【Secret Confessions (2025) Maid in Heaven Episode 42】

All week,Secret Confessions (2025) Maid in Heaven Episode 42 we've been running our 2017 summer movie preview. Previously, we shared our funniest, scariest, most action-packed, and most nostalgia-friendly picks. Today, we're wrapping things up with the best of the best: the six films we're most excited to see, period.

The best thing about summer movie season is also the worst thing about summer movie season: there's just so muchto look forward to, that odds are we probably won't have time to see everything we want.

Which is why even on our lengthy to-do list, we've reserved a section for films we'll drop everything to see, no matter what.

SEE ALSO: Summer movie preview: What to watch if you're feeling nostalgic

Today's picks aren't linked by genre or tone. We've got big films and little ones, movies you've seen plastered all over billboards and ones you've (probably) never heard of. The only thing they all have in common is that we absolutely cannot wait to see them.

So without further ado, here's what to watch if you just want to see the best of the best ...

… and you admire a good third-act shootout: Free Fire (April 21)

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You know that bloody, brutal, every-man-for-himself shootout at the end of all those action thrillers? In Free Fire, it's basically the whole movie. Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, and Cillian Murphy play just a few of the participants in an illegal arms deal gone sour. Unsurprisingly, the simmering tension quickly boils over into full-on violence. More unexpectedly, the gunfight turns out to be as funny as it is nasty, thanks to crisp and clever dialogue by Amy Jump and Ben Wheatley.

... out of all the superhero pics: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

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2017 brings us no fewer than six major superhero movies, and three of those land smack dab in the middle of summer. But for our money, the one to watch out for is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We'd follow these a-holes anywhere, especially when their next adventure promises more Baby Groot, more classic rock tunes, and the addition of Kurt Russell as a planet who also happens to be Star-Lord's dad.

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… and you want to laugh and cry: The Big Sick (June 23)

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Sometimes we want a movie that'll make us belly-laugh. Sometimes we want one that'll make us ugly-cry. Sometimes we're in the mood to swoon over a romance. And every once in a while, we're lucky enough to stumble upon one that promises to do all three. Silicon Valley's Kumail Nanjiani stars in a dramatization of his own true story, in which his now-wife Emily Gordon (played here by Zoe Kazan) fell into a medically induced coma shortly after they started dating. Bring tissues, but also be prepared to laugh 'til your sides hurt.

… and musicals are your jam: Baby Driver (June 28)

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Baby Drivermight look more Fate of the Furiousthan La La Land, but hear us out. The musicality of this movie is baked right into its premise: Ansel Elgort plays a talented getaway driver who blasts music all day to drown out the ringing in his ears. Through him, we experience an action thriller where gunshots are set to drumbeats, where cars zip along in time to the rhythm, where chases and fistfights are choreographed like dance numbers. Leave it to Hot Fuzzdirector Edgar Wright to put a fresh spin on two genres at once.

… and you adore weird outer-space adventures: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July 21)

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The Fifth Elementdefinitely wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But if it was yours, you'll want to keep an eye out for Luc Besson's next outer space adventure, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play a pair of special operatives on a mission to save the universe, etc., etc., we've heard it all before. The reason we're excited for this one, though, is that Besson has a knack for weird, quirky details – like Rihanna in a supporting role as a shapeshifting entertainer. That could be worse the price of admission alone.

… and you love pitch-black comedy: Ingrid Goes West (August 4)

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There's the kind of light social media stalking we all indulge in from time to time, and then there's the kind of extreme social media stalking that sends lives careening off the rails. And if we're being really honest, the line between can get kind of fuzzy in practice. Ingrid Goes Westis about a woman who's definitely on the wrong side of that divide, played by Aubrey Plaza fresh off of her awesome terrifying turn in Legion. And don't sleep on O'Shea Jackson Jr. as her landlord, either – Sundance buzz says it's a small role, but a big breakthrough.

Catch up on our full summer movie preview. Here's what to watch if ...

Monday:... you're an action connoisseur

Tuesday:... you're in the mood to laugh

Wednesday:... you want to feel a chill down your spine

Thursday:... you're feeling nostalgic

Friday:... you just want to see the best of the best

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