What I Was Watching in June 2021
Theaters are fully back! All my shows are ending! That means two things: more movies and finally binging some shows I have been meaning to for years (the two frontrunners for me right now are The Sopranos and The Wire). So this should be the last ‘light’ month for a while, since my favorite way to escape the summer heat in Tennessee is hiding out in a theater or a movie marathon from my couch in the comfiest - and lightest - clothes I can find.
A Quiet Place Part II
in theaters
I am not a horror movie person. At all. I did make an exception for this sequel because I managed to not get nightmares from the first. And it was worth it. I’m really impressed with these films overall, especially by Millicent Simmonds, who plays the daughter. She’s incredible, and there is hardly any filler in this movie, which I always appreciate. A concisely told story is hard to find.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Love Don’t Cost A Thing
HBO Max
I’m loving all these random old-school romantic comedies I’m finding on HBO Max. It’s helping me fill in the blanks in my film knowledge and see these movies that helped originate the tropes (in this case, the date-for-hire concept) that I actually truly love in many novels and films today. This film is incredibly charming, even if it doesn’t age, a common issues from rom-coms, I’m finding.
The Verdict: 3/5
Garden State
Hulu
It’s a bit unfair that I went into this suspecting I’d be annoyed by this movie. Lately, I have low patience for manic pixie dream girl types, and I can’t even quite figure out why. And this movie made me want to never watch Natalie Portman in movies ever again, which is unfair because outside this movie, I adore her. I just wasn’t rooting for any person in this movie and was relieved when it ended. Killer soundtrack, though.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
The Catcher Was A Spy
Hulu
More and more, I’m enjoying movies that I go into pretty blind. Other than a run time, a glance at a cast list and the brief summary on a streaming service, I knew nothing about this movie, and I was pretty intrigued the whole time. Paul Rudd is charming, as per usual, and a true story about an ex-baseball-player-turned-spy was definitely something I’d never heard before.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
A Night At The Roxbury
Hulu
This was another one that I decided to check out since it’s so present in the cultural zeitgeist but I had never seen it. I don’t think I had been missing anything. After watching this, I wished I had just found a “best moments” compilation video on YouTube rather than spend an hour and a half watching this. Maybe it’s just not my humor, but I will never be revisiting this movie again.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
Galveston
HBO Max
I’ve enjoyed many a crime drama this year, and I had high hopes for this one because it looked like an indie film that could have been an under-appreciated gem, but it fell short. Elle Fanning is decent enough in it, and the acting isn’t a problem, but they seemed to want me to be way more emotionally invested than I had been and with no additional reason as to why I should feel that way. It was very unique, but a bit flat.
The Verdict: 2.75/5
RV
HBO Max
I knew this movie wouldn’t be good. I didn’t expect it to be. I watched it for one reason and one reason only: to see baby Josh Hutcherson. This is probably the worst movie I’ve seen in a while, and it had more poop-based humor than I had seen in ages, and I forgot how that seemed to be a staple of comedy roughly 15 years ago in “funny” family films.
The Verdict: 2/5
Miss Julie
HBO Max
It’s fascinating how some plays translate so well to the screen and others don’t. Once I learned this was originally on the stage, it made so much more sense. The acting was decent and I did like the ‘bottle episode’ feeling that often comes from making movies out of plays, but it felt like the dramatic changes in emotions were unwarranted and that some kind of development was missing.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
Josie And The Pussycats
HBO Max
Okay, this movie is insanely fun. I have no idea if they intended it for this movie to be as campy and hilarious as it is, but I’m choosing to believe everyone was in on the joke. I would absolutely go see this at a midnight screening kind of thing at an arthouse theater. It’s bright, it’s colorful, it’s ridiculous and it was a delightful way to spend an hour and a half. I had heard this movie became a cult classic, and I’m so glad I saw it for myself.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Blockbuster season is just around the corner with Black Widow finally coming out next week. I didn’t realize just how much I would miss it last year when the pandemic robbed us of it (among so, so many other things). What are you most looking forward to seeing this summer?