Everything that was awesome in June

Something fun, something for the summertime

Hi friends. Thanks for opening yet another newsletter of mine. This week is just my favorites from June and a few shows I’ve enjoyed lately.

Watcher (2022) — Amazon Prime

As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia — a young actress who just moved to town with her husband — notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street.

★★★★½

A thriller that follows the perfect formula. Following the greats before while breathing new life into the genre. It’s another edition of women looking out the window and being terrified. You might remember Maika Monroe from It Follows; she’s even better at this modern take on the trapped housewife with nothing left to do but watch for danger.

Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) — Apple TV+

Fresh out of college and stuck at his New Jersey home without a clear path forward, 22-year-old Andrew begins working as a party starter for bar/bat mitzvahs—where he creates a unique friendship with a young mom and her teenage daughter.

★★★★★

I’ve not been so wonderfully and perfectly moved since my first watch of Lady Bird. I’ve said this before, but we can never lose sight of the fact that we’re all constantly coming of age. You can feel everything. The closeness, the distance. The exact moment when things fall apart and the joy when they fall back together. You can feel the life of this practically vibrating against your skin. Cooper Raiff is a divine example of the beauty of genuine human emotion, and I’ve never seen Dakota Johnson so lovely.

The Black Phone (2022) — IN THEATERS ONLY

NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS.

Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are set on ensuring that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

★★★★½

Original, hilarious, terrifying. What more do you need in a horror movie? Please see this in theaters if you want to lose your mind. Coming from the same director as Sinister, its got that same magic touch. Plus Ethan Hawke is unfortunately hot in it.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) — Hulu

Nancy Stokes doesn’t know good sex. Whatever it may be, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, is pretty sure she has never had it, but she is determined to do something about that. She even has a plan: It involves an anonymous hotel room and a young sex worker who calls himself Leo Grande.

★★★★

A wonderfully personal and gentle look at what it means to be and to feel desired at strikingly different points in your life. How does it change, how does it falter, and how does it grow despite it all?

Palm Springs (2020) — Hulu

When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated as they cannot escape the venue, themselves, or each other.

★★★★

What can I say about this? It’s hilarious and charming. Following the likes of Happy Death Day, they’re forced to relive the same day over and over and over… and over. It’s the Andy Samberg rom-com you didn’t know you needed—the feel-good movie of your dreams.

Let the Right One In (2008) — Hulu

ELI IS 12 YEARS OLD. SHE’S BEEN 12 FOR 200 YEARS, AND SHE JUST MOVED IN NEXT DOOR.

Set in 1982 in the suburb of Blackeberg, Stockholm, twelve-year-old Oskar is a lonely outsider, bullied at school by his classmates; at home, Oskar dreams of revenge against a trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old, next-door neighbor Eli, who only appears in the snow-covered playground outside their building at night.

★★★★

A modern vampire tale centered around a couple of kids. What’s so special about this is that it takes the kids seriously as complex characters with plans and goals for their life.

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) — Peacock or Amazon Prime

A COMEDY OF SEXUAL DISORIENTATION.

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn’t like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she’s pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to a “sexual redirection” school, where she must learn to be straight with other lesbians and gays.

★★★★½

This was just gay satirical excellence. Thank you for your service Natasha Lyonne.

What to watch when you’re not watching

The Bear (Hulu)

Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveals themselves as his chosen family.

★★★★★

I mean, this show is just magical from the pacing to the storytelling, the diversity both visually and emotionally, the delivery and filming. It’s my favorite show I’ve watched in a long time, and who doesn’t love a little Lip Gallagher in Shameless? (Jeremy Allen White) Beautiful chaos that moves you.

Loot (Apple TV+)

After discovering her husband's betrayal of 20 years, billionaire Molly Novak spirals into a tabloid-fuelled self-destructive spiral. To her surprise, a charitable foundation offers to help Molly get back on track.

★★★★½

(Pilot Episode Rating)

I love anything Maya Rudolph. The pilot of this was hilarious, and don’t even get me started on how visually pretty it is. The cast is stacked, and you’ll recognize many faces from Pose, Severance, and Fire Island. I’m so excited to see where this show goes. There’s nothing more powerful than a new divorcee with nothing but a dream and a glass of wine.

Until next time.