ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — With so many films vying for attention, it’s hard to know what’s worth seeking out.

Consult our guide below for the new movies to see, stream and skip in June 2025.

You should see…

“FRIENDSHIP” (2024, 100 min., directed by Andrew DeYoung)

Tim Robinson lumbers through each scene of “Friendship” like a beige ogre, suffusing the room with the stench of awkward comic genius. That is to say, “Friendship” is very funny.

Robinson is most famous for his oddball sketch comedy show “I Think You Should Leave,” which sees his character engaging with mundane scenarios through hilariously unhinged behavior. “Friendship” is a lot like the feature film version of one of those sketches.

Robinson plays Craig, a man who befriends a charismatic neighbor, Austin, played by an impeccable, mustachioed Paul Rudd. Unfortunately for Craig, but perhaps more for Austin and his pals, Craig lacks the social acumen to mesh with their group, leading to Austin politely ending the new friendship. Craig does not respond well.

“Friendship” could be a psychological thriller in the wrong hands. Craig is breaking into houses, wielding weapons, getting cuckolded, engaging in corporate subterfuge and acting erratic in every sense of the word. Fortunately, director Andrew DeYoung understands the power he has in Robinson. The movie is pathologically hilarious instead.

There’s a unique tone struck in “Friendship” not everyone will resonate with, but if you can get on the wave, the film is saying something universal about male friendships, too.

“Friendship” is now playing in theaters.

You should stream…

“KARATE KID: LEGENDS” (2025, 94 min., directed by Jonathan Entwistle)

“Karate Kid: Legends” is not a good movie, but it sure is fun. There’s something to respect in its earnestness, cliché as the script is, and a few things to appreciate in the overstuffed 90-minute movie. For lovers of “Cobra Kai,” the “Karate Kid” sequel series on Netflix, “Legends” is a cinematic successor to the tone of that show. Both are trashy melodramas with a lot of heart behind them, courtesy in large part to their dedicated young stars. Xolo Maridueña got his start in “Cobra Kai” and has gone on to lead his own movies. I hope for the same for the wonderful Ben Wang.

I wouldn’t rush to get Friday night tickets for “Legends” – chances are, your wallet will leave feeling more bruised than the protagonists – but it would play perfectly at home. I suggest a double-feature with “Police Story,” “Drunken Master” or any other classic Jackie Chan movie. Chan is easily the best part of this one.

“Karate Kid: Legends” is now playing in theaters.

You should skip…

 

(Courtesy: A24) Jonah Wren Phillips plays a possessed child with a dislike of cats in the wildly-upsetting “Bring Her Back.”

“BRING HER BACK” (2025, 99 min., directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou)

The Feel Bad Phillippous proudly present: as many horrible things as they can cram into one foster home!

There are undeniably cool elements to the Aussie brothers’ second movie. The gore effects look great, for one, and Sally Hawkins is the most iconic Movie Mom in the game, a title she doubles down on as a terrifying foster mother here. There are some fun winks at analog horror. The scary circle accoutrement is compelling.

I love horror movies. This has all the bloody parts of a great one. Yet the horrifying, upsetting, unrelenting parts of “Bring Her Back” just piles into a dreary, bile-smeared heap of despair by the end. What’s the point? I’d go with “attempting to transplant the spirit of your dead child into another is bad,” but the film is less interested in exploring its central premise than creating a sense of churning nausea in its audience.

Exploitation movies are back. “Bring Her Back” is one.

“Bring Her Back” is now playing in theaters.