these two. 

August 7 

The Diary of a Teenage Girl 

This edgy coming-of-age tale stars British actress Bel Powley as Minnie, a '70s teen who rebels against her mother (Kristen Wiig) by engaging in an affair with mom's boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard). Based on the novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, first-time feature director Marielle Heller wrote the screenplay. Christopher Meloni (SVU, True Blood) and Margarita Levieva (Revenge) costar.  

Fantastic Four 

Kate Mara as Sue Storm! That is our entire justification for including this reboot of the Marvel franchise. Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell costar. 

Ricki and the Flash 

The inimitable Meryl Streep reunites with her Sophie's Choice costar Kevin Kline to play an aging bad-girl rocker forced to reconcile with her estranged family, especially her daughter Julie -- played by Mery's amazing daughter Mamie Gummer -- when Julie's fiance jilts her. Oscar-winning Juno writer Diablo Cody penned the script, while Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) is at the helm. Meryl sings and Audra McDonald costars. That's worth the price of admission alone. 

August 21 

Grandma 

What's better than a comedy starring Lily Tomlin as a lesbian poet? One that costars Laverne Cox, Marcia Gay Harden, and Judy Greer.  Tomlin plays Elle, who is mourning the death of her long-time partner while also trying to get over a recent break up with a younger woman (Greer). Elle's thrown into a tailspin when her pregnant granddaughter (Sage Garner) arrives in search of money. Since lesbian poets aren't known for being flush with cash, the request takes Elle and her granddaughter on an odyssey that includes a visit to a tattoo artist played by Cox! 

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