#10: The Saturday 411 ☎️

Unfrosted, Furiosa, Babes, The Bear Season 3, and more!

Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry! I can get ahead of myself. I'm Anxiety, one of Riley's new emotions, and we are all super jazzed to be here. Where can I put my stuff?

Anxiety, Inside Out 2

I don’t know you about you, but I find Anxiety very relatable — “I can get ahead of myself.” That’s me, pretty much all of the time. Thankfully, there are time tested antidotes to anxiety: meditation, prayer, exercise, community… One of them being a week at the beach, which is how I kicked off my summer. Another one of them being: reading a really good novel at the beach. My book club chose Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver for June and I got to spend the first seven days of the month reading as much of it as I could. Despite the mature thematic material, it’s a page turner and reminds me how wonderful it is to get lost in a good story via the written word.

It’s also fun to get lost — or find your way, as the case may be — in a really good movie or television series.

Tory Crowley

and I rounded up some of our faves from the last month and what we’re looking forward to that’s dropping end of June/early July! Let us know your list in the comments!

What We’ve Been Watching

Heather

Bridgerton (Season 3, Part 2) (Netflix): The much anticipated second part of Bridgerton Season 3 aired on Thursday, June 14. That is the night I started, and finished, the final four episodes with my sister-in-law. While I’ve heard much was changed from the book series, I personally don’t care too much about that. The adaptation makes for some good drama and Part 2 held many surprises. I couldn’t have guessed how they would resolve the major conflict and enjoyed the way it all played out. There is one very long sexy scene in the first episode, easily skipped if you so choose, as well as a tiresome plot-line involving Benedict and a threesome, not so easily skipped because it takes place during a night that apparently lasts three days. If you can make it through (or fast-forward) all that, you can watch four more hours of witty dialogue, absurd hairstyles, and gorgeous dresses.

Unfrosted (Netflix): Jerry Seinfeld made his first movie, and it’s about how the Pop Tart got made. The trailer hooked us, so we had to watch it. But even with its all-star cast, the film left me wanting. I just wasn’t sure what the point of it all was. And sometimes that’s ok. We can have some fun for fun’s sake. Still, as we find out more and more about how our food gets made here in the U.S. and why it’s bad for us, it seems like a movie about the invention of Pop Tarts could have actually had a lot to say about large food corporations. There were a few “aha” moments, but they weren’t cohesive and the film never really brought it home.

Broad City (Hulu): What can I say, we like to watch oldies! Old as in they’ve been out for a several years. I’m grateful my husband is on board for the sister-friend comedy shows. After wrapping up Pen15, we immediately started Broad City. It’s fun for us because the series gives Ben a little taste of my former New York City life, even though it was not nearly as absurd as Ilana’s and Abby’s. In Ben’s words, the show gives him glimpses into the female perspective and experience. We’re here for it.

Mr and Mrs Smith (Prime): As far as action-adventure-epsionage-heist comedies go, the Ocean’s films pretty much do it for me. This is not one of my go-to genres. I’m not over here asking for more. However, when we heard that Donald Glover and Maya Erskine (of Pen15!) star in a new mini-series, we had to give it a try. I don’t have the stomach for violence or suspense these days, and the opening scene threw me off. But the dynamic between Glover and Erskine, which so far has made fun of the typical espionage team tropes, has me intrigued and willing to to keep going. It’s a smart show, Paul Dano makes an appearance, and Ben can just tell me when to close my eyes. We’ll let you know how things turn out.

Tory

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (theaters): This is my personal most-hyped movie of 2024 and it’s one of my favorites I’ve seen so far. Admittedly, it’s not as good as its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road, but stylistically, it’s on point and the action, fighting, and car chases are just as exciting. Anja Taylor-Joy is awesome in this and she is basically let off the chain to continue her exploration of feminine rage. Chris Hemsworth embodies frankly a delightful villain that you hate to love. But what makes this a great movie is its commitment to the theme of hope, even in the most desolate circumstances

Babes (theaters): As a student of the culture, I loved this movie. It’s about two women who are lifelong best friends navigating life’s changes together, including parenthood. Dawn is married with a toddler and a newborn, when her best friend Eden learns that she is pregnant after a one-night stand. As both women are pushed to their emotional limits, they have to decide if they truly consider the other “family” after all. Even when I disagreed, I loved the questions this movie brought up about womanhood, motherhood, adult friendships, and chosen family. At the end of the day, I just wish it was funnier. Iliana Glazer is one of the best comedians in the game and I think this movie could have and should have made me laugh a lot more than it did.

Inside Out 2 (theaters): I guess the sequel is never as good as the original (unless you’re talking about The Godfather) and that holds true here. The original Inside Out is almost too good, it’s not fair that Inside Out 2 has to live in its shadow. The sequel is funny, and continues to pull off some of the best symbolic storytelling I’ve ever seen onscreen. The new characters are fun and make sense — they don’t feel contrived or like the franchise is trying too hard. But they also don’t take the story to another level. This movie won’t blow you away the way the first one did, but it’s still a very joyful way to spend two hours.

Looking forward to

Heather

Thelma 6/21 (Theaters): A sweet grandma is scammed when she gets a phone call from someone impersonating her grandson. But Thelma is not going to let the scammer get away with it. (This exact thing happened to one of my best friend’s grandparents!) It’s a comedy action adventure featuring June Squibb as Thelma and Richard Roundtree as Ben, a friend who helps her go after her money. I’ll be seeing Thelma and reviewing it for

Salty Popcorn

’s 100th issue! If you haven’t subscribed yet, go do that now so you don’t miss it next Thursday!

My Lady Jane 6/27 (Prime): amidst the plethora of sincere and sappy period romance series marketed to women (think, Outlander), a new period piece is coming onto the scene and looks quite fun. Set in the 1600’s, My Lady Jane is a fantastical retelling, based on a YA novel, of the real-life Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for 9 days and later accused of plotting treachery. The tone, based on the trailers, is filled with sarcasm, irony, and modern anachronisms, which stands in direct contrast to the aforementioned sappy period dramas. And from what I’ve read, this damsel in distress might just have to save herself. I, for one, am here for infusing the past with some modern vernacular and tunes (A Knight’s Tale is one of my favorite movies) and definitely plan to give this series a shot.

Janet Planet 6/28 (Theaters): I love a good coming-of-age film. And I’ve been hearing good things about this one. It’s A24, of course, about a mother-daughter relationship. It takes place during a sticky New England summer in 1991, when 11-year old Lacy decides to come home from camp and spends a lonely few months observing her mother navigate three different relationships. Lacy’s world revolves around her enchanting mother, and it’s hard for her to share Janet with the visitors who come through. But she starts to see that her mother has a life of her own, an existence outside of her interactions with Lacy. I’m sure Janet Planet will prove to be that nostalgic, sweet, and poignant coming-of-age film that every summer release schedule needs.

P.S. I am also excited for The Bear Season 3, and have just started rewatching the series with Ben, who hasn’t seen it yet! Read on for Tory’s pitch for it!

Tory

The Bear Season 3 6/27 (Hulu): Carmy and the gang continue their quest to open a new restaurant in the tensest show on tv, and I mean that in a good way. Season 2 was exponentially better than season 1, and I hope the trend continues for season 3. Leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White have been busy in the off-season — Ayo for hosting SNL and appearing in multiple films, Jeremy for a very sexy Calvin Klein ad — which has generated a lot of buzz for them personally and the show in general. Let’s see if it can live up to the hype!

Carmy and Sydney survey their restuarant in The Bear

Kinds of Kindness 6/28 ( Theaters): If you liked Poor Things, you need to see this. Director Yorgos Lanthimos and leading lady Emma Stone are reunited in a new film that looks like it breaks a lot of rules. I don’t know much about it, except that the movie is broken up into three different stories, all featuring a stacked cast, including: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, and Joe Alwyn. It’ll be weird, and I’m really hoping it’s good.

A Quiet Place: Day One 6/28 (Theaters): A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II were both scary, imaginative, and had a lot of heart. Adding another installment to this franchise is risky, but the fact that John Krasinski (who wrote and directed the first two) is producing gives me hope. That, and having Lupita Nyong'o in the lead makes me think that this movie will be worth a watch.

Sound of Hope 7/4 (Theaters): Who doesn’t love a good cryfest from time to time? This movie tells the true story of a small community in Texas who rallied to adopt 77 children out of the foster care system, and showcases some extreme highs and lows of the journey. This looks like another gem from Angel Studios to me, highlighting the role of faith in human struggle and triumph.

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Don’t forget: Women Talking is our Film Club movie of the month! We’ll be sharing our conversation about it next week!

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